outdoors

LAKE KABETOGAMA - It was an opener to remember on this sprawling northern Minnesota lake: Blue skies, balmy temperatures, a walleye chop -- and enough fish to at least temporarily cure walleye fever.

Anglers here didn't hammer the fish, but most caught a few. Gov. Tim Pawlenty was among those with smiles Saturday.

"This was a dream fishing opener," said Pawlenty, fishing in his eighth and final Governor's Fishing Opener. "It's bittersweet because it will be the last one."

Pawlenty, his wife, Mary, and guide Tim Watson did well. The governor caught two saugers and two walleyes -- the biggest a 22.5-incher. Mary Pawlenty caught three walleyes.

But the weather perhaps outshined the fishing.

"This was by far the best weather we've had," Pawlenty told a crowd of onlookers on the shores of the shimmering blue lake in Voyageurs National Park. He'd never been to Kabetogama. "The lake is breathtakingly beautiful," he said.

Low water levels, which made boat launching difficult in some places, didn't hamper the event.

Good, not dynamite

Watson, 63, grew up on Kabetogama. His summary of the opener: "It wasn't dynamite, but it was good. Everyone caught fish."

Pawlenty fished jigs and minnows in 28 to 32 feet, he said. That's deeper than he had figured earlier. But last week's cold snap cooled the lake's water. "It wasn't warm enough to bring food into shallow water," he said.

"Right off the bat we had fish. We missed a few and put a few in the boat. But it slowed down in midday."

Watson said it was a treat to guide the governor, who isn't running for re-election but has been mentioned as a possible presidential candidate.

"We talked about fishing, we talked about the park, we talked about the history -- we talked about everything but politics."

State budget woes and political asirations were pushed aside, at least for a few hours Saturday. But Pawlenty left early for St. Paul because of the budget crisis.

Circus atmosphere

For folks who live on and near the rugged, island-dotted Lake Kabetogama, it was an opener for the ages. The Governor's Fishing Opener brought Pawlenty and more than 300 other guests, including 150 media members. Crowds gathered wherever the governor went.

Kabetogama Township, with a permanent population of about 150, is one of the smallest communities to hold the event in its 62-year history. The idea is to shine a spotlight on a Minnesota tourist destination.

It succeeded. Thirteen live radio shows were broadcast from here. TV cameras rolled. Numerous stories were written.

"It gets the word out in ways we can't do, and brings the community together," said Heidi Schauer, who with her husband, Harlan, manages Northern Lights Resort, one of 17 resorts at Kabetogama and the nearby Ash River Trail that housed the guests. More than 300 volunteers and 85 sponsors helped pull off the event.

Holsten finds fish

I fished with Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Mark Holsten, who, like Pawlenty, had never been on Kabetogama. We had no guide, which gave us an excuse for our so-so results.

Fishing for three hours, Holsten caught a nice 21-inch walleye, and a couple of small northerns. My morning ended with a single hammer-handle northern.

But there were bald eagles, pelicans, swans and ducks in the air Saturday. And lots of sunshine and shimmering blue water.

And the heady anticipation of a brand-new fishing season.

Doug Smith • dsmith@startribune.com