Photo by Ron Sinfelt

By Tim Lesmeister

If an angler survey was performed and one of the questions asked how far anglers traveled to get to their opening-day walleye lake, I would bet a few crankbaits that a strong majority would be setting up pretty close to home. And why wouldn't they? The Department of Natural Resources has done a great job of turning all those pothole lakes in southern Minnesota into decent walleye fisheries with the help of aeration systems. Stocking in the past few years has been beefed up in a lot of lakes around the state and that has improved the walleye fishing. If you live up north, you're already in the zone that many anglers covet for walleye fishing.

You can't beat the options we have available to us. The problem is that not all those great options are great on opening day. There are some lakes that don't turn on until early June when the walleyes have gotten over their post-spawn funk. Some of those potholes down south are past the spring peak if the weather warmed earlier than normal. Some lakes are full of walleyes, but depth and water clarity make those fish hard to catch unless conditions are perfect. What it boils down to is that you just have to do your homework and make a decision to pick a lake based on how well it has performed in the past. It doesn't matter if the lake is close to home or on the other side of our state. What matters is that you are on a body of water that has good potential when the clock strikes midnight on opening day.

The truth be told, I get my best information from the local bait shops and guides. When you talk to someone that knows their stuff that is behind the counter at a bait shop you can bet they'll be giving you the straight scoop. You might not get GPS coordinates, but those guys make a living selling bait and you use more bait if you're catching fish. The best bait shop information is from the grizzled veterans. They know what lakes have been consistently productive for the past few years in the area, and if you ask them nicely while you place your bait order, you should get the information you require.

Guides are great, too. Last year when I was at the Governor's Opener at Detroit Lakes all the guides were telling me that Detroit Lake is better the first couple of weeks in June and that I should be heading over to Lake Sallie for walleyes. After the weekend was over they proved they were right on the money.

You also want to pay attention to the angler reports you see in the local newspapers right after opening day. When I see a trend for a lake where a lot of fish are showing up for a few years running, I make a note of this and make sure I get there right around that opening-day period the next year. When you start paying attention to this information you will see that certain lakes stick out like sore thumbs because they were so productive those first few days of the season.

I also get information just from listening to my fishing buddies. This more times than not helps me rule out certain lakes for opener. These are guys with cabins on lakes that tell me how miserable the fishing has been on opener for them. These are guys who are going with buddies and don't have options when it comes to picking the lake. It's more of a tradition for them, and every year the results are the same. I've ruled out a lot of lakes for opener from the information fed to me by unsuccessful anglers.

Then there's the luck factor. Every year there are a handful of lakes where conditions come together perfectly, and these lakes are hotter than Texas chili. You don't know until the day you're fishing that this is the case and it's just those lucky anglers who get to brag about the great fishing. Since you can't predict which lakes will fall into the "luck" category, pick the lake you fish on opener by looking for the consistent choices. Here are a few for starters.

In 2003, Amelia was producing substantial numbers of larger fish, but the smaller walleyes that are typical in the catch on opening day weren't as prevalent. This may be a sign that the quality walleye fishing that has been taken for granted for some time now is about to taper off. That may be the case, but it is more likely that the next few openers will still be great on this lake, so anglers should take advantage of the situation while it lasts.

The majority of the anglers who open on Amelia spend their time right in the center of the lake. There are some sunken islands there and the east shoreline nearby will have walleyes spread out and meandering over the sand and rubble. Some anglers even do well with slip-bobbers in the bulrushes there.

For more information, call Minnewaska Bait at (320) 239-2239.

What makes Island Lake just right is that it's not overly deep, the water is average in visibility, and there are some shallow hard-bottomed areas as well as a few points and a sunken island. These characteristics along with a good population of walleyes creates a great opening-day walleye lake.

Straight east of the boat landing is a shallow-topped sunken island that receives some fishing pressure on opener. It's deserved attention because the rising bottom is where some of the bigger walleyes end up in mid-May. Work this spot slowly with a live-bait rig and minnow and you might hook one of those big mamas.

East of the island is another popular spot for opening-day walleye anglers. It's an area of shallow water where an anchor and a slip-bobber can provide the right combination for opening-day success.

For more information, call the Sturgeon Lake One Stop at (218) 372-3432.

There are a lot of points and inside turns, and even though they are subtle due to the slow-tapering bottom, there's enough to concentrate some schools of walleyes. The successful Washington Lake walleye anglers realize that they are better off focusing on fishing for walleyes than searching for fish with the sonar. It's a matter of legwork, not eye-work.

The active fish on opener will react to a shallow-diving crankbait trolled about two mph. A perch pattern is a good option but anglers who are successful on Washington for opening-day walleyes also claim that brown is a good color.

If the wind is blowing, an angler can drift along a depth contour and cast the same crankbait they were trolling. Casting may be less efficient, but for some it is more enjoyable.

For more information, call Darwin Outpost at (320) 693-0019.

On opener the walleyes will bite. They bite on shiner minnows that have been impaled on a glow hook dragged around behind a walking sinker. Barrett Lake walleyes bite on fathead minnows suspended under slip-bobbers in 10 feet of water on a slow drift along the west shoreline. And Barrett Lake is not a big lake, which means every depth range from 5 to 20 feet can be strained by trolling crankbaits. Something is always working on Barrett for walleyes on opener.

For more information, call Barrett Lake Resort at (320) 528-2598.

Franklin Lake has an outstanding walleye population and on opener these fish have plenty of places to congregate, but it seems like most of the boats are around the islands. All that commotion can shut down the walleye bite, so if you want to be able to uphold Franklin's stellar reputation as a quality opening-day lake, find some other spots.

The north section of the lake is rumored to be productive on opener. There's the point that extends into the deepest section of the lake that provides opportunity. The east shoreline is not erratic and compliments the anglers who like to troll crankbaits.

At close to 4,000 acres, Franklin can handle quite a bit of boat traffic and still leave plenty of good spots open. Convince yourself to do some exploring in high-potential locations and you'll likely discover why this lake is so highly regarded as a good opening-day body of water.

For more information, call Park Region Sports at (218) 863-5701.