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A day on the ice

North Woods School fifth-graders learn ice fishing on Lake Vermilion

Marshall Helmberger
Posted 2/22/17

LAKE VERMILION— You could tell the kids who’d been fishing before from the first-timers. They were all fifth-graders from the North Woods School, but their skills varied widely— from …

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A day on the ice

North Woods School fifth-graders learn ice fishing on Lake Vermilion

Posted

LAKE VERMILION— You could tell the kids who’d been fishing before from the first-timers. They were all fifth-graders from the North Woods School, but their skills varied widely— from experienced fish slayers to total novices— as they ventured out on the ice together on Tuesday, just off from The Landing on Lake Vermilion’s west end.

Emily Grahn, one of the 32 students, proved an old hand as she gave pointers to her classmate and fishing novice Charlize Bjorhus, who was trying to hook a small perch that was working over her minnow in a little over ten feet of water. After some encouragement from Grahn and a couple misses, Charlize finally hooked the persistent perch— her first fish… ever!

It proved to be a day of milestones for others as well. Shortly after Bjorhus reeled in her perch, Xander Russell caught one of his own, the second fish of his lifetime and his first through the ice.

It was April Gustafson’s first time ice fishing and she wasn’t sure what to make of the near-jumbo perch that she pulled through the ice shortly before lunch and she certainly wasn’t going to touch it. Paul Koch, of Orr, showed her how to handle the fish to avoid the prickly spines on the dorsal fin. She watched with some interest, but still wasn’t touching the thing and Koch had to hold it for her for a photograph.

It was all organized by the school’s two fifth-grade teachers, Jenny Panichi and Rachel Johnson, with help from members of the Lake Vermilion Guides League and some parent chaperones.

It was the first time the two classes had ever attempted a day of ice fishing. “It’s a trial run,” said Panichi. “Organizing got a lot easier once the guides stepped in. Hopefully we’ll make it an annual event.”

If so, they’ll be lucky to top the weather that greeted them on Tuesday. It was a rare day for February, as this past week’s unprecedented thaw continued in full swing, with low morning clouds turning into partly cloudy skies with highs in the upper 40s. “It doesn’t get much better than this,” said Panichi. “The kids are pretty excited.”

While some of the students appeared more interested in chasing balls out on the ice, there were more than a few who seemed to take their fishing seriously. Emily Grahn said she likes fishing. “It teaches you about patience,” she said, an observation to which this writer could definitely relate. She said she especially likes to fish crappies on Lake Vermilion or up at Crane Lake— and she likes eating them just as much.

Her friend Charlize was skeptical of that. “I don’t like to eat fish,” she admitted.

But they all seemed to like eating hot dogs. As noontime rolled around, they walked back to the The Landing for lunch before heading back out for another round of fishing. And they were all going home with a little more experience under their belts.