Warm weather, relaxed limits suggest strong Minnesota fishing opener this weekend
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The opening of the summer fishing season this weekend is expected to bring a flood of anglers to Minnesota lakes, thanks to a summerlike forecast and a positive fishing outlook.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says about half a million people are expected to fish on Saturday, the opening day of the season for walleye and northern pike, as well as stream trout stocked in inland lakes. Catch-and-release fishing for bass also begins.
As of May 2, the state had sold more than 256,000 fishing licenses, a 9 percent increase over last year.
Most of the state’s lakes have been free of ice for several weeks, and their waters have been warming, said Brian Nerbonne, DNR regional fisheries manager based in St. Paul. Some species, such as walleye and northern pike, are done spawning and will be looking for food, he said.
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“Hopefully, that bodes well for anglers,” he said.
Northeastern Minnesota has had colder weather, so ice remains on some lakes in that region, Nerbonne said.
The southern half of the state had little snow last winter, and rain has been scarce this spring, which means lake water levels are lower than usual. That could push some fish further offshore into deeper water, Nerbonne said.
“Anglers also want to be careful as they launch their boat,” he said. “If that boat ramp’s a little more shallow, you want to be careful about not dinging your motor.”
Hot spots for anglers this year are likely to be large lakes known for walleye fishing, including Red Lake in northwest Minnesota and Mille Lacs Lake in the central part of the state.
Anglers on Mille Lacs there will be able to keep two walleye a day all season, the highest limit in several years.
Jason Bahr, who owns Tutt's Bait and Tackle in Garrison next to Mille Lacs Lake, said he’s optimistic it will be a successful opener.
“There's lots of fish in the lake,” Bahr said. “Last year, we had a record walleye hatch. We had a record perch hatch. We had a record tullibee hatch, all in the same year. So there's lots of life out there, lots of fish."
Upper Red Lake has a five-fish walleye limit, two more than were allowed during the beginning of the open-water season last year. Only one can be longer than 17 inches.
Nerbonne said there’s an abundance of walleye in the lake right now.
“We want to have anglers bring some of those home and make use of them, so that we keep that lake in balance as far as the number of predators relative to the amount of food there is,” he said.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will be trying his luck on the Whitefish Chain of Lakes, about an hour north of Brainerd. The annual Governor’s Fishing Opener will be in Crosslake for the first time.
Cindy Myogeto, director of the Crosslake Chamber of Commerce, said the event will bring more attention to the region known for fishing, boating, golfing and resorts.
“There will be an economic benefit to Crosslake, frankly, because of the media exposure that we're going to receive,” she said. “Hopefully, that’ll last for quite a long time after this event.”
Crosslake didn’t apply to host the governor’s opener, which aims to promote the state’s fishing and tourism industries. Myogeto said the city was informed that the governor’s office had chosen the location, and the DNR and Explore Minnesota tourism bureau would be organizing the events.
“We were a little taken aback, knowing the amount of work that goes into it,” she said.
However, the Governor’s Fishing Opener has been a more low-key affair in recent years. Myogeto said the official events aren't open to the public. But Crosslake’s shops, restaurants and golf courses will be welcoming people, she said.
“Everybody comes up to their cabins and this year with the weather, they’re coming earlier,” Myogeto said. “The docks are already in. So summer’s really started in Crosslake already.”
Having the governor’s opener in the north country does benefit local businesses, said Drew Arnold, owner of Reeds Family Outdoor Outfitters, which has stores in Walker and Onamia.
“You look at all the foot traffic that’s involved with it, going to spectate, watch it, etc. There’s hundreds and hundreds of boats that will be following on the lakes,” Arnold said. “It definitely makes a difference.”
Anglers hoping to try their luck this weekend can buy a fishing license at any DNR license agent, online at mndnr.gov/buyalicense, or by phone at 888-665-4236. About 1.1 million Minnesota fishing licenses were sold in 2024.
The DNR also offers regional fishing outlooks for different parts of the state. Anglers can find regulations and fish consumption advisories for specific lakes by using the DNR’s LakeFinder tool.
Nerbonne encourages anglers to be flexible if they’re having trouble catching fish. He said they should consider moving to a different location, such as from a lake to a river, or switching from chasing walleye to crappie or northern pike.
“Sometimes if the fish are a little bit more willing to bite, it’s a good way to save an outing,” he said.