STONY LAKE
Cass County
Why is it that the best opening-day lakes always seem to be those that are shallow with little structure? Stony is one of those, and like many of the other great opening-day lakes, Stony has high numbers of fish.

Stony Lake is situated just northeast of Hackensack. It's an extremely clear lake, which makes it one of the tougher lakes to fish in the daytime hours. Get out there before the sun rises and you will be pleasantly surprised though.

While many anglers incorporate a snagless sinker with a short snell that they work over the sand and rubble in 8 to 15 feet of water, don't rule out casting a suspending crankbait up to the shoreline. (Cont'd)

You can drop your boat in at one minute after midnight and immediately lower the electric-trolling motor. Head northeast toward the narrows and cast to the shoreline. You'll find that with the suspending crankbaits you almost always set the hook when you're giving the lure a jerk. Those Stony Lake walleyes will just grab the bait, and you don't feel the bite until your giving the lure a snap.

For more information, call Swanson's Bait at (218) 675-6176 and visit their Web site at www.swansonsbait.com

KNIFE LAKE
Kanabec County
While Stony Lake is very clear and a good night-fishing option, Knife Lake straight north of Mora has murky water and is a great daytime option. Even when a lake has dingy water, the shallow nature of Knife Lake means you have to be in your stealth mode. Outboard motor noise and movement above the water will spook walleyes that are up on top of the structure or on a shallow breakline.

Rig two rods, one with a live-bait rig to work the 8- to 12-foot range and the other a casting rod with a crankbait to cast over and along the edge of the sunken islands and rockpiles.

There is milfoil in Knife, which does create a marginal weedline early in the season. The live-bait rig is a great option along this newly emerging cover.

The walleyes in Knife are very structure-oriented on opener, so make sure to work the inside turns, sunken islands and the saddles with a crankbait that dives deep enough to get into the fish. Long casts are an advantage on this lake.

If a cold front creates a tough bite, then the slip-bobber in the deeper water off the two big islands is a great option.

For more information, call Jerry's Bait at (320) 679-2151.

WILD RICE LAKE
St. Louis County
Timing is everything when it comes to the lakes in the northwoods. If there is a late spring and the ice goes out late, you can find the walleyes still in the spawning mode and tough to catch. Early ice-out can raise water temperatures rapidly in the shallower lakes, and the walleyes will be in the late transition stage and much easier to catch. Should that be the case, then you can't beat Wild Rice Lake north of Duluth.

Wild Rice is over 2,000 acres but you will be hard pressed to find water over 10 feet deep. Since there's no structure to relate to, the walleyes -- and there are plenty in this lake -- will school up and search out schools of forage. It's impossible to locate these pods of fish on the sonar, so fishing with a technique that allows you to cover some water is your best option. On Wild Rice, this will be a 1/2-ounce bottom-bouncer and spinner rig, or a shallow-diving crankbait trolled straight behind the boat on a long line.

For more information, call Chalstrom Bait at (218) 726-0094.