CROSSLAKE, Minn. >> It is a Minnesota tradition like no other that the final days of the legislative session and the opening of fishing season coincide by a matter of days each May. That means in the midst of negotiations to wrap things up at the state Capitol, the governor — for 77 straight years now — heads off to a lake or river to celebrate angling on the state’s abundant waterways.

Talking about fishing and the goings-on in St. Paul on Friday, in an exclusive interview with the Pioneer Press, Gov. Tim Walz said it’s time to get the lead out. And he was referring to both anglers and legislators.

He wants the legislative session to finish on time, and with an eye toward protecting the official state bird, he wants anglers to cut down on their use of lead fishing tackle.

With the May 19 deadline for adjournment of the legislative session now less than two weeks away, Walz said he will call a special legislative session, with a preset agenda agreed upon, if necessary, but it’s not something he wants to do.“If you don’t set a time to mow the yard, it doesn’t get mowed. If they don’t do some of these things, then I think you just have to set the time and recognize you can’t let the perfect get in the way of the good,” he said, urging lawmakers to compromise and get to the finish line on time. “And I think the longer you wait, it becomes harder, I think then it becomes, you just keep procrastinating. And so we’re getting late. There’s no doubt about that, but there’s still an opportunity to get this done.”

He pitched once again for his wish for a lower sales tax rate, accompanied by an expansion of the sale tax to include financial planning and wealth management services, but said he will be unlikely to veto a tax bill that gets to his desk, even if it does not include his reform idea.

“I don’t threaten when I go in there, I leave things open,” Walz said. “And I just made the case on this for Minnesota. We’re talking about lowering the sales tax for 80% of Minnesotans as we see it. But right now, the sales tax excludes things like wealth management banking, things like that.”

He offered examples of what he sees as inconsistencies in Minnesota law, like the sales tax charged if you have someone trim your trees, but not if you have someone manage your money, or the sales tax charged on funeral arrangements, but not on the preparation of a last will.

“So I said, you just expand that base, lower the rate. A lot of folks don’t use those upper end services, and just candidly, the folks who use them have a little more wealth,” he said. “I think the thing is, I’m bringing this up because people’s spending habits have changed. People are using more services and less goods. But we’ll see, and I think it’s just about having consistency in our tax system.”

Whitefish Chain fishing

As is traditional for this event, which has been held everywhere from Lake of the Woods in the north to the Mississippi River near Winona in the south, Walz planned to head out with a guide on one of the dozens of lakes in the Whitefish Chain in the wee hours of Saturday morning. In Crosslake, members of the local Republican party were organizing a protest and boat parade for Saturday morning, which is not uncommon for a governor whose popularity in greater Minnesota has varied widely since Walz was first elected in 2018.

One change the governor was advocating for this year is getting lead lures and sinkers out of Minnesotans’ tackle boxes, as ingesting the metal is harmful to aquatic birds, most notably the common loon. Legislation calling for a ban on lead fishing gear in Minnesota has failed at the state Legislature in the past. Walz said he would sign a ban if it got to his desk, but he also feels that encouraging changes rather than mandating them is the right approach.

“Here in Minnesota, we still make it your option. We’re trying to educate people on this. … Loons are our state symbol now. They’re on our state seal. Very important to who we are. Lead’s very, very dangerous to them,” Walz said, noting that he hunted pheasants with bismuth-based ammunition last year and liked the feel of it.

“The waterfowl hunters have worked on this for years. I think there’s a move away from lead tackle. We’ve got Lindy and some corporations that are moving to that. I think it’s important to bring people along on their own terms. I don’t think an industry this big and the folks who’ve been doing this, that you dictate to them,” he said. “I know there is a school of thought that says we just pass a law and ban it. I think that having compliance with bringing people along, and more and more people are doing it. So I fish lead free, shoot lead free. I think (we) try to encourage people to go there, but we don’t mandate it.”

Looking back on campaign

Meeting with members of the media on radio row during the 77th annual Minnesota Governor’s Fishing Opener at Manhattan Beach Lodge in Crow Wing County, Walz admitted the relatively slow pace of events like these is a welcome change following the whirlwind that 2024 became for him last summer.

When Walz accepted an offer to run for second in command at the White House alongside then-Vice President Kamala Harris, his life became a nonstop world of travel and thrust his family into the national spotlight. After the Harris/Walz ticket lost in November, he said getting his body back into shape has been a goal and while Walz remains thankful for the experience, he also values his time back in this Land of 10,000 Lakes.

“I ate a lot, so I’m now trying to lose some weight. I was doing the ice cream at midnight type of thing,” Walz said, with a grin, looking back fondly on the campaign. “But it was quite a thing. Look, it was an honor to do it. I got to see this country more than I ever would have, but I also say this: When you travel and you see a lot, home looks pretty good. So coming back to Minnesota’s a blessing.”