Fishing with Mr. Walleye
Call it a draw. But everyone was a winner. That much Gary Roach knows for sure.
And the draw? Which drew the biggest smiles from kids during a recent fishing outing with Roach, better known as Mr. Walleye - the fishing pole and gear and commemorative T-shirt each received for the outing or the fish they caught later that day on Lake Mille Lacs? Or maybe it was their time on Mille Lacs, the first time many of the kids from Nay-Ah-Shing School in Onamia had been on a boat, Roach said.
Gary Roach (left) - Mr. Walleye - introduced a number of children from Nay-Ah-Shing School in Onamia to hook-and-line fishing during the recent Gary Roach's Take a Kid Fishing event on Lake Mille Lacs. Roach and a host of other volunteers shared their knowledge on knot tying, fishing basics, fish and game rules and boat and water safety, after which the children put that instruction to good use with a successful day of fishing on Mille Lacs.
Too close to call.
"The kids were hollering and grinning," said Roach, himself smiling broadly as he told the story almost a month later. "I don't know of any kid who doesn't like to catch a fish. And it was an absolutely perfect day and the fish were just snapping."
Roach deemed the first Gary Roach's Take a Kid Fishing event a success - it drew about three times more kids than Roach first anticipated and the kids caught fish - lots of fish. And, of course, there were all those smiling faces.
"We just killed 'em," Roach said of the walleye bite. "And when the kids grabbed the rods and reels they wouldn't let go. It was like you gave them a Christmas present."
So it was that Christmas came June 22 for students from Nay-Ah-Shing. Roach said the outing was meant as a way to get area American Indian kids out on the water. Many had never been on a boat before or fished with a line and hook, Roach said.
"I had (the idea for the event) a couple of years ago and kind of passed it around ... To get a bunch of these kids together," Roach said. "I thought it would be five to six kids, but we kept getting more - 38 signed up."
About 20 kids ultimately showed up, said Roach, who had rods and reels as well as tackle boxes loaded with Northland gear for each child, including for those who signed up but didn't show up - maybe that will give those kids the incentive to fish, Roach said. He also spent about four hours rigging the rods.
But he had plenty of help pulling off the event. Also on hand, Roach said, were three DNR types, seven Nay-Ah-Shing School helpers and about 10 other volunteers, including area fishing personality Dave Csanda, fishing guide Tony Roach and several Lowrance reps. The Confidence Learning Center provided lifejackets and Northland, Scheel's and Reed's provided gear and the like, Roach said.
Roach said the two kids he hosted on his boat caught about 15 walleyes, including several in the 24- and 25-inch range. Walleyes 20 inches plus were the norm in all eight boats, with the biggest about a 26-incher, Roach said.
"The fish were all over," he said. "They (the kids) are so interested in learning. One kid had his rod upside down, but we finally got them fishing. They were so interested.
"Just for those kids to ride in a boat like that. They were just a grinnin'. Most of these kids had never been in a boat before and only a couple had fished with hook and line."
The school bussed the kids to and from the event, a school cook provided lunch and another volunteer from the school filleted some of the fish for the kids to take home with them, if they liked.
"It ended at 3 p.m., and there were some door prizes that Scheel's gave us, and there was a get-together and a photo deal," Roach said. "Then the busses came. When the kids were leaving, they opened up the windows and said 'Thank you, Mr. Walleye.' It was their first fishing trip, you might say."
Roach hopes there are other such trips to come.
"They (the Mille Lacs Band) want to do it again," he said of Gary Roach's Take a Kid Fishing. "And somebody from Red Lake wanted information about it. I think it's a good thing to get a relationship with the kids. It's something they'll never forget.
"I think it's a good idea. People would come down and ask 'why are you doing this?' They thought it was some kind of gimmick. But kids are kids and kids like to fish."
BRIAN S. PETERSON may be reached at brian.peterson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5864. To follow him on Twitter, go to www.twitter.com/brian_ speterson.