Will Ice Augers Be Needed for Minnesota’s Fishing Opener?

It's sure been heckuva cold and snowy winter spring so far in Minnesota, hasn't it? From last weekend's historic snow to record cold temperatures, winter just won't quit. And now, is the cold getting set to even affect the Governor's Fishing Opener?

While winter has been hanging on, spring has been scarce here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. And while there are a few things that we ALWAYS associate with spring-- Memorial Day, blooming flowers, the start of the fishing season-- Old Man Winter might get his hooks into a few of those this year, too.

The Governor's Fishing Opener is a rite of spring that kicks off the spring/summer fishing season. It's routinely held on different lakes around Minnesota, and features the Governor and his staff wetting a line to symbolically get the season underway.

But this year, there are fears that instead of fishing line and nets, the Governor may need an ice auger. That's because this year's Fishing Opener is set to take place in Spicer, on Green Lake, in the Willmar Lakes Area, where, according to this WCCO story, there's currently two feet of ice still on the lake.

This year's opener is scheduled for May 12th-- that's just shy of a month away. The latest recorded ice-out date on Green Lake is May 8th, the story notes, so yeah, the locals up north are getting a little nervous.

They shouldn't really, though. First, the story says that if ice is still around as the opener nears, volunteers are ready to go out and clear out of the lake (which is what they did earlier this year when they supplied the ice for Ice Castle at St. Paul's Winter Carnival.)

However, it looks like that won't be needed, though, as some forecasters are predicting a major warm up-- with temperatures into the 50's and 60's as early as this weekend. Which, given this Winter That Just Won't End, actually isn't all that early at all!

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