Summer-like sun and warmth cast glow on Minnesota fishing opener

MILLE LACS LAKE, Minn. — Within minutes of the clock striking midnight, marking the official start of the Minnesota fishing opener on Saturday, 24 extra-eager anglers cast their lines from a boat in the dark, hoping luck would shine upon them.

Almost right away, 13-year-old Katelynn Norman’s orange bobber sank below the water.

Boat Capt. Rich Remstrom rushed over with a net, leaned over the edge of the boat and scooped up a wriggling northern pike. Remstrom took the fish to a bump board and announced the size: 28 inches.

The boat’s occupants cheered for the young angler, who released her catch back into the lake moments later.

The late-night launch, run by Twin Pines Resort in Garrison, was one of countless boats across the state filled with anglers yearning to catch their first walleyes, northern pike, bass and in-lake trout of the season.

“So many people come out at midnight because they are just itching to catch some walleye,” said boat deckhand Randy Becker, 61. “People want to celebrate the opener as early as possible.”

At dawn, opening day turned gloriously sunny and warm — from Crane Lake on the Canadian border, where it was 34 degrees at 6 a.m., to Lake Sarah in Murray County, where temperatures climbed into the mid-80s.

In what is one of the state’s largest opening days for outdoor recreation, fishing license sales were up 10% from a year ago. At that rate, more than 410,000 people were destined to wet a line this past weekend. Some 1.7 million people go fishing in Minnesota each year.

In northern Minnesota’s Beltrami County, the turnout was huge on Upper Red Lake, one of the state’s premier walleye fisheries. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) conservation officers Brianna Shaw and Brice Vollbrecht reported seeing hundreds of boaters. “It is a pretty impressive turnout,’’ Shaw said.

From what they observed, Shaw said, lots of anglers were enjoying success and “had at least one or two fish in the bucket’’ during the morning hours.

On one Crane Lake boat, the early-morning walleye bite was a little slower than expected. But the lake had a nice walleye chop, and the fishing picked up by noon. Less than a week ago, ice covered parts of the lake.

Conservation officer Jake Swedberg, stationed in Detroit Lakes, was up all night to check anglers who started fishing as early as midnight. Big Pine and Little Pine lakes in Perham were among the hotspots.

As many as 50 shore anglers, in waders, worked the shallows, he said, adding: “Anyone who knew what they were doing had two or three fish.”

In the metro area, Bald Eagle-Otter Lake Regional Park just north of downtown White Bear Lake buzzed with people of all ages and all means of gear. Anglers came and went from the busy boat access, while shore anglers fanned out.

Clear and sunny with a light breeze, the opener drew two White Bear Lake brothers and their friend to a popular fishing pier by about 7 a.m.

Shao Pheng Leng, 19, and his brother Yi, 12, were working Whopper Poppers and ChatterBaits when their friend Evan Chang, 19, also of White Bear Lake, reeled in a little bluegill. He was using nightcrawlers.

“Now that summer is here, it is great to get on the waters,” Chang said.

At the boat launch nearby, cousins Marc Wade and Shawn Jones prepared their 14-foot boat and an assortment of rods and other gear for a day to target panfish on Bald Eagle.

Wade said the two men have a long fishing history.

“We’ve got a passion for the game,” Wade said, “and it’s good to get out.”

In White Bear Lake, more than 30 vehicles and their boat trailers filled the parking lot at the Ramsey County public access on the lake’s north end. Another dozen or more filled the launch near Manitou Island.

The Pederson family called the opener a success after finishing shortly after 10 a.m. Jim Pederson of Hugo was out early with son Benjamin of Coon Rapids and grandson Wyatt, 3. It was Wyatt’s first opener, and he got his sunnie.

“Get snacks, catch a fish — it can’t get much better as a 3-year-old,” Jim said.

Gov. Tim Walz was at Crosslake with an entourage, celebrating Minnesota’s 77th annual Governor’s Fishing Opener.

DNR spokeswoman Gail Nosek said Walz caught three northern pike, DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen caught three northerns and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan caught one along with five bass and sunfish. They were fishing in boats operated by guides.

Lowell Smith, chair of the Crow Wing County Republicans, said about 30 boats formed a flag-waving parade on Crosslake to send a message to Walz that many residents of the Brainerd area are unhappy with his policies and politics. He said there were no confrontations.

In southern Minnesota, DNR conservation officer Jamie VanThuyne spent the morning monitoring rivers in the Mankato area. He said panfish, not walleyes, take “center stage” in the area on opening weekend.

VanThuyne said he didn’t see many fish during his morning patrol, but anglers were in a good mood.

“Everybody is pleased with the weather,” he said.

This year, Mille Lacs was festive and somewhat busy, but the walleyes were tight-lipped, said Pat Albers, president of Minnesota Valley In-Fisherman Club. In his boat after six hours of fishing, his group caught zero fish and felt one bite.

The big central Minnesota lake has a new walleye regulation, its most generous in years. Anglers can keep two walleyes that are 17 inches or longer, with only one fish allowed to be longer than 20 inches.

Just after midnight on Mille Lacs, Katelynn Norman’s grandmother, Doris Makela, 64, beamed with pride at her granddaughter’s catch.

“To see a grandchild catch a fish always gets me excited,” Makela said, adding it was a full circle moment for her granddaughter.

“Last year, she didn’t catch anything, and a guy offered to [to give her his rod] when he had a fish. She told him ‘No, I want to catch it myself.’ ”

As bright white light streamed down from the nearly full moon, neon yellow and orange bobbers floated in the dark water.

Anglers were embracing one of the few days in the year when it’s legal to fish for walleye on Mille Lacs after 10 p.m. As of Monday, the DNR will enforce a ban on walleye fishing on the lake from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

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Bob Timmons and Outdoors columnist Dennis Anderson of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this story.

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