You’re going to need a bigger boat – but not on Mitchell Lake

What does one do around 4 p.m. on a Sunday when the temperature is climbing toward 96 degrees and the air feels like a Finnish sauna, even as wind gusts hit 45 miles per hour? This past Sunday, Mike Johnson and Alex Strate figured they’d go fishing on Mitchell Lake.

The back story

Johnson had recently bought a small, pre-owned fishing boat with a Mariner outboard motor and was ready to go. Despite the energy-sapping weather, the good-natured Johnson and his optimistic fishing pal, Strate, shared a mission. They launched the craft loaded with lots of fishing tackle onto Mitchell Lake from the Miller Park boat ramp. 

This past weekend marked the 50th anniversary of the premiere of the movie “Jaws.” The Steven Spielberg epic about a great white shark silently stalking New England vacationers, swimmers and sailboats became Hollywood’s first summer blockbuster.

The film’s signature line is delivered by Police Chief Martin Brody (played by Roy Scheider) to captain and shark hunter Quint (Robert Shaw). The great white suddenly surfaces near Brody, who is scooping bait into the water. Its wide-open, snapping jaws reveal a battalion of teeth. Frightened, Brody finds Quint and says, “You’re going to need a bigger boat.”

A half-century ago, “Jaws” scared people around the world away from surfing, fishing and sailing. Some even feared taking a dip into Minnesota waters, say, Minnetonka or Starring. Maybe mutant crappies would turn on those who liked frying them up for a shore lunch. Maybe.

With strong south winds at their backs, Johnson and Strate – not thinking about fictional sharks or vengeful panfish – navigated Mitchell Lake to a peninsula in the lake’s northwest quadrant, the one that borders the Toft Cove cul-de-sac, lined with homes and tall trees.

“The peninsula blocked the wind. It was calm, maybe a little breeze,” said Strate. The two didn’t need to drop anchor.  The boat moved slowly on its own in large ovals without the outboard. The wave chop only ruled the open lake. Johnson and Strate spotted what looked like a bass, a northern and lots of small sunfish. The water was clean and clear.

The takeaway

Strate estimates they caught and released up to 20 small fish, mostly sunnies. “We lost count,” he said.  

During their time Sunday on Mitchell Lake, Mike Johnson and Alex Strate saw no other boats of any kind on Mitchell, arguably Eden Prairie’s most scenic lake.

Perhaps a fear-of-“Jaws” syndrome had been rekindled by all the hype surrounding the film’s golden anniversary. But maybe it was just too hot, humid and miserable for the rest of us to consider that Mother Nature could be comforting on a local pond. No fish that afternoon took their last swim in Mitchell Lake. Mike and Alex did not need a bigger boat.

Editor’s note: Writer Jeff Strate is a founding EPLN board member. Alex is Jeff’s adult son.