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Dan Gunderson

Ice and rain are in the forecast, but fishing should be good for opening of walleye season

Walleye
Cooler than normal water will have hungry fish looking for food near the shore this season.
Daniel Miller | AP File

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Minnesota anglers might need rain gear, but a good bite is expected for the Saturday fishing opener.

"We're on target for a good opener. The weather might make it a little tough to get out. Sunday, Monday look really good right now," said Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Program Consultant Al Stevens. The challenge for anglers in boats will be the weather.

Some northern Minnesota lakes still have ice cover, but most are expected to be open by the weekend. The cooler than normal water temperatures will have hungry fish looking for food near shore and in rivers Stevens said. Stevens' advice is fish where the water is warmer.

"Definitely key in on rivers, especially the lakes that have got ice, that's really where the warmest water is going to be and fish are always oriented to those rivers this time of year, so rivers shoreward," he said.

That means anglers may not even need a boat to find fish.

Because ice still lingers on many northern Minnesota lakes, DNR officials say people should be cautious when boating to avoid colliding with ice chunks.

The DNR will also have 150 officers checking fishing licenses, and making sure boaters are complying with clean boat rules.

"Pull drain plugs, that's always a big issue. We do have checkpoints going on throughout the state where we check for aquatic invasive species on trailers and boats," said Enforcement Division assistant director Greg Salo.

The late ice this year made it difficult for the DNR to install docks and repair public accesses where boaters launch into lakes, but the agency hopes to have most ready by Saturday.

And the good news, according to the DNR, is that all that ice cover on lakes means cooler water that could keep fish biting aggressively into early June.