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Seagull Canoe Outfitters
& Lakeside Cabins
Gunflint Trail Canoe Outfitter on Seagull & Saganaga Lakes accessing Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Canada's Quetico Park

Sunday, June 30, 2013

Happy Official Summer

Well the calendar tells us it is officially summer…finally! With all the cold weather we thought we would never see the day. What's even better is that you can feel summer in the air. Just last night I was sitting outside on the picnic table looking up at the star filled sky with a cool beverage in my hand feeling the warm breeze on my face and embracing the surrounding beauty. Those moments remind us how important it is to take a moment, breath and enjoy the simple things in life....and while we are on the subject of enjoying the simple things, let's talk about fishing!

This is an excellent time of the year for catching topwater smallmouth. They have just finished spawning and are still in the shallows. Walking bait is preferred by most anglers and depending on the mood of the fish – poppers, prop bait and buzzers are all a common weapon of choice, but you can always stick with a jig and leech if you prefer live bait. The walleye are also coming around, and Saganaga Lake has some large ones waiting for you...just look at what our friend, John Matthews caught during a day out on Sag. Lake...a 29 incher!!


Of course, summer isn't summer without kids running around...and boy have we had fun with them. There is nothing like watching    young ones explore the BWCA for the first time. They are interested in everything and have loads of questions! And did I mention they are as cute as can be...

 

The last thing we will leave you with is a picture taken by Brian Mader of some beautiful moccasin flowers that can be seen across the Northwoods...if you are looking to get away from your fast-paced lifestyle and take time to smell the flowers, you've found the place...now all you need is to get here!
 
 
 


Sunday, June 16, 2013

School's Out for the Summer and the Gunflint Trail is Getting Busy!

This past week has been a busy one here at Seagull Outfitters and we LOVE it! The store is full of smiling faces who are excited to start their adventure, along with new stories from those who just came off the lake. The warm weather seems to be sticking around and although it has brought along the bugs it also brought some active fish! Walleye are starting to heat up and are biting best in about 15' of water. As always, jigs and slip bobbers are the best weapon of choice. Smallies are really aggressive right now and can be caught best in the shallows and close to shore. If you are up for a challenge, the Lake Trout are still around and shallow enough to catch! Below are a few pictures from recent trips. The first is one is one of the Mcnabb boys who caught some great Smallies up in Quetico. The second is of our staffer Brad and his string of walleye....both sound delicious right about now…



This is also the time of the year to see Wildflowers bloom and a trip up to Blueberry Hill would tell you that it is going to be a good year for blueberry picking! Of course, the best way to top off a day in the Northwoods is with one of those breathtaking sunsets. So we will leave you with a spectacular  picture take by Jeff Kudla, but remember - to capture all of the beauty this place has to offer you really have to come see it with your own two eyes!

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Sunday, June 9, 2013

Warm Weather and Walleye!

The 70 and 80 degree weather has finally come and we are all hoping it is here to stay! The water is getting warmer and we are now starting to hear stories of the walleye bites. They are a little late this year because of our "extended winter," but we are happy nonetheless! Leeches have been the bait of choice here in the BWCA or if you are heading into Quetico, the mimic Gulp leeches are always a great alternative. We are still waiting on our walleye pictures so get up here and send us your shots! We are continuing to see some huge northern...take a look for yourself at what some of our new staffers, Tyler and Brad caught off the dock...

 
Our recent guests, the Dwyer party, who stayed in the Red House cabin also caught some of the biggest northern in their life...we are waiting for their pictures but we were able to capture some of their smallmouth catches with our seagull camera....
 

 
We love when our guests share their experiences...although we don't like to see them go, we always know there is next year!
 
If you are not much of a fisher, the North Woods has lots more to offer this time of the year. The loons have returned and are nesting, the moose viewing is always exciting, and this year is supposed to be one of the best for seeing northern lights in 11 years! All of us are staying up a little later in hopes that we can see the sky light up.
 
We will keep you updated on what the warmer weather brings to the Gunflint Trail, but until next time check out the great picture our staffers, Carlie and Mariah took on their way up the Gunflint...
 


Monday, June 3, 2013

Summer is on its way...

It has been another beautiful week here at Seagull Outfitters! The fish have been a lot more active as the waters are warming up. We have seen a few people catching HUGE northern pike and the walleye are also coming around and seem to be biting best in the shallows. If you are looking for smallmouth bass this could be your year, as we have seen quite a few. The Yang party, who recently did the Granite River Route was kind enough to share a picture of one of their smallmouth catches...

 
We have also had some fun at our cabins as one of our guests, Ernie, turned 92! He is on the far left in the picture below. Proof that you can never be too young or too old for a trip to the Great North Woods! The birds are chirping and the loons are calling. If you haven't already, plan your summer trip with Seagull Outfitters - we would happy to help if you have any questions.