Despite pleas to stay close to home, the popular Upper Red Lake spot drew big numbers from Twin Cities-area anglers for the annual opener. After all, Minnesota is a walleye state, and most walleye are Up North.
Invasive species (of all kinds) keep things interesting on Lake Minnetonka. Howard's Point Marina is still going strong. The owner said he bought it because "it's a neighborhood treasure."
Not everyone who wants to will be fishing when walleye season opens Saturday. Sitting this one out will be thousands of elderly Minnesotans who are confined to nursing homes by the pandemic, with no one allowed in and no one allowed out.
Through Tuesday, the DNR had sold more than 13,000 fishing licenses for Minnesota youngsters who are 16 and 17. That's an increase of 99 percent for the same period in 2019.
The decision to restrict access to the Boundary Waters during what is typically the start of the season was "particularly difficult," said Connie Cummins, Superior National Forest supervisor.
Local bait shop owners are thinking that Minnesotans, including a lot of youngsters, are turning to fishing to fill a void left by the closure of organized sports.