Winter's grip...But there is light at the end of the tunnel

Waking up this morning to 15 below zero made us realize that wither still has a firm grip on us. But with temperatures expected to reach 30 degrees by Thursday there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel and it will not be long until the busy 'soft water' season is upon us. February is one of our favorite winter months because the days are getting longer and it is a great time to go skiing, snowshoeing or better yet - ice fishing.

Speaking of ice fishing, Jim and Gavin spent Saturday on Burntside Lake chasing lake trout during the 7th Annual Burntside Bash. They had a few lookers and chasers, but were unsuccessful at icing any fork tails. Thursday we plan to head into a remote lake to catch some splake and brook trout. Should be fun and we will post the results.

February is also the month to start 2009 remodeling projects. Jim is about to begin the gutting process in Bear Paw cabin. Everything has been emptied out of the cabin and the next step would be ripping the 70's wood paneling and kitchen cabinets out. This is the last of the original and final lakeside cabin to be remodeled and then it's back to putting new steel roofs on 2 cabins and the lodge. Lots of work and never ending projects.

Want to learn more about the flora, fauna and history of the BWCA?

Discover the special habitats that make the Northwood's so unique; floating bogs, old growth pines, boreal spruce stands. Explore our country with specialists in bird songs and bird I.D., forest ecology and flowering plants. Great photography opportunities await
Consider a Guided Eco-Tourism Day Trip or even a Boundary Waters All-Inclusive Outfitted and Guided Canoe Trip.

A Guided Eco-Tourism Day Tripwill put you on the water for 8 hours with your guide to check out all the different birds, trees and animals of northern Minnesota and the BWCA.


The 6 day/5 night All-Inclusive Outfitted & Guided Canoe Trip includes everything you will need to have an enjoyable & memorable BWCA experience: top-of-the-line lightweight camping gear & canoe packs, kevlar canoes, tasty & delicious meals and professional & knowledgeable guide. Your canoe guide will help you navigate your way through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, take you to the best campsites, help you set up camp, cook some delicious meals over the fire, and point out interesting things along the way including flora, fauna, BWCA history and for the anglers, put you on the fish!

Another 6" of snow...

This morning we awoke to another 6" of fresh snow and eventually it warmed up to 20 degrees ABOVE zero (finally!) - yes, it felt like a heatwave to us after all those MINUS 30's days we just had.

Jim and Gavin went ice fishing today and came home with a few trout caught in Miners Lake. Nothing like a fresh fish sandwich in January!









As far as business, Bear Paw Cabin (otherwise known as 'Cabin #1') is slotted for it's remodel this winter/spring. It's the last of the lakeside cabins to be remodeled. New windows, doors, kitchen cabinets - the whole works! We will keep you posted with pictures as it unfolds. Bear Paw Cabin is perfect for both couples and families. It has a private dock for docking either your boat or one of our new 16' boat/25hp motor rentals. Not in the mood for fishing - grab a adirondack chair and a book and head out to the dock for some 'rays of sunshine' instead. Don't forget there is also a fire ring for roasting marshmallows or you can skip the fire and just sit outside at night admiring the stars and northern lights (if you are up late enough). Give us a call and we can check availability ~ 800-777-7091

100 hours of temperatures below ZERO - let's think about spring fishing!

Believe it or not, the Ely School District only closed school one day this week, that day we woke up to 44 degrees below zero. The rest of the week was between 20-40 degrees below zero. On Tuesday when the high looks to be around 28 degrees ABOVE zero, it will seem almost 'balmy' after this past week's weather.

Since the beginning of our winter we've had plenty of snow & cold weather. But Ely has plenty of places to go and things to do, whether you are snowmobiling, cross-country skiing or ice fishing.

Trout fishing opener is tomorrow and maybe if Jim & Gavin get lucky, I will be posting some winter lake trout pictures!

Anyone want to fast-forward past winter and start thinking about spring fishing on 'soft' water? Here are a few pictures of the fish caught in the month of May 2008.

Nice stringer of fish on a guided fishing trip on opener May 2008. Ice out was 2 days before fishing opener last year on a lot of Ely, MN lakes (about a month behind previous years).

Brian caught this 30" northern pike on a guided spring opener fishing trip with Jim.










Lee caught this nice smallmouth on a fly-rod on a guided fishing trip with Jim - May 18, 2008








Nice 30" walleye caught on a guide fishing trip with Jim - May 16, 2008







Jill caught this chunky smallmouth on a guided fishing trip with Jim on May 16, 2008




Zach with a 39" northern caught on Farm Lake - May 29, 2008

Jeremy with a 45" northern caught on Farm Lake - May 29, 2008

Mike caught this 41" northern pike in Farm Lake on May 26, 2009








Ron caught this nice smallmouth on a guided fly-fishing trip May 2008.

Whether it's staying in a lakeside cabin and finding fish on our local lakes or going out with a guide for a fun-filled day of fishing on another Ely area lake ~ there are still dates & permits available! Call 800-777-7091 to book your Spring 2009 fishing trip today!

Farm Lake icing up!

This is what Farm Lake looked like this morning, a thin layer of ice scretching from our shoreline to the big island and beyond. The last couple of nights we've had temperatures below zero and no wind. Farm Lake is 30' at it's deepest point and approximately 1,300 acres. South Farm Lake is just off Farm Lake and located in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and is about half the acreage at 618 acres with a deepest point of 30'.
Smaller lakes in the Ely area have frozen over and the ice thick enough that people are already ice-fishing on them!

First Snow of the year in Ely, MN!

Yesterday was the Minnesota deer opener which brought our first day of snow here in Ely, Minnesota! The temperature hovered around 30 degrees all day and the Northwest wind blew strong, making it challanging to sit in a tree stand all day. Just earlier this week we were getting teased with having days of sun and 65 degrees! Good thing we got all of our fall clean-up/closing down of the cabins/boats all done. We always say it's a strange feeling to put everything away and then to think that we will be re-opening in 6 months. Bear Paw (otherwise known as Cabin #1) will be getting it's remodel this winter/spring. That's the last lakeside cabin to get the full remodel. All the lakeside cabins are light & bright with new windows, doors, furniture & appliances.

Other years we've seen snow before halloween. This picture was from mid October 2006. There was enough snow for Jim and Gavin to build a snowman on one of our rocks in the center circle.

This halloween the kids actually got to wear their costumes with just a layer of clothes underneath and NO coat/hat/mittens needed! That's a first in a long time! Here are the pumpkins we carved this halloween. We picked them up from a farmer's market while we were in Wisconsin while Jim was attending a Federation of Fly Fishers Master Casters Workshop.

Wabikimi Provincial Park ~ Trip of a lifetime - August 2008!

There is the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the Quetico Provincial Park and THEN there is the Wabikimi Provincial Park. Two return customers were looking for a new area to explore and the Wabikimi fit the ticket. After flying into the Thunder Bay Airport, they were picked up by 2 guides and then driven 100 miles north, where they came to Armstrong Station. The four then hopped on a float plane and then headed another 100 miles north and were dropped off at a place where the last people to be dropped off there was 2 years ago! As you see, the float planes up north are considerably larger than the float plane you see around Ely.

Just about every meal had fresh fish!

A little break from fishing from a canoe, fly-fishing from shore.

Pancakes with fresh blueberries and blueberry syrup! The going joke ended up being that they would finally move camp when they ate all the fresh blueberries in the vacinity.

Lots of lakeside camp spots for viewing colorful sunrises and sunsets.

Since the Wabikimi doesn't get a lot of 'traffic', finding portages could sometimes be challenging.

We use superior camping gear such as Marmot sleeping bags and tents on our fully outfitted canoe trip packages.

Since the Wabikimi is so much further north, fresh blueberries at the end of August into September were bountiful.

Since the Wabikim has fewer visitors than the Quetico and BWCA, this little critter was probably wondering who was invading his space.

The decision at hand that day was how far to go and who was going to catch dinner.

Colorful sunsets and calm nights - what a great way to end each night.

If you are interested in creating a 'Trip of a Lifetime' please call or email us with your interests/abilities and we can plan something for the 2009 season - the possibilities are endless!