Bait shops, gas stations, liquor stores and the local Dairy Queen were deluged last night on the corner of Highway 27 and 169.
Welcome to the 2011 fishing opener on Lake Mille Lacs.
Hopes are high at all haunts around the Big Pond as parka-clad fishermen continue to steam into the area. By 2 pm today, it’ll be stop-and-go traffic along Highway 169 and Minnesota 47. The launches are ready, poised to push away from dockage at midnight and the water will be aglow with green and red lights all weekend each evening. More than 5,000 boats will hit Mille Lacs this weekend.
Despite a forecast of rain, temperatures in the low 50s and winds from 12-18 mph from the north, the talk around here is about how good a fishing season this could be. It just wouldn’t be the opener if not for some tough weather.
Tribal netters have pretty much wrapped up their early-season missions, grabbing what we’ve been told as a modest 60,000 pounds of fish. That pales in comparison with 2010, when the tribes had nearly their entire quota by the end of April. A late ice out, nasty weather conditions and an early spawn are to blame, we are told.
Fishermen’s Wharf bar tender and fishing guide Jason Bongers is all smiles when he talked about this year’s fishing opener.
“I think it’s going to be great and I can’t wait to get out,” Bongers said. “There’s a lot of forage out there, but we marked a lot of fish, too. “ A 15-year veteran of the lake, Bongers and his 620 Ranger will be hitting his favorite spots, starting Sunday, he said. He will be out guiding Muskie trips once again in 2011.
“The leeches look good – the large ones really are large,” Bongers said, after scouting area bait shops. “I think I’ll wait to buy gas till Monday, though.” Prices for regular unleaded were in the 3.99-4.07 range around Mille Lacs yesterday. And premium was upwards of $4.12 a gallon.
Follow the Make It Mille Lacs Facebook page for updates across the lake tomorrow. We’ll post pictures and tell you how things are going at Mille Lacs. This year we will be featuring Fishermen’s Wharf as our fishing page sponsor. We will be embedding their Facebook Page on our site to give you up to date reports of what’s happening on guide trips and launches.
Here’s wishing you a great, successful and safe fishing opener for 2011! Checkout the Make It Mille Lacs-featured webcams to see what the lake looks like. And be sure and save us to your favorites as we strive to tell the Mille Lacs story throughout the season!