When the estimated 1 million anglers head out this weekend for Minnesota's fishing opener, some of them will consider exchanging their fishing rods and minnows for a bouquet of flowers Sunday -- Mother's Day. ¶ For the fourth consecutive year, the first weekend of the fishing season falls on mom's special day -- forcing some anglers to choose between spending time chasing walleyes or honoring mom. Of course, many families have no conflict: Mom will join them in the boat Sunday. Over the years, legislators have talked of moving the opener to avoid the potential conflict. But it was legislators who exacerbated the problem in the first place. They changed the law in 1989, requiring the fishing season to begin two Saturdays before Memorial Day weekend to guarantee resorts three weekends of business in May. The season used to open on the Saturday nearest May 15.
The fishing opener clashed occasionally with Mother's Day under the old system, but now it does so more frequently. In fact, 15 of the past 20 opening weekends have fallen on Mother's Day. But Minnesotans have learned to live with it.
"I don't think it's much of an issue," said Mark Holsten, Department of Natural Resources commissioner. "In my six years at the DNR I've never gotten an e-mail or a call on it." He also never got a complaint during 10 years in the Legislature.
There's simply no easy way to avoid the conflict, Holsten said.
"If you move it a week earlier, you have springtime ice-out issues and [fish] spawning problems. Move it a week later and you're pushing up against everything else; then you're just a week out from Memorial Day. It's just tough."
In his family, Holsten said his wife either goes fishing with him on Mother's Day, "or she sleeps in and I go fishing," he said with a laugh.
Anglers won't have to worry next year, or in 2011: Mother's Day falls a week before the opener those two years. But beware: The following four years -- 2012 through 2015 -- Mother's Day will again fall on opening weekend of the fishing season.
