Use this as the 2026 season thread and post your thoughts, strategies, success, failures, and photos right here. Can be any species too, not just bass.

We will be entering the dawn of a new era this year with a continuous bass season! No more full closures. As soon as the ice is out, you can have at it.

While Mother Nature might dictate how much more time we can actually do that, at least now the legal option is available. I am not much of a panfish guy and would personally rather target bass given the choice.

Good luck out there this season.

Glad I won't have to hoof it over to Wisco in the early season. Official wording can be found here in the 'Completed Rulemaking' section: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/input/rules/fisheries/index.html

None of the online regs have been updated yet.

The 2026 regs are posted. There is a continuous season for bass on a C & R basis from February 28 - May 8.

Starting May 9 when walleye and pike season opens, bass also opens for harvest. This is new. In the past, harvest of bass did not occur until the Sat of Memorial Day weekend.

Can’t say I agree with this part. If the goal is protect them while they’re spawning, it should remain C & R until at least the last Sat in May like it was before. So now it’s legal to box them in tournaments and keep them during their vulnerable time on beds.

36 minutes ago, gim said:

The 2026 regs are posted. There is a continuous season for bass on a C & R basis from February 28 - May 8.

Starting May 9 when walleye and pike season opens, bass also opens for harvest. This is new. In the past, harvest of bass did not occur until the Sat of Memorial Day weekend.

Can’t say I agree with this part. If the goal is protect them while they’re spawning, it should remain C & R until at least the last Sat in May like it was before. So now it’s legal to box them in tournaments and keep them during their vulnerable time on beds.

Further proof that the primary reason for even closing the season was to protect thy sacred walleye... But yeah, I agree the C&R season for bass should be pushed til the last Saturday in May like it used to be.

1 hour ago, gim said:

Can’t say I agree with this part. If the goal is protect them while they’re spawning, it should remain C & R until at least the last Sat in May like it was before. So now it’s legal to box them in tournaments and keep them during their vulnerable time on beds.

While I clearly don't have a dog in this fight, Do you guys expect the seasonal regs change to attract more early season Derby dollars ?

A-Jay

@gim I am happy to read about the earlier opportunity to fish for bass (Catch & Release is all I have ever done in my short 4 years of fishing)

Based on that you have written - I would agree that it would make sense to push all "Harvesting" of bass AND all tournament bass fishing (unless the tournament was immediate Catch & Release) until late May/early June

@FryDog62 is correct -- I have found most things revolve around the Almighty Walleye --- then Muskie -- then Crappie/Bluegill -- then maybe Northern Pike -- and that Bass are just some pesky nonsense fish to them, an after thought at best

@A-Jay I hope that it does not create more tournaments -- or if it does I believe they need to be immediate Catch & Release -- otherwise, at @gim intimates, it could be a bedding bass slaughter-fest

So it looks like I misspoke on this subject.

The harvest portion only affects the far northeast zone. That date has always been the case.

The rest of the state remains the same on harvest of bass - is not allowed until the Sat of Memorial Day, just like before.

My apologies. Sorry to spread panic.

Per this great news, has anyone found a good, warm, mostly waterproof glove you can actually fish with that they could recommend?

@Dubtee - these are gloves I bought off of Amazon - they were recommended by several people here on BR -- I have used them for 1 season -- so far they have been waterproof (the hand portion and up to the cuff is waterproof, the cuff portion is not waterproof) and reasonably warm -- I did try a few other styles/brands and many leeched water (although they were touted as "waterproof") -- these, so far, have kept my hands dry -- they are clunky to hold and wind the reel with as the palm/finger areas are "grippy" (which is a good thing when grabbing/handling fish, not a great thing when trying to use a reel) and the inside warm lining is a bit thick -- overall I would say they keep your hands dry, they are reasonably warm, but they are a bit clunky to reel with (not sure there is a glove made that is truly waterproof, is truly warm and is thin/fitted enough to allow for full feel/dexterity when fishing)

I also use those Kinco gloves. I keep a pair in every vehicle I own and a couple around the house.

On 2/27/2026 at 4:27 PM, Dubtee said:

Per this great news, has anyone found a good, warm, mostly waterproof glove you can actually fish with that they could recommend?

These are good down to about 40 degrees. You can do most any fishing activity in them besides tying a knot. I can cast, thumb the spool, reel, land fish, even type on my iPhone with them.

Well, unfortunately Mille Lacs will not be open for the new early C & R bass season. I kinda expected this given that the tribes have their nets out there from ice out until walleye opener.

Says right on their website. Looks like I'll be targeting largemouth before May 9. It kinda sucks but there's really no other place within a reasonable distance to target smallmouth.

• Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass: Beginning May 9, 2026, through May 22, 2026, all bass must be immediately released. Beginning May 23, 2026, all bass greater than 17 inches must be immediately released. Limit of three in combination. Smallmouth harvest ends Sunday, Sept. 7. Largemouth harvest ends Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026.

@gim - dude...where'd you see that 17" reg....I can't find it anywhere in the booklet....searched my PDF copy.

Here you go. That's only a ML regulation, not a statewide one.

https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fishing/millelacs.html

That's just for Mille Lacs - way you posted I thought it was a statewide thing...not that I'd keep a 17"...3.0 pound average is above my selective-harvest size range.

Man, I’m jealous of the forecast in the metro area. almost 20 degrees warmer than up here some days. Hows the ice on the small ponds and river fed lakes looking?

Everything is still frozen by me.

I did see some edges of various ponds starting to free up yesterday. It's still gonna be a while.

I good hard rain might move things along but that is not in the forecast.

What are people thinking for early spring tactics here? This is something that is going to be new for me. I've never been able to target bass this early in cold water.

My guess is that it will be a lot of trial and error. I'm gonna start by looking for the warmest water I can find, and then snap a jerk bait with long pauses. I don't expect numbers of any kind. But I'm halfway expecting to occasionally find a plump prespawn version and to me the chance at a fish like that is still better than panfishing.

15 hours ago, 10,000 lakes Bassin said:

Man, I’m jealous of the forecast in the metro area. almost 20 degrees warmer than up here some days. Hows the ice on the small ponds and river fed lakes looking?

I live on a very small lake south of the metro. Still frozen but my dog did break through the edge today. Tomorrow is gonna be 78F. Might see some change then.

I just looked at the extended forecast for the metro area and I wonder if you guys will have open water before April 1st on smaller lakes. I’m sure I will be at least two weeks behind that up here.

I think it is going to be a while here as well -- many people still walking out on to the ice, drilling holes, sitting on a bucket/chair and catching fish -- I did see a few spots where water flows into one lake that had a small area of open water -- the vast majority of snow is gone, although shaded areas still have piles of snow in them -- @gim this will be my first time to target bass before mid-May as well - I too am curious what techniques people will look to use - I am thinking jerk-baits, flat-sided crank baits and perhaps some smaller sized bluegill type soft plastics (like a 3" DEPS Bull Flat or GeeCrack Bellows Gill)

Enjoy the sun/warmth !

Some of the channels are opening up on Tonka - someone was actually casting from shore into the Black Lake/Spring Park Bay channel....but there were also a few people out on Black Lake on their buckets...so a mix.

On 3/21/2026 at 10:13 AM, 10,000 lakes Bassin said:

I just looked at the extended forecast for the metro area and I wonder if you guys will have open water before April 1st on smaller lakes

Yesterday I saw a bunch of small ponds that were completely wide open, or mostly wide open. Those ponds were covered in ice and snow a week ago.

I also have driven past a couple of lakes nearby and the ice has that dark look to it now - which usually means it's gone in a week under "normal" conditions.

I predicted April 8 for an ice out date in another thread last December. I'm thinking it might be before that now.

48 minutes ago, gim said:

Yesterday I saw a bunch of small ponds that were completely wide open, or mostly wide open.

Wow! About ten days ago, we hit 60 degrees for a couple hours, but other than that one day, we haven't any temps like the Midwest has enjoyed, so our water is still solid.

@Swamp Girl - as you know MN is a big state - I am 120 miles North West of the Twin Cities (just about half way between the Twin Cities and Fargo) - here there are some small pockets of open water where water runs into the lakes but aside from those small areas the ice is still plenty thick enough that there are dozens of people out on the lakes sitting on buckets and ice fishing - even a few crazies riding their 4-wheelers on the ice - we did have a very nice weather day Saturday (about 60) - yet it dropped into the low 20's at night and Sunday was a high of 30 - today was cloudy, windy, raw, mid-30's - so for this area I think my prediction of ice off on April 18th will probably be accurate unless we get some strong sun/warmth and winds in the next few weeks - any ice out before May will be a positive !