Fishing opener underway in Stillwater on the St. Croix River

Fishing opener weekend in Minnesota is partly about fish and partly about showing off a place. This year the place is Stillwater — and that matters because the state picked a river town, not a lake destination, to host the 78th Governor’s Fishing Opener on May 8 and 9. Gov. Tim Walz, the Department of Natural Resources, Explore Minnesota, and local officials used the event to spotlight the St. Croix River as a serious fishing draw, not just a scenic backdrop. The bigger point is simple: this weekend is the ceremonial start of Minnesota’s summer fishing season, and Stillwater gets the statewide attention that comes with it. ### Why Stillwater this year? Stillwater has never hosted the Governor’s Fishing Opener before, which is a big part of the pitch. The city sits on the St. Croix River, a federally protected Wild and Scenic River, and organizers wanted to highlight river fishing instead of the more familiar up-north lake version of Minnesota angling. That lets Stillwater sell two things at once — outdoor access and a walkable historic downtown. (mn.gov) ### What actually happens at a governor’s opener? It’s not just one boat launch at dawn. The event is a two-day package built around community receptions, media appearances, tourism promotion, and then the actual fishing opener on Saturday, May 9, when Minnesota’s walleye and northern pike season starts. Basically, it’s a statewide marketing event wrapped around a real outdoor tradition. (mn.gov) ### Why does the St. Croix matter? The St. Croix changes the feel of the whole weekend. A river fishery means current, navigation, and a different mix of species — walleyes and bass, but also sturgeon and channel catfish. Brian Nerbonne from the DNR called it one of Minnesota’s premier river fisheries, which is the state’s way of saying: don’t think of this as a compromise host just because it isn’t lake country. (exploreminnesota.com) ### How big is this weekend, really? Pretty big. CBS Minnesota said about 500,000 Minnesotans are expected to be out on the water statewide this weekend, and the fishing industry brings an estimated $4.5 billion into the state each year. So the opener is ceremonial, but the money behind it is real — bait shops, guides, hotels, bars, restaurants, and marinas all feel it. (willmarradio.com) ### Why are local businesses so keyed up? Because this is one of those weekends where tourism arrives all at once. Reports out of Stillwater showed businesses stocking up and expecting heavy traffic, with local shops already seeing strong bait demand before lines even hit the water. For a river town heading into summer, this is the kind of event that fills rooms, patios, and boat slips fast. (cbsnews.com) ### Is this really Walz’s last opener? Maybe, but that’s the subtext everyone noticed. Walz is in the final stretch of his second term, and coverage around the event framed this as what could be his last Governor’s Fishing Opener. That gave a routine seasonal tradition a little extra political nostalgia — still mostly about fishing, but with some end-of-era energy around it too. (msn.com) ### So what’s the bottom line? Stillwater didn’t just get a weekend event. It got the state’s annual kickoff to fishing season, a tourism spotlight, and a chance to reframe the St. Croix as a headline fishery. That’s why this opener matters more than the usual ribbon-cutting vibe — it’s Minnesota advertising itself through one river town for one very busy weekend. (willmarradio.com) (twincities.com)