With winter about to fade into the sunset, impatient anglers will soon be counting the days until the 2010 Minnesota walleye opener. For the next few months, a great deal of consideration will go into the choice of a destination for opening day and beyond. While a majority of fishermen will decide upon a favorite lake, they might be overlooking an option that could be less crowded, more peaceful and just as productive.

Minnesota anglers looking to target early-season walleyes should plan a trip to one of these southern Minnesota rivers around Mankato shortly after the season opens on May 15. Photo by J.B. Kasper.

While many of Minnesota's rivers maintain a naturally reproducing population of walleyes, others are stocked with fry, fingerlings or yearlings. For the most part, any river or stream that is directly connected to a stocked or naturally producing walleye fishery is a possible target. How active walleyes will be in the middle of May depends upon a combination of the timing of the spring thaw, water temperatures and water levels. Soon after ice-out, as rivers begin to warm, walleyes will start looking for the right combination of sand, gravel, current and water depth needed for successful spawning.

From the largest rivers and many lakes, fish will often move into tributaries or feeder streams. During an average year, this walleye movement begins sometime in late April and gradually subsides toward the end of May, with fish becoming more scattered and less active in June. Generally, by the time of the opener, river walleyes in southern Minnesota have reached their destination and have often finished spawning, but that doesn't mean the bite is over. Although the larger females may become difficult to catch, the males remain near the nest for several weeks. These are hungry, aggressive fish.

Early in the season, a rubber-tailed jig-and-minnow combination seems to be the most consistent producer of strikes. Work the jig in and around rocks and rapids, always casting in a slightly downstream direction. This will allow the river's motion to lift your lure as it hits structure during your retrieve. The size of jig is dependent upon the strength of the current. Your retrieve should be slow enough to bounce off the bottom, yet fast enough so that it does not become lodged beneath obstructions. Work the shoreline as well, allowing your retrieve to run adjacent to the bank once it has moved out of the main current.

The following is a look at several rivers in the Mankato area of southern Minnesota. These tributaries of the Minnesota River and Mississippi River are productive walleye fisheries that should be considered by early-season anglers.

CANNON RIVER
An excellent choice for early-season walleyes, this river passes through several lakes at its onset. It is on this portion of the Cannon River that I will focus, as it passes through Le Sueur County and moves within 15 miles of the Minnesota River and Mankato. Beginning in the Shields Lake area of Rice County, northwest of the city of Faribault, the Cannon River circles to the southwest as it begins its eastward, 120-mile flow to the Mississippi River. In addition to natural reproduction that takes place along this entire route, more than 10 million walleye fry have been released by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources within this section of the river over the past five years.

After leaving Shields Lake, the Cannon River meanders to the east toward the city of Le Center. As the stream approaches and eventually moves through Gorman Lake, it begins to become a viable walleye option. Water levels will dictate how much of the river is fishable at this point, but look for fish to be congregated around the inlet and in the bay near the southeastern outlet. A small dam is located within a Le Sueur County park, before the river continues toward Sabre Lake. Accesses to Gorman Lake, and the shoreline of the outlet, can be found near the town of Cordova, along County Highway 2, and in the county park off County Highway 5. Although Gorman Lake suffers from a lack of really large fish, it can be quite productive, especially during the month of May.