By Dick Herfindahl, Tribune outdoors writer

The 2005 Minnesota fishing season has officially begun. I once again attended the Governor’s Fishing Opener, which was held at Lake Vermilion for the first time in the 57-year history of the event. The name Vermilion is derived from the Ojibwa name &uot;Onamuni,&uot; meaning &uot;Lake of the Sunset Glows&uot; which was later translated by the French to Vermilion which means colors ranging from yellow to red.

Lake Vermilion is a large body of water located by the cities of Tower on one end and Cook on the other. It has 1,200 miles of shoreline and 365 islands and is approximately 40 miles long. Vermilion is a beautiful lake with more than 40,000 acres of water.

Although the weather was less than ideal it was an opener to remember because this is such a great area and the people of the area did everything they could to make this a successful opener. The Vermilion Lake Resort Association hosted the event and the headquarters for this year’s event was at Fortune Bay Resort and Casino, which is a member and also is owned by the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa. The Bois Forte Band of Chippewa worked closely with the rest of the Association to make this event a success. Each opener I attend gives me a greater appreciation of the kind of teamwork it takes to make this event a success.

By 7:40 a.m. Governor Pawlenty had boated his first of four walleyes for the morning. The First Lady landed the second walleye in the boat. When Minnesota’s First Couple arrived at the docks at Gruben’s Marina for shore lunch they had a total of nine walleye in four hours of fishing. Most all of the walleye caught by all the boats participating in the Governor’s Fishing Opener were on the small size, but that didn’t seem to reduce the enthusiasm of the anglers. As Governor Pawlenty told the crowd gathered for shore lunch, “Neither the size of the walleye nor the weather deters Minnesotans from enjoying the Opener.”

Every opener is a little different but it’s about more than just fishing. It’s about enjoying the outdoors, getting together with old friends and meeting new people. I shared a cabin with an old friend, Jeff Anderson from Watertown, S.D. He hadn’t been there for a couple

years and it was fun catching up with what had been going on in our lives.

We stayed on the west end of Lake Vermilion at Pehrson Lodge which is owned by some very nice folks, Eric and Mary Hanson. The resort has really nice cabins that are very modern but still make you feel like you are &uot;up north.&uot; This resort has more than a century of history behind it.

On Friday night we met our host, Clark Brenna, who would take us fishing in the morning. I knew I was going to like him from the beginning when he stated almost immediately, &uot;I’m a full-blooded Norwegian you know.&uot; I filled him in on the fact that I was all Norske too and Jeff piped in that he was a quarter Norske to which Clark immediately replied, &uot;He’s tainted.&uot; Clark is retired from the meat-cutting business where he owned his own business for many years. He has lived in the Vermilion Lake area for 37 years and says he really enjoys his retirement and that it’s true what they say about being so busy after you retire it’s a wonder you had time to work all those years.

The thing that impressed me about him was the fact that he was what you would call a true outdoorsman. He knew that lake like he had a built-in GPS and he wasn’t afraid to tell you his views on what affects the fishing and the natural resources of the area. We talked about everything from the demise of the grouse numbers in the last couple of years to the growing wolf population and what effect it has had on the area. This is a big part of what the Governor’s openers are all about. It’s a chance to meet people and learn about the area that is hosting the event.

Our Norwegian guide, Clark, has a wife and three daughters and said that two of his daughters are very avid sportspersons. They not only like to fish and hunt but have also bagged their share of deer. This is a family that has grown up appreciating the outdoors and what this great state has to offer. Clark also goes moose hunting in Canada almost every year and has gotten eight of them himself over the years. He also likes to snowmobile and at one time owned his own plane.

Saturday morning Clark picked us up at the dock and we went just a short ways down the lake for breakfast. We ate at Camp Vermilion, which is actually a Boy Scout camp during the summer. It was a pretty impressive place with a large stone fireplace and an old wooden canoe hanging above the mantle. It was like looking back to what an old resort or lodge was like years ago &045; no frills, just cabins, a lodge and how things were meant to be.

After breakfast we started our hunt for the wily walleye. We fished shallow and we fished deep but we just couldn’t muster up a single walleye on this day. We did manage to boat a northern and a perch but with the exception of a few hits we didn’t have any more action.

After lunch the weather turned from pretty doggone bad to worse. The wind picked up even more and the time between rain showers became less. We decided to call it a day and headed back to the cabin.

Clark is an example of a person that not only loves the outdoors and this area but also tries to enjoy it to the fullest extent. Now all is not perfect in the world of fishing and with three Norwegians in one boat there were a few Norwegian moments that had to be overcome but it was a great experience and another good memory to look back on.

On a sadder note, another old friend, Danny Olson, is no longer able to take part in the sport he loved so much. He maybe wasn’t there physically but Jeff and I reminisced about some of our experiences and what made Danny one of a kind.

With another opener in the books it’s time to get even more serious about fishing.

Until next time, play safe, enjoy the outdoors and let’s hit the water.

Remember our brothers and sisters that are proudly serving our country so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have.