New blog location

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Carl Madsen
Rockwood Lodge & Outfitters
50 Rockwood Road, Grand Marais, MN 55604
888-898-2922 - 218-388-2242
http://www.rockwoodbwca.com/blog
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Smoked Trout

The trout are biting in lakes along the Gunflint Trail and the smoker is going at Rockwood Lodge. As the summer season whines down we have taken some time off to do a little trout fishing. I don't care for fried or baked trout but smoked trout is a nice change from the fried walleyes that we have been eating for most of the summer. 

Our first batch of smoked fish included rainbow and lake trout. They didn't last long! We went out to a nearby trout lake again last week and now we're just a couple of fish short of being able to fire up the smoker again. (We do two racks of fish on the smoker at the same time!)   

Star Tribune Feature - Fishing Report

An outdoor columnist for the Star Tribune, Dennis Anderson, recently visited Rockwood Lodge & Outfitters. During his stay, Joe took Dennis and another fishing friend of the Trail, Bob Nasby, out fishing for walleye on Swamp Lake and fly fishing on Poplar.

Dennis wrote an article about the experience and it ran in the Sunday Star Tribune, dated July 5. The article can be found here:

http://www.startribune.com/telling-a-tale-along-the-gunflint-trail/311648881/

The fishing reports coming in off Poplar and nearby lakes in the Boundary Waters have been excellent. Topwater action for smallmouth has been stunning, with many 18 and 19-inch fish being caught on Poplar.

And the summer is just getting started!

Moose at Rockwood!

Many of our guests are reporting seeing moose while paddling the Boundary Waters. One family came in from their trip and told us that they saw eight different moose, all from the same campsite. The best news is that we are getting sighting reports of cows with twin calves from different lakes! Twin calves are a sign that the area can support a larger moose population.

This photo of a moose was taken less than a mile from Rockwood Lodge in a small pond located just off the Gunflint Trail. In other words, you don't always have to paddle miles into the Boundary Waters to see a moose!

First Visitors -- Early May

The ice came off Poplar Lake late Saturday.  Joe and Maggie were here to help us start getting the cabins ready for guests. That evening after work they went out for a drive and encountered a large bear.  As luck would have it, their camera was back in the cabin. Later that night Maggie had a unexpected guest pay them a visit. A large bull moose walked within 6 feet of their cabin and checked them out! Once again, the shock of seeing a large animal up close chased away all thoughts about taking a picture.

The first human visitors to show up this season were not interested in paddling, camping or staying in a cabin. However, they did manage to paddle around a couple of the islands out on Poplar Lake before they departed. They were working on a short film about Rockwood Lodge and they are probably the first people to ever fly a drone over Rockwood Bay. We hope that they got a great shot along our frontage and we now have a new story to pass along.

Our first cabin and bunkhouse guests are scheduled to arrive tomorrow. I plan on turning the water system on today. I still need to get the sign along the Trail painted and put back up so that they can find us.
                                                                      

Finally, Spring Thaw



Rockwood Bay       April 27, 2015



The ice is starting to disappear of Poplar Lake! Overnight the open water refreezes but it opens again a little earlier every day.  Best of all, the distance to the ice pack from the shore is increasing daily!



Joe and Maggie are returning this year and should be here this weekend to help us with "Spring Cleaning". It will be only few more days before I get brave enough to turn the water on to the cabins so we will have to haul water to the cabins. I still remember when one of our friends turned the water on at their resort and froze everything. It took three weeks before they got all of their cabins up and running. 





Channel Between Cabin #9 and Island



It really looks like we'll get to have fishermen here this year for "Opener Weekend." Last year the ice was still on parts of Poplar Lake until May 18th. Joe is planning on going trout fishing the first day that the fishing season opens. By Memorial Day Weekend he have lots of recommendations on where to fish -- based on first hand experience. I haven't told him that I plan to leave him here at the Lodge while I spend some time fishing for Lake Trout up on Seagull Lake with some friends.



    



Retirement is Over

Daffodils and Crocuses popping up through the last traces of snow are a sure sign that Winter is almost over for people who live where winter is a little less intense. When you live  along the Gunflint Trail you know that Sping is near when the snow level starts to drop and aluminum canoes start to show. Lin and I are starting to get everything ready for "opener" this week. Progress will be slow until the snow is gone --  then it becomes a rush to get everything ready before our guest start to arrive.

Some of our new outfitting supplies have already arrived: tents, sleeping pads, cook sets and sleeping bags. Eight new kevlar canoes, paddles, griddles and water filters have been ordered and should be here soon. Our driveway and the path down to our house are both still covered with ice. The delivery service drivers can not get back out if they drive down to our house. Instead, they leave packages for us to find and never come down to tell us that a delivery has been made. So far we have found some sleeping bags in the pickup bed, cook sets in the back seat of the car and inside the shop, packages hanging off the mail box and fry pans next to the shop door.  When the driveway clears the driver will leave the packages outside the Lodge door or on the covered porch at Outfitting.  

Spring into a Fall

This is the hardest time of the year to live up here in the Northland. The ice fishing season for Lake Trout is about to close. Almost nightly, the Minneapolis television stations show a piece on about people out jogging or about people out playing golf. We have already had a few calls and e-mails from people wanting to plan canoe trips in April. The outfitting equipment that we expect to need for this summer has already been ordered.

In a normal year, it is likely to be six more weeks before the ice is off Poplar Lake. But we always tell ourselves that it looks like the ice could be gone early this year. Now we have to wait for warmer weather so that we can get into the cabins and start getting them ready for this season. I wonder how many times I can organize my tackle box before the fishing opener arrives? I wonder if the lakes will be open by the fishing opener?

The warmer weather of a week ago has covered our driveway and paths with ice flows. I took a fall yesterday on the way to the mailbox and Lin doesn't go outside with her Yak Traxs. The water from the snowmelt that ponds between the remaining snowbanks along the driveway has turned into ice! The slick conditions have done nothing to stop our 11:00 daily visit from Mr. Fox.

Once I get over my fear of freezing waterlines, I like to start our season by getting the bunkrooms ready in early May for the Border Route Trail clearing crews. These are the folks who open and maintain the hiking trails in our area.  We are busy getting everything ready here at the Lodge in the Spring and don't have time to actually help wtih trail clearing but we try to do our part by giving them a warm place to stay before they go out to work.

         

   

Fishing Seminars & Winter Camping

Last weekend, I did a couple seminars on "Fishing for Lake Trout in Wilderness Lakes" at the Fish Fest Fishing Show in Minneapolis. One of the points that I stressed was how easy it is to catch lake trout over the five week period after the ice goes out. In fact, here at Rockwood we often claim that if someone follows our recommendations that they can always catch a limit of Lake Trout in the third and fourth week after the ice is gone. We have a fantastic almost untapped fishery that is seldom promoted.

While it is definitely easier to catch Lake Trout in the early sping it is possible to catch them through out the year. We have had several guests staying in our Lakeside Unit that have ice fished for Lake Trout this winter that have done quite well. The weather forecast for this weekend is warmer and I plan on getting out for a couple of hours and catching dinner.



Winter Camper Parking



Last night was one of the coldest so far this winter with temperatures in the minus thirties. We have five guys out winter camping during this cold spell. They have a winter tent and stove along with winter sleeping bags. However, finding enough firewood to keep warm could be a full time task.

Winter Storage of Outfitting Van

We had an unexpected problem with our transport van this past summer. What seemed like several gallon of rain water poured off the van roof down over the windshield whenever the van was moved after a rain. (It was probably only a gallon of water but when you can't see out of the windshield and have to run the windshield wipers you get to claim a flood of "several gallons".)

Over the winter the van was parked up behind the bunkhouse. Snow accumulated on top of the van eventually deformed the roof about three quarters of an inch. Everytime it rained this depression filled up with water and when the van started going downhill the water gushed over the windshield.

After removing the headliner and pushing the roof back into place, I decided to take steps to keep the van roof from being damaged again. Instead of parking behind the bunkhouse the van is now parked on the hill up to the bunkhouse. On January 3rd I shoveled some snow off the van's roof to lighten the load. Depending on how much snow we get, I suspect that the van roof will need to be shoveled several times this winter.

I believe that weight of the snow is not the real problem. The roof was probably dented by a heavy load of ice that builds up at the bottom of the snow pile. If I can keep the snow from accumulating over the winter there should be less ice and the van should be ready to go in the spring.

Fly Fishing Weekend Package

Join us at Rockwood Lodge for a June 12-14, Fly Fishing and Fly Tying Weekend! This package includes a cabin rental, instructional classes, guided smallmouth fishing in and around the BWCAW and a free canoe rental. What a great opportunity for anglers new to this sport to learn, have fun and catch fish!

Our experienced staff will help you to enjoy this fantastic sport. Some of the best smallmouth fishing to be found in the Mid-West is located in our front yard. You don't have to have expensive gear or travel to far away destinations to catch fish!  If you thirst for fly fishing knowledge -- Rockwood Lodge is the place to be. 

Join us in June for a weekend adventure.

January Plan -- Relaxing and Fishing

We completed our long road trip to visit family members in Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska before Christmas. Now we are looking forward to January with a chance to relax, do some fishing and to enjoy living in the north country. 

The winter season for fishing Lake Trout opens on January first for lakes entirely within the BWCAW.  When I checked yesterday, hikers and skiers have already opened a trail into Duncan Lake. Getting into Duncan and Daniels Lakes should not be a problem. If the weather turns nasty around the opener I may have to wait another week to get some fresh Lake Trout. Fishing will get easier starting on January 18th when lakes outside the BWCAW like Moss, Ram and Clearwater are opened to Lake Trout fishing.   



Trails from Bearskin Landing into Duncan Lake.

The Forest Service is not going start accepting entry permit applications for next summer until January 28th this year.  I plan on getting several fishing trips in January before I need to start hanging around here at the Lodge to answer the telephone.

The day after Christmas, we had a group stay in our Lakeside Suite before heading out to start a winter camping trip. They have a winter tent and a stove to keep warm and lots of experience. (I suspect that they will have to spend a lot of time looking for firewood.)  Lin and I just turn on our gas fireplace and look out our slider door widows at Poplar Lake when it gets cold.  If it gets real cold, I have serveral weeks worth of tackle box cleaning that needs to be done!


Summer is only 4 months away!



Snow, Ice and Work

 

Winter seems to have arrived here at Rockwood Lodge. The bay in front of our house was completely covered by ice this morning and there is only a small section of open water between the islands out in front of the Lodge. Work on many of our outdoor projects is going to be put on hold until next Spring.



Insulation Going Up



We did manage to close remove a large broken window in our house, frame in the opening and cover the outside wall with siding last week during some light snow showers. This week we started working on our indoor projects -- we suspect that the new wall will help keep us warmer this winter. Until the snow depth makes it difficut to get into our cabins we'll still be doing some work inside the cabins. However, many of these projects can not be finished until temperatures warm up next Spring.

Outdoor work in the Winter is limited to projects that absolutely have to be done, can be left unfinished until conditions improve or projects were working will keep you warm. I suspect that most of our "Winter Work" will be completed before January first -- the opening day for the Lake Trout fishing season. Meanwhile I need to clear the driveway from our house down to the Lakeside Apartment so that one of our neighbors can use the apartment next weekend.

Almost Finished

Crab Lake

Yesterday was a beautiful day that was made for taking a long hike. The aroma of Fall was in the air, the sun was shinning and more importantly was I finally on top of the work needed to close Rockwood for the season. 

I decided to take a couple of hours and hike the Crab Lake spur, over a section of the Border Route Trail and up the Bridal Falls. 

It turned out to be a fantastic hike. The Crab Lake spur was an easy trail that would be great for family hikes. The cutover trail from the east end of Crab Lake had a few wet spots but I managed to keep my feet dry. The views from the Border Route Trail overlooking Gunflint and North lakes were payback for the time I invested in hiking.


Gunflint Lake Narrows



Bridal Falls is next to the overlook at the Gunflint Lake Narrows. The hike turned out to be more of a challenge than was I was expecting. The sun sets early between the high ridges along this collection of trails. I made the hike in about two and a half hours but I really had to push my pace on the way back out.

 

North Lake











White Roofs, New Trail and Draining Waterlines

A week ago we were wearing shorts and basking in sunshine. The next day we had over night temperatures below freezing and a high daytime temperature in the thirties. Yesterday we woke up to snow on the roofs and had to find an ice scraper to clear our windshield. Minnesota constantly suprises us wide daily weather variations.

The cold weather is Nature's way of reminding us that the waterlines here at the Lodge have to be drained in order to avoid having to repair broken line next Spring. Draining all the water from the cabins and blowing water out of the cabins and mainlines is a four day task. Our air compressor and the horse that hauls it around to the cabins certainly get a workout.

To keep cabins open for the last couple of weeks we had to put tarps and fiberglass insulation on all of our exposed water valves. (There are 32 metal valves that have to be covered to keep the water/valves from freezing.)  Buried waterlines, below the frost line, are not an option when you live on Ledge Rock.

After we wrap up work on the waterlines we'll start winterizing the sewer systems. Meanwhile we still find a little time to play. The new Moss Lake Trail is officially open.  Until the trail becomes "worn in" we would rate it as difficult. Be sure to check with someone locally for trail conditions before heading out on this hike.

We don't expect the lake to freeze over until after Thanksgiving. We still have a lot of activities to keep us busy -- Stream Trout fishing season is open until the end of October and the netting season for Whitefish is just around the corner. Meanwhile, a few guests have already book stays in our winterized suite. 

Summer Days

It finally seems like Summer has arrived here in the Northwoods. We have been putting out a lot of canoe trips and the cabins are nearly always full. The days are warm but it cools off in the evening making it easy to get to sleep after spending a day outdoors. Everything moves a little slower now that the temperatures are getting higher. Well almost everything has slowed down -- the chipmunks have gone into high gear and are starting to store food for another long winter.


There is never enough!

 We're having an unusually August, some of our guest haven't heard that the fishing slows down as the water warms up. Joe is passing out fishing tips and sharing some of his secret hotspot locations.  Two nights ago one of our cabin guest went out for an evening fishing trip recommended by Joe.  His picture shows what looks like a very successful fishing trip. (Joe and Maggie are already talking about coming back to Rockwood next year.)



Sometimes there is enough!



Under Attack by Mother Nature




South Lake Trail at Rockwood

  This past week we have been attacked along mutliple fronts!  A strong storm front came through the area about 3 am Monday morning and seriously damaged trees in both the BWCAW and at our Lodge. You can barely see the South Lake Trail sign and the path from our drive up to the Gunflint Trail
for the down trees. The force of the wind actually broke one of the picture windows in our house. Nothing but wind touched our home but there are 8 large trees on the ground within 3 to 10 feet of our house.

Paddlers are reporting that trees are also down along most of the portages. The portages are still open but Mother Nature has added a few obstacles to make things more interesting. Many of the locals believe that this was the worse storm to have hit the Gunflint Trail area since the blowdown in 1999.

On Saturday a bear showed up in camp and managed to search every garbage can for goodies. What a mess! When the bear came back again we had already emptied the cans before his arrival. Hopefully after finding empty cans he will stay away for a while. It is really hard to explain why he is even here since we are experiencing a bumper crop of blueberries this year.

The good news is that the mosquito attacks are less intense.  Lake levels are finally dropping and the mosquito breeding puddles are drying up. The evening "humming period" is starting later and ending sooner.   

Gunflint Trail Moose Are Plentiful in 2014

Moose are out in great numbers this year along the Gunflint Trail and surrounding area! And while that news is wonderful in its own right, what is even more encouraging is the number of calf sightings so far in 2014. Nearly every cow moose spotted this year has had at least one calf trotting by its side, with multiple reports and sightings of a large cow with two healthy calves at her side. Yearling moose appear to be moving away from their mothers and are exploring on their own, such as the young bull (male) in this photo. He was spotted browsing through a meadow about 1.5 miles from Rockwood Lodge.

Moose are among the most popular animals along the Gunflint Trail, and these early-summer sightings are great news for both the present and the future of the moose population in our area!

Fishing Update

The fish bite continues to be strong in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and surrounding area as summer fast approaches. The season started out with a bang via Lake Trout in shallow waters. Lake Trout appear to be moving into deeper water, but other fishing action is picking up just in time.

Smallmouth fishing has been reported as strong on Rush Lake and Banadad Lake, both of which are an easy trip from Rockwood Lodge & Outfitters.

And while the cool rains subside, walleye action is just heating up in the BWCA. Reports of excellent walleye fishing are coming in from Horseshoe Lake using a spinner and nightcrawler combo. Fishing the north end of the lake was reported as the prime area, though fish can likely be found in other locations and lakes, including Poplar, Vista, Gaskin and Allen.

Moose Sightings

A pleasant surprise greeted Joe last Thursday when he came out of the outfitting building. A moose cow and two calfs walked down the road and proceeded acoss our canoe landing. He claims that they were only twenty feet from where he was standing when they entered the water and started swimming to a nearby island. It was a typical moose sighting here at the Lodge -- there is never a camera around when you need one.

Chance finally noticed a moose. He usually sleeps in front of the fireplace when he is in the Lodge. When he looked up today he went balistic when he saw the moose mount looking down at him. After about five minutes of barking and growling he settled down and went back to sleep.



First Encounter



We have been seeing more moose this spring than we have seen for several years. There have been several sighting of a cow and a calf between our Lodge and Nor'Wester Lodge. We have also seen a solo cow at the water hole near the Laurentian Divide scenic overlook. What we are not seeing this year is very many wolves. 

Our neighbor reports that there have been serveral sighting of a Lynx out on Voyaguer Point. The Lynx always move on after they reduce the local hare population. Maybe the wolves have moved on and the moose population will get a year to start a bounce back.