Governor's Fishing Opener on Lake Waconia a success!

Waconia hosted the Governor's Fishing Opener this past weekend, and the hosts, volunteers, and committee members who helped with the event can be proud of how well the town and the lake was represented for the numerous media and dignitaries who visited.  The bright sunshine on Saturday was a welcome change from past openers, and set the mood for a nice weekend.  The weather that may have had the greatest impact on the bite for walleyes occurred on Friday evening when a brief cold front pushed through.  That may have had something to do with the lack of success Governor Dayton had catching the state's fish when he was out for the midnight bite. Despite the walleyes being tougher than normal, the fishing of other species was very good, with the warmer weather on Saturday.

Numerous anglers had good luck fishing for sunfish and crappies in the shallows, as the water temps have begun to rise into the mid to upper 60's depending on the time of day and sunshine.  Expect to see them in less than 6 feet of water near the reeds along the northwest side of the lake, as well as Reinke's Bay.  There were still plenty of fish caught in Waconia Bay in 10 to 12 feet of water.

The northern pike action has picked up where it left off this past winter.  We talked to several anglers who had pike ranging from 4 to 8 pounds, with a few even topping 10 pounds.  It's been a long time coming since we've seen the crop of northerns like we are seeing now.  Casting crankbaits, spinnerbaits or spoons has been a good method to get in on the action.  Pillsbury Reef, North Reef, and Center Reef have been a few of the spots worth spending time.

The walleyes on Saturday clearly were affected by the cold front on Friday evening.  Despite the tough start, it is still recommended (for the time being) to try night fishing in shallower water out from the Carp Trap, Rock Dock or Harm's Point or out from the Clay Banks.  Throwing shallow-running cranks has been popular, but bobber fishing with leeches or jigging with a fathead has been a good bet as well.  For those of you who wish to try a tad deeper, we did hear some reports by North Reef, as well as Keg's Reef for walleyes in the evening and early morning.

We would like to thank No Name Steaks for their wonderful gift of FREE Wild Rice Meatballs that were given out on Friday Night, as well as Steak Burgers and Hot Dogs ALL DAY on Saturday!  They put plenty of smiles on the faces of those who visited us on the Opener.  Their products were on fine display and clearly were liked, as plenty of people went for seconds or more.

We would also like to thank our great Waconia Chamber of Commerce and Explore Minnesota and everyone who was affiliated with the Governor's Opener committees that put this together for our wonderful town.  Plenty of seasoned Governor's Opener veterans mentioned how well this event was put together and was one of the best they had seen.  We're thankful to be a part of this community, and look forward to continuing to promote this town and our great lake!

Join us here as the good fishing has just begun!  Don't forget that we rent fishing boats with motors, as well as pontoons.  Give us a call at (952) 442-2096 to make a reservation.

See you at the lake...