Wildlife!

Driving up the Gunflint at night is always an adventure, and last night was no exception. Between Grand Marais and Seagull, Shira and I were lucky enough to see four moose (including a bull with huge antlers and two adorable little calves!), countless deer, a wolf, and several foxes. Although nighttime isn't the best for taking photos, it's fun to see all the wildlife- especially if you drive slowly and make sure to keep a safe distance.

At work today, we had an interesting visitor. This luna moth has been hanging out on the back deck of the store all day.

Isn't he pretty?

Hopefully more wildlife photos will be coming soon!

Crystal

It's Family Paddling Time at Seagull

July is family time in the Boundary Waters as evidenced by the paddlers below. It is a great quiet time to visit the canoe country after the 4th of July. The Juna Family is all smiles today as they paddled away from our dock on Seagull to their adventure along the border with their year old German Shepherd.

Former Staffer Johnse with his Dad, brother, brother-in-laws and nephew paddled out today to Ottertrack and Ester Lake for a few days in the Boundary Waters.

In the photo above Dan and Lauren are on the tow boat on their way to Red Rock Lake on Saganaga. Lauren was all decked out in the latest REI gear for kids. Although she doesn't look too excited here in the boat; she had a great time and will be back in August!

The wildflowers are in bloom, the smallmouth bass are hitting aggressively and it is a great time to come to the Boundary Waters!

Fishing Heating Up in July

Hello Everyone,



Fishing has been really good the last couple of weeks. People have been catching all sorts of fish all sorts of ways. Walleyes are have been pretty eager to taste anglers' hooks. There have been a lot of great reports from just about all routes. I talked to a group who came back from Quetico who had a triple while trolling crankbaits!! A lot of people are using crankbaits, jigs/plastic, and lindy rigs, with the trusty slip bobber producing as well. The depth of the walleyes has also surprised a lot of veteran anglers... as shallow as 6 feet during mid-day. Most anglers say the marble eyes are down between 8 and 15 feet of water.



Smallmouth bass have moved onto their spawning beds which made fishing funny, and catch & release vital. The males are protecting the nest from anything that ventures too close. Anything from jigs to topwater to fly-fishing has been producing the scrappy bronzebacks. A lot of people are sight-fishing with a set of polarized sunglasses and fishing individual beds while others cast towards the shoreline and find beds that way.



Most northern pike are being pulled out of 4 to 8 feet of water. Few anglers have been targeting pike so most northerns have been caught while fishing for walleyes and smallies. Pitching jigs has been the presentation of choice for the big pike.



Lake trout have moved deeper over the last couple weeks because of the rising temperature. A majority of the fish are being pulled out of 30 to 60 feet of water. Drifting a spoon or jig have been the weapons of choice.

Let us know how you're doing... PLEASE SEND US PICTURES OF YOUR TRIP!!!



Please practice Selective Harvest and/or Catch & Release.



Thank you and keep your line in the water,

Van

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