Outdoor Activities
As my fishing buddies will attest, I like gear. But my travels as a fishing writer have forced me to scale down my gear to the bare essentials. What I’ve learned is for 90 percent of my fly in trips, I can get by comfortably with 10 percent of my usual tackle. Here’s a look at how to prepare for a fly in.
The use of dogs to pull sleds goes back centuries, but formal dog sled racing dates back to the early 1900s. The first race took place in Alaska in 1908. The winner of the All Alaska Sweepstakes completed the 408-mile race from Nome to Candle and back in just over 119 hours. The sport quickly evolved and by 1910, the same race was completed by the winning musher in just over 74 hours.
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Kicksledding and the kicksled first caught my attention a few years ago. I was intrigued. Here was an environmentally-friendly winter invention, available for both competitive sports and recreational activity perfectly suited for Canadian and American winters–and yet it was virtually unknown in North America.
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It’s pretty hard to have a bad visit to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), but every year I hear stories of people who managed to do just that.
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Fresh fish never tastes better than it does at this time of year, which is reason enough to try ice-fishing. Coming from cold water, all species are at their prime in terms of both freshness and flavor. The fish you catch are about the freshest food available in midwinter.
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Ethanol May Cause Boat Fuel Problems
Recreational boaters in most parts of the country have been introduced to gasoline containing higher concentrations of ethanol, a corn-based additive that replaced a known carcinogen, MTBE. The new fuel, dubbed "E-10" for its 10 percent ethanol content, unfortunately has the ability to attract greater amounts of water and "phase separate," or form two separate solutions in the gas tank, usually over a long period of time. Once this happens, the engine won't run and internal damage could occur.
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Recreational boaters in most parts of the country have been introduced to gasoline containing higher concentrations of ethanol, a corn-based additive that replaced a known carcinogen, MTBE. The new fuel, dubbed "E-10" for its 10 percent ethanol content, unfortunately has the ability to attract greater amounts of water and "phase separate," or form two separate solutions in the gas tank, usually over a long period of time. Once this happens, the engine won't run and internal damage could occur.
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If a Lake Superior Kamloops rainbow trout could talk, it still might not care to reveal what Minnesota Sea Grant-funded graduate student Ben Thwaits has painstakingly discovered: the smell of certain compounds found in fish excrement help adults of this strain of migratory trout find their way home.
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At Korkki, old-fashioned, informal ski culture remains the focus of its philosophy. The trails still are narrow single-tracks, the workers all volunteer their help and skiers donate money to use the trails.
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The North Shore’s Wild Whitewater
When the rivers break free of winter’s icy embrace, it’s time for the spring migration of whitewater kayakers. During April and May, advanced whitewater kayakers travel from all over the country to be baptized in the roaring cascades of North Shore rivers.
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When the rivers break free of winter’s icy embrace, it’s time for the spring migration of whitewater kayakers. During April and May, advanced whitewater kayakers travel from all over the country to be baptized in the roaring cascades of North Shore rivers.
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Grand Marais pilot Dan Anderson offers scenic tours of the Gunflint country where he guarantees you will see a moose. On a recent flight, he made good on that guarantee within minutes of getting into the air.
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From my home on Lake Superior’s North Shore, I’m within day-tripping distance of more trout streams, ponds, and lakes than one angler can explore in a lifetime. The following patterns originated in or were adapted to the north country.
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