Take A Kid Fishing Event soldiers on

by Brian K. Anderson | July 15, 2026

TOWER— Despite heavy smoke and low visibility from the BWCA fires wreaking havoc in Ely and creeping across the region, roughly three dozen area youth and two dozen area guides took to Lake Vermilion for the 2026 Let’s Take A Kid Fishing event.

 

“Unfortunately, the wind has changed, but we are still going to make the best of it,” said Lake Vermilion Guides League Secretary-Treasurer Garrett Asburn early Wednesday morning. “We’ve spent a lot of time putting this together over the past few months, and I just want to say thank you to all the volunteers who came out, especially in these conditions, to make a memorable day for our kids.”

 

The event, which began on Lake Vermilion in 2010, is meant to introduce the next generation of anglers to the great sport of fishing. Each kid, ages 10-14, received a rod-and-reel combo, a T-shirt, and other goodies at no cost.

 

“We are incredibly blessed to have the Lake Vermilion Guides League and their dedicated volunteers put on an event like this,” said Fortune Bay Resort Casino’s Director of Public Relations Brian K. Anderson. “Hats off to all of them for the work they do to give area kids such a wonderful opportunity to spend a day on Lake Vermilion.”

 

For emcee and longtime volunteer Mike “Cold Front” Kurre, there’s no place he would rather have been.

 

“There’s something about the outdoors that my mom and dad instilled in me,” said Kurre, a retired Minnesota DNR employee, who is best known as the sidekick to Billy Hildebrand from the popular FAN Outdoors show on KFAN radio in the Twin Cities. “I guess that’s kind of what we are doing today, so thank you to all the moms, dads, grandmas and grandpas, aunts and uncles for introducing your kids to the outdoors.”

 

Kurre talked about how he got his first grouse on the currently closed Echo Trail and his first deer near Mud Creek Road. His youth also involved catching a lot of fish and just enjoying the great outdoors.

 

“Getting kids involved in the outdoors is important,” said Kurre to the roughly 80 people gathered at Fortune Bay Resort Casino’s lakeside tent.

 

He then added that caring for the outdoors is also important and noted that the fires currently ravaging the BWCA are part of it. He then asked those gathered whether fire is bad or if fire is good.

 

“If you raised your hands for both of them, you are right,” said Kurre about how fire can be both good and bad for the environment.

 

However, he added that the current fires burning out of control are obviously harmful to the environment, given the damage they can cause to structures and to people breathing in the smoke.

 

“If you are worried about the smoke, you do not have to go out, but we are going to go fishing,” said Kurre, putting a positive spin on his presentation.

 

He then went over the ground rules for the day, which included hitting Lake Vermilion until noon or so, then coming back for lunch and some games, including the always-enjoyable crappie flop.

 

“Make sure your cell phones are off,” said Kurre, who added that they could be turned on to take any fish pictures. “Also, guides, make sure to have your running lights on, and kids need to have their life jackets on at all times.”

 

Before turning the program over to local Minnesota DNR Fisheries employee Brent Flatten, Kurre asked the kids what else they needed to do before getting on a boat. None of the kids answered at first, so one of the adults shouted out, “Pee,” which drew some laughter from the crowd and perhaps some embarrassment from the kids.

 

“That’s right—Go before you go—you can use that one,” said Kurre with a smile to a reporter at the event.

 

Flatten then had the younger anglers come up to a table where he had a variety of displays to show them how to recognize aquatic invasive species (AIS)— some that are already in Lake Vermilion and some that are not and need to be kept that way, namely the common carp.

 

Other AIS that have slowly made their way to Lake Vermilion and other northern Minnesota lakes include the rusty crayfish, spiny water flea, and Chinese Mystery Snails.

 

“They do not have quite the environmental effect, but they can be a nuisance and smelly,” explained Flatten about the snails.

 

He added that zebra mussels have reached Lake Vermilion, but to date, no adult zebra mussels have been found.

 

“We found offspring of these existing, so make sure to look around, check your boat, boat lifts and your shoreline,” said Flatten as he passed a sample bottle of zebra mussels caught at the Gilbert Pit near Biwabik. “They are pretty prevalent in other parts of the state, but not so much here at Vermilion.”

 

Flatten wrapped up his informational presentation, and within a few minutes, kids were being paired up guides who would be taking them out for a morning of fishing on one of Minnesota’s best walleye lakes.

 

“Have fun out there, listen to your guides, and we’ll see you back here at noon,” said Kurre. “Be safe and enjoy yourselves on the lake!”

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