This is not a lake full of textbook walleye structure. Okabena bottoms out at 17 feet deep, and the majority of the lake is about 8 feet deep.

Anglers will find quite a few boats on the water on the opener, but the potential is still high for a successful outing. About half the anglers will be drifting and dragging live-bait rigs with minnows out in the big basin, and the other half will be slow-trolling medium-diving crankbaits. Both techniques are solid producers.

One tactic that should not be overlooked is the jig-and-minnow combination. Cast a 1/8-ounce minnow-tipped jig as far as your gear will allow, and then drift. Every few seconds, pop the jig off the bottom and let it settle. The walleyes will inhale the jig as it's falling back to the bottom.

Okabena has always had a reputation as a great opening-day option. For more information, call Lakeshore Conoco at (507) 372-2521.

LAKE ALLIE
Plenty of anglers realize that the best options for the opener are shallow, featureless lakes where the walleyes are well past their post-spawn stages and feeding furiously. These anglers pick lakes that are stocked heavily and are not too large, which makes finding fish easier. Lake Allie is one of those lakes.

Located southwest of Hutchinson in Renville County, Allie is a shallow bowl that has been well maintained with fry stocking. You may not find many lunker walleyes in Allie, but there will be a lot of eating-sized fish.

Water clarity on Allie is marginal, but around opener it's about as good as it gets. To find a school of feeding fish, consider a spinner rig on a heavy walking sinker. Even though the lake is only 10 to 12 feet deep throughout the basin, walleyes will hover at 6 to 8 feet deep. Work the spinner from the bottom up to 5 feet deep, and when you connect with some fish, work that spot hard with a slip-bobber or jig.

For more information, you can call Hutchinson Bait at (320) 587-3685.

BELLE LAKE
Straight north of Hutchinson is Belle Lake in Meeker County. Fry stocking keeps this 825-acre lake in the high-potential category for the opener. Belle also has a reputation as a good opening-day lake in general.

While there are a few small pockets of rubble and a couple of well-defined points on the north end, the walleyes on the opener can be anywhere on Belle. Anglers need to incorporate a search strategy like trolling crankbaits or spinner rigs to find a pod of fish.

The tendency on smaller lakes is to migrate toward the anglers who are setting the hook, but even a marginal amount of boat traffic over a school of shallower walleyes will get them to disperse. Enough walleyes are spread out around Belle that it won't be tough to find your own fish.

To learn more, call Hutchinson Bait at (320) 587-3685.

LAKE FLORIDA
Some anglers don't like fishing a lake that has outstanding water quality because it requires a precise presentation. Lake Florida in Kandiyohi County may be a clear lake, but despite that condition, it still shines on opener.