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Back on the lake

Whether it’s for the fish or the fun of it,

area residents are drawn to the water.

The saying goes that even a bad day fishing is better than a good day at work. Judging by the turnout for the start of fishing season last weekend, it seems plenty of southwest Minnesota residents would agree. Although the water was chilly and often choppy, area lakes were full of boats, and anglers were gathering on shores, dikes and docks.

“This is what I call my rock,” said Slayton resident Anne Reese. Reese was perched on a rock, down near the waterline on one of the dikes on Lake Shetek on Sunday afternoon. Reese came to her favorite spot prepared to catch some fish, but after a half hour, she said, she hadn’t had any bites.

“I have no idea how deep to go, the water’s so cold,” Reese said, as she reeled in her line and cast again.

At a spot further down the dike, Jay Sellner and Randy Larsen said they were having luck similar to Reese’s. Sellner and Larsen said they traveled to Shetek from Springfield and Sleepy Eye for the fishing opener. The trip was a chance to unwind after the stress of work.

“You’d love to catch something, but it’s really not the point,” Sellner said.

Reese said she had been out fishing for about five hours the day before, too but still didn’t catch anything. That didn’t really matter, though.

“It’s peaceful here,” Reese said. Going fishing was also a way to spend time with her family. She said her daughter and grandchildren would be coming out to fish with her later.

Over on a different part of Shetek, Kaden Strate was busy baiting lines for himself and his mom Kori Guza. So far, Guza said, they hadn’t caught anything big enough to keep. But it was a good day to enjoy being outside.

“I think it’s more relaxing,” Strate said, about why he liked fishing.

“It’s a good time to spend together,” Guza said.

While the area around Lake Shetek and Lake Sarah in Murray County was a popular area fishing destination, smaller lakes also had their share of anglers. Todd Hoseck and Derrick Hoseck of Marshall decided to go fishing on Island Lake, in western Lyon County, for the opener. Todd Hoseck said they picked the lake partly because it was secluded. The two men were the only people there Saturday morning, casting their lines from the dock because it was a little too windy to go out in a boat.

Todd Hoseck said small lakes can sometimes surprise you – you never know where the fish might be biting. Almost as if to prove his point, something in the lake bit a little too hard on his line, taking the lure with it.

“That was a new lure, too,” he said.

While wind and some chilly temperatures during the fishing opener certainly didn’t stop area residents from heading to nearby lakes, it sometimes meant the conditions weren’t ideal. On Saturday, Jakeb Brower and Jaden Hoffman said the wind on Cottonwood Lake sent them looking for a different fishing spot.

“The wind was pushing us back,” Hoffman said. He and Brower ended up heading out to the shore of Tyson Lake, a smaller body of water not far from Wood Lake.

Both Hoffman and Brower said they look forward to the start of fishing season.

“Me personally, I like this better than hunting,” Brower said.

Fishing was a fun way to spend some free time, Hoffman agreed. “It gives me something to do.”

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