For some reason, I am having a hard time getting into the mood for this year’s fishing opener. I suppose the 10 or more inches of snow we received this past Wednesday and Thursday may have something to do with that. In spite of the growing list of weather setbacks we have been experiencing, like the snow, the show must go on and next weekend is the official Minnesota fishing opener.
I have been attending the Governor’s Fishing Opener since 1995. Each year is always just a little bit different. In 1996, the opener was held in Bemidji and that was another late year for ice-out.
I usually leave for the opener early on Friday morning. On this particular opener as I drove past Leech Lake, I noticed that the ice was still on the main lake but the bays were open. The ice on the lake we fished in the Bemidji area had just come off on Wednesday so fishing was not exactly the best. On the way home as I passed Leech Lake, it was now completely open. Amazingly, it took just two nice days for it to look like a totally different lake.
This year’s fishing opener will be in the Park Rapids area and from the news releases that I have been receiving from the Department of Tourism, they assure us that we will be fishing on open water. The Minnesota Department of Tourism, Minnesota DNR and the host community join together to feature a different area of the state each year.
At the core of Minnesota's great fishing is a system of DNR research, management and effective law enforcement. This system has made Minnesota one of the nation's top five angling destinations. It is the foundation that generates $3 billion in annual Minnesota retail sales and supports 43,000 Minnesota fishing-related jobs.
Your license dollars are the fiscal foundation of this fish and wildlife management. License fees increased March 1, 2013, for the first time in 12 years. The increase, which passed in 2012, was critical to maintaining the world class fishing and hunting that Minnesota enjoys.
Each year as the opener approaches, I look forward to learning about the area that I will be fishing. As the time draws near, I also anticipate meeting the person that will be hosting me and my friend Jeff Anderson who is a sportscaster from Watertown, South Dakota.
I actually met Jeff quite a few years ago at one of the openers and we have been fishing together ever since. The opener is also a time for us to catch up on how our families are and what we’ve been up to for the past year.
In the years that I have been attending this event, I have had the opportunity to meet some very nice folks. Usually I’d refer to the person that I fished with as a “guide,” but they now prefer that we call them “hosts” because most of them are just average or above average fishermen that know the area.
I have, over the years, fished with some actual guides and also with some that could actually be guides. I have also fished with one or two very nice folks that would probably have a hard time catching a bullhead in Waterville. This is what makes each year unique because not all of the hosts are going to find fish. However, what they can teach you about a lake, or the area that you are fishing is invaluable.
Yes, I will be fishing on “open water,” but what body of water and who I will be fishing with will remain a mystery for a few more days. Good luck to everyone that ventures out for the walleye opener this year.
If last weekend was a preview of things to come for the upcoming fishing season, then it should be a pretty good one. The crappies were biting hot and heavy on Fountain Lake last weekend. All you had to do was take a drive past Hatch Bridge to know that the bite was on.
My grandson Trevor was going to take grandpa fishing Saturday evening but unfortunately an accident with his truck at the landing put those plans on hold. But, I am sure that there will be plenty of those days still ahead.
The weather on that weekend was just about perfect, and there were limits of crappie being caught as evidenced by the number of fishermen lining the banks of the lake. So on Sunday my grandson Dylan and I decided to give it a try.
We had planned on fishing by the bridge, but unfortunately so did most of the fishermen in the area. Neither one of us are big fans of fishing in crowds so we opted to go to Edgewater and try our luck from shore.
This proved to be unproductive so we changed our plans and tried the channel by Frank Hall Park with the same result. Even though we didn’t catch any fish, the time spent fishing with a grandson was reward enough.
Until next time, be safety conscious and don’t forget your life jacket as you head out for this year’s Minnesota walleye fishing opener.
Please remember to keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers because they are the reason we are able to enjoy all the freedoms that we have today.