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Mother Nature did her absolute very best to screw up the fishing and shut down the walleye bite during last weekend’s opener. Typically, when air temperatures drop significantly and the winds begin to howl out of the northeast, it’s almost a foregone conclusion that anglers can bank on crummy fishing.

Thankfully, fish behavior is sometimes hard to predict, and every now and then fish bite aggressively regardless of negative weather changes. That was definitely the case last Saturday. By all indications and reports, it seems that Minnesota’s major walleye lakes gave up a whole bunch of fish. I was checking some of the Mille Lacs fishing reports today and came across this one from Johnson’s Portside Bait: “We had one angler in the shop looking for ibuprofen for his sore arm that he got from ‘catching so many walleyes’". Wow, you don’t read something like that every day and yes, fishing was that good over the weekend on Mille Lacs.

So, how did folks fare closer to home? Brad Dusenka at Frankie’s Live Bait and Marine was quick to report that it was, without a doubt, one of the best walleye openers he can remember. Despite weather changes, a tough wind and never-ending rain, anglers did indeed experience on area lakes the same success as elsewhere around the state.

The bite remains very hot right now, and Brad recommends you look for walleyes on the north end of North Center Lake, the island bar and water out in front of the A-frame on Chisago Lake, as well as the breakwater between Rose Hill Resort and the bar out in front of the swimming beach on South Lindstrom Lake.

A while back I graciously listened to an older fellow explain me how great the fishing was “back in the good ol’ days.” I nodded my head and smiled. I didn’t see much sense disagreeing with the kindly gentleman and argue that Minnesota’s game fish are better managed and more abundant today than at any time in our state’s history.

It’s human nature to look back and believe that things were better then, but I’m here to tell you that we’re living and fishing in the “good ol’ days” right now.

By the way, the walleyes didn’t stop biting on Monday. They’re still out there and eager to bite, so stop reading this drivel and get out there and fish.

Dan Brown’s weekly outdoor column is brought to you by Frankie’s Bait and Marine, in Chisago City, and St. Croix Outdoors, in St. Croix Falls, Wis.

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