Estrem A Key To Hunter Winfield's

It’s safe to say that Hunter Winfield’s Dave Estrem is the youngest, longest-tenured resort manager on Mille Lacs Lake.

Which must mean the 28-year old, 2001 Onamia High School graduate is a pretty darn good one.

“We rely on Dave to ensure our customers have a good experience…many of our rebooks ask if Dave is still here,” said Margie Christensen, who with husband, Mike, own Hunter Winfield’s Resort in Isle and are entering their sixth season. “The resort business is a tough one. It can make you insane. Dave helps Mike & I stay sane to a degree. He’s truly our right hand and right now, we need a couple right hands.”

The soft-spoken Estrem has got a smile for everybody, a penchant for being on-site whenever needed and a nose for finding fish – which is probably why so many customers keep asking for and about him. He is the original and only resort manager Hunter Winfield’s has known since its September 1, 2006 debut.

“Dave is the face of the resort -- he is generally the person that people checking in meet first and they rely on him during their stay for 24/7 on-call service in the winter,”  said Margie, who also runs a successful consulting business and is a mother to two young children – Claire, 2, and Max, 5 months.  “He sets up boat rentals, launches, and provides tips on fishing spots in the summer or winter.”

Apparently the business marriage between the Christensens and Estrem is paying big dividends.  The resort has 50 percent more bookings for this upcoming season than it did in 2010.  And that was a very good year for Hunter Winfield’s. It has tripled its business overall in five years of operation.

The trio maintains that Hunter Winfield’s success is driven by a combination of quality service, state-of-the-art accommodations and focused marketing, especially using the internet.  Combined, these things have helped drive Hunter Winfield’s to area prominence on Mille Lacs Lake.  Consider that its ice house fleet features Lodge Wheeled Houses which feature every amenity available – and DirectTV to boot! The resort has four modern rental boats, a pair of quality launch boats owned and operated by Dereke Voge, six cabins, a luxury log home and great fishing guides.  It also sells premium fuel off its permanent, modern dock that can host a bevy of boats.

Estrem gets a big grin when talking his favorite part of the job.  “I love dealing with the people and being out on the lake,” said Estrem, who figured he spent 359 days at work last year, taking only a pair of three-day mini-vacations to fish Lake Michigan and hunt.

You can sense how much he loves his work by following him on morning rounds.  From driving out on the Big Pond to service a generator to helping put some customers on a perch hot spot, Estrem is in his element at Mille Lacs. In winter, he dons his ice armor gear early each morning, capping it with his signature orange skull cap. You can find him in various south-shore locations some evenings – still in the garb – competing in an area dart league or stopping to meet some friends at a local watering hole.

It’s easy to see that Mille Lacs is in Estrem’s blood.

By his calculation, he grew up only 4 miles from Hunter Winfield’s – by a Mille Lacs water route – in a lakeside home off Eyota Way that his parents, Pat and Roger, still occupy. He worked at the Izatys Resort marina, cutting his teeth as bait boy, fishing guide and marina night manager from the age of 14 until his hire at Hunter Winfield’s.  In his spare time Estrem, well, fishes.  And fishes.  Which has helped him  earn him the moniker ‘Prime Time’.

“We call Dave ‘Prime Time’ because he’s one of the best early-season fishermen we have,” said Mike Christensen, who is one of three Mille Lacs Lake Lindy Tackle Guides who cranks out fishing reports  on online audio updates.  “He beat me and he beat John Thelen (another established guide) and like 16 other pro guides in a Pradco National Sales Meeting Tourney late last May – he’s a pretty good stick.”

While Christensen is the featured guide in the Hunter Winfield stable, Estrem gets his fair share of missions behind launch captain Dereke Voge as the resort’s No. 3 guide. His realm of fishing excellence lies mainly between Izatys and Isle Bay, but he’ll push north as well.

“Dave’s invaluable, we wouldn’t be able to exist without him,” Mike Christensen said.  “He more or less lives here.  We can trust him to get things done and he takes care of our customers more than anyone else.”

Estrem said he’s strayed from Mille Lacs only once in his life. That was for a stint at St. Cloud State, working toward a business management degree. But his love for the lake and fishing brought him back home to Mille Lacs and to his current job at Hunter Winfield’s.

“I like going out every evening to fish,” Estrem said. “In the early season from like 8 p.m. to dark is just crazy fishing.  I definitely look more forward to summer when you just pound the walleyes.”

 While his job brings a lot of praise and fishing glamor, Estrem will tell you it isn’t always perfect.  The late-night visits treks on the frozen, wind-swept tundra to fix a downed generator and the occasional cranky customer can put a crimp in his day. 

Those bad times are few, however. So Estrem contends he’s where he wants to be, doing what he loves most, helping Hunter Winfield’s succeed.  Big Time.