Smoky skies didn’t dampen the enjoyable for this summer season’s Take A Kid Fishing Day

TOWER— Despite heavy smoke and low visibility from the BWCAW fires wreaking havoc in Ely and creeping throughout the area, roughly three dozen space youth and two dozen space guides took to Lake Vermilion for the 2026 Let’s Take A Kid Fishing occasion. “Unfortunately, the wind has changed, but we are still going to make the best of it,” stated Lake Vermilion Guides League Secretary-Treasurer Garrett Asburn early Wednesday morning. “We’ve spent a lot of time putting this together over the past few months, and I just want to say thank you to all the volunteers who came out, especially in these conditions, to make a memorable day for our kids.”
The occasion, which started on Lake Vermilion in 2010, is supposed to introduce the subsequent technology of anglers to the good sport of fishing. Each child, ages 10-14, obtained a rod-and-reel combo, a T-shirt, and different goodies for gratis.
“We are incredibly blessed to have the Lake Vermilion Guides League and their dedicated volunteers put on an event like this,” stated Fortune Bay Resort Casino’s Director of Public Relations Brian Okay. Anderson. “Hats off to all of them for the work they do to give area kids such a wonderful opportunity to spend a day on Lake Vermilion.”
For emcee and longtime volunteer Mike “Cold Front” Kurre, there’s no place he would slightly have been. “There’s something about the outdoors that my mom and dad instilled in me,” stated Kurre, a retired Minnesota DNR worker, who’s greatest often known as the sidekick to Billy Hildebrand from the favored “FAN Outdoors” present on KFAN radio within the Twin Cities. “I guess that’s kind of what we are doing today, so thank you to all the moms, dads, grandmas and grandpas, aunts and uncles for introducing your kids to the outdoors.”
Kurre talked about how he obtained his first grouse on the at the moment closed Echo Trail and his first deer close to Mud Creek Road. His youth additionally concerned catching a number of fish and simply having fun with the good open air.
“Getting kids involved in the outdoors is important,” stated Kurre to the roughly 80 individuals gathered at Fortune Bay Resort Casino’s lakeside tent.
He then added that caring for the outside can also be necessary and famous that the fires at the moment ravaging the BWCAW are a part of it. He then requested these gathered whether or not fireplace is unhealthy or if fireplace is nice. “If you raised your hands for both of them, you are right,” stated Kurre about how fireplace might be each good and unhealthy for the atmosphere. However, he added that the present fires burning uncontrolled are clearly dangerous to the atmosphere, given the injury they’ll trigger to constructions and to individuals respiration within the smoke. “If you are worried about the smoke, you do not have to go out, but we are going to go fishing,” stated Kurre, placing a constructive spin on his presentation.
He then went over the bottom guidelines for the day, which included hitting Lake Vermilion till midday or so, then coming again for lunch and a few video games, together with the always-enjoyable crappie flop. “Make sure your cell phones are off,” stated Kurre, who added that they could possibly be turned on to take any fish photos. “Also, guides, make sure to have your running lights on, and kids need to have their life jackets on at all times.”
Before turning this system over to native Minnesota DNR Fisheries worker Brent Flatten, Kurre requested the children what else they wanted to do earlier than getting on a ship. None of the children answered at first, so one of many adults shouted out, “Pee,” which drew some laughter from the group and maybe some embarrassment from the children. “That’s right—go before you go—you can use that one,” stated Kurre.
Flatten then had the youthful anglers come as much as a desk the place he had quite a lot of shows to point out them easy methods to acknowledge aquatic invasive species (AIS)— some which might be already in Lake Vermilion and a few that aren’t and must be saved that means, specifically the frequent carp. Other AIS which have slowly made their strategy to Lake Vermilion and different northern Minnesota lakes embrace the rusty crayfish, spiny water flea, and Chinese Mystery Snails.
“They do not have quite the environmental effect, but they can be a nuisance and smelly,” defined Flatten concerning the snails. He added that zebra mussels have reached Lake Vermilion, however up to now, no grownup zebra mussels have been discovered. “We found offspring of these existing, so make sure to look around, check your boat, boat lifts, and your shoreline,” stated Flatten as he handed a pattern bottle of zebra mussels caught on the Gilbert Pit close to Biwabik. “They are pretty prevalent in other parts of the state, but not so much here at Vermilion.”