Later, Kevin was sidelined for two weeks with kidney stones. Not long after they moved north with their two children (Jeffrey, 11, and Vera, 12), the resort's water well failed. The motivation to tie the knot came from a banker who said a marriage certificate would save them legal costs, time and paperwork in purchasing the resort. Now in their mid-30s, Kevin and Jenn were happily unmarried when they sold their home in Zumbrota for a gain. "Even when we pushed them to the brink of extinction, they made it through."
"Every part of this fish is about survival," he said. The 4- and 5-footers that anglers are catching with frequency today are "children of the '70s" that were saved from over-harvest and from horrible pollution solved by the Clean Water Act. It's to the point where he lowers his tone of voice when describing them. The Dutchman shows his visitors great respect for the abundant, naturally reproducing population of lake sturgeon in the Rainy River and Lake of the Woods. "The pack is strong and getting stronger." But when your mate on the warship is reeling in a "dino" or a "beast," "it's kind of like you're part of a biker gang. The difference, he said, is that a big walleye catch stirs quiet jealousy inside the boat. One of his standbys when guiding a new group is to compare his crew of hopeful sturgeon hunters to any random boatload of walleye enthusiasts. "I always tell them, 'Welcome to the pack,'" he said. The Dutchman's personal best catch was 5 feet, 8 inches and the largest sturgeon he's helped hoist onto the warship was a half-inch shy of 6 feet - caught and released by a couple on their honeymoon. A big fish can take 45 minutes or more to haul in.
The others reel up, cheer on the lucky group member and lend a hand when needed. When any angler on his boat gets hooked up with a sturgeon, the Dutchman looks skyward and lets out a howl. His guide boat is the "warship," the big pontoon where he greets guests by welcoming them to his "pack of wolves" or "biker gang." Both expressions are terms of endearment for the unity and camaraderie that it takes to catch a "dino." The Dutchman enjoys nicknames and metaphors. People let their guard down and I end up knowing all about 'em by the end of the day.""Hoooowl!!!" But the cows are people and people can express themselves.""Sometimes I feel like Barbara Walters with a fishing pole. For me, a bad day of fishing is just a bad day.""Fear is good for keeping us alive, but it's bad if it keeps us from taking chances and doing stuff.""It's technically not spring until the Dutchman's dock gets washed down the river.""Running a resort is like farming because there's always work. "You have to see the worst of it before you can see the best of it.""People say a bad day fishing is better than a good day at work. The Dutchman is always upbeat, many times humorous and often speaks from the heart. His alter ego is a quote machine - always dishing out quips of homespun wit and wisdom. "Dutchman here!" he croons or bellows into the microphone to start his many Facebook videos. By Kevin's doing, they are now widely known as Dutchman and Duchess, or "the royal family of the Rainy River." Partly because Kevin and Jenn have an appreciation for local history, they couldn't bring themselves to change the name of the resort.
Members currently are helping to form the DNR's next management plan for the lake. So much so that the Baudette area fisheries staff at the Department of Natural Resources named Hinrichs to its Lake of the Woods Fisheries Input Group. "They really work their tails off and he's very passionate about his sturgeon." Maggie Flaten, a partner at the Outdoors Again fishing and hunting store in Baudette, shook her head and smiled when asked about the Hinrichs. "I'm not going to come up here just to run a business," Kevin said.
#JENN IM SALARY FOR FREE#
"I'd do all this for free if I could," Jenn said. As Minnesota's main sturgeon season opens this weekend,business at the resort is clicking and the two former farm kids are feeling blessed for the acceptance they've received from the local community. Since taking over the 1950s-era roadside resort in October 2020, they've overcome tough challenges to do more than just tread water. But instead of focusing on walleyes, they've transformed the Royal Dutchman Resort into "the most sturgeony" vacation spot connected to Lake of the Woods.
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