WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
May 1, 2008

Finally, the week all of us anglers have been waiting for. With less than seven days to go before opening morning, the excitement seems to be much less than usual and one can't blame anyone but this fantastic weather that we are having this Spring season.

Regardless of what the weather has been, opening day is coming and the excitement should hit top end near the end of the week. Most area lakes are still holding some ice with many of the larger lakes like Winnie and Mille Lacs and Pokegama, the ice out is going to be late this week or maybe even early after opener. There will still be numerous opportunities for those few opening days and I would expect a number of anglers catching many more larger fish then normal.

As for Winnie, I would expect that the Stony point area, Mallard point, Raven point and the Gap to be very productive. Look for fish to be very inactive with the cold temperatures that we will see the first few days of the season. I would expect anglers will find success in varying depths, even as deep as 20 foot.

The spot-tail shiners will be tough to come by this opener, but the fathead chubs in the medium to large size should be plentiful. The shiner traps are on Winnie and the key will be warm rain and warm sunshine warming the shallow before we see those ever-so-liked spot-tail shiners. I would think by the second weekend, we should see some available shiners.

So what other opportunities will be good options if you're not heading to Winnie or Mille Lacs? This year look for Bowstring, Sand, and Leech Lake to fill with good numbers of fish. Please check the regulations for lake specific slots and limits, as many of the area lakes are being managed to help provide the best fishing on that specific body of water.

Well this will be the last report without an up-to-date fishing report. From here on out until late October, I will again be letting everyone know what we're up to and I look forward to another great fishing season here in Northern Minnesota. Good luck on opening weekend and may each catch the fish of a lifetime this season.

See you on the water,

Sean Colter
member of NMGL
seancolter@seancolter.com