Eric Magnuson, Tim Lesmeister and Tom Brown were part of the group that fished on Lake of the Woods as part of the 2004 Governor's Fishing Opener event. The cold, windy and rainy weather before the opener made it a tough walleye bite. Photo courtesy of Tim Lesmeister

The 2004 fishing opener was tough. The weather was cold and windy. The walleyes were playing hard to get, but we did catch fish, thanks to the determination of my fishing partner, Eric Magnuson.

Magnuson and I along with fishing buddy Tom Brown were part of the group that fished at Lake of the Woods as part of the Governor's Fishing Opener event. The consensus from the guides the evening before was that the heavy rains that swept through the area a few days before, on top of a bone-chilling cold front, was going to shut the fishing down. Fortunately, I discovered from previous outings with Magnuson that he can squeeze optimism out of any situation, and his positive attitude actually inspired some confidence in Brown and I -- until we took off from the dock that opening morning. It was cold, really cold.

Magnuson has a few other great qualities. He's a good fisherman and he doesn't mind working hard for fish. He's lucky. And he's not prone to follow the status quo. He does whatever it takes to catch fish. While all the guides were tying on heavy chain sinkers, bottom-bouncers and spinnered snells, Magnuson rigged a couple of rods with the Mepps weight-forward spinners that came in the bag of giveaways that was handed out to media and guides. I would venture to say we were likely the only ones on the lake with these rigged.

Another shift from the program that the guides were doing was that Magnuson wasn't using anchors. He had received information from reliable sources that the game plan should include dropping anchor and fishing near the boat, waiting for fish to come to you. Instead, Magnuson dropped his bow-mounted electric trolling motor and set up some strategic routes between the hundreds of boats anchored all around us. He was able to maintain a respectable distance from other boats and still put us onto walleyes.

Tipping his weight-forward spinner with a minnow, we weren't 15 minutes into the program when Magnuson was setting the hook. It wasn't a big fish, but it was a walleye. From this first-hand experience I can tell you that seeing a walleye, any walleye, in the situation we were in is a real confidence builder. I actually removed one of my thick gloves and started concentrating on fishing.

That paid off as I caught the next walleye and Magnuson hooked one right after that. Not many other boats were catching fish around us, with the exception of one boat that fortunately anchored right over some fish. As their net began to get used, it only took a few minutes before others hoping to cash in on their discovery surrounded them.

The truth is, fishing prowess alone couldn't ensure a successful fishing outing when conditions were as bad as we had them. The fact that we caught eight walleyes before leaving the scene at noon to attend the shore lunch -- and we missed another half-dozen bites -- is a testament to two things. You need to be on a lake that has high walleye-catching potential -- we were on Lake of the Woods -- and you need to do what it takes to generate bites. Too often anglers go to their tried-and-true tactic and stick with it whether it's working or not. Could be a live-bait rig, a slip-bobber, whatever. A good game plan consists of trying something for a while, and if it's not working, keep adjusting until you discover the right program. I can help you find a high-potential lake. You need to be willing to experiment until you achieve the right presentation to ensure success. Then even under the tough conditions we almost always find ourselves in on the opener, there will still be some walleyes tugging on the end of your line.