By Brad Dokken of the Grand Forks Herald - May 5, 2019

A later-than-normal ice-out, coupled with high water levels and cold water temperatures, could put a chill on angling prospects for the Minnesota Fishing Opener.

The grand springtime tradition gets underway at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 11.

"So far, we've got a little more water this spring than normal, the rivers are running a little higher than normal and the lakes bounced up some," said Henry Drewes, Northwest Region fisheries supervisor for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in Bemidji.

Across northwest Minnesota, ice-out is running three to seven days behind normal, Drewes said. Ice on Lake Bemidji went out Saturday, April 27—four days later than normal—he said, and border waters such as Lake of the Woods potentially could have some lingering ice for Saturday's opener.

"There'll probably still be some spawning going on in the northern lakes," he said. "WIth this (past) week's weather on top of a late ice-out, I would expect colder-than-normal water temperatures. I think there's going to be a lot of waters that are still in the 40s, and that could make for tough fishing."

Last year, ice covered much of Big Traverse Bay of Lake of the Woods a week before the fishing opener, but the onset of temperatures in the 60s and 70s left only a few icebergs by the time opening day arrived.

This year, no drastic warm-up is in the forecast from the un-springlike setback Mother Nature dealt this past week. In Baudette, Minn., for example, high temperatures this coming week aren't expected to exceed the mid 50s, with nighttime lows barely above freezing.

Still, hope springs eternal, as the old saying goes. Open water on Lake of the Woods as of midweek extended well past Lighthouse Gap near the mouth of the Rainy River, according to Joe Henry, executive director of Lake of the Woods Tourism.

"Reports are the ice is moving a lot right now, which leads us to believe it will go pretty quick," Henry said. "Only Mother Nature knows for sure, but we believe it will be ice-free by the opener."

The fish are there, but ...

Walleyes should be done spawning in Rainy River, a Lake of the Woods tributary, and the Tamarac River, which flows into Upper Red Lake, Drewes said.

As with most openers, male walleyes will dominate the catch as larger females recover from spawning, he said.

"Whether or not they're turned on will really depend on that three to five days of weather before the opener," Drewes said. "Get on a nice warming trend with above-freezing nights—that's really the trigger. Warm those shallows up and get those fish going."

Given the conditions, slow presentations will be crucial, especially on rivers such as the Rainy, which is flowing nearly three times faster than it was at this time last year, based on streamflow readings from the U.S. Geological Survey. As of midweek, the Rainy River at Manitou Rapids was running at 30,300 cubic feet per second, compared with 10,600 cfs on May 2, 2018.

"I would think with high flows and slightly later-than-normal spawn, there'll be fish in those rivers," Drewes said. "Even if they're done spawning, there's probably more forage available in those rivers if the lakes downstream still have ice or just recently lost ice. Those flowages are always good in the spring, but they're even better on late springs."

To read more of the original article and see related reporting, follow this link to the Grand Forks Herald website.  https://www.grandforksherald.com/sports/outdoors/4607245-minnesota-fishing-opener-preview-cold-high-...

Read more about fishing closures in Cook County from the MN DNR below: