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April
Newsletter 2009 Have we said all we can say about Boundary Waters Canoe Area? Spring is upon us and the adventure season is here! It’s April which means the last Michigan Sports show is behind us where we were able to bring BWCA information to the masses. It was the last show before this season starts, Grand Rapids Michigan Sports Show, where the show traffic was slow but steady. What still excites us is how our clients are enthusiastic and passionate. Anyone who canoes or kayaks and anyone who has ever heard of the Boundary Waters always makes a bee line straight to our booth! Even the other exhibitors around us noticed that anyone who has ever been there to the BWCA was greatly and positively affected by their experience.
We also have a few individuals and small groups who would consider adding onto other small groups to reduce costs. Coming up in early May we
will have a Boundary Waters Clinic at Island Lake recreation center in
Kensington, Michigan. We will have a
simulated campsite setup and canoes so everybody can get a little practice in
before they head out on their trip. We will go over everybody’s routes and all
of our gear and we will also go over all the gear lists and fishing gear.
Everyone that attended last year’s clinic said it greatly enhanced their trip.
So we ask all clients please attend and those that have not booked a trip but
are interested in a trip are more than welcomed to attend. There will be a $15.00 charge to cover the
park rental fee and we will also have hot dogs, hamburger, chips and
refreshments. Wildlife Photo Contest Winner
This month’s category is Wildlife. The Boundary Waters is filled with an
abundance of wildlife. Our clients have had many wildlife encounters including getting
within a few yards of Moose and Deer as well as Mergansers, Loons, Partridge,
Otters, Beavers and the many Eagles and ospreys and all those packs of Wolves
howling all night long and that’s not including the long lists of fishing
stories. That being said, the best wildlife photo was
UNANIMOUSLY awarded to Jim Missineo. He
captured a great photo of a Bald Eagle diving down and snatching this Smallie
right before our eyes on the Nina Moose River.
Jim will receive a Wilderness Journey T- Shirt.   Smallmouth Bass fishing tactics
The BWCA is a Smallmouth Mecca. Here you will not only catch great quantities
of Smallies but you will have a great chance at catching a trophy. This might be the easiest species to go
after, they are plentiful and they can be ferocious. They will bite just about everything, of
course a slip bobber and leech is always a deadly tactic but they will hit many
different types of lures. My favorite tactic is to concentrate on top
water the first few hours of daylight and the last few hours. The best way is
to hit every downfall tree, island, points and rock pile. I do find that most
of the larger fish come off of submerged rock piles. They also run in small
schools so if you hook one stick tight there are others around. They tend to be shallow during the morning
and evening. They will move deeper when
the sun is at its highest…so if you catch them shallow when the sun is low,
just move a little deeper when the sun is high.(in the same area) When they are in the shallows I use J-9
Rapalas (fire tiger, perch, black & gold, silver & black) poprs (any
color will work) these are my favorites but I have seen many people catch them
on every lure out there.
When they are deep, my favorite lure is a
simple lead head jig with a yellow or white twister tail. Just toss it out let
it just touch the bottom and experiment with your retrieval sometimes jigging
it back to the canoe works, sometimes a slow but steady retrieval works better. I have also used sinkos and plastic worms
just change up your lure selection and retrieval until you find the tactic that
works. There are many different bass
lures but of course I have my favorites. Lures and Equipment Characters of
the BWCA Dorothy and Vera the crow 1952 Dorothy Louise Molter was commonly known by
thousands of paddlers as the "Root Beer Lady", Born May 6th, 1907, in
Arnold, Pennsylvania she was one of six children born to Mattie and John "Cap"
Molter. Mattie passed away when Dorothy was seven, and the children were placed
in an orphanage in Cincinnati. When "Cap" remarried in 1919 he moved
to Chicago and reunited the family. After attending high school, Dorothy chose
a career in nursing. This inevitably led to her lifetime of living in the
Boundary Waters Canoe Area on the international border of the United States and
Ontario, Canada. She would administer to many, many visitors who were in need
of first aid, including tending to wildlife such as Vera the crow pictured here
with Dorothy on the Isle of Pines of Knife Lake.
In the winter Dorothy would live in the
winter cabin, which was located on the east end of the largest of the three
islands. In the spring she would move over to the summer island and live in a
tent cabin. In the summer she would then rent the winter cabin, trapper cabin,
the point cabin, and the Katie cabin located on another small island. Many visitors to Isle of Pines remember
Dorothy's flower gardens, and the fences crafted from broken paddles, to keep
the critters out. As more visitors donated broken paddles, it wasn't long
before there were brightly painted paddle fences everywhere. Dorothy did have
one rule. The paddles must be broken and unusable, though many were sawed in half just
for the honor of being placed on her fences. Due to the Wilderness Act, Dorothy's property
was condemned and purchased by the United States government. She was informed
she would no longer be allowed to live on Isle of Pines, rent the cabins as a
resort, and was ordered to leave the area. Her many friends circulated
petitions in order that she would be allowed to remain. She was granted
lifetime tenancy in 1975 and as a result was able to stay until her death in
December 1986. Things to do in the Ely area July 30, 2009 BWCA Video!!! In place of a WJ photo slideshow this month, we are linking you to BWCA videos and slideshows that we found on youtube. This month’s video is a great example of what you can experience in the Boundary Waters. Click below to see the video  Share our newsletters with other adventurists and encourage them to join our EMAIL LIST!... Ramsey Dowgiallo |
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| 2566 Marchar Wolverine Lake, Michigan 48390 |
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The real trick to top water fishing is to
toss the lure as close as you can to the structure and let it lay on the
surface for 30 seconds, then twitch the lure a little, simulating a wounded
minnow or frog…chances are if they are there they will hit it hard, make sure
you are ready for a battle. Pound for pound they are the hardest fighting fish
in these waters.
Dorothy came to Knife Lake for the first time
in 1930 when she was twenty-three. She came to stay in 1934 to care for Bill
Berglund who owned and operated the Isle of Pines Resort. Dorothy spent almost
all of her time here, only returning to the Chicago area to attend schooling
required to maintain her nursing certificate. When Bill passed away in 1948
Dorothy became the owner of the resort. She operated the Isle of Pines Resort
from 1948 to 1975.