DETROIT LAKES, Minn. 鈥� I鈥檓 as anxious as most anglers for the Minnesota fishing opener on May 10. It just took me more than 50 years to become a year-over-year fisherman.
Last summer I equipped myself with more gear to get out on the water with my family. It鈥檚 not even about catching fish for me 鈥� though I try 鈥� but rather the solitude, peace and conversation while out on the lake.
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This year, the annual Minnesota Governor鈥檚 Fishing Opener takes place May 10 in Crosslake. Since 1948, the event has been shaped into various sizes and names, depending on the governor, the weather and the host community.
In its early years, the governor rarely attended when it was routinely held on Mille Lacs Lake 鈥� just two hours north of St. Paul 鈥� for the first 10 years.
Gov. Luther Youngdahl was in office in 1948 and he led the charge, along with conservation commissioner Chester S. Wilson, for sweeping conservation efforts across the state.
Youngdahl didn鈥檛 attend his first governor鈥檚 opener until 1951 on Mille Lacs Lake. Gov. C. Elmer Anderson passed up all three of his opportunities from 1952-54, according to data from the Minnesota Historical Society.
The early governor鈥檚 openers didn鈥檛 have the structure of today鈥檚 events and didn鈥檛 appear to be designed to actually include the governor鈥檚 presence. The first decade or so had little media coverage outside the original announcement of the opener itself.
The 1948 opener was coming on the heels of a long, severe winter. The Minneapolis Tribune reported that more than 200 lakes, especially in the south and southwestern parts of the state, could see drastic fish kills. The Fargo Forum reported anglers found a large number of dead fish on Lost Lake east of Pelican Rapids, and the game warden believed the lake froze too deep over the winter, smothering the fish.
The 鈥�48 opener included all species, however muskie and bass seasons would not open until at least mid-June.
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Along with the anticipation to get on the water, tragedies followed with four deaths reported on opening day. Three anglers died on Woman Lake near Hackensack while a Waseca man drowned on Clear Lake when the boat he was in overturned.
A headline in The Fargo Forum claimed fishing was 鈥渇air to good鈥� for area anglers. A game warden reported there were 35 to 75 boats on Lake Sallie near Detroit Lakes and the results were very good.
Still, it was far from a perfect day on the lakes in that area. Rough waters brought some boats in early.
鈥淚t was good while it it lasted," said Curtis Cole, who was in a group fishing on Lake Sallie.
Cole鈥檚 group landed 12 walleyes in 45 minutes.
The governor鈥檚 opener, after 10 years on Mille Lacs Lake, moved to Upper Red Lake for three years, starting in 1958. It was there when the tradition of recent governor鈥檚 outings began.
Lt. Gov. Karl Rolvaag, who would later serve as governor in the 1960s, led a group of high-ranking officials to open the fishing season, the state historical society said. Rolvaag showed them how it is done, catching his limit of walleyes, the Minneapolis Star reported.
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Before Rolvaag's term, Gov. Elmer Andersen decided to move the governor鈥檚 fishing opener to a different location each year, with Leech Lake near Walker hosting in 1961 and Detroit Lakes in 1962.
Beginning at midnight and in bad weather, Andersen fished with a party of eight for more than three hours. The group returned with eight fish, The Fargo Forum reported.
By this time, with a throng of media in tow, the event was called the 鈥淕overnor鈥檚 Fishing Party,鈥� and it probably was.
As Forum columnist Wayne Lubenow quipped in 鈥�62, 鈥渢hat means that news media will send everybody including the janitor to the lakes for the opener.鈥�
At the 1977 opener at Arrowwood Lodge in Alexandria, , wrote Steve Palmer in the West Central Tribune, perhaps suggesting the 1978 edition may include changes.
鈥淭hey felt that a fishing opener should mean more of a 鈥榬oughing it鈥� type thing,鈥� said Jim Lukaszewski, who helped set up the event at Arrowwood.
In 1978, the in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area would have a tab of $6,000. Gov. Rudy Perpich said he'd rather just fish with his family and not have the huge media entourage. It would also be renamed to the 鈥淢innesota Fishing Opener.鈥�
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The name stuck with the next governor, Al Quie, when he visited the Park Rapids area for the 1979 opener.
But that name got away as several newspapers in the state in the following years just called it the 鈥淕overnor鈥檚 Fishing Opener.鈥�
Since 1976, every governor has attended their opener with the exception of 2020 when COVID-19 postponed Gov. Tim Walz鈥檚 presence in Otter Tail County until the following year.
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