MARSHALL — The 2021 fishing opener is fast approaching, and from the sound of things Marshall area residents are eager to get out on the water on Saturday.

“We’ve definitely got a lot of people coming in to get fishing licenses,” said Jeremy Barck at Borch’s Sporting Goods in Marshall. Barck said the demand wasn’t quite as intense as the “mad rush” to get licenses he saw last spring, but Borch’s had been selling a lot of fishing licenses for about the past week.

“I think it’s going to be a huge crowd” for the fishing opener, especially if good weather holds, said Troy Schneekloth, owner of Key Largo on Lake Shetek. “I’ve already seen more boat traffic in general.”

Local observations of interest in the fishing opener match up with the pattern the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is seeing this year. The DNR reports fishing license sales are up 10% from last year. There were 286,086 licenses sold by May 1, compared to 255,841 at the same point last year, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

So far, it’s the fastest Minnesota fishing license sales start in at least 21 years. By the end of 2021, Minnesota will sell nearly 1.2 million fishing licenses required for most anglers age 16 and older, except for some special circumstances.

“It’s good to see. Some people thought fishing license sales would go down during the pandemic, but no, it went up,” said DNR Southern Regional Fisheries Assistant Manager Brian Schultz.

“People got away from some things, but the pandemic made us slow down a bit and hopefully make us appreciate some of the things we forgot about before like doing more things with family,” Schultz said. “Hopefully, we continue doing things like that. It’s good mentally for yourself and the family.”

Schneekloth said having the event of the fishing opener is also part of the draw for many people.

“People get excited for that,” he said.

Barck said so far, the only “hiccup” in buying fishing licenses this year was a change in Minnesota’s requirements for married combination licenses. Now, both spouses buying a combination license need to be present and provide identification, he said.

Schultz advised anglers to try shallow lakes around the fishing opener because they can heat up faster.

“Beware of cold water. It kills. And it’s really cold out there yet,” said Schultz. “Water levels are down, but I think fishing should be all right. The only winter I know of is near Winsted.”

According to the DNR’s southern region fishing outlook, there are a few area lakes that are a good bet for catching walleye. A 2019 fish survey found walleye in a wide range of sizes at Lake Benton. The DNR said the walleye opener should also be good at Lake Shetek in Murray County, and at Dead Coon Lake and East Stay Lake, both in Lincoln County. Lake Sarah in Murray County has “one of the best walleye populations in the area,” according to the DNR outlook.

Lake Shaokotan in Lincoln County is a good choice for anglers looking for steady action catching northern pike, according to the DNR outlook. Island Lake in Lyon County also had a population of good-sized pike in a 2017 survey.

The outlook report cautioned anglers to drain water from boats and trailers and clean gear after fishing, however. Invasive curly-leaf pondweed is present at Lake Benton, and invasive zebra mussels were found at Lake Sarah in 2018.

DNR Southern Region Fisheries Manager Jack Lauer said Lake Marion, along Highway 15, south of Hutchinson was good for walleyes last year and should be good again.

“Clear Lake, south of New Ulm should be good for crappies and blue gill. My Hutchinson Fisheries staff netting sampled 8 to 9-inch crappie and 7 to 8-inch bluegill,” said Lauer.

“Lake Hanska really turns on with walleyes in summer. Shallow, windswept lakes that often turn tepid green in summer, are fairly clear now and should be easy to fish, 100 feet from shore.”

Lauer said Lac Qui Parle lake continues to be one of the best walleye fisheries in Minnesota with a 16-inch average and 10-inch crappie average.

“Just be careful if it’s windy there. Find a smaller lake,” said Lauer.

“A number of smaller lakes in Kandiyohi County around Spicer continue to crank out pretty decent walleye fishing too,” Lauer said.

More resources for area anglers are available online through the DNR. Regional fishing outlooks can be found at https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fishing/outlooks.html. The DNR’s LakeFinder tool is available at https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/lakefind/index.html, or in phone-friendly form at https://maps1.dnr.state.mn.us/lakefinder/mobile/.

— Fritz Busch contributed to this story