“I fish because I like to get outside, enjoy the outdoors,” said Angler Jim Acker. “If you get a bonus meal or two of fish, that’s great.” Acker was trying his luck on a sunny spring day recently on the Peltier Lake Fishing Pier in Centerville. He says he’s had a fishing license for as long as he can remember. Before the opener he focuses on sunfish and crappies, after the opener it’s an annual trip to Minnesota’s northern lake country with friends. “This has been going on for, oh my heavens, roughly 46 years. This started with our fathers and us. Now we’ve got our grandsons coming up.” Acker says getting a new generation of young anglers involved is an important way to keep kids busy and out of trouble. They may even enjoy it. The DNR has worked to do that for years. “Having older people mentor younger kids is important, and the DNR stresses that time and time again,” said Jack Lauer of the Minnesota DNR. “Take people out fishing. Show them how to do it. If you don’t golf and don’t play a sport, maybe fishing is what you would like to do.” There is an excitement about the season opener for northern pike and walleye. The DNR’s Jack Lauer says one in five Minnesotans buy a fishing license. That’s one point 4 million fishermen and women. They do it for a lot of reasons. “I think they’re excited. It’s the season where they get to do something away from home. They visit lakes, streams, rivers,” said Lauer. Jim Acker says he doesn’t even mind not catching a fish. “I think the most important thing is getting out and just enjoying the day with friends and I think that’s the biggest thing. But don’t get me wrong, I like to eat fish,” Acker added. Fishing in Minnesota is a $2.4 billion industry, according to the DNR.
FISHING OPENER BRINGS ABOUT STORIES OF SHARED TRADITIONS
CENTERVILLE – (May 12, 2022) – Half a million anglers are expected to drop a line during Minnesota’s fishing opener. For many it’s a life-long tradition.
