It's blueberry time in the northwoods

We spotted nice size blueberries this week that were ready for picking. Just in time for Ely's Blueberry Festival next weekend; July 26-28.  Are you coming to Ely for the Festival in Whiteside Park?  Plan to spend some extra time exploring all the craft-filled tents, great food and of course indulge in a piece of blueberry pie.

Wild blueberries

But don't stop there! Come over to Spirit of the Wilderness Outfitters and Outdoor Store for great sales on Columbia sportswear and footwear, TEVA sandels, camping gear, water tubes and more.We are open 6 am - 9 pm daily. Located at 2030 E. Sheridan St, Ely MN.  Check us out at www.elycanoetrips.com

Annual concert on the deck
Mark your calendars for August 3. We will have our annual concert on the deck. This year "BLT" will be providing music from 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm.  Bring your lawn chair for a evening of fine music. Rain or shine


"BLT" is a folk trio made up of Twin Cities musicians Karl Burke, Rich Lindell and Roady Tate. The group performs contemporary and traditional folks songs along with Celtic, oldies ad pop tunes.  The unique blend of voices, guitars and musical styles will keep you coming back again and again.

See you in Ely soon for canoeing, special sales, the Blueberry Festival, concert on our deck or perhaps all of it.

Fishing report - July 13, 2013

If you are willing to do a bit of paddling for excellent walleye and bass fishing; travel out to Insula Lake. Enter the BWCA at Lake One, #30F, paddling through Lake One, Two Three, Four, Hudson and finally the 105 rod portage into Insula. The southern shore of Insula was affected by the 2011 Pagami Creek Fire, but what a neat place to visit looking at the regeneration of ground cover and wildlife.

Move onto the northeastern section of the lake working the reefs and drop-offs with jigs and leeches. Bass are hitting on top water lures right in the weed beds. A father and son reported today catching 5-28+ inch walleyes, 3-4 lb bass and more. Pictures to follow when they are able to get email access.

Gabbro and Bald Eagle, entry #33, have been producing plenty of walleyes, bass and 30+ inch pike.An Ohio group reported catching a 38 inch pike that grabbed the lure, dove to the bottom and the fisherman dropped his rod in the excitement, grabbed the line and pulled the fish in hand over hand. What a great memory of fishing the BWCA.

There is still time to travel and fish the Boundary Waters this summer and into the fall. Permits are still available with some limitations for dates and entry points. Make lifetime memories this summer. Call Spirit of the Wilderness, Ely MN at 800-950-2709 for more details on fishing the BWCA, reserving your permit and outfitting needs

Check out our website Special Offers for August-September. Visit www.elycanoetrips.com

Leeches, night crawlers and more - July 7 2013 fishing report

Leeches and night crawlers are the hot bait right now on most lakes in the Ely area lakes and BWCA.

Lake Isabella, Gabbro, Bald Eagle have been giving up great walleyes. Drift in your canoe across 18 foot depths using a chartreuss jig with a leech or crawler in the morning hours.The web beds have been good for small bass action. Use a top water lure; skitter pop, hula popper, jitter bug etc.  Throw right into the weeds and retrieve your lure along with short jerks causing bubble and action to catch the fish attention.

Pick up your live bait at Spirit of the Wilderness, on east end of Sheridan Street, Ely MN. Open 6am-9pm daily. email: info@elycanoetrips.com or call 218-365-3149

More critters on the deck, Ely MN

Red Squirrel 

Luke, our dog, chased this critter up the tree outside our Sheridan Street door. He finally jumped down and ran off with Luke chasing behind. Corben, one of our staff, commented that he has never seen Luke run so fast. The squirrel got away.

Interesting critters come visiting

A number of different moths have been showing themselves around our Ely building. Don't know what this means but each type of moth has been interesting to observe. This moth stayed around so our customers could have a good look and take photos.

Cecropia Silmoth, from Saturniidae family

BWCA Fishing Report - July 5, 2013

Bass are hitting on top water in the lily pads. Best time seems to be in the evening hours. Using jitterbugs, hula poppers, skitter pops have produced results.
Night crawlers and leeches are doing well when fishing for walleyes. Still 12-18 feet deep or in areas with a current are your best choices.

Shagawa and Basswood produced some large walleyes, bass and northerns this past week.

Here is a trifecta by Tommy Dowden of Indiana. Out fished his dad!

8 lb 8 oz on the left, 6 lb on right (Dads)

M Martin on Basswood

Kawishiwi Ranger District update - June 25, 2013

      More campsites have been opened on Three, Horseshoe, Harbor, and the Wilders. This should be the last group of campsite openings for the Kawishiwi District.  116 campsites were affected by the 2011 Pagami Creek Fire on the Kawishiwi and the Tofte Districts.  To date 18 sites remain closed in the Kawishiwi Ranger District.  These sites will remain closed for a rest period of 4-10 years.  

      

     The maps will be updated on the Superior National Forest web page;

      http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/superior/home/?cid=stelprdb5341928#maps

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      Bear activity

      The USFS has received a few more bear reports:

o    S. Arm of Knife L (probably the same bear making its rounds). No aggressive action but quite persistent.

o   Basswood: especially around Washington Island. Also no aggressive action but very persistent.

Remember to keep your campsite clean, do not bring any food or toiletries into your tent, hang your food pack (12 feet up and at least 3 feet away from trunk of tree) away from your tent and main area of your campsite or use a bear resistant food container.

Entering & exiting the BWCA:

·         You are required to enter the BWCA on a specific date at a specific entry point as listed on your permit. Once you exit the wilderness your trip is done and you will need a new permit to re-enter. The USFS is hearing reports of people who camp on Disappointment or Lake One and other close-in lakes who are treating their sites like campgrounds—going into town or nearby resorts to shop or buy ice cream then paddling back out to their campsite. There are campgrounds and dispersed sites (Tofte, Snowbank, Triangle, Ojibway, Burntside, Bass L., etc.) if you are looking for that sort of experience.