What's Going on in the North Woods

This newsletter is designed to help keep you current on the issues of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and Quetico Provincial Park, to give you information on Williams and Hall Outfitters, and to share some of our knowledge and love of the outdoors and the wilderness around us. We hope you enjoy these articles and share them with your friends.

Visit Our Website and Enter Our Holiday Raffle

Dreaming about the Boundary Waters on a winter afternoon? Get your Canoe Country fix at the Williams and Hall website - the most authoritative website for planning a great paddling adventure in the Boundary Waters and Quetico. And while you are on the website, register to win a great Walleye Fishing Kit that we raffling off this holiday season. The kit includes plastic baits and lures, as well as a great reel - valued at $125.

Around The Base

Ok...so the Blue Jays® didn't make it to the World Series this year. Usually, after the season, many of them might head south to some warm place for the winter, like Florida or the Caribbean. Not this year! The whole team flew west to my feeder.

Thought to Ponder
In some northerners' school of thought, the very mild winter...to this point, only beckons some sort of weather "payback". In my school of thought it means a much easier winter on the wallet for heating fuel!

The Fishing Corner

All Set Up and No Ice to Go!

The only safe ice right now is in the driveway!

The open water fishing season in northern Minnesota came to a close some time ago…or so we thought. As most people in the Midwest are already aware, this has been a very mild fall/winter. It was really great to be able to stretch the open water season out all the way into November. Changes in the smallmouth bass season allows us to fish and keep fish through the winter. A few small bass were kept but most were admired and released, like the beautiful 22 incher below. Usually the end of the deer hunting season parallels the end of open water around here, which is typically the end of the 3rd week in November.

That was the case this year. That is, until we warmed up again and lost what little ice we had on the bigger lakes like Moose. Many of the smaller lakes have indeed, iced over but the safety level is still pretty sketchy. In the meantime, we’ll patiently wait for good ice and reorganize the ice fishing tackle again….and again!

Dave

A nice big late October Smallmouth!

It's Time to Secure Your 2016 Permits

We're back to our preseason format on permit reservations. That means Quetico Park permits are available no sooner than 5 months, to the day, ahead of the actual start date and Boundary Waters permits are available for application starting in mid December. All BWCA permits become available first come, first serve in late January.

Remember...We are happy to secure your permits at no extra charge!

Living on the Edge

So, what’s it like to live on the edge….of the wilderness that is? Blayne, Charlene and I have lived in a variety of different places in our lives, from the biggest cities and urban areas…to the edge of the wilderness. I’ve had many folks over the years of living on Moose Lake exclaim “what a change that must have been” when learning of spending my childhood growing up in the Chicago area.

So, what is it like to live on the edge of one of America’s wilderness gems? Well for starters, it’s having neighbors that can seem to be miles down the road, yet are only moments away…when a friend is needed. It’s having the so called “inconvenience” of a 20+ mile drive to town for groceries but it taking half the time of driving 5 miles in city traffic. Maybe a timber wolf or a moose will give a glimpse on our way to town. Living on the edge means putting in a long hard day of work...then getting into a boat or canoe to fish ‘til the moon comes up. The cost of entertainment living on the edge may be little more than time and effort.

Now don’t take this the wrong way. We’re not recluse or isolationist. We have internet, we watch TV, we go to movies, we root for our favorite sports teams and yes, we’ve even been to Walmart…though that’s a 65mile drive. Many folks I know that live on the edge chose a lifestyle change years ago… a change that was prompted in some cases by a wilderness trip or a family tradition of wilderness vacations. For me it was nothing more than a color brochure and an offer of a summer job…almost 36 years ago! Coincidentally, I know or have met five other people “living on the edge” that went to the same high school that I did!

I have conceded to the possibility that I may be working until I can’t …but I also know that living (and working) on the edge has, at the very least, a moment of retirement every day! For many of us, living on the edge is a means to a different kind of wealth.

Dave

Important Upcoming Dates

We are looking forward to seeing you this winter at a Sport Show or Customer Boundary Waters Night. Mark your calendar now to save the date.

Sport Shows
Nashville Boat Show - January 7-10
Cincinnati Boat Show - January 15-24
Kansas City Boat Show - January 21-24
Schaumburg (Chicago) Sport Show - January 28-31

Boundary Waters Nights
Indianapolis - January 11
Cincinnati - January 19
Park Ridge (Chicago) - January 28
Milwaukee - January 26

Happy Holidays!

We wish you a wonderful Holiday Season and look forward to helping you plan your 2016 Boundary Waters Paddling Adventure!

From your friends at Williams and Hall,
Charlene, Blayne, Dave and Kevin
Williams and Hall Outfitters and Canoe Adventures
williamsandhall.com
(218) 365-5837
canoe@williamsandhall.com