Another fishing opener is in the books and the weather couldn’t have been any better. This year’s opener was hosted by the community of Waconia which is located in the west Metro area. Lake Waconia is the second largest lake in the Twin Cities Metro area, second only to Lake Minnetonka.
When I first heard that this year’s opener was being held in the Metro area again, I didn’t know what to expect. Once I arrived in the area and had a chance to talk to some of the local folks, I realized that this was going to be another fun event.
As each year’s opener approaches, I find it hard to imagine that an area can top the previous year. But, again, I was pleasantly surprised. The folks of Waconia went the extra mile and did an excellent job of showing the media and guests what their community is all about.
Hosting an event of this size takes a lot of work. It was estimated that there were over 300 volunteers working to make this all come together. The hosting of a Governor’s Opener is the communities chance to promote their area and attract tourism. The economic reward garnered from this event is immense. Tourism in all of Minnesota brings in an estimated $11.3 billion annually.
Lake Waconia is very scenic with some beautiful homes dotting the shoreline. It also has plenty of open land that is lined with trees. The lake has 3,080 acres of water with a maximum depth of 37-ft. There is a large 37 acre island on the lake that is named Coney Island after the famous island out east.
Coney Island in Lake Waconia is not only a unique piece of land, it has an interesting history. The resort that once occupied the island was a destination for vacationers from the Twin Cities as well as those from out of state. At one time, the University of Minnesota football team even held practices on the island. As in all places with an historic past, legend has it that there were also some well-known gangsters that frequented the island back in the day.
Lake Waconia is one of the finest fisheries in the metro area. It is known for its variety of species and beautiful scenery, which make it a destination for thousands of visitors. Anglers revel in the size of the walleye, muskies (up to 4-1/2 feet in length) and bass. Pan fishermen find a vast resource of sunfish and crappies. And, the lake has seen a rejuvenation of the northern pike population. Whether you’re an angler who enjoys catching fish for the fry pan or to catch and release, you can find what you are looking for on beautiful Lake Waconia.
On Friday night, I met up with my friend Jeff Anderson, a sports broadcaster from Watertown South Dakota, who I have been fishing with for several years, and our fishing host at the Community Center. This year’s host, Charlie Christopherson, said he was excited about the chance to show us the lake and talk about the community. Charlie is 32, married and has two daughters that are 8 and 5 years old.
When he talked about them his face would light up. On this day however, he would have to put up with hanging out with a couple of “old guys”.
Charlie works in Eden Prairie and his wife in Chanhassen so they decided to relocate to the small community of Saint Bonifacius just outside of Waconia. He likes to hunt and fish and is really into running; he has run in quite a few marathons.
On this day however, he was trying to put Jeff and I on some walleye. He kept on talking about the lake having some sheepshead in it. I think that this was an omen because I ended up catching the largest one I have ever seen.
It was a good fighter but not exactly the fish I had written down on my wish list. We caught a lot of perch that day. I even had a fish on that I couldn’t get to the boat. After a few minutes, it spit the hook. Most folks I talked to said that it was probably a muskie which is an abundant fish in this lake.
Charlie said that when he fishes Waconia, it is primarily for bass and muskie. He also said that it is a very good bass lake. There are not only a lot of muskie in the lake, but many are in the “lunker” category. The lake has a lot of good structure, which also makes for good walleye fishing. Plenty of crappies and sunnies also swim these waters.
One fisherman mentioned that he felt the sheepshead population was a big contributor to the rapid growth spurt of the muskies in the lake. Although there are plenty of walleye in the lake, we evidently were not in the right place at the right time. The days leading up to the opener were cool, cloudy and rainy, but Saturday was a perfect day weather-wise.
A sunny, warm day with little or no breeze does not always make for a good fishing day for walleye. There were walleye caught on this day but none were taken by our group of fishermen. The largest registered that day was a 28-1/2 inch fish and the largest pike registered was 33-1/2 inches.
I mentioned to Charlie while we were fishing that you could take this community and “plunk” it down anywhere in rural Minnesota and it would blend in. Waconia truly does have the best of both worlds, the beauty of country living and the friendly small town atmosphere with all the assets of the metro area. I would definitely visit Waconia again.
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Until next time, set aside some vacation time and enjoy a little fishing; it’s the best way to enjoy the outdoors.
Please remember to keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers because they are the reason we are able to enjoy all the freedoms that we have today.