minnesota fishing opener

Gov. Mark Dayton will be among the nearly 500,000 Minnesotans going fishing this weekend. Preparations are under way in Nisswa for the Governor's Fishing Opener, a Minnesota tradition since 1948.

The Department of Natural Resources has rolled out a new Fish Minnesota website just in time for Saturday's walleye opener. The DNR says it makes information easier to access and easier to understand, especially when it comes to regulations.

The ice is receding as Minnesota's fishing opener approaches, and that has resort owners breathing a little easier. More lakes are expected to be ice-free when the walleye season opens Saturday than were clear for last year's opener.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation is reminding you to prepare for heavy traffic and slowdowns if you're heading out to the fishing opener this weekend.

If you're planning on heading to northern Minnesota for the fishing opener Saturday, the DNR's Eric Altena says check ahead because there will be many lakes which still have ice on them.

Gov. Mark Dayton and Lt. Gov. Yvonne Prettner Solon are now licensed for Saturday's fishing opener. The first-term governor picked up his fishing license at the Department of Natural Resources headquarters in St. Paul on Wednesday. He was accompanied by Natural Resources Commissioner Tom Landwehr.

As you go to buy your fishing license in anticipation of this weekend's opener, you may be wondering how your license fees are spent. The DNR's fisheries section has an operating budget of about $35-million a year.

As you prepare to head out for Minnesota's fishing opener this weekend, the D-N-R is reminding you to pack your life jackets, first-aid kit and sunscreen. But, the D-N-R says there is just as much to remember when you are ready to leave the lake.