And the winner of our April Photo Contest is....

The winner of our April Photo Contest - 'Water': rain showers, raindrops or dew is Julie S. with her water fountain image.

Congratulations Julie!

Thanks for your participation this round - some great pictures!

We will be announcing the May photo contest subject shortly. If you would like to submit a photo in our next contest, just become a fan of Moose Track Adventures on Facebook & click on the May Event.

Esox lucis, otherwise known as the Northern Pike

We got the big main dock in the lake early this year. It went in easier then past years but with the low water it still made it no easy task - even if it is a 'roll-in' dock. The weather has been amazing to get out and work on the never ending spring 'To Do' list to open the cabins and resort. Each day we wish that we could be chasing northern pike with our fly rods in the shallow bays. We were at Moose Antler Cabin putting on a steel roof and we could see a large pike in the shallow water at the swim beach. It seems as though the pike taunt us bragging about how we can’t go fishing for them until May 15^th. Even with the warm temps and early ice out the water is still cold and that’s where this toothy critter shines.

Esox lucis, otherwise known as the Northern pike is the lone wolf of the water world in our neck of the woods. The pike is very easy to distinguish from other game fish. It has a long snake like body that has a silver back, with white spots and a white underbelly. The tail on the pike is speckled yellow and red during its spawning season and will stay a red color throughout the year. The Northern Pike can grow to 45-50 inches in length. Even the famed musky will fear the northern pike at certain times in its life. The pike can be found this time of year feeding on spawning bait fish such as perch, shiners, sunfish etc. This time of year provides excellent shallow water fishing for them until it gets too warm. The larger fish move deeper in the summer time and in some lakes the larger northerns will hang out with the lake trout. Using large spinner baits, inline spinners, or even a large sucker under a bobber on the edge of some early emerging weeds is a great way to target these fish early in the year for these ambush predators.

We will continue to carry on with our spring chores and cleaning, while Esox lucis is ambushing its prey in the shallows. We will wait till the season opens here in Minnesota in 2 weeks dreaming about catching that monster on our fly rods. If you are looking for a chance to get out and do some early spring pike fishing look towards the Minnesota-Canadian border lakes that are open for fishing Northern Pike.

Happy Trails.

Marsh Marigolds - our first spring flower at the resort

The Marsh Marigolds have arrived in front of White Pine Cabin about a month early because of our early spring here in northern Minnesota.

It is a perennial herbaceous plant of the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) native to wetlands in Europe and North America. It is grown in boggy wild gardens. The stem of a marsh marigold is hollow, and the leaves are kidney-shaped, heart-shaped, or round. The glossy flowers are 2.5 to 5 cm (1 to 2 inches) across and have pink, white, or yellow sepals. Petals are absent. The stems, leaves, and roots are sometimes cooked and eaten as a vegetable, although the raw plant is poisonous. The cooked and pickled flower buds are a substitute for capers.

Timberdoodle Time in Northern Minnesota

April came early this year - not according to our date on our calendar, but by our ice out standards it's two weeks early! The geese migrated by, the walleyes spawned early and the aspen buds are popping. Here at the resort, we finished the big chore of raking the remainder of the fall leaves and continue the tedious list of "Things to do" before the resort guests appear near MN Fishing Opener - May 15th.

After working a 6 straight days, we all took Sunday off to enjoy our early spring weather. Trying to figure out what to do (since we can't go walleye fishing) I skim the pages of Aldo Leopold's "A Sand County Almanac", while sitting outside in the spring sun sipping on some iced tea. I came across a section called "Sky Dance". It covers a small awkward bird, the woodcock. No matter how warm it is, this birds mating flight is determined by our solar table. The woodcock is found throughout the Minnesota forests. It is a ground-dwelling bird that uses its extremely long bill to probe for earthworms in wet woods and nearby low-lying areas. Its eyes, set on the sides of its head, give it 360 degree vision, a protection from predators.

Come early spring, woodcock can be seen performing their magical, musical, breeding display flights against the last light of sunset. They can be seen in meadows, forest clearings and open fields. This little bird will continue his dances well into May.

If you get a chance to see him dance, it will be a worthwhile phenomenon that you will want to see spring after spring. Grab your binoculars and hope to see you in the woods soon!

April Photo Contest - 'Water': rain showers, raindrops or dew

The April Category is 'Water': rain showers, raindrops or dew

Our example above is a picture of morning dew on a spider web found during a canoe camping trip in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Post your favorite photo and you could be the winner of a Moose Track Adventures t-shirt or ball cap!

Rules:

• You must be a fan of Moose Track Adventures

• You can only enter one photo per person per monthly contest. You can enter the same photo if it did not win in a previous month
• You must be the photographer of the photo
• Please describe in the message the location of the photo
• Judging will be done by owners of Moose Track Adventures
• A fan may win once per year
• Photos must be posted by 7pm on April 30, 2010

Thank you for participating!

StarTribune.com - Want to go camping in the IDQBWCAW?

Photo By Dennis McGrath

Ely has a sense of humor, but there will be no Dilly Bars in the Boundary Waters. Sorry.

By Mary Lynn Smith, Star Tribune

Last update: March 31, 2010 - 9:26 PM

If football stadiums can be named after banks and ballparks after superstores, why not sell the naming rights of one of Minnesota's most pristine wilderness areas to a fast-food enterprise that dips ice cream cones in chocolate and blends candy and cookies into milk shakes.

So with their tongues planted firmly in their cheeks, Ely, Minn., officials are celebrating April Fools' Day with another installment in their quirky annual tourism campaign. This year, Ely officials announced they've struck a multiyear deal, selling the naming rights of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness to Minnesota-based International Dairy Queen.

to read the rest of the story - click here

And the Winner of the March Photo Contest is....

The winner of our March 'Signs of Spring' Photo Contest is Lundy C.

Congratulations Lundy!

We had some nice spring photos that were submitted - thanks for everyone's participation!

We will be announcing the April photo contest subject shortly. If you would like to submit a photo in our next contest, just become a fan of Moose Track Adventures on Facebook & click on the April Event.