What do I need to know about bring my boat to MN ?

[Davey Crockett]

Planning a family get together for a week next summer. We will be renting a cabin for fishing , Tubing , Playing on the beach and hanging out. Was hoping to find a big enough cabin on Devils Lake because I know we can find and catch fish there but no luck. Did find a big enough cabin on Little Floyd, I'm not overly excited about MN but throwing out the question, What are the "hidden" expenses and headaches for a ND resident boating and fishing in MN ? Or does anyone know of a bigger rental at Devils lake ? Suppose I could bring the camper and tents if need be but a big cabin is more appealing for this particular outing.

 

[tikkalover]

how many people and how many rooms needed?

 

[Davey Crockett]

6 adults , Two pack and plays and 7 kids ages 9 and under .

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The one we found I think has 3 bedroom and 3 bathroom.. We can make due with what ever for sleeping accommodations just need at least 2 full bathrooms and a large living area or even a garage for serving meals.

 

[tikkalover]

I can’t remember the name of the place but a few years ago I stayed in one of the trailers east of Devils Lake on the south side of the highway. They were three bedrooms. Maybe rent 2 that are close together?



Its south of the truck plaza east on the highway. The row of 5 trailers.

 

[H82bogey]

If you don't mind traveling, you could check out Indian Hills and avoid the trip to MN.

 

[riverview]

pretty sure mn has ramp inspectors at state run ramps to check boat for critters. next to that ive never done anything special to go fish in mn with a boat.

 

[ndfinfan]

^^Same...we stayed in Brainerd last summer for a week...fished Mille Lacs and East Gull. Aside from having to get a 7 day MN fishing license and getting the boat checked by DNR at the ramp...there were no additional costs or requirements taking my boat into MN.

 

[Davey Crockett]

As much as I'd like to stay in ND, There are some real nice waterfront rentals in MN that sleep 14-16 people. Waterfront with a sandy swimming beach is important , As far as fishing goes I just want the little kids to catch fish in the boat and be able to fish off the dock . I haven't found anything comparable in ND both accommodations and pricewise (if we had to rent two smaller ones). I wasn't sure if I needed MN license/permit for the boat.

 

[zoops]

You need to know that the fishing there is generally crappy

But yeah, a good place to hang with family. No extra boat costs or permits that I've experienced (just need a current ND license on it). We vacation at a very busy lake and I think I've had my boat looked at once by DNR and that was several years ago when the invasive species monitoring started. Fishing license is around $50.

 

[3Roosters]

Buy your live bait in MN. LEAVE your live bait in MN when returning home. There are usually older, retired, semi retired folks working for the DNR at a lot of ramps in MN. Don't be a dickhead while they are doing their job checking your boat and trailer. Campfire wood. Do not bring your own across state lines as its probably illegal. Buy it locally.

 

[Auggie]

Wash the heck out of your boat after fishing there.

 

[Retired-Guy]

$100 fine for travelling with the plug in the boat. I lived on Little Floyd Lake the first 20 years of my life. When I was a kid, it had great bluegill, crappie, and bass fishing as well as lots of hammer handle sized northerns. DNR did plant some walleyes later on so my dad had pretty good ice fishing while I was away in school. Right now I am guessing lots of very small sunnies and perch. The lake is a big bowl about a mile in diameter with one inlet and one outlet. Unless something has changed, it became very weedy.

 

[Tlauz]

You do not need a Minnesota permit and do not need trailer licensed if boat is licensed in other state. With younger kids, swimming area is the most important as they will spend most of their day playing in the water. When you take them fishing, go for bass or panfish. The biggest mistake I see people make is going to a lake that is not a walleye lake and trying to catch walleye. Kids love seeing fish jump out of the water and bass fight hard. Swimming, tubing, a little fishing. You should have a blast!

 

[johnr]

Nice beaches all over sakakawea. Better fishing, and way less liberal Minnesotans.

 

[shorthairsrus]

Wash your boat with bleach when you leave the blue state. I also am very short with the people at the ramps bothering me about my boat going in. I tell them keep it out of my state. I then do a bleach spray down when i leave to really rub it in.

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I can’t remember the name of the place but a few years ago I stayed in one of the trailers east of Devils Lake on the south side of the highway. They were three bedrooms. Maybe rent 2 that are close together?



Its south of the truck plaza east on the highway. The row of 5 trailers.

Hay bale

 

[Retired Educator]

I've had good luck with VRBO. Renting houses from actual owners. Not sure of the availability around DL. The fishing at DL is generally good but later in the summer, any time after May, the water can get pretty mossy and green for swimming as you probably know.

With VRBO have found houses that sleep 15 easily. Just a thought.

 

[Allen]

Yeah, that's kind of the negative side of our biggest and best lakes (Sak and Oahe) being USACE projects. Not very much private shoreline on either of them to build waterfront rentals. The two that come to mind right away that have cabins are Indian Hills and Dakota Waters Resort. Neither of which are waterfront, or very high end.

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Oh yeah, and please take a gallon or two of bleach with you to disinfect your livewell system before coming back home. You can run the exterior of the boat through a good pressure washing, but the bleach does a better job of disinfecting the pumps and tubing of the livewells.

 

[eliminator]

Check out Piney Cove in Pick City North Dakota----it is an airbnb===i know people that have stayed there and it was very good. check it out on the internet and it will tell you all about it---3 bedroom with 5 beds and 2 baths. has pictures---might be a possibility for you

 

[Davey Crockett]

Retired Ed. , VRBO is a great scouting site, Thanks, Shocked to see these cabins are already booked a year in advance for June and July . Are there cleaning areas for boats with fresh water provided or how does that work ? Allen I like your livewell idea , One step further a guy could catch it in a bucket and use it to scrub the boat with a long handle or even have a washdown hose for the outlet.

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Having a hard time imagining how the boat cleaning is conducted at a busy lake ramp.