COOK- A long and sometimes sporadic fishing opener tradition at the Life of Riley Resort on Norwegian Bay logged another edition on Saturday as radio station WEVE 97.9 FM and sister station WTBX 93.9 FM broadcast live cut-ins from the resort promoting Lake Vermilion and the opener.
“We’ve hosted WEVE before for many years, from way back in WEVE history when they were in Eveleth,” resort founder Rock Gillson said. “It was a bit different. Sometimes they would come and stay in a cabin, sometimes they would bring their own camper trailer. Sometimes, just like today, they would travel up for the day.”
For on-air personality Rollie Dethloff, known to listeners as Rollie D, it was his first time broadcasting the fishing opener, but he was clearly in his element with live segment interviews and commentary, due in no small part to the reception he received from the folks at Life of Riley.
“The people here are so kind – that’s nice to see,” he said. “It’s nice to come to a place where everyone wants to just get to know you and talk to you.”
Dethloff said the broadcast was a good fit with their listeners.
“We try to do broadcasts of interest that target our audience,” he said. “WEVE has done that for a long time, and this is just kind of where we ended up last year. And now we are here again.”
While Dethloff was set up in a waterfront room with an expansive view of Norwegian Bay for the broadcast, Gillson said some past broadcasters had been a bit more adventuresome.
“They actually tried to get out in a boat and do live-on-the-water interviews where they would pull up to some boats on the water,” he said. “It’s a little different these days, with folks a little worried about who’s coming to my boat, that kind of thing. Life changes, so you’ve got to change with the world.”
The broadcast was sponsored by a wide array of businesses with a connection to Lake Vermilion and the opener, and current resort owner Josh Gillson spent as much or more time promoting the area as he did the resort.
“I want people to come up to Lake Vermilion and enjoy the area, whether you stay with me or you stay with somebody else. I’m one of 28 options on the lake, and that’s not counting all of the Vrbos and Airbnbs. We want everybody to come up and enjoy the lake and the many many options that are here and available. There’s food, activities, amenities and attractions for all.”
And Gillson was happy to sell listeners on the opening day conditions.
“It’s been good to us this year,” he said. “We squeezed it in – the ice went out on May 10, only a few days before, but we’re off and it’s golden. People are here and fish are coming in on the boats. We’ve already had two boats come in with fish.”
But the biggest trophy for the Gillsons came the afternoon before the opener, when Shannon Gillson, Rock’s daughter-in-law and wife of son Caleb, gave birth to Guston “Gus” Gillson, measuring 21.5 inches and weighing in at seven pounds, nine ounces, a precious catch the size of which any Lake Vermilion angler would have been proud to have added to their creel this weekend.
“My brother and his wife definitely did not plan an opener baby,” Josh laughed. “We actually thought the weekend between, we were threading needles between opener and Memorial Day for when she was due.”
“Babies and fishing are two of God’s greatest gifts to mankind,” Rock said. “However, he never intended for them to interfere with one another.”
And Gus already has an indication of what his future may have in store for him – his given middle name is Riley.