Warming to Hazen Bay lake life
By Daniel Arens
It’s been a summer to spend at the lake.
Blue skies (minus the occasional evening rumble), hot temperatures and good walleye fishing make Lake Sakakawea the place to be. And one family is hoping their year here will transition into a new routine for their summers.
Bert and Kim Butler came to North Dakota for the first time after accepting the camp host position at the Hazen Bay Campground. They quickly acclimated to their new temporary home.
“We bought a little boat,” Kim said. “Just Tuesday we went out and got our limit of walleye.”
Bert and Kim had never tasted walleye before, although they are very familiar with sea food. They are originally from Florida, having moved in 1992 to the town of Ocala.
It’s an adjustment being in North Dakota, not just in the fish that are caught but in the time when the sun rises and sets. Kim said she is used to it getting dark by about 8 p.m., a couple hours earlier than the longest day of the year in the Hazen area.
