REGIONAL—Don’t let this year’s early ice-out on area lakes fool you. While the open water season began two-to-three weeks early this year, cool weather and snow in late April and early May have made for a slow warm-up in water temperatures— and that’s likely to affect how fish behave when anglers hit area lakes on Saturday for the 2017 opener.

“People are going to have to act like it was a little later ice out,” said Rob Bryers, of RB Guide Service on Lake Vermilion. “They’re going to need to be flexible and try different depths if they don’t find them where they expect.”

Doug Knoer, a Vermilion guide who frequents the big lake’s west end, agreed.

“I think it will be more like a normal spring even though the ice went out early,” he said.

That means the usual spring methods should be the ticket, according to area guides. “That means minnows,” said Knoer, who hinted he likely wouldn’t even bother with leeches. “And go with a slow presentation,” he added. “With a jig or lindy, just lay it right in front of them and let them have it a while.”

Knoer said he’ll be looking for fish mostly in the shallows, figuring some will be in the immediate post-spawn period. “It will probably be best in the shallower water, where it’s a little warmer. Pike Bay should be good.”

But you won’t find Knoer in Pike Bay on opener. If he fishes at all, he plans to work some of his usual west end haunts, in Niles or Wakemup bays.

Bryers is betting the still chilly temperatures will have many of the walleye lurking in deeper water. He said he’ll start in some of his deeper holes and work into the shallows if he doesn’t find initial success.

Guide Cliff Wagenbach, as usual, plans to work the deep water in Big Bay from the start, and will likely stay there. He’s expecting a strong opener based on DNR test net results and his own experience during the ice fishing season. “Winter fishing was really good, with a lot of nice fish up to 16 inches,” he said. “I expect that to continue.”

As for presentation, Wagenbach echoed some of the same strategies deployed by most early season anglers, with an emphasis on minnows, deployed either with jigs or lindy rigs. The one exception, he said, is to consider use slip bobbers and minnows if you’re fishing in the shallows.

In the Ely area, the usual hot spots are likely to continue to attract anglers. “If you can find moving water, it tends to concentrate the walleye,” said Captain Russ of Babe’s Bait, in Ely.

While many anglers turn to jigs and minnows for opener, the Captain says he prefers crankbaits this time of year. “I found it’s a heck of a lot easier to drag crankbaits around and the walleye seem to be real responsive to them. They’re just done with the spawn and they’re trying to bulk up so they like something a little heftier.”

While he’ll be stuck at the shop for most of opening day, he hopes he’ll be able to sneak in a little evening fishing after work. If so, he said he’ll head to either White Iron or Birch Lake, where he typically finds early season success.

Up near the border, Phil Hart at the Gateway Store, is optimistic about both the weekend forecast and strong fish numbers in Lake Kabetogama. According to Hart, the latest DNR test netting shows a good abundance of walleye in the 12-15 inch range, with a near-record crop of young walleye coming up in the past two year classes. “And we still have a large number of larger fish because of the slot limit for the past fourteen years,” said Hart.

At the same time, he said Kabetogama is sporting a record number of northern pike and high numbers of smallmouth bass. While many anglers complained about a slow bite last year on Kabetogama, Hart said that was likely due to a record number of small perch, which were apparently keeping the walleye pretty content. “That probably threw the bite off a little last year,” he added.

Anglers who head to the border country may find somewhat warmer water temperatures, said Hart, than places like Vermilion. The border country missed out on the May 1 snowstorm, which cooled water temperatures on Vermilion and other nearby lakes.

The good news is that the cool early spring weather is expected to end just in time for opener. The latest forecast is calling for mostly sunny skies and highs in the low-to-mid 60s, with light north winds. Just remember, it will be much cooler out on the water, so dress appropriately. And good luck!