Where to fish on opener

Finding a good place to hunker down for walleye opener is never an easy task. If you go north, you have to deal with traffic, lodging and possible frostier conditions, but the catch is usually well worth the travel. If you stay around the area, it's a good bet that most of the public access landings will be filled up sooner rather than later. But what lakes in the area are going to be the it lakes for 2009? If I were a betting man, and I am, I'd put my money on Washington, Madison, Crystal and Loon, though those are only a few quality walleye lakes in the area. Free Press Outdoors Writer John Cross offered his take over the weekend. He met with DNR official Hugh Valiant, who works in the Waterville hatchery and is well regarded in the region as a man in the know.