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Aroundthestate,statuesmadefrom wood, wire, steel, concrete,plaster, and fiberglass take on theformsofwalleye,northern,muskie,trout, and panfish. Individually,theseroadsideattractionsrepresentasourceoflocalpride.Collectively,theypointtotheimportanceofthe$3billionanglersspendinMinne-sotaeachyear.

Titanic totems of walleye gracedestinationssuchasIsle,Garrison,Baudette, Kabetogama, and RushCity.Butsculpturesofthestatefisharen’tthemostcommon.Therearemore than 35 fiberglass sunfish inthecityofDetroitLakesalone.BillyBluegill welcomes anglers to thecityofOrrandthelegendarypan-fishwatersofPelicanLake.

In 1957 Art Lyons caught Min-nesota’s 54-pound state-recordmuskiefromLakeWinnibigoshish.

Fittingly, Lyons’ hometown ofBena,onthesouthshoreofWinni,features the state’s largest monu-menttothemightymuskie.Builtin1958,the65-foot-longBigMuskieDrive-In, as it was known then,allowed visitors to dine inside thebellyofthebehemoth.Super-sizedstatues of the fish of 10,000 castsalsoappearontheeastsideofMilleLacsandinthetownsofDeerRiverandNevis.

Though southeastern Minnesotahas few natural lakes, this trout-fishing paradise isn’t lacking amonument to fish. The city ofPrestonhonorstheregion’shundredsofmilesofcoldwaterstreamswitha19-foot-longfiberglassbrowntrout.

Aroundthestatetheselunker-sizedlandmarkslureanglerstostayandfish,sohereisasampling—ourtributetoMinnesota’sdistinctbrandofkitsch.

kitsch

Finned monuments are familiar sights for travelers on Minnesota’s fishing

thoroughfares.

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By Michael A. Kallok

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Photography

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Chelsea

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Baudette

Detroit Lakes

Kabetogama

Orr

Erskine

Deer River

Bena

Nevis

Garrison

IsleIsle

New Prague

Preston

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1 Willie WalleyeWillie Walleye in Baudette is Minnesota’s largest statue to salute Sander vitreus. This fixture, which has welcomed anglers to Lake of the Woods since 1959, is 40 feet long and weighs a whopping 2.5 tons. In June, a celebration known as Willie Walleye Day commemorates the creation of this colossal concrete fish.

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Lake Kabetogama WalleyeNear Voyageurs National Park, alongside U.S. Highway 53, the Lake Kabetogama walleye has entertained tourists since the 1950s. Taking the novelty of fish statues up a notch, this walleye sports a saddle for visitors to perch on while being photographed.

Billy BluegillCreated in the early 1980s to extol Pelican Lake’s platter-sized panfish, Billy Bluegill resides along U.S. Highway 53 in Orr. Like the schooling fish he represents, Billy Bluegill has an active social life on Facebook and YouTube.

The world’s largest Northern PikeBetween Bemidji and Crookston in northwestern Minnesota, Erskine is home to the world’s largest monument to northern pike. Built in the 1950s, the statue is 27 feet long and 6 feet wide.16

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Deer River MuskieDeer River’s muskie was built for a local bait shop in the 1950s and was later acquired by the city. It now resides off of U.S. Highway 2 near the intersection of Division Street.

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The Big FishCountless tourists have stopped in Bena and stood for a photo in the jaws of The Big Fish. This gem of roadside Americana was built in 1958 as a food stand. It has caught national attention more than once including an appearance on Charles Kuralt’s TV series On the Road. In 2009, this 65-foot-long monument was restored after landing on the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota’s list of endangered historic places.

World’s largest Tiger MuskieThis toothy tourist attraction in Nevis was sculpted with wood and plaster in 1949. In July 1950, Nevis held its inaugural Muskie Days celebration. The tiger muskie, a centerpiece of the festivities, was dedicated as the world’s largest by Gov. Luther Youngdahl.

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Detroit LakesSunniesIn 2002 the city of Detroit Lakes sold 50 fiberglass sunfish to local businesses. Then, area artists gave the sunfish unique treatments such as this mosaic of glass beads and tile. More than 35 of these colorful fish can still be seen around the city.

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The Garrison WalleyeAlongside U.S. Highway 169, on the west side of Mille Lacs Lake, the Garrison walleye has been a familiar sight for visitors to central Minnesota’s crown jewel since the mid-1970s. The Garrison Concourse Wayside Park, where the statue resides, is also one of the best spots to take in a sweeping view of this vast 128,000-acre lake.

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The Isle WalleyeOn the east side of Mille Lacs Lake, in the quaint fishing village of Isle, a stately replica of the state fish hovers on the corner of Main Street and Third Avenue.

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11 Mean WalleyeThree monuments to ol’ marble eye can be spotted if you circumnavigate Mille Lacs Lake by car. But there is only one Mean Walleye. This 20-foot-long, fierce-looking fiberglass walleye swims next to an equally exaggerated muskie at Johnson’s Portside, a mile north of Isle on state Highway 47.

SCAN IT:MapacoursetoMinnesota’sfishmonuments.Scan this tag or vis it bit.ly/fishkitsch to view more images along with a map and directions to the statues in this article and others around the state.

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Big SunfishFishtale Bar & Grill in New Prague doesn’t offer sunfish on its menu, but it does feature a billboard-sized bluegill that could make for one whopper of a fish story. The fish was purchased in the late 1990s to lure hungry folks to this fish-themed establishment.

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The Preston TroutSituated in the heart of southeastern Minnesota’s trout-stream country, the city of Preston boasts a 19-foot-long fiberglass brown trout. Built in the mid-1980s, the statue sits atop a trailer. Usually it resides in front of the Preston Tourism Center on U.S. Highway 52. In mid-May, the mobile trout is a highlight of the Preston Trout Days parade. nV