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500K Expected To Fish During Walleye Opener

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota is ready to start fishing. The state has about 1.4 million licensed anglers, and about 500,000 are expected to fish when the walleye season opens Saturday, May 13.

Gov. Mark Dayton is hosting the 70th annual Minnesota Governor's Fishing Opener. It will highlight opportunities on the Mississippi River in the St. Cloud area of central Minnesota.

DNR: Mille Lacs Lake Goes Catch-&-Release For Walleye Anglers
(credit: CBS)

That stretch of the river might not be the first destination on most anglers' minds. But local experts say it's a hot spot, and the Department of Natural Resources says it has a walleye catch rate comparable with Minnesota's best lakes.

This is the first time the St. Cloud-Sartell-Sauk Rapids area has hosted the event. The only previous governor's openers on the Mississippi were at Red Wing in 1998 and Winona in 1973.

(© Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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