Canoe Envy

At Seagull, we often purchase new canoes to replace older ones. With a fleet of canoes of all different models, all in good shape, it isn't very often that a customer comes along with a canoe that makes us jealous.

But today was different. Here's why:

A couple of guys pulled into Seagull today with a Leinenkugel's canoe! A promotion for Honey Weiss beer, the canoe has a honeycomb and bee theme. Pictured above are staffers Sam and Tim, posing with the canoe.

You might be wondering exactly how much Leine's you have to drink before someone gives you a canoe, but that's not quite how it works. These guys were lucky enough to win this fantastic canoe in a raffle! Think a free canoe sounds pretty great? Well, you're in luck! It just so happens that we're currently selling raffle tickets for a brand new Royalex Spirit 2 canoe! Tickets are $5 and all proceeds go to the Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department. The canoe will be raffled off on July 16 at the Gunflint Canoe Races, and you need not be present to win. Email us at seagull@seagulloutfitters.com for more information.

Crystal

Fish Fry!

The Petree party is a group of friends that has been coming up to Seagull Outfitters since I was too little to hold a paddle. They rent out our two Sag cabins for two weeks, and go fish-crazy out on Saganaga Lake. The men are all experienced fishermen, so they usually have a lot to show for their efforts. Every year, they're nice enough to share their bounty with the staff. Two nights ago, all of us- the 10 in the Petree party, 10 staffers, Deb and Dave, plus some close friends- got together for a fantastic meal.

The menu included 128 fish fillets (!!!!), homemade ice cream, and even this fish shaped cake, made by Shira especially for Carl and Charles' birthdays, both occurring this week!

We all ate way too much, but it was a great time. We hate to see the Petrees leave at the end of this week, but as always, we'll be looking forward to seeing them again next year! Until then, so long and thanks for all the fish!

Crystal

Wild Northwoods

As I mentioned before, the wildflowers are blooming all over the place. You can see lots of different types of wildflowers in just a short walk along the trail. Here are just a couple of my favorites-

This wild iris- called blue flag- is typically found in wet areas, so the Boundary Waters is the perfect habitat for it. This picture was taken near the shore of a small pond.

All along the Gunflint, these wild pink roses are blooming. They're most commonly found in open areas, such as in clearings in the woods, or along trails and roads.

The wildlife viewing has also been great over the past few days. Just last night I saw a moose swimming in a pond near the road. Later, when it was dark, some of the other staffers and I were lucky enough to see a chubby little bear cub running down the side of the road! As usual, there are lots of red fox around, especially when driving down the Gunflint in the early evening. There is also a wide variety of turtle species in the ponds and lakes of the BWCA. Red-eared sliders, painted turtles, and box turtles are all pretty common.

I found this painted turtle sunning on some rocks near Saganaga Lake. Isn't he great?!

As always, it's a great time to be in the wilderness. Hope to see you soon!

Crystal

Who Says You Can't Portage a Watermelon?

Everything is beautiful today on Seagull Lake- the weather is warm, the sun is shining, and the wildflowers have started blooming all along the Gunflint Trail. After a bit of a rainy spell, everything is green and vibrant. There couldn't be a better time to go for a paddle!

The season is in full swing and we have lots of parties out on the water this week.

The Moeller party just returned from a great Father-Daughter trip. Three dads and their three eleven-year-old girls paddled and camped for a few days. Here they are right before heading out into the wilderness- if you look closely, you can see an "I heart Dad" t-shirt! Two of the girls had never been into the Boundary Waters and were excited to learn from their friend, who was back for her third trip with her dad.

Who says you can't eat whatever you want when you're in the woods? The guys from the Kopp party rigged up a watermelon so they could portage it and have a tasty treat while out in the woods. They even had it set up so they could tie it up and keep it down in the water to keep it cool. Pretty neat!

This young man from the Brandes party is a fine example of Northwoods style. With that headnet, the mosquitoes should leave him alone, and the nice floppy hat will keep him safe from sunburn. Well done!

As always, I keep my eyes open for wildlife up and down the trail, and sometimes I get lucky. This past week I got to see a painted turtle laying eggs in the sand right on the beach. Also, when I was at Moose Pond, I saw cute little mink running along the shore with a little fish in its mouth! A couple of customers also reported seeing a big bull moose with some impressive antlers near our Sag cabins.

Don't forget about our monthly photo contest! We'd love to see your amazing Boundary Waters fishing pictures- and to hear the fish stories that go along with them!

Hope to see you soon!

Crystal

Somewhere over the Rainbow....

We have had our share of moisture and the woods are beautifully green and lush. Paul and Eric Douglas from Texas just came off the water a few days ago and emailed this beautiful double rainbow. Despite the wetness, they had a good time. The first day of summer is June 20th and we hope that means sunshine and warmer temperatures. The forecast is looking good.

Deb

Nice Stringers in Mid June

Hello Everyone,

The fishing has really started to heat up in the last couple days. Good reports are starting to trickle in from all areas. The walleyes are starting to hit pretty aggressively around dusk. Most people have been using slip bobbers and leeches about 6 to 10 feet down. Most of the fish are between 15 and 19 inches. Some big walleyes have also made the mistake of munching on the wrong snack.

The Kircher boys caught this nice stringer of walleyes on Seagull while slip bobbering.

The smallmouth are on the verge of moving onto their spawning beds. Males are being caught more frequently, which means they are really close to make the beds. Some really fat females are still being caught. Jigs, crankbaits, slip bobbers, and topwater lures have been the weapons of choice for anglers going after the fun and feisty bronzebacks.

The northern pike are swimming right along with the smallmouth. Most people are using crankbaits and a few spinnerbaits to catch this toothy critter. Most of the bigger northerns have been caught in 5 to 8 feet of water with a few coming shallower.

Eric, from Texas, caught this northern casting towards shore.

The lake trout have started to move deeper with some still being caught in surpisingly skinny water. A couple lakers have been taken by casting from shore!! But, most are coming on a more traditional method, trolling crankbaits over 20-30 feet of water.

Please practice Catch and Release.

Thanks and Keep Your Line in the Water,
Van

Monthly Photo Contest

Seagull Outfitters has an ongoing photo contest, with a different theme every month. Since fishing has been pretty good lately out on Seagull Lake, we decided to make that the theme for the month! So send us your Boundary Waters fishing pictures- we want to see your pics of your great catch, or just pictures of you and your friends and family with your lines in the water. A prize is awarded every month, and at the end of the year we'll choose an overall winner for the grand prize.

At the outfitter the other day, we had a pretty great fish story ourselves. I was carrying canoes out to the dock when I spotted some fish fins near the surface of the water. I walked over to get a closer look and couldn't believe what I saw. A good-sized Northern was swimming right next to the dock...with a huge bass stuck in its mouth! Apparently the Northern bit off a little more than he could chew. I yelled for everyone and we all stood there a few minutes, watching the Northern. We were pretty sure he wasn't going to survive. I ran into the store to get the camera, and when I went back out, there was no Northern in the bay, but there was a bass near the shore. So I don't have photographic evidence of my wacky wildlife sighting...but I do have witnesses!

Summer Solstice is approaching, and it's the perfect time to be in the BWCA. Daylight seems to go on forever, so there's plenty of light for paddling and fishing late into the evening. It's great for those who are out camping, as they have some more light to set up camp and watch for those moose that everyone's so excited to see.

Hope to see you soon!

Crystal

Lake Trout on Seagull

The lake trout are hitting well on Seagull Lake with the cooler weather. The trout are still in 15-30 feet of water. The Schreier Family from the Twin Cities area just came off the water on Seagull this afternoon. As you see, they were full of enthusiasm at the dock and were planning to drive home and bake the lake trout catch from today. It was a family affair as their son goes off to the navy soon. What a great place to spend some family time in the Boundary Waters. Greg caught the trout on a rapala tail dancer with an orange belly in 20-30 feet of water today.