Minnesota Anglers: Would You Support Moving The Fishing Opener This Year?

With ice out projected to be a month early, and the ‘fishing opener’ a week later than we typically see, I’m wondering if there would be support for a supplemental fishing season prior to the opener this year, similiar to what was done in 2012?

Senate Majority leader, Tom Bakk, who was instrumental in getting the opener changed in 2012, tells me he got blowback from all sides when the bill was introduced. To help minimize that this time around, my thought would be to make this a statewide ‘catch & release, artificial only’ only season for walleye, bass, and pike beginning the first Saturday in May. This supplemental season would also ban night fishing. All previously established regs would kick-in as usual on the normal opener.

What’d ya think??

Btw, a string of 50’s and 60’s is being forecast for next week.

Not from Minnesota but I always found it curious that the opener fell on mothers day weekend. Good luck!

No. I also think its wrong to have the fate of our natural resources in the hands of our politicians and not the DNR.

How about a catch and release season instead

No. No reason to. Plenty of things to do before then and plenty of fish to fish for.

Go to the river. Pool 2 and pool 4 open all year. And pool 3 south of Prescott. Great fishing to be had.

NOOOOO!!!

Well, there you have it. Besides, it’s like spending a tax surplus that you don’t really have.

BrianF wrote:

With ice out projected to be a month early, and the ‘fishing opener’ a week later than we typically see, I’m wondering if there would be support for a supplemental fishing season prior to the opener this year, similiar to what was done in 2012?

Senate Majority leader, Tom Bakk, who was instrumental in getting the opener changed in 2012, tells me he got blowback from all sides when the bill was introduced. To help minimize that this time around, my thought would be to make this a statewide ‘catch & release, artificial only’ only season for walleye, bass, and pike beginning the first Saturday in May. This supplemental season would also ban night fishing. All previously established regs would kick-in as usual on the normal opener.

What’d ya think??

The quote that Tom Bakk was able to “change” the opener in 2012 if I remember correctly is false. Opener never changed as far as I recall.

For changing it now ……absolutely NOT! IMHO

Although I would love to get the boaters off Pool 4 (LOL!) earlier then Mothers Day, too many people count on knowing when opener is for making plans and reservations.

More of a tradition to many folks.

For that reason alone, I’m out. No Change.

Now move it up a week or two on mille lacs to help push the spear chuckers off the lake I would go for that.

If it aint broke why fix it…? leave it be

Nope.

NO NO NO, ABOSLUTELY NOT!!

The opener should always be a set date. The date should not be altered due to “an early Spring”, that is completely ridiculous if you ask me. They didn’t shove the date back when the lakes were still covered with ice a few years ago.
It would be like moving the firearms deer opener up based on crop harvest.

NO

NO even though an extra weekend of revenue would be nice. It would be a headache for reservations since people would want to move etc. Keep that weekend and just fish different spots. Sometimes this early ice off makes the fishing even better.

The opposition to catch and release fishing is quite surprising and, so far, no one has given any concrete scientific reasons for why. Help me understand the resistance. Is there a reason based in science against catch & release that I’m not aware? If not, why begrudge me and many other sport anglers like me from going fishing – bass fishing in this case – when we will likely have open water for two months before the previously LEGISLATED ‘opener’ date this year?

What I’m proposing doesn’t allow anglers to keep ANY fish, prior to the previously established opener. What I’m proposing is to match the date of our neighboring state to the East, Wisconsin, but with even more stringent rules in place here.

For comparison sake, look at the regs of the surrounding state.

North Dakota – Year round fishing season
South Dakota – Year round fishing season
Iowa – Year round fishing season (special regs for Okoboji/Spirit)
Wisconsin – 1st Saturday in May

Wouldn’t most agree the fishing in those states is very good, if not excellent, as a general rule?

Guys, I just want to fish open water in my home state – and open water is going to come very early again this year. I’m not wanting to keep and eat fish, and not wanting to screw things up for any one else. Are there not others out there like me??

Not just no, but hell no.

This is the problem with the social media era. Everybody wants to overreact to the hyper short term. Leave it alone.

Can you imagine the mess if the weather should suddenly turn bad?

Grouse

No, just based off of the logistics of changing people’s traditions. You can fish prior to opener, just fish for perch, crappie, or sunnies. If you catch anything else it’s catch and release anyway, not sure why more gov’t involvement would be needed.

Yes, absolutely! Do it!

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

Not just no, but hell no.

This is the problem with the social media era. Everybody wants to overreact to the hyper short term. Leave it alone.

Can you imagine the mess if the weather should suddenly turn bad?

Grouse

This. Plus MN is much different in terms of fishing pressure vs our border neighbors, not to mention all the hassles for the guides/hotels/resorts across the state if that date is variable year over year. Lots of opportunities to walleye fish in a boat if you want to, just got to put in some windshield time to find it.

“Traditional” openers are so overrated.

I’ve never understood the importance of a single date of fishing, especially when there’s 364 other days to fish.

Who actually enjoyed the cluster F that accompanies “opener”?

FishBlood&RiverMud wrote:

“Traditional” openers are so overrated.

I’ve never understood the importance of a single date of fishing, especially when there’s 364 other days to fish.

It was always 50% fishing and 50% hanging out with my bros for me.

And we always wished for light winds so people who went to Mille Lacs wouldn’t fish our lake to escape the conditions.

FishBlood&RiverMud wrote:

Who actually enjoyed the cluster F that accompanies “opener”?

Do I enjoy the guy who waits until he is next in line at the ramp to take cover off his boat and load it with the gear he had in his truck? Nope.
But, I have learned that these guys are going to be out there regardless of when the “opener” is so its really a moot point. Its always an opener for someone, whether its in July or May there is going to be a fiasco at the landing at some point.
Otherwise the openers don’t bother me anymore. Yeah, its busy, but I go out early, fish for 5 or 6 hours then go home while most are still waking up.

zooks wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>TheFamousGrouse wrote:</div>
Not just no, but hell no.

This is the problem with the social media era. Everybody wants to overreact to the hyper short term. Leave it alone.

Can you imagine the mess if the weather should suddenly turn bad?

Grouse

This. Plus MN is much different in terms of fishing pressure vs our border neighbors, not to mention all the hassles for the guides/hotels/resorts across the state if that date is variable year over year. Lots of opportunities to walleye fish in a boat if you want to, just got to put in some windshield time to find it.

EXACTLY!! Comparing MOST of Mn. to the border states is NOT apples to apples in an way form or fashion from fishery management/pressure needs.

FishBlood&RiverMud wrote:

Who actually enjoyed the cluster F that accompanies “opener”?

I love it for its traditions!

We always have a number of guys that can only make for the opener. We get together the night before and drink a couple of beers and plan our strategy. Great fellowship that we all look forward to each year. Sure the boat landings can be a challenge but that is short lived. I have been looking forward to the opener since back in the early 70’s.

PS: catching and releasing fish full of spawn can not be good for the resource…just my layman’s opinion.

FishBlood&RiverMud wrote:

Who actually enjoyed the cluster F that accompanies “opener”?

It’s only a charlie foxtrot on opener if you put yourself into it. Who’s fault is that? If you have to be that guy who has to fish the lake everybody else wants to fish, then you did it to yourself. Why complain?

Everybody knows where the CFs are, it’s not like a freaking surprise or secret where they are. To me this is kind of like going north and complaining that the weather is colder up there.

If the water conditions are right, I’ll fish the opener where it’s unlikely I’ll see another boat. Last opener we spent there, the access had one car there when we got there and we saw 2 other guys, who didn’t appear to even be fishing when we saw them.

So many guys are living within constraints of their own making these days. If you’re limited to the lakes that are big enough, deep enough, and have to have a launch facility that can handle an aircraft carrier then you pretty much have to put up with the crowds.

Grouse