governor's fishing opener

Beautiful weather and fantastic food brought people to Sauk Rapids Saturday afternoon.

Gov. Mark Dayton caught a 3-pound, 17-and-a-half-inch bass during the annual Governor's Fishing Opener. The Democratic governor shared a pontoon boat with Republican legislative leaders on Saturday. They went out on the Mississippi River in St. Cloud.

There was a lot of smiles and a lot of good natured ribbing Saturday morning as Governor Mark Dayton and other state leaders prepared to wet a line on this fishing opener weekend.

The St. Cloud Area is adding to the storied tradition of the Minnesota Governors Fishing Opener.

St. Cloud is celebrating the Governor's Fishing Opener with a community picnic, The Opener by George.

The St. Cloud area is out to impress the 150-200 media personalities who are expected in town for the Governor's Fishing Opener. The goal is to claim the statewide spotlight for three days and reap the rewards of a long term windfall from the event.

The 2017 Governors Fishing Opener weekend kicked-off on the golf course Thursday evening.

If you're heading to the Opener by George Community Picnic Friday, you can avoid parking headaches by taking the free shuttle.

It's an exciting weekend full of fun and activities throughout Central Minnesota this weekend. You can enjoy the Governors Fishing Opener with some fun activities, relive the Summer of Love with Justin Ploof and the Throwbacks, head to Sauk Rapids for the Learned Ladies performance, catch the Thrillbillies rocking the stage at Rollie's and enjoy the music of the Eagles at the Paramount Theatre. Read more in The Weekender!

We know St. Cloud is hosting the 70th annual Minnesota Governor's Fishing Opener this weekend, but the event actually took a while for it to become what it is today.