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BEMIDJI — Before this past weekend, 10-year-old Kate Kado had never been ice fishing.
But that all changed on Saturday, Jan. 14, thanks to a program held at Lake Bemidji State Park.
Over the long weekend, children under the age of 15 could fish for free during Take-A-Kid Ice Fishing Weekend at state parks all across Minnesota.
Lake Bemidji State Park held its own event called “Brrrmidji Kids Can Ice Fish” where any interested participants could come to the state park, learn more about ice fishing and even try it for themselves.
Although the turnout was less than expected, Kado still had fun learning the ropes from Lake Bemidji State Park employees Pete Harrison and Christa Drake.
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“I’ve never (ice fished) before,” Kado said. “All my family members said they’ve done it so I wanted to learn, too.”
But Kado wasn’t the only one new to the sport, Lake Bemidji State Park naturalist Shannon Bungart also admitted she had never ice fished before, as she hails from Florida.
Kado, Bungart, Drake and Harrison hunkered down in a fish house just in front of the state park with their lines in the water, hoping to catch a fish — but Kado quickly learned that patience is one of the most important components of the activity.
Though she didn't catch a fish that afternoon, she learned a variety of valuable tips and looks forward to making ice fishing a more regular thing.
