ESCANABA — Michigan’s walleye season in the Upper Peninsula opened Wednesday with recent weather conditions likely to have an effect on walleye behavior in the region, a Michigan Department of Natural Resources expert said.

“It’s been a fairly cold spring so far, so walleyes were spawning later than normal due to the long winter,” said Darren Kramer, a fisheries biologist for the DNR’s Customer Service Center in Escanaba.

Those planning to go fishing should be able to take this into account, Kramer said.

“Anglers could expect fish to be closer to their spawning areas than they would be normally,” he said.

Kramer noted this likely will be a positive thing for anglers, as it will allow them to effectively target specific areas when fishing. This would not be the case had the region experienced warmer weather in early spring.

“Walleyes would already be dispersed and into deeper water,” he said.

Kramer said walleye populations across Michigan appear to be “in a pretty healthy state,” though that can vary in certain areas.

Northern pike season opened Wednesday as well.

The DNR has resources for anglers looking for more detailed information on its weekly fisheries report online at michigan.gov/dnr or on the Outdoor page in Saturday’s Daily News.

Anglers also are reminded that anyone age 17 or older is required to have a fishing license.