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The 2007 Minnesota walleye opener is nearly upon us, and if you're a manager or supervisor that oversees personnel, please be advised -- beginning today, many of your workforce will have a glazed look in their eyes and production levels will severely plummet. You can also expect that many of your employees will develop highly questionable illnesses that will prevent them from working on Friday, the day before the opener. Don't be fooled and fall for the Black Plague! Remember that the Black Plague swept across Europe in the 1300s. Wrong country, wrong century. However, just as there is a flu season, there is also a walleye fever that afflicts our hard-working Minnesotans each year.

Those statements sound silly, don't they? Chalk it up to ol' Dan spinning another tall tale. Right? Wrong. Those statements are far truer than you might imagine. It is estimated that well over two million anglers will fish this upcoming year and those anglers will harvest three to four million walleyes. Take folks that are either too old or too young to fish out of the equation (and silly people that don't fish at all) and you're left with a whole lot of scheming workers out there just itching to blow out of town and beat the masses to their favorite walleye waters.

By all accounts, this Saturday should be another very good Minnesota opener. As you'd expect, the Wisconsin walleye opener last Saturday was greatly affected by brutally high winds, but that seems to be well behind us now. Looking at the extended weather forecast, the wind will (should) switch on Thursday from the west to the east and continue blowing from the east through the weekend. Any time wind direction is consistent for two or more days prior to fishing is a good thing, even winds from the east.

Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Chief Ron Payer is highly optimistic about the 2007 opener. He recently reported that "across some of our major walleye lakes, including Winnie, Vermilion and Mille Lacs, we had some good year classes in the 1990s and good year classes also from 2001 to 2003. Fish from those last years should provide good numbers of 'eaters.'"

Regardless of where you decide to fish this Saturday, walleye opener tactics have remained fairly consistent throughout the years. Look for active fish along shoreline breaks and points in shallower water, typically 8 to 15 feet deep. A jig and minnow rig is standard fare this time of year, but remember that with chilly water temperatures, keep the drift of your boat slow and your jigs on the lighter side, no heavier than 1/8th ounce. If conditions allow, try using jigs as light as 1/16th ounce. Sometimes the slower fall-rate of a really light jig during the spring is the ticket for lethargic fish.

Also, as you're working these breaks, try casting into extremely shallow water (3 to 6 feet) and slowly swimming your jig back to the boat. If waves are rolling into the rocky and sandy shallows, you can bet that walleyes will be present and chasing minnows. If the 'eyes are stripping minnows from the jig and not allowing for solid hook-ups, try using a small stinger hook for those short biters.

Where am I heading this weekend? Oh, I'll probably stick with the St. Croix River, if I do any fishing at all. It certainly isn't my intent to rub it in or anything, but my kid and I managed about 140 walleyes during the past week on the river. With all the hook-setting and walleye catching I've been doing, I may need to spend the inland opener just relaxing and icing my strained rotator cuff. I'm not sure yet though. I'll think about it over a plate of fresh, golden brown walleye fillets tonight, with a side of baked beans, and a nice Chianti.

Okay, now that was just downright mean. So sorry.

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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