Walleye Fishing Season Gets Off To A Chilly Start
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/AP) -- Minnesota's walleye season is off to a chilly start.
Temperatures in the 20s and 30s, and even snow flurries in some places, greeted anglers as they took to the lakes and rivers on Saturday morning. Freeze warnings and frost advisories were out for a large part of Minnesota.
Gov. Mark Dayton fished on Big Sandy Lake near McGregor in northeastern Minnesota for the annual Governor's Fishing Opener, a tradition since 1948.
He was successful, reeling in what is called an "eater-sized" walleye. That fish is described as being between 14- and 18-inches long. Experts say these are the younger fish, but they taste better than the really big ones.
There was true partisanship in the governor's boat, which he shared with House Speaker Kurt Daudt. There is no word whether the two discussed legislative issues while on the lake. Lt. Gov. Tina Smith was also on board, as was Assistant Senate Majority Leader Katie Sieben. The governor's office says the group caught 11 fish in all.
Both Dayton and Daudt told reporters earlier in the week that they would be working all weekend to come up with a compromise transportation bill. The legislative session ends a week from Monday.
Henry Drewes, the Bemidji regional fisheries manager for the Department of Natural Resources, says he doesn't expect the cold to deter many anglers. He says people have a tradition of fishing on the opener and they don't let weather stop it.
DNR officials estimate that around 500,000 anglers will fish on a typical opening weekend with decent weather.
Watch WCCO's Mike Augustyniak and Natalie Nyhus get a preview of the fishing opener -- and lots of tips for catching walleye -- in the video below.
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