Visit Mankato is preparing for the Governor’s Fishing Opener to be held in the area this May

MANKATO, Minn. (KEYC) - While the lakes may not look like it now, in just a few short months the ice will give way and countless hopeful anglers will fill the open waters.

Last August, Governor Tim Walz announced that Madison Lake and the greater Mankato area would play host to the 2023 Governor’s Fishing Opener, and local organizations are already hard at work preparing for a slate of events to welcome anglers once the weather warms up.

“Friday there’ll be a media event in Mankato and then there’s really the fishing opener is going to take place in Madison Lake, so there’ll be some activities there, but also throughout the area, and even touching some other lakes, and so those plans are really coming to fruition right now with the hard work of, you know, committee members, our team, and you know just volunteers,” explained Jessica Beyer CEO of Greater Mankato Growth.

2023 will mark the 75th anniversary of the spring tradition, and the fifth time the event has been hosted in the Mankato area.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota DNR is looking at the fishing side of the weekend and said that they are excited to show what southern Minnesota’s numerous lakes and rivers have to offer for anglers from across the state.

“We also have extraordinary resources. Southern Minnesota, you know a lot of people think ‘oh let’s go up north and go fishing for walleyes’, but southern Minnesota is second to nobody in the ability to produce walleyes. We have productive waters, part of that is because of our watersheds and the productivity of the watersheds, but we have really fast growth,” said Craig Soupir, Fisheries Habitat Specialist at the Minnesota DNR.

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