Remembering the Old Days of Fishing
Things have sure changed over the years when it comes to the old days fishing. Things have also changed when it comes to looking back at the old days of Lake of the Woods. The stories are interesting, almost like taking a mini history class.
Early settlers heard about the sturgeon fishing on Lake of the Woods. “The sturgeon were used for their caviar. At one time, Lake of the Woods produced 2/3 of the world ‘s caviar.”
In the earlier years, there were no marine band radios, so you were on your own. If the weather changed, you ducked behind an island and rode it out.
The 80’s was a lot of change, commercial fishing on the Minnesota side of the lake came to a halt and the ice fishing business became public in the winter of ’85-’86. At that time, owners charged around $25 per person. That was transportation out and back, the fish house, bait, your tackle. They supplied the poles and everything. The winter business not only helped financially, but you could also keep employees on the roll for the whole year.
Not only sturgeon, but another fascinating slimy funny looking fish called the eelpout or the burbot kept showing up in the waters. Years ago people would catch the fish and throw them on the ice and let the birds of the air feast on them.
Then one day a gentleman started to explore the uses of the fish. Joe Rowell and his son Theodore were in the commercial fishing business and doing well, however, the nets kept getting filled with the burbot who actually feed on walleye and northern. Joe founded Rowell Fisheries and was very successful fishing and canning and the burbot which is a fresh water relative of the salt water cod fish.
The Rowell family were also avid trappers in the area and kept noticing how beautiful the pelts were of muskrat and beaver. Another gentleman joined their interest and they established a business raising foxes industrially. They fed them fish – the burbot. Their coats were incredibly beautiful. (This business has been long gone).
This all occurred in the 1930’s and son Ted went to pharmaceutical school and opened a pharmacy in Baudette. After a disastrous fire that destroyed the pharmacy, Ted, took a year and researched the ugly eel-like fish. His studies demonstrated that burbot liver oil was exceptionally high in Vitamin A & D – 6-8 times more potent than Cod liver oil. He developed a method to extract pure oil from the burbot’s liver and finally marketed and distributed the product.
This incredible discovery has resulted in a great pharmaceutical company that still is located in Baudette, MN. The company is ANI Pharmaceuticals and is currently a big employer in the area and is still hiring. Come join the team! This is Great News for this northern country!
Back to today’s ice fishing season. What once started as an idea, when people placed a few fish houses out on the lake, today has become an incredible new industry. People from all over the United States come to fish the great Walleye Capital of the World™, has grown to see thousands of fish houses on the lake.
Old times or new times, fishing on the ice in the winter has proven to be one of the most enjoyable events of the frigid cold months in Minnesota. Old techniques were to put a line in the water, watch the bobber and wait for a “hit” to see if there were any fish down the hole. The new technique is to have electronics called Vexilars and every kind of pole and bait and color imaginable to “lure” those fish up the hole and into the frying pan.
Walleyes, saugers, northerns and perch are prevalent but yes, those eelpout and burbot still show up through the ice and have become a delicacy for many to eat. They are called the “Poor man’s Lobster” and have been showing up through the holes in great sizes.
Stories go on and on. For anyone into Lake of the Woods, into history, into the transformation of both open water and ice fishing, be assured every tale holds the truth.
For more information and lodging contact: www.lakeofthewoodmn.com/lodging
Click Here to View Prairie Sportsman TV about The Old Days of Lake of the Woods Fishing
