 The Minnesota fishing opener is this weekend and anglers across the state are making last-minute preparations for what some call the unofficial holiday in Minnesota. DNR officials say about 1.4 million Minnesotans are expected to purchase fishing licenses this year and more than half a million anglers will be out on the fishing opener. So some places you know some states have a open season year-round but in Minnesota we kind of like our traditions and when you deprive people of something for a couple months they get really excited when they get it back. So that's what it's about. It's almost like a holiday in the state. Anglers planning to fish for Northern Pike when the season opens on Saturday May 12th are reminded that new regulations for catching and keeping Northern Pike will be the most significant chance they'll find change they'll find in this year's fishing regulation booklet. The Pike regulations apply only to inland waters and have three distinct zones to address different characteristics of pike populations in Minnesota. Now the north-central range will be a limit of 10 Northern Pike but not more than two pike longer than 26 inches. All from 22 to 26 inches must be released. The northeast zone two pike anglers must release all from 30 to 40 inches with only one over 40 inches allowed and in the south two fish with a minimum size of 24 inches. Fishing opener previews continue to mawnite with separate team reports from our reporters in Brainerd and Bemidji. If you enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland PBS.