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Host and Managing Editor Rob Drieslein and Editor Tim Spielman kick off the fishing opener weekend show with a preview of the Gov’s Opener on Lake Pepin. Then Joe Henry from Lake of the Woods tourism jumps into the program to talk about the walleye forecast on the border water, plus the fabulous spring sturgeon fishing that continues on the Rainy River. Adam Van Tassel from Birch Forest Lodge near Orr shares an amazing tale of chasing peacock bass and other exotic fish in the Amazon basin of South American this past winter. Regular contributor Tim Lesmeister and Drieslein argue about Lake Mille Lacs walleye management to wrap up this week’s program.

Minnesota’s Season A harvest during the 2024 spring wild turkey hunt rocketed past the previous record, so host and Managing Editor Rob Drieslein and Editor Tim Spielman break down what’s behind the great hunting so far this year. Other topics include the recent recent hubbub about chronic wasting disease in a medical journal, and Wisconsin sportsmen voting on forward-facing sonar. Then Jim Siewert from Lake City calls in to preview the 2024 Minnesota Governor’s Fishing Opener on Lake Pepin next weekend. “Tackle” Terry Tuma spends a segment on the show offering some early season walleye angling tips. Finally, Tim Lesmeister and Drieslein discuss the recent hunting dog controversy involving South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decision on a petition to list lake sturgeon under the Endangered Species Act broke on Monday, and Outdoor News Managing Editor Rob Drieslein and Editor Tim Spielman kick off this week’s broadcast by breaking down this refreshing outcome. Then Lindsay Thomas from the National Deer Association joins the show to discuss the controversial news stories that broke last week about chronic wasting disease. He reassures hunters that there remain no confirmed cases of people dying from prion-based illnesses as a result of eating venison. An upbeat Mark Strand then offers tips on chasing wild turkeys during the mid-season and offers a prime tip: mastering the gobbler yelp. Finally, Drieslein and regular guest Tim Lesmeister tackle music in the final segment: breaking down and arguing about the latest inductees into the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame.

This week’s show kicks off with a Minnesota legislative roundup with Outdoor News Managing Editor and host Rob Drieslein and Editor Tim Spielman. Then Sara Berhow, from Minnesota DNR parks and trails, joins the program to discuss camping options on state parks and other Minnesota lands this summer. Scott Thorpe, the man who possesses the Minnesota state record steelhead (caught in the Devil Track River in 1980) talks with Rob about spring steelheading tactics on Lake Superior tributaries. Tim Lesmeister helps wrap up the program with chatter about the two-part story that ran last week and this week in Outdoor News from John Maclean retracing the trout-fishing travels of author Ernest Hemingway in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the Ketchum, Idaho areas.

Several Minnesota conservation groups hosted a Public Lands Day rally at the State Capitol last week, and a couple of Outdoor News staffers were there. Host and Managing Editor Rob Drieslein recaps the event with Editor Tim Spielman, plus they briefly preview this weekend’s general trout opener and next week’s wild turkey hunting opener. Then Patrick Berry, the new CEO and president of Missoula, Mont.-based Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, joins Drieslein to recount his first few months on the job and preview the group’s North American Rendezvous coming to the Minneapolis Convention Center April 18-20. Leslie George from the Minnesota DNR then shares with listeners the agency’s plan to review the state’s muskie plan and how citizens can get involved. Tim Lesmeister helps wrap up the show with his thoughts on a wolf found in southern Michigan, plus he and Drieslein discuss stories in Outdoor News this week (and next) tracing the history and waters behind Ernest Hemingway’s classic short story the Big Two-Hearted River.

Minnesota legislation that would transfer state lands to the Red Lake and White Earth Ojibwe bands dominates this week’s discussion with host Rob Drieslein as well as Minnesota Editor Tim Spielman and regular columnist Tim Lesmeister. Managing Editor Drieslein also interviews his “Star Geezer” Dad, Bob Drieslein, regarding all the details of the April 8 solar eclipse. Then the original T3, “Tackle” Terry Tuma jumps into the discussion to offer his advice on hooking every angler’s favorite April sportfish: massive, ice-out slab crappies!