By Bob Jensen

(photo by Bob Jensen) A good memory from way back. The Fishing Professor Jim McDonnell with an Opening Day walleye.

The opening day of fishing season means different things to different anglers. In some places, opening day means nothing to anglers because where they live, there is no opening day of fishing season. Fishing season is open year ‘round. But in some states there are very distinct fishing seasons.

Some states even have multiple openers. Maybe a walleye opener and a bass opener a couple of weeks later. Here are some of my thoughts and memories from fishing season openers past.

I was about ten years old when my Dad invited me to go with him and a friend on the opening day of walleye season. This was a long time ago when Iowa had a statewide opening day of fishing for gamefish.

We prepared for the opener for days. New line on reels, organizing the tacklebox, making sure the plug was in the boat(we didn’t want to repeat the “forgetting to put the plug in” adventure.) The excitement was indescribable. We were up early the day of the opener.  Waited in a long line at the boat ramp, froze all day, caught just a couple of fish. At the end of opening day, I was anxious for the next year’s opener. Some things are certainly hard to understand!

I recall a Walleye Opener in the Iowa Great Lakes region. We were on the water shortly after midnight. So were hundreds of other anglers. The competition for good fishing spots was intense and action was slow.

We trolled crankbaits until dawn, then switched to jigs and live bait rigs. Catching remained slow. At day’s end, our group gathered at the cabin where we were staying and reminisced about our most recent Walleye Opener. One of the members of our group asked, “Why do we do this every year? We know that the lakes will be crowded and the bite is usually slow.  Why do we do this?”

Another group member explained, “It’s tradition.” The eldest and wisest group member then declared, “Some traditions should die.” Exactly a year later, the same group of anglers gathered at the same location to celebrate the tradition of the fishing opener.  Some traditions die hard.

Then there was an Opener in Minnesota in the mid 80s. The walleyes on the central Minnesota lake that we were fishing weren’t interested in getting caught.

We decided to move to another lake. As we waited for our turn to load the boat, we noticed a crappie in the shallow reeds next to the boat landing. Then we saw another and another.

We cancelled the move to the other lake and started fishing for crappies. We caught’em really good. A forgettable walleye morning turned into a memorable afternoon of catching crappies.

I fondly remember an Opener in northern Minnesota years ago. We got on the water about the time that the sun should have appeared. It was cold and overcast. That was the best weather of the day.

Mid-morning it started snowing. As the day progressed, the snow got heavier. And the fish weren’t cooperating. We retreated to the lodge where we were staying and gathered around the fireplace.

Stories of previous fishing trips were shared in actual and enhanced versions. This day of not catching fish holds a wonderful place in my fishing memories. It’s not always the fish that make for a memorable day of fishing. It’s the people that you fish with.

The Opening Day of fishing season usually isn’t the best for catching. Catching is almost always better a couple of weeks later when the water has warmed and the weather has stabilized. However, for many of us, when it comes to anticipation and excitement, the Opening Day of fishing season is pretty tough to beat.  Here’s good news.  Opening Day is not far off.