Here’s what not to forget on the walleye opener

Opening day of the walleye season in Minnesota – Saturday May 9, 2026 – is an important day for anglers who have been craving the opportunity to get into a boat on open water and chase some of this state’s favorite fish, the walleye.

Because it is a significant day there are many things you should never forget on the Minnesota opener.

Never forget to make sure your batteries are charged fully and will power everything you need. I hear the horror stories about anglers sliding their watercraft in at the boat landing and the battery is too dead to start the motor. They fire up their electric trolling motor and a half hour later it’s deader than a big buck in my sights during rut. Don’t be that person.

Don’t forget to put the plug in the boat. It happens more than you can imagine. It can bring tears to the eyes of even the toughest brute of an angler when water starts soaking their shoes.

Don’t forget to load the tackle box with plenty of differing colors of jigs from one-eighth to half-ouncers. You won’t know how deep you will be fishing on opener until you find active fish and you won’t know what color they want until they tell you.

MORE WALLEYE COVERAGE FROM OUTDOOR NEWS:

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Don’t forget to take all the terminal tackle you need to create the most effective live-bait rig. Sinkers in all shapes and sizes. That would mean walking sinkers for rock and rubble, bullet sinkers for vegetation, egg sinkers for deep sand, and bell sinkers for shallow water.

If you have to cover some ground don’t forget to take some spinners for that live-bait rig. There’s nothing like a small spinner just above the hook to attract a hungry walleye when they are spread out all over the sand.

Don’t forget to take some 6-, 8-, and 10-pound-test fluorocarbon line for leader material. On opener a standard 24- to 36-inch leader might be fine, so a packaged rig will work great. But if a cold front shuts down their feeding momentum, lengthen the leader and that will get those finicky walleyes to take the bait.

Speaking of bait: Don’t forget to take shiners, fatheads, leaches and nightcrawlers because you never know what will be most effective. I usually find rainbow shiners work the best on these early-season walleyes, but on a tough bite it might be nightcrawlers and leeches. On a jig you just can’t beat a fathead minnow.

Whatever you do, don’t forget to change bait, making sure the meat on that hook stays lively. This is where I see a huge number of anglers go wrong. They secure a big juicy nightcrawler onto a spinner rig and pull it around for the rest of the day. That worm is a sickly strand of limp goo after about 20 minutes and needs replacement. If your bait isn’t fresh you will not catch fish.

Don’t forget to start shallow and work out into deeper water. On those real clear lakes walleyes are generally found on the deeper structure, but early-season walleye locations can be shallow, deep and everywhere in between. So no matter what the water clarity is, I always start out casting right to the edge of the shore and work into deeper water until I discover the walleye’s preference.

Don’t forget a tape measure.

Don’t forget to have fun! It’s a great day to build traditions and spend time with friends and family. I’ll be the first to admit that walleye fishing can be tough on opener, but there will be some great fishing in June.

With that in mind make sure to enjoy that time on the water and if you find active fish consider that a big bonus.

My first opener with family was 76 years ago when my dad and uncle launched a small boat in Lake Winnibigoshish and we went straight out to Sugar Bar. I was 12 years old and we joined a handful of other boats and the fishing was pretty good.

We caught walleyes and northern pike and for a young kid who loved to fish, it was one of the greatest days ever. I have been spending every opener since on Lake Winnie, and I always start on Sugar Bar. That’s one of the beautiful things about fishing with friends and family. You create memories that you will never forget.