Summary of Off-Reservation Manoomin (Wild Rice) Harvest Regulations
Attention Harvesters
The following waterbodies are now date-regulated in Wisconsin:
~ Chippewa Lake, Bayfield County
~ Island Lake, Vilas County
~ Minong Flowage, Douglas County
~ Pacwawong Lake, Sawyer County
*See table below for the full list of date-regulated waters.
For a full copy of your tribe's ordinance, see your tribal office.
NOTE: click state to view summary regs.
- Wisconsin
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PERMITS:
A tribal Off-Reservation Natural Resource Harvesting Permit is required for off-reservation ricing. This permit is available free of charge at your tribal conservation department. You must carry your permit with you when ricing off-reservation. RICING STICKS:
You must use smooth, rounded, cedar rods or sticks no longer than 38 inches. (Note: "binding" the rice is not permitted.) BOATS:
Boats can be no longer than 17 feet, or wider than 38 inches. The gunwales of the boat cannot be modified to capture rice outside of the boat. Boats can only be propelled with push poles or paddles. RICING HOURS:
10:00 a.m. until sunset on all date-regulated and non-regulated public rice waters. DATE-REGULATED LAKES:
No ricing is allowed on the off-reservation lakes listed except for the days they have been named open by the tribal ricing authority. The dates that a date-regulated lake is open for harvesting will be posted at access points to the lake. Rice waters not listed may be harvested whenever the rice is ripe. - Minnesota
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PERMITS:
A tribal Off-Reservation Natural Resource Harvesting Permit is required for off-reservation ricing. This permit is available free of charge at your tribal conservation department. You must carry your permit with you when ricing off-reservation. RICING STICKS:
You must use smooth, rounded, cedar rods or sticks no longer than 32 inches in length and which are held and operated by hand.. (Note: "binding" the rice is not permitted.) BOATS:
Boats can be no longer than 18 feet, or wider than 38 inches. The gunwales of the boat cannot be modified to capture rice outside of the boat. Boats can only be propelled with push poles or paddles. RICING HOURS:
9:00 a.m. until sunset on all public waters. OPEN SEASON:
No member shall harvest wild rice in any body of water except during the times(s) as such body of water is posted open by the Mille Lacs Wild Rice Authority. Posting will be done on the shores of and at places of access to the wild rice waters. - Michigan
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Unregulated
Map of Manoomin Waters*
* Off-Reservation manoomin waters only.
NOTE: click map icons for opening notes and aerial photos.
Open
Open dates vary
Closed
Not date-regulated, open when rice is ripe
Manoomin Waters
Rice Abundance Information for Manoomin Waters
Aerial Photos & Surveys
NOTE: click on a column heading to sort table.
| State | County | Waterbody | Survey Results | Opening Notes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MN | Aitkin | Big Sandy Lake | No Data | This water is not date-regulated | |
| MN | Aitkin | Elm Island Lake | No Data | This water is not date-regulated | |
| MN | Aitkin | Flowage Lake (Outside 1837 ceded territory) | No Data | This water is not date-regulated | |
| MN | Aitkin | Lake Minnewawa (Outside 1837 ceded territory) | No Data | This water is not date-regulated | |
| MN | Aitkin | Mallard Lake (Outside 1837 ceded territory) | No Data | This water is not date-regulated | |
| MN | Aitkin | Sandy River Lake | No Data | This water is not date-regulated | |
| MN | Carlton | Kettle Lake | No Data | This water is not date-regulated | |
| MN | Carlton | Moose Horn River | No Data | This water is not date-regulated | |
| MN | Carlton | Tamarack Lake | No Data | This water is not date-regulated | |
| MN | Mille Lacs | Ogechie | No Data | This water is not date-regulated | |
| MN | Mille Lacs | Onamia Lake | No Data | This water is not date-regulated | |
| MN | Mille Lacs | Shakopee | No Data | This water is not date-regulated | |
| WI | Ashland | Kakagon Sloughs (on reservation) | Good | Opening date has not been determined | |
| WI | Bayfield | Chippewa Lake | Average | Opened on 2022-09-02 | |
| WI | Bayfield | Totagatic Lake | Average | Opened on 2022-08-29 | |
| WI | Burnett | Briggs Lake | Good | Opened on 2022-08-26 | |
| WI | Burnett | Clam Lake (West side ripens before east side) | Good | Opened on 2022-08-26 | |
| WI | Burnett | Clam Lake, Lower | Good | This water is not date-regulated | |
| WI | Burnett | Gaslyn Lake | No Data | Opened on 2022-08-26 | |
| WI | Burnett | Grettum Flowage | No Data | This water is not date-regulated | |
| WI | Burnett | Long Lake | Good | Opened on 2022-08-26 | |
| WI | Burnett | Loon Lake (Carter's Bridge) | No Data | This water is not date-regulated | |
| WI | Burnett | Lower Hay Creek Flowage | No Data | This water is not date-regulated | |
| WI | Burnett | Mud Lake - Town of Oakland (Historic Lake) | Poor | Closed for the season | |
| WI | Burnett | Mud Lake - Town of Swiss (Limited public access) | No Data | This water is not date-regulated | |
| WI | Burnett | North Fork Flowage (Crex Meadows) | Average | This water is not date-regulated | |
| WI | Burnett | Phantom Flowage | Average | This water is not date-regulated | |
| WI | Burnett | Unnamed Ditch (Lower L Dike Flowage) | No Data | This water is not date-regulated | |
| WI | Burnett, Douglas, Polk | St Croix River (Cutaway Dam) | Average | This water is not date-regulated | |
| WI | Burnett, Washburn | Yellow River | No Data | This water is not date-regulated | |
| WI | Douglas | Mulligan Lake | Poor | Closed for the season | |
| WI | Douglas | St Croix (Gordon) Flowage | No Data | This water is not date-regulated | |
| WI | Douglas, Washburn | Minong Flowage | Average | Opened on 2022-08-31 | |
| WI | Forest | Hiles Millpond | Average | This water is not date-regulated | |
| WI | Forest | Little Rice Lake | No Data | This water is not date-regulated | |
| WI | Forest | Wabikon Lake | Fair | Closed for the season | |
| WI | Iron | Little Bear Flowage | No Data | This water is not date-regulated | |
| WI | Iron | Little Turtle Flowage | Good | This water is not date-regulated | |
| WI | Oneida | Big Lake | No Data | Opening date has not been determined | |
| WI | Oneida | Big Lake Thoroughfare | No Data | Opened on 2022-08-29 | |
| WI | Oneida | Cuenin Lake | No Data | This water is not date-regulated | |
| WI | Oneida | Gary Lake (Limited public access) | No Data | This water is not date-regulated | |
| WI | Oneida | Rhinelander Flowage (Beware private land areas.) | No Data | This water is not date-regulated | |
| WI | Oneida | Rice Lake | No Data | This water is not date-regulated | |
| WI | Oneida | Spur Lake | Poor | Closed for the season | |
| WI | Price | Lower Steve Creek Flowage | No Data | This water is not date-regulated | |
| WI | Price | Spring Creek WA Flowage | No Data | This water is not date-regulated | |
| WI | Sawyer | Billy Boy Flowage | Good | This water is not date-regulated | |
| WI | Sawyer | Pacwawong Lake | Good | Opened on 2022-09-06 | |
| WI | Sawyer | Phipps Flowage | Good | This water is not date-regulated | |
| WI | Taylor | Chequamegon Waters Flowage | No Data | This water is not date-regulated | |
| WI | Vilas | Allequash Lake | Poor | Closed for the season | |
| WI | Vilas | Aurora Lake | Fair | Opening date has not been determined | |
| WI | Vilas | Irving Lake | Poor | Closed for the season | |
| WI | Vilas | Island Lake | Good | Opened on 2022-08-29 | |
| WI | Vilas | Little Rice Lake | No Data | Closed for the season | |
| WI | Vilas | Nixon Lake | Poor | Closed for the season | |
| WI | Vilas | Rice Creek | No Data | This water is not date-regulated | |
| WI | Vilas | Round Lake | No Data | This water is not date-regulated | |
| WI | Vilas | West Plum Lake | Poor | Closed for the season | |
| WI | Washburn | Dilly Lake | Average | This water is not date-regulated | |
| WI | Washburn | Long Lake | No Data | This water is not date-regulated | |
| WI | Washburn | Rice Lake (Limited public access, opening info only posted online) | No Data | This water is not date-regulated | |
| WI | Washburn | Spring Lake (Minong Township) | No Data | Closed for the season | |
| WI | Washburn | Tranus Lake | Average | Opened on 2022-08-31 |
General Notes: This summary report is provided as a service to harvesters. The estimates of rice abundance are compiled from air surveys in Minnesota, and both air and ground surveys in Wisconsin. Wisconsin waters are divided into date-regulated lakes and non-date regulated waters. If the water you are interested in is not on the list of date-regulated waters, you may harvest it whenever the rice is ripe. (All other ricing regulations still apply.)
For each water, the crop is listed as either Poor, Fair, Average, Good or Very Good; these relative terms compare the crop to other recent years for that individual water. A "Fair" crop on a lake that generally supports large beds may represent more rice than a "Good" crop on a smaller water. Air surveys are not yet completed; additional waters will be flown if conditions permit.
Remember, if the rice is not falling well, and still has empty hulls or milky seeds, PLEASE stop ricing and give the bed more time to mature.
It is important to note that even where rice plants appear to be relatively abundant, seed production can be poor due to disease or other factors. In addition, heavy rain events and other factors can change the status of the beds after surveys have been conducted. You are encouraged to use this information as an initial guide, and conduct your own scouting trips to the waters you are considering harvesting.
Best wishes for a great season!
