(bright music) - [Bret] As the popularity of fishing continues to grow in Minnesota, the Department of Natural Resources and local communities are working to create more opportunities for Anglers to wet a line.

One of the ways this is being done is by installing fishing piers around the region.

Lake Koronis in Paynesville is one of the latest locations to get a new pier.

(bright music) - Yeah, so this project came about, the pier was installed in 2020 is when we got all the funding in place and when it actually came out here.

So, you know, it's now been operational, the 2021, 2022.

But before that it was really the brain trial of a few in town.

Our park and tree committee was very involved in getting it going, applied for all the grant funding from the DNR to get it going and then we partnered with Paynesville Township as well as the city to get it installed to really service not just the city residents but the community as a whole.

- We were most recently approached by the city of Paynesville in about 2019.

They had submitted an application and let us know that they were interested in a fishing pier.

They had submitted an application earlier in 2015, I believe, and some new opportunities had come up.

So we began working with them on some opportunities for placing the pier here.

- [Bret] In 2019 and 2021, the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund chose accessible fishing piers as one of the projects they wanted to fund which ultimately helped Lake Koronis get this new pier at Veterans Park.

- I definitely do think the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund is a very important fund.

There's a big demand for fishing piers and that fund has helped fund, you know, a lot of piers in the past.

As we get applications and we're not sure if there's gonna be funding, it's hard to answer applicants when their project might be funded.

And with this fund, we've been able to set a more normal expectation that piers can be funded and placed in different areas of the state.

- This is something that the city of Paynesville, the township and the community itself have been wanting for years.

We just didn't know how we were gonna pay for it for one.

And also with our swimming area if we were gonna have enough room for a nice big fishing pier.

When the DNR and the grant came available, we said now's the time we have to make room.

So we used to have about one more dock out here and a bigger swimming area for the kids.

We shortened that up just to make room for the fishing pier.

And we haven't had any... You know, the kids still have plenty of room to swim and we have plenty of room for fishing too, so it's worked out great.

- It provides some exceptional fishing but I think even more important, it provides, you know, opportunities for kids and adults and older citizens to enjoy fishing and get out.

- It's fun to see the beginning families out too who can't afford the boats and so forth still enjoy it.

The people in the wheelchairs can get out there.

Walkers, canes and so forth can all enjoy go fishing like we we're so used to.

I have some employees that came from other cultures and so forth and they just have been in Paynesville to maybe six to months to a year and they wanted to start fishing to see if they like it.

So they brought their family down, so it was like six or seven of 'em down fishing and now they're into it.

Now, they love fishing, they enjoy it.

So you can get different cultures interested without having to buy a boat or going on places where they shouldn't be.

Here, it's nice place to go, it's a nice park.

They can go swimming and enjoy fishing.

So it kind of brought that into their cycle of life in Paynesville and get 'em acclimated to the town.

- My son is able to get out here and go fishing with grandpa.

He's able to do things like that.

They love playing out here in the water and doing all the things and this is just really wonderful for all the residents in town, especially those who might use like a wheelchair or something like that can come out here and still enjoy nature.

We have a drop-off, so there's some nice fish.

So come out here and catch some bass.

- I have seen people walking off here with several buckets full of fish periodically.

So yes, the fishing here is good.

(bright music) - [Bret] Once these piers are in the water they're pretty easy to take care of.

- Some locations pull their piers each year and place them in a more protected area so they don't get damaged from ice and so forth.

Other sites can sit for 10 years and not have any damage and one year with the right wind they can suffer damage, so it does vary a little bit.

Typically, the basic maintenance involves the deck boards, the railings, things like that.

Sometimes the floats will have to be replaced.

Critters will get in there and chew through the floats occasionally and they have to be replaced.

Where you have wind damage or ice damage, some of the corner brackets may have to be replaced.

So it varies a little bit site to site, lake to lake.

- [Bret] The Paynesville pier isn't the only one in the region and hopefully won't be the last either.

- In our work area we cover eight counties in the state of Minnesota.

We have approximately 34 fishing piers that we maintain or work with partners to maintain.

There's a lot of demand for fishing piers and we definitely have other projects out there that are looking for more fishing piers.

This year we have another one that we're working with on Lake Osakis that we hope to fund.

- [Bret] If people continue to love these piers as much as the Paynesville residents have, more communities will be applying for one of their own in the years to come.

- What's really funny is the young kids here in the summertime, with our swimming dock over here which is also a portable dock, they will go from that one if the fish are biting over there and then they'll run across and jump on the fishing pier.

So both these docks actually get used quite a bit and it's it's fun to see the kids out here fishing.

- It is so loved by the community.

You know, it's infrequently the government can spend money and really get positive feedback across the board.

But this is one of those areas, you know, because we're Minnesotans, because we love the water, we love fishing, really having this pier here to work for everyone is just so everyone loves it in the community.

(gentle music)