Yes, it’s a thing in Minnesota, catching a walleye at midnight.

If you ask me, it ought to be on that checklist titled “You’re not a real Minnesotan until you’ve …” caught a walleye at midnight.

Saturday is Minnesota’s walleye fishing opener. Midnight Saturday, to be precise.

So, if you’ve never caught a walleye at midnight …

Midnight doesn’t mean much for the other game fish that become fair targets at that moment: northern pike, lake trout, and largemouth and smallmouth bass.

But it means a ton for Minnesota’s state fish.

With its namesake marbley eyes designed to collect light to hunt in the dark like lions and wolves, Sander vitreus is a nocturnal predator on many lakes.

Some portion of the 400,000 anglers preparing to fish this weekend will don headlamps and wet a line at precisely midnight Saturday. (That’s one minute after 11:59 p.m. Friday.)

Call us addicted, insane or stupid. We don’t care.

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Weather permitting, I usually get out at midnight, even if for just a short bit. And I catch ’em. Here’s how I do it.

Slowly troll shallow-running floating Rapalas over hard-bottom main-lake expanses 3 to 7 feet deep in clear-water lakes.

Th early ice out across the state in 2017 generally bodes well for anglers — and this method. The most important thing: Walleyes are, hopefully, finished recovering from the spring spawn, and ready to eat again.

Let’s break down my formula, from location to gear to technique.

Clear water. The clearer the better; the fish still have to see. A lake where you can see bottom at 6 feet, preferably 10, is what you want. If you’re on tea-stained water, it’s probably best to go elsewhere.

Hard bottom. Sand, gravel, cobble, maybe bigger rocks, but not huge boulders that can mess up your lure or, worse, your motor. The key is no weeds. This is not precision trolling, and it’s dark, so you want to avoid dealing with fouled lures. Sand is the simplest because you can bang your lure into the bottom — to check your depth — without risk of snags.

Three- to 7-foot-deep main-lake expanses. Gradual dropoffs are much easier to work at night. (Like I say, this isn’t precision stuff.) These are areas totally exposed — and often fish-free — during the daytime, but under the cover of darkness, walleye charge these shallows to feed. By “main-lake,” I mean not protected bays. Not far away, these should be at least 20-foot depths — daytime haunts. Related Articles ND angler’s YouTube videos let him quit his day job

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Rapalas. Unless I need to get deeper, I use traditional shallow-running Rapalas, but any minnow-like bait should work. Use floating versions that dive when retrieved. Much easier to use in shallow waters. To go deeper, let out more line, add a split shot 18 inches or so above the lure or switch to a shallow-running Shad Rap, which runs a tad deeper. I start with one cast-length of line, and try to find the bottom. You want your lure close to the bottom. Colors? Jointed or straight lures? Mix it up and see what works. Sometimes it seems to matter, sometimes not.

Troll slowly. Just fast enough to feel the steady vibration from the lure’s wiggle. By my GPS speedometer, my speed seems to range from 1 mph down to undetectable. For a gas outboard motor of 10 horsepower or less, idle speed should be right. For an electric motor, probably below half-speed, although this will depend. For a two-person canoe, only one occupant strokes, and only casually, with pauses between. Wind, of course, can really mess up a night troll. To be clear: You can troll faster and catch walleye, but I always start slow, especially early in the year, when the water is cold. Also, as the hour gets later, the fish appear to get groggier and prefer the slower presentation.

Techniques. I frequently jerk the rod and immediately swing it back toward the lure dragging behind the boat, allowing the line to slack for an instant. This causes the lure to flail and then pause. Some nights, this seems to trigger a strike, some nights not. Fish that attack a trolled lure often hook themselves, but one firm jerk of the rod is good for insurance. Set the hook on anything that feels different, even if you think you hooked a weed. When you catch a fish, make note of the exact location. If you don’t catch any nearby, reel in the lures, turn around and troll back over the spot. Sometimes walleyes are spread out, sometimes they’re packed together.

Why troll? It’s a better way to cover water, and walleyes are often dispersed under cover of night. But if you know they’re stacked up on one spot, by all means use live bait on a jig, lindy rig or hook and slip bobber.

Boat prep: Clear out or stow extra rods, hooks and tackle. Have a net handy. Everyone should wear a headlamp and life vest. Use running lights.

No boat? Lighted slip bobbers from the dock can work, as can wading sandy shallows and casting lures. But your odds are lower than if you can cover water.