LAKE VERMILION— Opportunity knocked last Saturday when a buddy who just happens to be a fishing guide suggested we go out and check the pulse on Lake Vermilion for opener.

“I’m in,” I said, telling my wife Jodi to expect fish for dinner.

A stubborn cloud deck dropped occasional sprinkles Saturday morning as Rob Bryers, his big yellow lab Skookum, and I pulled away from his dock on Birch Point headed for the northeast tip of the point. It’s one of the better-known early season walleye spots and about a dozen boats bobbed in a gentle breeze nearby as we dropped jigs and rainbows 35 feet down into the 52-degree water.

While the morning was cool, it was a far cry from the snow squalls, high winds, and sub-freezing temperatures that greeted anglers last opener.

We didn’t have to wait long this year… Rob, who grew up on the lake, was pulling in a modest eater within a couple minutes of our arrival. The second one took a bit longer and, unfortunately, Rob pulled that one in as well.

“I guess I have to do all the work, again,” he pretend grumbled, conveniently forgetting who had caught the nine-pound lake trout on one of our most recent trips up to Trout Lake.

Rob connected on a third walleye, which managed to shake the hook. But by then I was ditching the chartreuse jig that he had given me along with his likely story that it was the hot ticket for walleye.

I picked the blaze orange jig and tossed a fresh minnow, eventually connecting on a nice 15-incher that we added to the live well. We worked the area for another fifteen minutes or so before deciding to move on.

“If I was guiding, I would have stayed there a while longer,” said Rob. But we had plans to visit much more of the lake. Vermilion, noted Rob, is an exceptional fishery for more than just walleye. We were going to work our way west, and finish up with a little afternoon crappie fishing in Black Bay.

But first, we stopped to work the sand flats in Frazer Bay, where at least two-dozen other boats had gathered along the westernmost tip of the bay. It was a happy opener scene, with boats full of families and dogs all having a good time on the water. And the action was steady, with nearby boats pulling in walleye every few minutes.

We seemed to be the lone exception until Rob switched things up without telling me. While he usually swears by jigs, he opted for a lindy rig and started catching walleye again. It’s one of those tried and true tips that most guides will tell you— don’t be wedded to the same thing if it isn’t working. There’s no point arguing with the walleye or their whims. Today it’s one thing, tomorrow it will be something else. Figure out what it is, and you’ll do well.

My jig wasn’t producing right then, so as Rob pulled another one in I asked what he was using. He fessed up to the lindy and then I made the switch as well and got in on the action.

The walleye were biting, but the chilly water meant they were still a bit sluggish and we missed a few with our new approach. “You need to feed them some line,” said Rob, noting that the walleye are less likely to drop the more realistic-feeling lindy and its single small hook.

After an hour or so in Frazer Bay, I picked up our eighth walleye, which would have been our limit. But it was on the smallish side so I opted to let it grow another year. After that, the walleye action slowed, so we scooted over to a shore lunch spot near the mouth of Niles Bay for a quick bite before continuing our journey west.

It had been years since I’d traversed so much of the lake and it reminded me of just how large, and beautiful, Vermilion really is.

The narrow entry to Black Bay is dramatic, with its rocky, pine-studded bluffs, and Rob was surprised to see so many boats as the narrows opened into the wider bay.

While the bay is a good spot for early season walleye, we hugged the shore, casting bobbers and tiny plastic jigs for crappies. And we weren’t alone. It soon became apparent that most of the anglers were there for the crappie action.

It had been years since I’d fished crappies, and it was a reminder that they can be a challenge. Unlike fishing for sluggish walleyes, where a slow approach is key, fishing crappies with artificial jigs requires both lightning reflexes and a soft touch.

It also helps to have a warm day and some sunshine this time of year to get the crappies feeling frisky, but both were absent for us on Saturday. Rob had been working the bay earlier in the week and had done well, but they mostly eluded us on Saturday. We both had numerous soft strikes, and Rob managed to boat one, but I never quite got the hang of it. A good reason to return to scenic Black Bay another day.

Still, we had plenty of fish. I had picked up a jumbo perch along the way as well, so Jodi and I had our fish fry on Saturday evening, with plenty of filets left over for a couple more meals to come. In other words, another successful opener.