ST. CLOUD -- There are a couple dates, each year, that Minnesotans circle on the calendar. This weekend happens to be one of them as anglers celebrate the start of the fishing season.

Despite a chilly weather forecast for Saturday's opener, anglers are making the trip to their favorite lakes.

For Stop Light Bait Shop employee Bruce Probach, the weather is the only thing standing in his way of catching a good sized walleye.

Probach says business is picking up as anglers prepare to hit the lakes as early as midnight. Some lakes in Northern Minnesota still have patches of ice on them. But he says weather will not deter dedicated fishermen.

Probach says he hasn't heard anything about water temperatures on area lakes. However, fishing opener is more than just an experience, it is a tradition.

Governor Mark Dayton is heading to Park Rapids for the 2013 Minnesota Governor's Fishing Opener. Organizers say they'll likely take Dayton out onto the Fish Hook River because of all the ice on Fish Hook Lake.

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