10 // Star Publications // Outdoor Adventures - February 8, 2022
Helping people catch fish Zenzen finds joy as guide in Central Minnesota BY SARAH COLBURN | STAFF WRITER
SAUK CENTRE – Shaun Zenzen spends more than 600 hours on the water each summer. Split between tournament fishing and serving as a fishing guide for Central Minnesota visitors, Zenzen said it has almost become a full-time job. “There’s no reason to drive two hours or three hours away from the cities,” he said. “In Central Minnesota there’s great fishing … people can take fish home, eaters to trophy-class fish, you don’t have to go far.”
Zenzen began dabbling in tournament fishing in 2008 and after getting a new boat in 2010, he started getting more calls from people asking him if he’d take them out on the water. By May 2017, he said he was going out almost every Saturday and Sunday in the summer taking people on guided trips. He has a 17 and 1/2-foot blue and white Yar-Craft loaded with sponsors on the outside. The boat is completely decked out
Shaun Zenzen, tournament fisherman and fishing guide, catches a 29-inch walleye using a live bait rig on Cass Lake.
Bryce Rooney catches a 27-inch walleye on Lake Osakis with his dad Darron Rooney and Darren’s friend Shaun Zenzen, a fishing guide. Bryce caught this fish after a half hour on the water on a 90-degree day.
with multiple fish locators and all the latest tech. When Zenzen takes clients out on the water he supplies all the equipment; all they have to bring is a phone or camera for photos and a cooler to bring home the fish. The people he takes on guided trips use all his tournament-grade equipment. “I don’t want them to not be successful because they don’t have good equipment,” he said. “I want them to have the best experience they can.” He typically brings people out on one of a handful of local lakes including Sauk Lake, the Alexandria Chain of Lakes, Lake Reno or Lake Minnewaska. Though many PHOTOS SUBMITTED The Larson family fishermen get up poses with a large before the sun stringer of fish to hit the water, after a day on the he said tournawater with guide ment fishing has Shaun Zenzen. taught him how to be successful hunting for fish throughout the what I’m doing,” he said. day so he takes on “I don’t’ want them there clients whenever just to take home fish, I they want to go. want to teach them how He focuses most- to catch fish.” ly on catching walleye, Oftentimes, he said, but said some clients are people get sucked into after Northern. For him, the next big and flashy taking people fishing is thing and he said he’s about teaching them the done it too, but more ofskills. ten than not, keeping it “I try to teach them simple provides the best how and why I’m doing results. He now makes 35 to 40 trips onto the water each summer with clients and half of them are repeat customers who go out with him every year. Most of his clients bring a child along, a spouse,
Shaun Zenzen (center) guides a group out on the water for Fishing with Vets.
a parent, a friend, or co-worker. He admittedly has a soft spot for the military veterans he brings out on the water.
“When they walk away, more often than not, they are so happy and enthused they had such a good day,” he said. During the winter, Zenzen studies the maps and graphs of all his fish locations from the year. He updates his software and spends time looking at weed patterns, water features and things he might have overlooked. “Any little key feature that might hold fish,” he said. When he’s tournament fishing, he pre-fishes 10 spots and narrows it to five locations before the tournament starts. Though that, he said, is competitive and requires a game-face; when he takes clients out to fish, he’s relaxed and comfortable. “I get joy out of seeing people catch nice fish,” he said. “People Andrew Illies catches a 24-inch walleye on forget to go back to the the Alexandria Chain of Lakes with guide Kim Wiechman catches a 24-inch walleye on Lake Reno basics, it’s a time-proven Shaun Zenzen. with fishing guide Shaun Zenzen. tactic.”
