Businesses in Stillwater geared up for Minnesota Governor's Fishing Opener

About half a million Minnesotans will be out on the water this weekend for the Fishing Opener. 

The 78th Minnesota Governor's Fishing Opener takes place in Stillwater on the St. Croix River.

The combination of the opener plus Mother's Day weekend usually makes for a busy time at The Main Café in downtown Stillwater. But with Gov. Tim Walz's crew in the area, owner Casie Beltran isn't sure what to expect.

"I was excited. I did not expect the governor to have breakfast here, but he stopped in this morning so that was exciting," said Beltran.

Walz made an early stop for a bowl of oatmeal. Beltran is expecting anglers to follow suit as they flock to downtown Stillwater.

"It doesn't hurt at all. We love it. We love it," said Beltran.

Also loving it is anyone who directly makes a living from the fishing industry along the St. Croix River. That includes fishing guides and bait shop owners.

"Creek chubs are hard to get, so I'm kind of lucky I've got them. This is like walleye candy," said Will Isaacson.

Isaacson is the owner of Walleye Willy's Bait and Tackle in Stillwater. He's supplying bait for the Governor's Fishing Opener and expects his shop to be busy all weekend. Isaacson has prepared for an uptick in fathead and nightcrawler sales.

"I would imagine that just because it's the opener, it will be busy. But I imagine there will be a 20%, 25% increase at least," said Isaacson.

"Anytime I get out on the boat, it's my happy place," said Jamie Johnson. 

Johnson is the owner of River Runner Guide Service and will be helping anglers on Saturday. He's excited for both the visitors who will be arriving and for the businesses that will benefit.

"Normally, on the Minnesota opener, everybody is going up north or they are going elsewhere. We don't really have a terrible amount of heavy business. Yes, there's business, but this will draw, I think, a lot of people into town," said Johnson.

It's estimated that each year the fishing industry brings $4.5 billion into the state of Minnesota.