MN · Bluegill and sunfish
Minnesota bluegill and sunfish limits
On most Minnesota inland waters you may keep 20 sunfish a day, all species combined (bluegill, pumpkinseed, green, orangespotted, northern, warmouth and hybrids), with no closed season and no size limit. Close to 190 lakes and lake groups cut that to 10 or 5 a day under special regulations, so look up your lake before you keep fish.
Verified 2026-10-31Limits at a glance
Regulation period: March 2026 through Feb. 28, 2027.
Daily limit
20 combined (all sunfish species)
DatesOpen all year
Size ruleNo minimum length
Daily limit
5 per day
DatesOpen all year
Size ruleNo minimum lengthOn these lakes the daily limit drops but the statewide possession limit of 20 stays; while you are on that lake you may not have more than its daily limit with you. A few lakes instead set a possession limit of 5 or 10. Special and experimental regulations are listed lake by lake on pages 45–64 of the booklet.
Daily limit
10 per day
DatesOpen all year
Size ruleNo minimum lengthSame rule: lower daily limit, statewide possession limit of 20, but no more than the lake's daily limit with you while you are there.
Daily limit
10 sunfish, crappie and yellow perch combined, no more than 5 of them crappie
DatesOpen all year
Size ruleNo minimum lengthOne limit covers the whole group, not each lake.
Daily limit
20 per day, combined
DatesOpen all year
Size ruleNo size limit printed in the border-water table
Daily limit
5 per day
DatesOpen all year
Size ruleNo size limit printed in the border-water table
Daily limit
15 per day
DatesOpen all year
Size ruleNo size limit printed in the border-water table
Daily limit
25 per day
DatesOpen all year
Size ruleNo size limit printed in the border-water table
Daily limit
25 per day, sunfish and crappie combined
DatesOpen all year
Size ruleNo size limit printed in the border-water tableThe Iowa–Minnesota table counts crappie inside the same 25-fish limit.
Daily limit
10 per day, combined
DatesOpen all year
Size ruleNo size limit printed in the border-water table
Daily limit
30 per day
DatesOpen all year
Size ruleNo size limit printed in the border-water table
Watch for
- The daily limit counts every sunfish you keep that calendar day, including fish you give away or eat.
- A resident Conservation License halves the limits, rounding down: 10 sunfish on most inland waters, and 2 on a lake whose regular limit is 5.
- New for 2026: Green Prairie Fish Lake (Morrison), Long Lake near Spaulding (Todd) and Rabideau Lake (Beltrami) dropped to 5 a day; Platte Lake (Crow Wing) and Sullivan Lake (Morrison) share one 10-fish limit; Maple Lake (Todd) went back to the statewide rule.
- Sunfish may be filleted without leaving a patch of skin on.
- Border-water limits apply on the shared lake or river itself; the booklet lists the exact boundaries on pages 66–77.
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Minnesota · Bluegill and sunfish
Quick answers
What is the daily limit for bluegill and sunfish in Minnesota?
Inland waters, statewide: 20 combined (all sunfish species). Size rule: No minimum length. Other waters and date windows have different rules; see the table. Verify with Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
Which regulations do these Minnesota figures come from?
March 2026 through Feb. 28, 2027, as published by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Last verified 2026-10-31.