IT'S OPENER BABY!!!! GOOD LUCK EVERYBODY!

Opner is just hours away!  What has seemed like years to get her is now just minutes away.  As I write this article I figure the majority of you are feeling just as antsy as I am to hit the water.  Many have skipped out of work and are hitting the roads heading northbound.  The rest of you, I feel your pain, cuz its gonna be a few hours before I get to start my yearly ritual of events.  A few last minute pieces of advice.  Fish shallow this year if you are heading north, or just fishing locally.  The water temps will be cool, and any shallow lake or warmer bay should produce better.  Also, focus on areas with running water.  These are places the fish congregate around to spawn, and they won't be far from it at this point.  Fish slow, and when you find one fish, odds are you'll catch several.  With the ice still covering many of our lakes, its going to be a different bite than most years.  With that said, we may be surprised to hear some great stories and hot bites in lakes that aren't typically hot on opener, and also a  few that probably stunk it up.  That's fishing, and that's what keeps us coming back.  For me, I will be staying local and fishing my home waters of Tonka and Waconia.  I anticipate a great bite, and I look forward to the camaraderie that always takes place with the opener.  I wish everyone the best of luck in the next few days, and as always, I will report back with my results.  Good luck, and remember, we are livin the dream out there this weekend.  Let's go enjoy it!