When anglers in Minnesota talk about the fishing opener, they generally are referring to the walleye opener. Walleye are the state fish and anglers there spend more time fishing for them than any other species, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). However, there are different opening days for other fish species.
Significance
The Minnesota DNR closes and opens fishing seasons to protect the various species while they are reproducing. In many lakes around the state, there are naturally reproducing populations of fish species for which there are opening days. Those include walleye, northern pike, bass and muskies. Since all of those species spawn in shallow water, where they are susceptible to fishermen, the agency opens the season once they have finished spawning. While many of the fish are still in the shallows when the season opens, they are done laying eggs.
Walleye and Northern Pike
The walleye and northern pike season opens on the second Saturday in May. When fishermen refer to the Minnesota opener, this is the day they are referring to. The season opens at midnight and lasts through the end of February. Pike spawn earlier than walleye, but both species typically have been done spawning for several weeks by the time the season for them begins.
Bass
The bass season opens at midnight on the fourth Saturday of May. Bass spawn when the water temperature is in the mid-60s. Most years, the bass in southern and central Minnesota are done spawning by the time the season opens. In those lakes, the water tends to be shallower and warm relatively quickly in the spring. Lakes in the northern part of the state, on the other hand, tend to be deeper and take longer to warm. As a result, some bass in those waters are still spawning--or have yet to spawn--when the season opens. That's especially true if the spring has been a cold one.
Muskies
The muskie season in Minnesota opens at midnight on the first Saturday in June. While muskies are an early-spawning fish--they spawn when the water temperature is in the 50s--the state DNR opens the season later as an additional measure of protection for the fish. Muskies exist in most lakes in the state at relatively low densities and since they're so susceptible to anglers when they're in the shallows, the DNR affords them an extra measure of protection.
Warning
There are some species of fish for which the season never closes, including crappie and sunfish. Some anglers, under the guise of fishing for crappie or sunfish, actually are targeting northern pike or walleye. Others target bass before that season opens, and say they're targeting panfish or pike. It is illegal in the state to target fish outside of the open season, even if you plan to catch and immediately release them.
Member Comments