BAUDETTE, Minn. — If the walleyes didn’t cooperate on this sunny Saturday morning, the opening day of Minnesota’s 2025 fishing season, it certainly wouldn’t be because of the weather.
Morning temps in the border country were in the 60s, with a southeast wind less than 10 mph — just strong enough to put a “walleye chop” on the water.
ADVERTISEMENT
In short, Mother Nature had served up a dandy. And while the forecast called for winds strong enough to blow squirrels out of trees the next day — an exaggeration, of course, but only slightly — the weather last Saturday, May 10, was definitely a keeper.
The rest would be up to the walleyes — and, perhaps, a bit of fishing luck. They call it the Minnesota Fishing Opener, but up here on Lake of the Woods — and thousands of other lakes across the state, I dare say — it’s the walleye that reigns supreme.
So it was that six of us — Ron Nies of Minneapolis; Scott Jensen of St. Anthony, Minnesota; Peter Howard of Stillwater, Minnesota; and Jason Laumb, Joe Banish and I, all from Grand Forks — joined fishing guide Travis DeWitt of Ballard’s Resort for two days aboard the 27-foot Sportcraft that will be his office for the next 125-or-so days, give or take.
This was Day One.
A native of Alexandria, Minnesota, and a 2014 graduate of St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota, DeWitt has about a dozen years as a Lake of the Woods charter boat captain under his hat. He started coming up to Lake of the Woods on family trips as a kid and, as so often happens, the big lake got into his blood.
When the opportunity to make his living on Lake of the Woods presented itself, DeWitt says he jumped at the chance, even though a fishing guide career isn’t the traditional path for someone with a business degree.
He came highly recommended.
ADVERTISEMENT
“You’ll enjoy his company,” Tim Lyon, a friend and veteran Ballard’s fishing guide who has a way with words (as well as walleyes), had told me before the opener. “From a technical standpoint, he is as good of a fisherman as anyone on that staff.
“He understands fish patterns, he’s good with people … he’s one of those people kind of made to do this job.”
And, as a caveat, “you can’t tell him I said that,” Lyon joked.
We were in good hands, in other words.
On the water
Pulling away from the dock with the small fleet of other Ballard’s charter boats, DeWitt’s opening morning plan was to head out the mouth of the Rainy River and west across Four-Mile Bay to a spot known locally as the “Morris Point Washout.”
Once there, DeWitt would drop anchor in less than 10 feet of water, and we’d dunk jigs tipped with frozen shiners – a “go-to” technique on Lake of the Woods – and wait for the tell-tale tap of a walleye.
ADVERTISEMENT
Ice had covered large portions of the lake barely two weeks earlier, but the water temperature in this part of the lake already was in the low 50s.
Not surprisingly, we had plenty of other boats around us, most either anchored or “spot-locked” with trolling motors that interface with GPS technology to hold the boat in place.
“Slow is the way to go” when it comes to early season walleyes on Lake of the Woods.
DeWitt was first on the board, with a 15 (or so)-inch walleye that soon found its way into “the box” — the large ice-filled cooler at the back of the boat. Typical of fishing while anchored, there were occasional spurts of action followed by lulls.
We were fishing, we were comfortable and it was good.
Reason for optimism
Favorable weather aside, there was plenty of reason for optimism on this opening day morning. According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the tallied an average of 17.5 walleyes per net last September, above the historic average of 15.3 walleyes per net.
Walleyes from 9 to 11 inches long were abundant, the DNR said, as were “keeper-size” fish in the 13- to 16-inch range. Walleyes in the 19½- to 28-inch protected slot, which must be released, and trophy walleyes larger than 28 inches were “just below average” in abundance.
ADVERTISEMENT
On Lake of the Woods, though, there’s always the chance of a big walleye. Banish, the youngster in our crew at a mere 30 years old – the rest of us ranged in age from 50 to 68 – found that out firsthand Saturday afternoon.
After spending the morning in the Morris Point Washout, DeWitt decided to head for deeper water on the north side of Pine Island in the afternoon.
Anchored in about 22 feet of water, fishing was slower than it had been at the washout, but a few bonus saugers and the occasional walleye provided just enough action to keep things interesting.
Then Banish got hot, landing 27½- and 25-inch walleyes minutes apart, basically on consecutive drops of the jig. Both fish, he says, absolutely clobbered the gold-tipped jig.
The 27½-incher was his new “PB” — personal best — Banish says.
“Catching it on the opener makes it even more special,” he said. “Following that fish up with a 25-incher just minutes later was a great bonus.”
I suggested he should fish without bait the rest of the weekend but it wasn’t to be.
ADVERTISEMENT
His hot streak continued Sunday.
“The fish must have liked my jig pattern because it worked great all weekend,” Banish said. “Or maybe it was also a bit of luck that’s inherent to fishing.”
Day 2: The river
Instead of heading back on the lake for day two, DeWitt opted to fish a short ways up the Rainy River last Sunday morning. Reports from the previous day indicated plenty of fish remained in the river after the spring spawning run, and there’d be more protection from the wind, which was forecast to pick up from the south throughout the day.
Using ¾-ounce jigs to compensate for the current, we were able to keep our bait on the bottom, but just barely.
The “plenty of fish in the river” part was confirmed minutes after anchoring, when DeWitt, fishing from his captain’s chair in the cab of the boat, hooked into what turned out to be a 27-inch walleye in 16 feet of water.
Beautiful gold without a blemish, the walleye was a picture of perfection.
ADVERTISEMENT
As sometimes happens when anchored, fishing on this breezy morning wasn’t of the equal opportunity variety. While DeWitt’s 27 inches of gold came on the starboard side of the boat, the best action, for whatever reason, was on the port side.
But as the old saying goes, that’s why they call it fishing and not catching; most of the walleyes were of the “eater” variety.
Last hurrah
After a scrumptious noontime shore lunch back at the resort, complete with fresh walleye, spuds and baked beans — a fishing trip tradition — we closed out the weekend back on the river for the last couple of hours.
With temperatures approaching 90 degrees and winds gusting to 25 mph or more – squirrels were probably beginning to worry – being on the water was beginning to feel like standing in front of a blast furnace. By the time DeWitt pulled anchor shortly before 4 p.m., everyone on board was ready for the comfort of an air conditioned cabin.
Our fishing was pretty much on par with what DNR conservation officers encountered while checking anglers on the lake and river for the opener.
“Most anglers contacted over the weekend had great fishing reports,” Paul Kennedy, a DNR conservation officer in Baudette, wrote Monday in the
And so it went on another Minnesota Fishing Opener to Lake of the Woods; better for some in our crew than others, but good to be back in a boat again just the same.
The tradition continues.
The Trust Project
