Minnesota Gears Up for Walleye Opener: Governor Walz Highlights Booming Fishing Industry and Youth Participation

(KNSI) – An unofficial holiday in Minnesota arrives this weekend with the walleye opener.

The season starts at 12:00 a.m. Saturday. The Governor’s Fishing Opener is in Lake City, and that’s where KNSI’s Bob Hughes caught up with Governor Tim Walz who explained that fishing is not only fun but big business for the state. “Fishing is a $4.5 billion industry. It’s huge. Minnesota is one of the top five states with a number of people who fish. We have all these manufacturers that are involved from Clam to Polaris, helping us, you know, do all the outdoor things that we do.”

Walz says anglers can expect to see more competition on the water this year and don’t be surprised if they look a little young. “Fishing licenses are way up there, especially up amongst our young people, which is really exciting. I want to give a big shout-out to these high school teams. We’re getting kids involved with this there. And when a kid is involved in a school activity, their achievement goes way up.”

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says more than a million anglers bought fishing licenses for this season so far, which means there could be a lot of people out trying their luck. The agency believes fish populations have not been affected by last winter’s warmer temperatures and that fishing should be strong around the state.

Walleye fishing starts at 12:00 a.m. on Saturday.

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