MARSHALL — The heavy rains that fell across Minnesota this week could have an effect on anglers’ plans for Saturday’s fishing opener.

Some public water accesses in the region have being experiencing issues due to high water levels, said Dan Ruiter, information officer for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources southern region.

“Ahead of the angling opener in southwest Minnesota, it’s become especially important for anglers to scout their spot ahead of time,” Ruiter said Thursday.

“This week’s wet weather may be inundating some docks at Public Water Accesses, as well as creating some washouts near the ramps in select spots. The DNR Division of Parks and Trails will be adjusting as many of those docks as possible during this short period of time, knowing that more rain in the forecast could create a need for even more adjustments,” he said.

While flooding could make it harder to get out on the water, the rains could also have some positives for fishing.

“We’re seeing an increase in water temperatures, which tends to make the fish a little more active,” said Ryan Doorenbos, supervisor of Windom area fisheries.

That could mean more bites for anglers.

“We’re also coming out of a drought,” Doorenbos said. “Some of the basins are starting to fill up again.” That may also provide a better habitat for fish and better conditions for spawning.

According to the fishing outlook in the Minnesota DNR’s southern region, there are some good walleye fishing prospects in the area this season.

The Windom area fisheries, which covers much of southwest Minnesota, reported that the walleye opener on Lake Shetek should be a good one in 2022. A 2020 survey at Lake Shetek caught 14.8 walleye per gill net, which was near the upper end of expected catch rates for the lake. Lengths of walleye in the 2021-22 ice fishing season averaged around 14 inches, so those fish should be larger with an additional summer of growth, the report said.

Lake Sarah in Murray County is also a “hotspot” for walleye, as one of the only lakes in the Windom area that has a self-sustaining population. The catch rate for walleye in 2021 was 38 per gill net, the area fisheries reported.

However, it was also important for anglers to remember that zebra mussels were detected in Lake Sarah in 2018. Anglers should always clean their gear and not transport water from Lake Sarah to other water bodies.

There were also good populations of walleye at Clear Lake in Russell, East Stay Lake in Lincoln County, and Wood Lake in Lyon County.

Lake Shaokotan in Lincoln County was likely to be a popular place to catch northern pike and large walleye, the Windom area fisheries reported. Other good locations to fish for pike included Island Lake in Lyon County, Buffalo Lake in Murray County, and East Stay Lake in Lincoln County.

The Minnesota River offers good chances for channel catfish and walleye fishing. Memorial Park near Granite Falls and several parks in Renville county have good shore fishing opportunities, the area fisheries reported.

Cottonwood Lake in Lyon County may be a good place to catch larger yellow perch, the outlook report said. Lady Slipper Lake, School Grove Lake and Tyson Lake also had potential, the report said.