North Country Canoe Outfitters

Friends, we've had a busy start to the season, and we're at the start of the long holiday weekend. As you make plans to go out and enjoy all that our region has to offer, be safe: remember to bring the right equipment, operate safely based on the circumstances and the weather, communicate with your friends and family about your plans if you're going into the backcountry, and wear your life jackets on the water.

Today's photo comes from the May 14 rescue that's been in the news this week. It was a happy ending to a rough day for a couple of canoeists. Pictured are two of our canoe teams battling the fading daylight as they prepare to paddle toward the pair of stranded canoeists, marooned on an island near Lake One.

The team faced a multitude of challenges, including rain, high water, rapids, and several portages, for a wilderness rescue in the heart of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Ultimately, the pair of stranded canoeists were rescued by the Minnesota Air Rescue Team once storms had passed and they were clear to fly. But our team was there, just in case, because even the best laid plans need contingency plans. (Jordan 7365 photo)

Minnesota has the best fishing of any state, which might or might not be true, depending on how they’re biting.

Alaska, of course, has great fishing, as do Florida and the Western states, with their crystalline rivers and hungry trout dimpling the waters’ surfaces.

But none of these match the fishing in the North Star state as April looms, and, soon thereafter, in May.

Like no other month, April yields these and other transitions, inspiring in all living things — perhaps people especially — the promise of better days ahead.

Nowhere is this stirring more evident than in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness after ice pulls away from shorelines, then disappears altogether.

On March 20th, the arrival of the vernal equinox suggested winter’s end. But in April and even in May, snow can pile on a paddler’s tent, and trees toppled during winter might block some portages. Also, dry firewood can be tough to find in this shoulder season, making smoky campfires common.

Yet on the upside, during early ice-out in the BWCAW, there are no bugs. Or people. Or sounds, other than the soft whistle of wind wafting through pine boughs.

Yet, seasons come and go, and lake trout, for instance, don’t do this forever: swim in the shallows. Summer arrives, waters warm, and these fish return to their deeper, colder homes, getting on with their lives, as do we.

Still, at this time of year, on April’s doorstep, in my mind’s eye I can see ice pulling away from the shores of lakes everywhere in the Boundary Waters.

Better days are ahead.

By Denny Anderson

We’ll be at the Fargo Sportsmen’s Show March 5-8 (FargoDome). Let’s talk over your plans fir a week of adventures and decompression during this summer.

Come over to the Sportsmen’s Show and let’s plan your Minnesota Boundary Waters Wilderness adventure.

The Boundary Waters is the crown jewel of the U.S. Wilderness System. Let’s talk about YOUR wilderness adventure.

Let’s talk over a custom planned wilderness canoe trip adventure at the FargoDome. Beginner to veteran tripper. Or call us for our 44-Page booklet brochure: 218-365-5581.

Let’s talk over your wilderness canoe trips adventure at the Sport Show. Bring your trip dates and we can reserve your Boundary Waters entry permit immediately. Or, call us for our 44-page booklet, and we can have it on its way tomorrow.

Peaking auroras 2025 & 2026. Next peak is 2036. Now is the summer to come! Call for our 44-page brochure booklet. 218-365-5581. Or request via our website at: boundarywaters.com