Insights on 2015 opener

[Lee Borgersen]

:fishing2:  Insights on the 2015 fishing opener
 
The author expects the fishing opener to be a huge success statewide because of the early ice out.

 April 20, 2015

 by Steve Carney .....

As we move closer to the 2015 fishing opener, things look very good for a positive and successful opener as Mother Nature has been cooperative, so far! This will be a very unique opener because of the weather conditions and water temperatures, so I predict this will be a banner opener.

Here are some insights into what I expect on this grand weekend.

 
 

 

 
River options

Last spring we had so much water running off into the river systems that fishing was delayed several months. Runoff from the heavy snowpack made for fast currents and dirty water.

This spring is the direct opposite to last year as we have almost zero runoff and not much rain. I highly recommend anglers think about the St. Croix River, the Mississippi River and any midsize river throughout the state.

The conditions on these waterways will be the best one can hope for and rarely do we see the perfect fishing conditions on our river systems very often, especially in the spring. 

Lake levels down

Another casualty of the lack of snow and spring rains will be the lake levels. Expect record low water on many lakes throughout the state, which will make for some hazardous boating.

Take precautions this opener as there could be many surprises lurking out there that were never a factor in the past. Barring any heavy rains throughout April, we could see record low water levels on most lakes here in Minnesota.

Water temperatures

Successful spring fishing is always about water temperatures. Walleyes, crappies, northern pike and most freshwater species predicate their lives around water temperatures. Our ice-out was around the first of April that is amazingly early, but the good news is the water has had a chance to warm up and get us up into the high 40s already in parts of our state.

This early ice-out means the water temperatures will be very much accelerated as compared to normal years. The warmer the water on the opener, the better the fishing will be.

I even predict the larger, more expansive walleye lakes will be good because of the early ice-out. Normally we steer clear of deep, clear lakes during the opener, but I think these will be a viable option.

Lake choices

As I suggest every year at this time, make sure you have a list of the lakes you are choosing to fish and formulate a game plan. Always be prepared to have a backup lake or two in the plan just in case your initial choice doesn’t work out.

This writer is planning on opening the season in far western Minnesota and I plan to tackle some prairie/farm lakes during the first week of the season. These lakes are great early in the season and the crowds tend to be much thinner than the traditional lakes up north.

Whatever lakes you choose, be safe, use common sense and good luck!

[dew2]

 I think the same!!
  I been keeping my eye on USGS water watch of the Mn.river,It was warming to mid 60s till this cold spell!! Water levels are about Aug averages many feet below spring avg. The Big Flats and eyes will be restricted to deep holes,eyes up front and dem flats in the depths.Gotta break my 35 lb best on the flat, way upstream where the river is skinney and my 32 1/2 eye released no weight,Trash fish I get fishin bullies for flats