Schmitt: Where to Find Walleyes On the Opener

The Minnesota Walleye Fishing Opener is May 13.  Glen Schmitt from Outdoor News joined me on WJON.  He says the recent change in the weather is setting us up for a "solid fishing opener".  Schmitt indicates we aren't much different this year as opposed to last year and he expects the ice to be out of lakes in northern Minnesota with the exception of extreme portion of the state.  He says walleyes are spawning in northern Minnesota and have already spawned locally.  Schmitt expects walleye fishing starting on May 13th to be "pretty good" in Central Minnesota.

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The next question is where do you find walleyes on opener weekend?  Schmitt says small shallow lakes are "golden" early in the year.  He suggests looking at lakes that have higher number of walleyes in them traditionally.  Schmitt says walleyes should be ready to eat with the spawn done.  He suggests looking in bays and channels and along shorelines for both walleyes and panfish.  Schmitt says if the walleyes are biting for you panfish could be a good option.  He says anglers could have success pan fishing this weekend too.

A couple of weeks ago Schmitt was concerned about the amount of minnows available for live bait for the opener.  He says based on talks he's had with suppliers the stock of minnows, leeches and night crawlers should be good at bait shops.

License sales are down 9% this year compared to last year at this time according to the Minnesota DNR.  Schmitt says he's not surprised by this considering that the late ice fishing season was so poor.

If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Glen Schmitt it is available below.