Many years ago when I was in high school, my family took its first trip to a fishing resort in Cass Lake, Minnesota. Since then, I’ve traveled there numerous times; visiting Cass Lake brings back and continues to create memories for me that will last my entire life. They are also generational. M

A view of Cass Lake from Wishbone Resort. The land at the other side of the lake is actually Star Island. Wishbone is on the “small” side of the lake.

y grandparents are the ones who started going there and now I am going there with my own daughter. Cass Lake is in northern Minnesota. The closest big city is Bemdiji. The resort I stay at is Wishbone Resort. They have pretty grounds, nice, comfy cabins, a pool, and boats and motors to rent. Cass Lake itself is a pretty big lake. The fish we catch there include lake perch, walleye, crappie, pan fish, bass, and Northern pike. You can also fish for muskie, but in all the years I’ve gone there, I’ve never seen one — fish of a thousand casts. Sometimes we fish on our own. We’ve gone for so many years, we know some good places to fish. Sometimes we go out with a guide. If I go with a guide, I like to fish for Northern pike. They are my favorite fish to catch — they put up a terrific fight!

The view from the porch of the cabin I stay in.

While we are there, sometimes we drive south to Walker and go shopping. Walker is on Leech Lake, which is a really big lake! Sometimes we go into Bemidji, and there are some fun things to do there. Of course, there are all sorts of souvenir shops. We also have to stop and take pictures with Paul Bunyan and Babe his blue ox; they are on the shore of Lake Bemidji. There is also a deer park there where you can feed deer. They are pretty pushy! About an hour or so away is Itasca State Park, which is where the headwaters of the Mississippi River are located. It’s really pretty, and it’s fun to go wading in the shallows of the Mississippi where it starts! The resort is smack dab in the middle of Leech Lake Indian Reservation, so that means there is also a casino you can visit if you’re the gambling type! I have countless wonderful memories of visiting Cass Lake. I was actually inspired many years ago to write a poem about Cass Lake:

Diamonds made of moonlight
Dance on the ripples
In the dusk.
The gray of the lake in the evening
Reminds me of the times you and I sat on the pier
And dreamed of growing old together:
Gray as the lake,
Rich as diamonds!

My husband and daughter preparing to go fishing. We rent the boat and motor.

If you enjoy fishing and living a simple life, relaxing, and getting off the grid for a little while, find yourself a fishing resort. And if you’re looking for a fishing resort, I suggest checking out what you can find in Cass Lake, MN. It’s a great place to start some great memories of your own!

My daughter feeding deer at the deer park.

My cousin and his partner posing with Paul and Babe.

My daughter with the 12 pound Northern (and all the other Northern!) she caught after going out with a guide.