REGIONAL— Anglers had plenty of superlatives for last Saturday’s fishing opener here in the North Country. Words like “nasty” and “brutal” were the ones that came to mind for most.

“It was a tough man competition,” quipped longtime Vermilion guide Buck Lescarbeau, who said everyone in his boat was relieved when one of the guys finally caved and admitted he was freezing to death.

“Saturday was brutal,” said Cliff Wagenbach, a longtime Lake Vermilion walleye master, who braved the snow squalls, the hard and steady northwest winds, and sub-freezing temperatures to venture out onto Big Bay late Saturday morning. “I’m glad we got our limit quickly,” he said.

While most experienced guides found plenty of fish, the conditions proved a challenge to less experienced, or less die hard, anglers. “Only the brave went out on Saturday, and it wasn’t for long,” said Phil Hart, owner of the Gateway Store near Lake Kabetogama. While anglers have faced snow showers before for a Minnesota opener, Hart said the high winds were just too much for many folks, particularly on larger lakes. “You just have no boat control in that strong of a wind,” he said.

Lescarbeau said anglers had to adjust their tactics. “We just tried to stay out of the wind the best we could,” he said. Any place south of an island was good.”

Many braved the chill

Despite the conditions, Minnesotans flocked north for the annual event, even though most spent more time around the campfire or huddling inside their RVs or resort cabins than usual.

“It was a busy weekend for us,” said Hart, who said the cold weather prompted a run on sweatshirts. “We sold a lot of beer, liquor, and ice,” said Hart, who figured that most were stocking up assuming they’d spend more time indoors over the weekend than usual. “They cleaned us out of bread and milk, too, and that usually doesn’t happen on opener.”

Despite the cold, the parking lots and side roads at the Fall Lake boat landing were clogged with trucks and empty boat trailers by 7 a.m. One lone boat could be seen in the distance, as most others had made the trip up to Basswood Lake.

Over on Shagawa Lake, John Urman and Melissa Mettler donned heavy coats, hooded sweatshirts and warm gloves as they launched their fishing boat into a stiff, cold wind. They slipped along the snow-covered dock and looked out at the whitecaps. “It’s a little chilly out here,” Urman said, “but we’ll give it a try.”

Several brave souls camped at the Birch Lake campground Friday night before heading out to fish Saturday morning. “It sounded like sand hitting my tent last night and everything was coated in sleet and ice this morning, said one fisherman as he took off in his boat. “I hope the wind isn’t too bad.”

Gene Kroll of Winton, along with his son, Peter, who lives in Duluth, and three children, Lucy, 7, Jack, 6, and Henry, 3, tried their luck fishing near the bridge by Shagawa Creek.

“First thing I did was put on my long underwear, Gene said. “ I didn’t quite expect it to be this chilly, but we’re all having fun as he watched his granddaughter reel in her line. “Put it near that swirl, that’s where the fish are,” he said. “You have to get them hooked when they’re young,” he said about his grand kids.

Henry wanted to hold a minnow, before his dad put it on the hook. “I want a big one,” he said. After examining the baitfish, he gave it back to dad. “Let’s catch fish,” he said. His teeth were chattering from the cold, but he grinned from ear to ear.