Ron Schara: Bullhead Lake couldn't have a better name

It doesn't happen often in Minnesota, but we recently had a chance to lose a Bullhead Lake and replace it with something more respectable like Bluebird Lake.

A cabin owner on Bullhead Lake in Becker County had suggested the new name. Ryan Conley said the lake is a "little gem" and, as such, deserves more than a "trash fish" reputation.

Don't ever say government works slowly. Faster than you can skin the tail of a bullhead, the Becker County Board denied the name change.

Chairman Barry Nelson said the request was turned down, in part, because swapping Bullhead for Bluebird might unleash a flood of similar requests.

I suspect the chairman is correct. Who wants to say they spend their weekends on Mud Lake?

Mud is one of the state's most popular lake names. What were they thinking? There's also a bunch of Long Lakes and Round Lakes, which indicates a shortage of ingenuity by whoever was in charge of naming lakes.

No matter, in Becker County, Bullhead Lake shall remain so.

Holy bullheads, Waterville holds parades through town to celebrate its proximity to lakes brimming with the danged fish.

Waterville long has claimed the title of Minnesota's Bullhead Capitol. The city fathers even boast about it on highway billboards.

During Bullhead Days in June, the whole town eats deep-fried bullheads. Yes, eats!

While we're on the subject, it's time to put to rest another myth about Iowans and their passion for bullheads. Sure, there's a lot of truth to it.

I remember crossing a small river bridge one day in the pristine pines of Itasca County, home to loons and walleyes and blue water lakes. And, who was fishing on that bridge? A friendly family from Iowa. And what were they fishing for? Walleyes? Perch, maybe? Oh, no. You guessed it.

As a sport fish, a bullhead provides a tug on the end of the line that is somewhere between a wet sock and a clam shell. This lack of enthusiasm, however, in no way diminishes a bullhead's worth in a frying pan.

So -- thank goodness -- the Becker County Board acted wisely to maintain harmony between Minnesotans.

If you're looking for a Bullhead Lake, there's still one in Becker County.

Interestingly, there's no Bullhead Lake around Waterville.