Late Ice-Outs Lead To Bait Shortage Ahead Of Fishing Opener

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Thousands of anglers will head out to Minnesota lakes this weekend for the walleye fishing opener.

But depending on what you use to catch fish, your bait of choice may be in short supply.

"I'm the only one in my family who likes to fish so I have to go out and find friends who like to fish," said Brooklyn Milisits.

For Milisits, that's where Rachael Williams comes in.

"Just the adrenaline of setting the hook, reeling her in and weighing her up," said Williams.

The ladies hope to be weighing walleyes this weekend. But while excitement builds, so does stress. Bait shop owner Aaron Kreller has plenty of reasons for anxiety.

"It's going to come down to the last second. It's right on the edge of the season rather than getting it ahead of time," said Kreller who owns the Stop Light bait shop in St. Cloud.

While anglers want a fish to hang on the wall, Kreller just wants leeches to put in his tanks.

Normally, during the week of the opener Kreller has three tanks full of leeches. So far this year, there's only one.

The snag in supply can be blamed on the late ice-outs. During the winter, leeches hibernate in the mud and the mud freezes.

"So they need that mud to thaw before they can actually come out and start growing and eating and getting out where people can catch them," said Kreller.

The leeches he does have won't be mistaken for jumbo leeches. And they're not the only bait in short supply.

"Spottail shiners, I think, are going to be the major issue," said Kreller.

They too are impacted by lingering ice on lakes up north. Kreller believes that once they become available, they may cost a little more.

"They might just because the availability might not be there," said Kreller.

Kreller expects to get more leeches delivered to his bait shop before the weekend.

He said for anglers that prefer minnows and night crawlers, there are plenty available.