Fishing opener dates for Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan
In 2027 Michigan's Lower Peninsula opens first, on Saturday, April 24. Wisconsin follows on Saturday, May 1, and Minnesota and the Upper Peninsula both open on Saturday, May 15. None of the three states picks a date each year. Each one has a rule, so the dates below are worked out from those rules for 2026 through 2032, with the source for each.
Agencies can change a season, close a water or add a special rule for one lake, and these tables cannot know about that ahead of time. Check the current fishing regulations for the water you fish before you plan the weekend around a date. This page is a planning aid, not legal advice.
Opening day, 2026 to 2032
Minnesota counts back from Memorial Day, which is why its opener moves between May 9 and May 15 and why it does not always fall on Mother's Day weekend. In 2027 and 2032it is the Saturday after. Wisconsin and Michigan's Lower Peninsula count from the calendar, the first Saturday in May and the last Saturday in April. The Upper Peninsula is the odd one out: May 15 is a fixed date, so in most years the opener is a weekday.
Minnesota walleye and northern pike opener
Opens the Saturday two weeks before the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, so it is always the third Saturday before Memorial Day. The season closes the last Sunday in February.
Source: Minnesota Statutes, section 97C.395, checked October 21, 2026.
| Year | Opens | Closes |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Sat, May 9 | Feb 28, 2027 |
| 2027 | Sat, May 15 | Feb 27, 2028 |
| 2028 | Sat, May 13 | Feb 25, 2029 |
| 2029 | Sat, May 12 | Feb 24, 2030 |
| 2030 | Sat, May 11 | Feb 23, 2031 |
| 2031 | Sat, May 10 | Feb 29, 2032 |
| 2032 | Sat, May 15 | Feb 27, 2033 |
Wisconsin inland walleye opener
Opens the first Saturday in May on inland waters that have no rule of their own, and closes the first Sunday in March. Plenty of lakes and rivers do have their own line in the code, and trout streams open earlier, so check the water you fish.
Source: Wisconsin Administrative Code NR 20.20(73)(o)7, checked October 21, 2026.
| Year | Opens | Closes |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Sat, May 2 | Mar 7, 2027 |
| 2027 | Sat, May 1 | Mar 5, 2028 |
| 2028 | Sat, May 6 | Mar 4, 2029 |
| 2029 | Sat, May 5 | Mar 3, 2030 |
| 2030 | Sat, May 4 | Mar 2, 2031 |
| 2031 | Sat, May 3 | Mar 7, 2032 |
| 2032 | Sat, May 1 | Mar 6, 2033 |
Michigan inland walleye and northern pike opener
Lower Peninsula inland waters open the last Saturday in April. Upper Peninsula inland waters open on May 15, whatever day that is. Both close March 15.
Source: Michigan DNR Fisheries Order 215, checked October 21, 2026.
| Year | Lower Peninsula | Upper Peninsula | Closes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Sat, Apr 25 | Fri, May 15 | Mar 15, 2027 |
| 2027 | Sat, Apr 24 | Sat, May 15 | Mar 15, 2028 |
| 2028 | Sat, Apr 29 | Mon, May 15 | Mar 15, 2029 |
| 2029 | Sat, Apr 28 | Tue, May 15 | Mar 15, 2030 |
| 2030 | Sat, Apr 27 | Wed, May 15 | Mar 15, 2031 |
| 2031 | Sat, Apr 26 | Thu, May 15 | Mar 15, 2032 |
| 2032 | Sat, Apr 24 | Sat, May 15 | Mar 15, 2033 |
These are the general inland seasons for walleye and northern pike. Bass, muskie, trout, the Great Lakes, border waters and individual lakes with special regulations all have their own dates, so look those up for the water your cabin sits on.
Who gets the cabin on opener weekend
In a family that shares a lake cabin, opener weekend is usually the first one everybody wants. Settle it for seven years at once. Pick where the cabin is, type in the households in the order you want to start, and each year passes the weekend to the next one in line. Then copy the link and send it to the family. Whoever opens it sees the same years with the same names.
| Opener | Has the cabin | Next in line |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 Sat, May 15 | Family 1 | Family 2 |
| 2028 Sat, May 13 | Family 2 | Family 3 |
| 2029 Sat, May 12 | Family 3 | Family 1 |
| 2030 Sat, May 11 | Family 1 | Family 2 |
| 2031 Sat, May 10 | Family 2 | Family 3 |
| 2032 Sat, May 15 | Family 3 | Family 1 |
| 2033 Sat, May 14 | Family 1 | Family 2 |
The names stay in the link you copy. Nothing you type here is sent to AllDibs or stored anywhere.
Questions about fishing opener dates
When is the Minnesota fishing opener in 2027?+
Saturday, May 15, 2027, for walleye, sauger and northern pike. The statute puts the opener two Saturdays before the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, and Memorial Day 2027 is May 31, so the opener is about as late as it can get. In 2026 it was May 9. Bass and muskie have seasons of their own, so check the DNR's regulations for those.
Is the Minnesota fishing opener always on Mother's Day weekend?+
Most years, but not every year. When Memorial Day falls on May 30 or 31, the opener lands the Saturday after Mother's Day instead of the day before it. Between 2026 and 2032 that happens in 2027 and 2032. If your family has a standing rule about the opener and Mother's Day, those are the years to check before anyone books the cabin.
When does the Wisconsin fishing season open in 2027?+
The general inland opener is Saturday, May 1, 2027, the first Saturday in May. That is the date for walleye and most game fish on waters without their own rule. Many lakes and rivers have a special line in the regulations, and the early trout season on streams opens weeks before, so look up the water you plan to fish.
When is the Michigan walleye opener in 2027?+
On Lower Peninsula inland waters it is Saturday, April 24, 2027, the last Saturday in April. Upper Peninsula inland waters open on May 15 every year, which is a Saturday in 2027. The Great Lakes and the connecting waters have their own seasons, and some of them are open all year.
How do we decide who gets the cabin on opener weekend?+
Take turns by year and write the order down for several years at once, so nobody has to remember whose turn it was. The rotation on this page does that with your family's names and your state's opener dates, and gives you a link to drop in the group chat so the next seven openers are settled before anyone asks.
Opener weekend is sorted. The rest of the summer is next.
Put the cabin on AllDibs, send the family one invite link, and every household books its own weekends from a budget you set, with no double bookings.
Put the cabin on AllDibs, freeSplitting up the holidays too? See every long weekend in 2027.