Minnesota Fishing Museum, filled with all-donated vintage items, reels in visitors
Fishing season is underway in Minnesota, and even if you don't get on the lake, you can still experience the sport in Little Falls.
"First thing they say is, 'Oh my gosh, it's bigger than I thought,'" said Brenda Perlowski, executive director of the Minnesota Fishing Museum and Hall of Fame.
There are more than 20,000 artifacts in the Minnesota Fishing Museum, from old-time rods and reels to vintage lures and motors. What's unique is that everything was donated.
"You never know what you're going to find in the bottom of a tackle box," Perlowski said. "Some people will be walking through the museum and be like, 'Well, I didn't see one of these. I have one so I'm going to bring it in.'"
That's exactly what Al Baert was hoping for when he co-founded the museum in 1998. Perlowski says Baert wanted the museum to be a place where fish tales are fact, not fake.
"There are replicas of the state records. The northern pike is 45 pounds, 12 ounces," Perlowski said. "People come in and look at these fish and they are like, 'Man, I really want to catch one like that.'"
A stroll down memory lane includes a stroll down Motor Alley. There are more than 100 boat motors in the museum, including an electric motor built in 1902 which still works.
And then there are the "knuckle busters" that are almost as old, and true to their name. People have even donated boats, like a Larsen fishing boat — one of the first built after a tragic fire destroyed their plant in 1949.
"If you look at 1942 you could buy two boats for $277. Is that crazy or what," Perlowski said.
A hall of fame inside the museum honors anglers and organizations from the past and present. And even though we're moving towards summer, people who love to ice fish and spear fish won't be disappointed.
Anglers of all ages are lured to the museum, partly because the relics they see may have once belonged to someone they know.
"This museum is young enough where people can still be like, 'Oh yeah, that's me,' or, 'I remember him,'" said assistant director Tyler Perlowski.
"Some people come through and they start crying," said Brenda Perlowski. "I don't know if they are remembering somebody that they used to fish with or they just start reading some of the stories. But I think it's just memories."
The museum is located at 304 Broadway in Little Falls. Their hall of fame induction will take place on Sept. 26. And they'll have their annual fishing tournament on Oct. 4.
The museum is open Wednesday through Saturday.
