Great Outdoors: Minnesota Fishing Opener

Northland Youth Learns The Lure of The Lake

ISLAND LAKE, Minn- It’s the pursuit of the catch, that has so many of Minnesota’s anxious anglers up well before dawn and hitting the water at first light.

Youth Angler, Keegan Charnley says, “We had to wake up pretty early to get here, but, well we’ve had a few bites.”

For Keegan Charnley and is father Richie, they look forward to the state fishing opener every year and have made it tradition to spend it together.

Keegan explains, “It’s just something fun, like a lot of times we go to adventure zone but I like it here better because it’s nothing we can just do together.”

Keegan’s father, Richie Charnley Jr. adds, “I’ve been coming here for about 8 years at least, and then when I was a child too.”

Now at the bright age of 11, Keegan has already developed a true Northlander’s passion for fishing.

Keegan says, “Just being able to catch the fish, like that and get them an hook the fish, and being able to cook them and eat them.”

Like any skilled angler, he comes prepared with a few fish stories of his own.

Keegan regales, “It was actually here, I was reeling it in, it was really hard, I thought I got a snag. So I said Dad, I think I have a snag, and he started reeling and he was like, no that’s not a snag, then I took the reel and reeled it in and it was like, that big, it was huge.”

As for this year’s Minnesota State Opener, Keegan’s morning started with the classic fisherman’s tale of the one that got away.

Keegan explains, “The first fish we got we had on a stringer and then it took off, with they stringer. We’ve been trying to look for a little red stringer floating around to see if we can find the fish because it left one of its gills behind.”

However, Ever the composed caster, Keegan continued his pursuit, along with many others, hoping for the season’s first fresh catch.

Richie Charnley Jr. explains, “It (has) always been a really good hotspot, there seems to be a rock ledge out there some of the fish hang out on.”

Before long, Keegan’s patience was rewarded as he reeled in a nice sized Sauger of his own.

Keegan says, “The rod was like, whoa, and I was like is this a fish? And I could feel the tugging and I was like, yeah that’s a fish.”

Adding yet another catch to a lake full of memories that will last a lifetime.