Riege: The 64th Annual Governor’s Fishing Opener

Published 6:32 pm Wednesday, April 25, 2012

By Bob and Ginny Riege

The Governor’s Fishing Opener has been a tradition in Minnesota since 1948. It was designed to improve Minnesota’s economy through the development and promotion of the state’s recreational opportunities, especially fishing. The first Opener was a cooperative promotion between the state’s resort industry, media, and public officials. Today, the emphasis is even broader. It celebrates the kick off of the summer tourism season. The special partnership continues today with a promotional focus on a host community as well as recreational opportunities statewide. Fishing is not forgotten, and is clearly still the main promotion of the event.

The tradition continues with the event at Waconia, MN – 64 years of tradition begins again May 11-12, 2012, on Lake Waconia, popular for fishing, sailing and other water recreation. The town of Waconia sits right along the southern shore of Lake Waconia, the second largest lake in the Twin Cities area. This is the first time Waconia, a community of about 10,000 residents along the western edge of the Twin Cities metropolitan area, will host this event.

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“The Governor’s Fishing Opener is a great opportunity to promote fishing and small towns throughout Minnesota. Holding the Fishing Opener in Waconia is a great way to spread the word about Waconia and other charming towns in the state,” said John Edman, director of Explore Minnesota Tourism. “It’s also a great reminder of all the good fishing that can be found right in and around the metro area.”

It’s only the second time the Governor’s Fishing Opener will be held in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. (It was held in White Bear Lake in 2009.)

Lake Waconia is a fairly shallow small lake and it has a large population of crappies and panfish.

That would mean that many anglers at the Governor’s Fishing Opener and throughout the state are going to be fishing shallow and some will give up on the state “walleye” to catch a few slab crappies in this shallow water.

Begin looking for early season crappies in areas adjacent to their spawning grounds. The first drop-off near a large flat with rushes could be very productive. As the water warms, the crappies will become more willing to feed. They will also move shallower. The shallower they get, the easier they will be to catch, if a few things are remembered.

Remember that shallow water fish can be very spooky. Long casts will be most productive. There are times when an angler can hover directly over the fish, but most of the time it works best to stay away from them.

When crappies are holding tight to cover, because of a change in water temperature or barometric pressure, or because the water has suddenly risen or fallen, it is essential to fish the crappies in a vertical motion. The problem may be that they are tight to cover and usually shallow, with adjacent deep pockets or holes near by, but not enough to position a boat over the top of them. Therefore, a vertical presentation with a slip bobber might do the trick. It will allow the presentation of the bait over the top of the crappie. Something that is important to remember is, crappies always feeds on food that is in front of them and just slightly above them. The bobber should be set so that it will present the bait in a suspended offering, and once you find the depth you can work the shoreline around structure like stumps and points.

I like to cast small jig below a slip-bobber to these shallow water crappies. A jig in the 1/16 to 1/64 ounce size range will be best. A Fire-Fly Crappie Jig or a Glow Ant in pink, orange, or chartreuse would be a good choice.

If the crappies are aggressive, use the larger jig sizes, when they’re finicky go with the smaller jigs. It sometimes helps to attach a split shot or two, eight to twelve inches above the smaller jigs.

This walleye opener, you might be surprised to catch a few walleyes in the same structure and the same shallow pockets. Needless to say, let the summer fishing begin.