Metro area offers walleye opportunities on opener

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Metro area offers walleye opportunities on opener
(Released May 9, 2011)


If heading north isn’t an option, Twin Cities-based anglers may want to cast their hopes on waters closer to home when walleye season opens Saturday, May 14.

With more than 250 lakes managed for fisheries and nearly 300 miles of good-sized streams and rivers, anglers are unlikely to find another major urban area with such a wealth of opportunity.

Take the Mississippi River, for instance. Flowing through the heart of the region, its northern reaches are well-known as a top-notch bass fishery. Then there’s Pool 2, the area between the dams at St. Paul and Hastings.

“A few decades ago, it was so polluted that bullheads could barely survive,” said Brad Parsons, DNR central region fisheries manager. “Now it’s recognized as a world-class catch-and-release fishery for walleye and sauger - thanks in large part to the federal Clean Water Act and state and local efforts to clean up the river.”

Another metro river, the St. Croix from Stillwater to Prescott, is one of the most popular fishing and recreational destinations in the region, with good catch rates for walleye and sauger (15-inch minimum size regulation on walleye). Later in May, the lower St. Croix also produces good- sized muskies and bass. And come September, it’s one of the few places in the state where an angler can harvest Minnesota’s largest and longest-lived fish, the lake sturgeon.

But anglers don’t need to be a river rat to enjoy metro fishing. The region’s many lakes offer a wide variety of experiences, from the big waters of Minnetonka or White Bear to smaller but productive gems. Clear Lake in Washington County, for instance, holds walleye in above average numbers and weights, as well as northern pike and hybrid muskies. West of the Mississippi, the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes provides good walleye fishing, especially on Cedar and Harriet, both of which are regularly stocked. Both lakes lend themselves to shorefishing.

Numerous other shorefishing opportunities are provided throughout the metro region thanks to DNR’s Fishing in the Neighborhood (FiN) program. FiN works with local parks departments and others to maintain a network of more than 60 public shore and pier fishing opportunities strategically scattered around the St. Paul-Minneapolis area.

“The FiN program provides fishing opportunities in the metro area by stocking bluegill, walleye, pike, bass and channel cats in ponds and small bodies of water,” said Parsons. “It complements and coordinates with our MinnAqua program. Together, these efforts help kids learn how to fish and understand the nature around them.”

So no matter where you live in the Twin Cities, there’s good fishing nearby. All an angler need is a license and some tackle. If you’re under 16, you don’t even need a license, and if you go to one of the growing number of area parks that offer free loaner tackle, all you need is some bait. And a desire to enjoy some of the best fun in town.

For detailed information about Minnesota lakes, go to the DNR lake finder application which can be found online.