Ron Schara: Out on cold, dreary lake makes for a perfect day

TALMOON, MINN. — For Minnesota anglers, the opening-day routine Saturday went something like this: 1) grab a minnow, blow warm air on your cold hands; 2) make a cast, jig a little, blow warm air on your freezing fingers; 3) blow some more.

It was like fishing in a giant cocktail glass.

On Bowstring Lake on Saturday, white chunks of ice lined the south shore and the rest of the lake was almost ice -- 41 degrees on the surface in the main lake.

And as the morning progressed, the air temperature seemed to drop a few degrees, turning a north wind as raw as raw can be.

And, then, it began to spit a cold rain, and somebody said it was snowing in Fargo and that was heading our way.

So, was everybody miserable?

Absolutely not. The walleyes were biting. Amazing.

Under conditions typically not favorable for catching anything (except a cold), the landing nets were flying often enough to make bragging rights.

Joe Moravec of Plymouth, along with his son, Joey, and Dick Kendall of New Prague were watching slip bobbers on a rock pile Friday and had pulled in a limit of 18 walleyes by 11 a.m.

"That's the best fishing we've had since 1996," Moravec said, flashing a lunker smile.

At the boat docks at Bowstring Shores Resort, owner Darv Oelke had plenty of company, largely because walleyes were being caught off the dock in about 8 feet of water.

Light jigs, tipped with fatheads or shiners, appeared to be the popular choice among anglers. The key was to fish slow and not expect a hard strike. Most often the bite consisted of nothing more than a feeling of something hanging on the end of the line.

The bulk of the walleye action was provided by male fish still roaming the shallows in a postspawn mood, although a few 20-inch-plus females also were caught.

The Schara Family Opening Day Party began as usual Friday night, with plenty of exaggeration about previous fishing opener successes.

By midday Friday, there was more bragging amid the family.

Minnesotans Bro' Rick of Fergus Falls and Bro' Robert of Hutchinson offered several walleye-catching stories, emphasizing their angling prowess, some of which was probably true. A sister, DeAnn Curnow, also managed to catch a walleye, a fact that surprised her brothers.

My daughter Simone Schara Gonse nabbed a walleye, according to reliable witnesses. Uncle Bob Dickens and Al Klein, a pair of Wisconsinites, also reported catching walleyes, but they had no witnesses.

Brian Johnson of Plymouth skillfully hauled in his limit of six walleyes, including a 19 1/2-incher. As I was a witness, and because Johnson was fishing in my boat, I am claiming half the credit, of course.

Thankfully, the can of Spam donated by Uncle Charles Schara of Austin, Minn., once again will go unopened. Rather, the Schara gathering again will gorge on fresh walleye on yet another Minnesota opener.

Miracles never cease.

Ron Schara is a retired Star Tribune outdoors columnist. • ron@mnbound.com