Wakesurfers make waves with lakefront owners over boating rules in Twin Cities suburb

Nate Schmitz didn’t realize how seriously residents took wake restrictions on Fish Lake until one morning while out water skiing he was chased down and scolded by a neighbor.

The Maple Grove resident had unknowingly waded into a longstanding debate about when boaters can wakeboard, water ski or wakesurf — an issue rippling across Minnesota and the country.

City officials are reconsidering lake regulations, including morning wake limits on Fish Lake. And they’re getting waves of conflicting feedback.

“Why should the entire public be stripped of their right to use the lake as they see fit because a homeowner wants to stare at a pond while drinking their morning coffee?” Schmitz asked.

Many water sport fans are pushing the city to ease regulations prohibiting wake activity from sunset to 9 a.m., and when Fish Lake’s water level reaches 892 feet above sea level. They argue the limits cater to lakeshore owners and unfairly ban the sports during peak morning hours when the water is calmest.

But several homeowners are fighting for the rules to remain in place. They say increased wake boating has caused erosion on the shoreline and worry about harm to the water quality — after the community spent years working to reduce phosphorus pollution to remove Fish Lake from the state’s impaired waters list in 2024.

“There already is a problem,” homeowner Doug Schon said of the erosion. “If they open this thing up and don’t use that high water marker anymore, wow, the destruction will be crazy.”

Wakesurfing, where boats create big enough waves for surfers to ride without needing a rope, has exploded in popularity. But it’s also sparked debates over safety, noise and environmental concerns.

Officials tightened regulations on Lake Minnetonka a few years ago, restricting wake boating within 300 feet of the shore. Last year, Cook County enacted strict limits on wakesurfing at Caribou Lake.

Lawmakers in both Minnesota and Wisconsin in recent years have debated statewide restrictions. And other states, including Maine and Vermont, have passed wake boating limits.

Capt. Adam Block, a boating law administrator with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, said wake restrictions often come up during rainy summers like this one, when communities might temporarily prohibit wake boating due to rising water.

He said high water limits, decided on with the help of hydrologists, are one of the most common restrictions communities place on wake boating. But wake rules vary widely across the state.

“There’s not a one-size-fits-all with this topic,” Block said. “There really aren’t two lakes that are the same.”

In Maple Grove, Fish Lake residents have packed recent meetings of the Lake Quality Commission as the city undergoes a broad review of its lake regulations, which largely haven’t been updated for 30 years.

Public Works Director Chris LaBounty said the City Council is expected to consider changes this fall, which would then likely be reviewed by Hennepin County, the Three Rivers Park District and the DNR.

Fish Lake homeowner Scott Nagel said the dispute over wake restrictions has boiled over in the past few years, as more young families have moved in.

“You’ve got more people with wake boats that want to use the lake at any time at any water level,” Nagel said.

The restrictions were put in place before wakesurfing became common. Homeowners say increased wake activity on the narrow Fish Lake has led many of them to spend thousands placing riprap and trying to mitigate shoreline erosion.

Large artificial wakes can lead to erosion, impaired water quality from increased sediment and a loss of vegetation, especially when the water level is high, according to the DNR. The agency recommends motorboats stay at least 200 feet from the shoreline to reduce wake damage.

A University of Minnesota study found that waves from wakesurfing boats take up to 500 feet to diminish to levels created by other boats.

“The homeowners have a 24/7 presence on the lake. We’re the most frequent users and the most impacted,” Fish Lake resident Mark Halvorsen said.

Some also feel that banning wake boating before 9 a.m. helps address noise concerns and benefits kayakers, canoers and swimmers looking for safer water.

But many others disagree. They argue water sport fans are responsible lake users, that the restrictions are outdated and concerns are overblown. A change.org petition to “protect recreation rights on Maple Grove lakes” has more than 500 signatures.

Some would like to see the lake’s high-water restriction raised.

“Wakesurfing has gotten really popular because it’s fun and safe and anybody can do it,” Schmitz said, adding that the high-water limit often closes the lake to wake sports for two or three weeks, a good chunk of a Minnesota summer.

Many said they’d also like to use the lake in the morning before work.

“If a handful of boats could come in the morning, do our thing, then we would free up more spots the rest of the day for families with pontoons or tubes,” said resident and wakeboarder Aaron Chirpich.

Andy Larson, owner of Midwest Water Sports, said many of his customers want uniform restrictions across all Maple Grove lakes, arguing that various rules are hard for boaters to follow.

“The reality,” Larson said, “is that Minnesota’s lakes are a shared resource for everyone.”