Garden at Spirit of the Wilderness

I noticed this morning that some of the hardy perennials are poking their heads up from the ground...yarrow is one..a sign that we are starting to get warmer days. The daffodils and tulips are about 4 inches high. About the time the tulips and early daffodils bloom, the bass will become more active in the shallows and starting to nest.

When will the ice go out?

We are just waiting to hear 5 little words this time of year ..."The ice has gone out." It's a guessing game many in Ely, Minnesota like to participate in. If you were to walk around town you would probably over hear " So, when do you think the ice will go out?" "Not sure, should be any day now."

Those of us that enjoy paddling canoes and kayaks can't wait for the open water of spring. The melting of the lake ice is a welcome sight. Sure, we might have enjoyed a little ice fishing, cross country skiing or snowmobiling on the frozen lakes, but it is an exciting time of year to know that the summer sports are just around the corner.

Some our smaller lakes have already seen the last days of ice cover until next winter. Driving around yesterday we were able to see how dark the ice is getting on many lakes. Dark ice is a sure sign that it will not be much longer before the ice is out.

Spring is in Ely, MN !

Spring has finally arrived in Ely, MN this week. We are sitting at about 63 degrees today, Wednesday, April 15, 2009. The snow seems to be melting quickly, but not fast enough for those of us who are looking forward to getting in a little paddling. We still have some patches of snow in the trees and the shade. The lakes are still iced up at this point. It will be a bit longer before we see open water. Let's hope for some more warm weather.

It is time to start spring cleaning and time to get the Spirit of the Wilderness Shop and canoes ready for another great season to canoe and camp in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

It won't be much longer now and we will be unpacking new and exciting product for the shop. It is always fun to see the new camping gear, clothing, footwear and fishing tackle that arrives every spring.

Just a few more weeks and we will be open for the 2009 season. We look forward to seeing everyone and hearing your stories about your canoe & fishing trips this summer. It's not too late to book your Boundary Waters canoe trip. Give Spirit of the Wilderness a call at 800-950-2709 to reserve your trip.

Ely Guide Company Fishing Report

Here is a fishing report from the last few days:

I made it out fishing the last few days enjoying some sunshine and warm weather at times. I was able to fish with an old buddy of mine from the twin cities Mike R.

Saturday the 28^th of March: We went out on one of my favorite pan fish lakes and found our selves fishing in our tee shirts. We managed to catch some small crappies and blue gills that we decided to let go. We were using small Northland Gipsy Jigs with wax worms and crappie minnows fishing in about 10-15 feet of water on some weed lines. There was about 20 to 24 inches of ice. Remember to use caution this time of year on the ice; there are spots that are not safe. Current areas and sun beaten shorelines are opening up.

Sunday the 29^th of March: With only a couple of days left in the trout season Mike and I decided to go after some lake trout. My friend Mike had never caught a lake trout. I explained to him that lake trout can be challenging at times and not to expect a whole lot of action. We went out on Burntside Lake and searched for some Lakers. We fished with out success in three different spots for about six hours. We were using tip ups with ciscos, and we were jigging with spoons.

Monday the 30^th of March: After spending a day out on Burntside with no success I had to go out again. I wanted to end the season on a positive note. I went out on Burntside again with a friend from town. We had some action immediately with a couple hits. I was using a big spoon with half a piece of cisco. I decided to change to something smaller, so I went with an orange Rapala Jigging Rap. As soon as I let my lure to the bottom I had a fish on. I iced one Laker about 3-4lbs and dropped my jig back down and immediately caught a second fish about the same size. This was the fastest I had caught two Lake Trout thru the Ice! We were using Rapala Jigging Raps and tip ups with ciscos. We were fishing from 35 to 50 feet of water. There was approximately 24 inches of ice. We used a snowmobile to get around. Again we enjoyed the sunshine for a few hours until the clouds came in and it cooled down a bit. We managed to catch three lake trout which were a perfect eating size!

Tuesday the 31^st of March: Decided to hit a crappie spot on the last day of March. I thought with the snow storm approaching the slab crappies would be hitting. With the high winds and colder temps I brought along my fish house to stay warm. I’m glad we did! It was challenging just to get the portable fish house from blowing away. With the lack of snow on the ice there was nothing to anchor the house. Well we managed to catch a few crappies in the morning enough for a good meal, and then call it a day. We were fishing in 25-30 feet catching the crappies about half way down. We used small jigs with crappie minnows.

Welcome to Spirit of the Wilderness News

Welcome to the Spirit of the Wilderness News blog. We hope to keep you updated on what's going on in the BWCA and around Spirit of the Wilderness Outfitters. We plan to updated with fishing reports, BWCA & Quetico trip stories, and more.

We are looking forward to the arrival of spring. With a few more inches of snow the last few days it seems like it might be a bit longer before we can start paddling across open water.