Fishing Opener



By Allan Olson

Nikolai, manning the boat motor.
For the first time in I’m not sure how many years, I was on the lake on Saturday for opening of the Minnesota fishing season, trying my best to lure something in. The last time I can remember going out on an opener, I recall that it was a lot colder. My older brother and my dad and I went out on the Rainy River and tried to catch something. If memory serves me correctly, I did about the same this Saturday as I did then – catching absolutely nothing.
I picked up my outboard from Reimer’s Marine this week after they finished a tune-up on the old motor and fixed a couple of other things that I wasn’t aware of that also needed fixing. I grabbed some bait and a license on Friday, with the intent of fishing on Saturday. I knew that because of work it would be late before I got home on Friday night, so I wouldn’t be getting the boat ready then. 
I informed Nikolai and the other kids that I wasn’t planning on being in a big hurry to get up and go; I was going to take my time – and I did. I stayed in bed until about 9 a.m., and then slowly started getting ready for the day. Sometime around 10:30, the kids and I untangled the fishing poles, got the life jackets ready and then headed to the back yard to get the boat ready. We lifted the boat onto the trailer, and Nikolai helped me put the motor on the boat and tighten it down. We put the gas tank in the boat, and I decided before we hooked the trailer up to the vehicle I wanted to check the lake out first. 
So all the kids (except Abigail, who was absent from any fishing plans) headed down the road to Pimushe Lake. The last time I went out on this lake, my nephew hooked me with a daredevil, but I still felt we should try it again. We arrived to check out the lake, and it was nice and calm – just the way I like it. And it wasn’t very busy either, so that was another bonus. The decision was unanimous – we headed back home to hook up the boat and a few snacks, and headed for the lake.
We launched the boat at about 11:30, and set out in search of some whoppers. By about 12:30, Alivia and Marcus had had enough of fishing, so I called their mom to come and get them. Alivia said she only likes to fish if she catches something. I really can’t blame her; it sure is more fun that way. I told her that’s why they call it fishing, not catching.
We made our way back to shore and dropped them off. Since it was now just Nikolai and I in the boat, I let him take the tiller. He moved us around the lake, and we tried different spots for the next three hours. We tried trolling, fishing while anchored, and even drifting in several different areas – to no avail.
On the bright side, we saw plenty of wildlife above the water – loons, eagles, ducks and a Great Blue Heron. The next time Nik and I go out, I will bring my camera and let him drive again so I can shoot some of that wildlife.
We finally tired of the angling, too, and loaded the boat and made it back home by 4 p.m. I steered Abi away from her electronics to take care of some homework, but all of that fresh air made me drowsy and I started falling asleep in my chair, so I headed off to take a nap instead. After my nap and some begging from Alivia I hooked the battery back up on the lawn mower (after getting it charged) and headed out to get some gas. I got the mower up and running sometime after 7:30 p.m., and she mowed for the next hour, completely happy in her element.
Sunday was the big day for moms everywhere. The kids and I teamed up to make French toast, sausage, bacon and scrambled eggs with orange juice for breakfast. In reality, the kids assisted when they weren’t distracted, and I was getting frustrated because my cooking skills don’t allow me to cope very well with multiple items going at the same time. Regardless, we made it through breakfast, took about an hour off from doing anything, and then started getting ready to go to the movies. My wife wanted to see Guardians of the Galaxy II (and so did all of the kids) so to the movies we went. After all, it was Mother’s Day.
For supper that evening, I made some pretty good burgers with bacon and cheese along with fries in the oven. I let Alivia mow some more after supper, and she nearly got the entire yard done. She also decided that she would teach Marcus how to mow. She instructed him on the proper procedure and then walked behind to help with questions.
I spent the rest of the evening going through my photos from last week, which somehow numbered over 400, and tried to figure out how to send a little of everything in for the paper this week.
Thankfully, it looks like only the first two days of this week will be extremely crazy busy. The rest of the week should be just normal crazy busy. I can’t say the same about the coming weeks, but I know it will all work out in the end!

Please remember to watch out for the buses that are carrying our most precious cargo. Also, snap a photo or two to preserve a lifetime of memories. Thanks for reading, and have a great week! Feel free to drop me a line at cltimes1@arvig.net or stop by the office for a visit.

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