Spring 2019

Knee Deep In Mack Creek, VandeBerg, P. 4 : Brother duo bust through Greenwood and Mack Creeks, with low water, beaver dams and waist-deep mud to reach the hallowed walleye and bass waters of Mack Lake.  The fishing was worth it but it is an adventure they are not anxious to repeat.

April Encounter On The Sioux Hustler Trail, Simula, P. 10: Spring fever BWCAW backpack trip before ice out seemed like a routine escape, until Dad and teenage-son on his first trip have a wolf in camp under their hammocks.  Made for a restless night but an adventure to remember.  

Be Ready For Big Pike, Brauer, P. 18: Expert advice on how to catch/land big canoe country pike while targeting walleyes.  Be ready for that big “gator” strike, with the right know-how and gear.

Surviving The Boundary Waters With Kids, Lundquist, P. 24: Savvy advice on gear, packing, coping with wind, rain, bugs, mud with kids in tow.  How to show a positive attitude and teach your brood how to overcome the inevitable adversity of wilderness canoe tripping.  The take home message, forget all the excuses to put it off, go now before it is too late. 

Finding Your Own Wilderness Canoe Tripping Style, Stuart Osthoff and Rob Kesselring, P. 32: Rob and Stu rekindle a decade old debate about wilderness canoe tripping light and fast vs. targeting big fish.  No matter where you fall between these two extremes, there is plenty of precious advice here from two elite wilderness guides. 

The Toadbusters Hit Quetico, Fondow, P. 50: 1984 Quetico adventure with seven teenage boys (adjudicated youth) delivers more than its share of challenges and surprises.  But most of all, the wilderness experience taught life lessons these guys still appreciate, 35 years later.

The Doofus Awards, King, P. 60: Have fun with keeping score when trip partners screw-up and break rods, capsize, forget the camera etc.  Whoever racks up the most Doofus Points – must wear the infamous Doofus Hat all the way back home.  Real-life canoe country blunders by expert paddlers and anglers.  Stuff happens- to just about everyone out there. 

Collective Wisdom- Canoe Country Blunders, BWJ Contributing Editors, P. 68: Lots more classic canoe country mistakes by the tripping pros, plenty of hard lessons for everyone to learn from.  The school of hard knocks is one way to gain canoe country experience, BWJ helps you avoid some of these blunders. 

Zulu Magic Update, Teach, P. 92:  New insights on how to fish this super-effective soft plastic jerk bait for top end smallmouth.  Not all jerk baits are created equal.  Get the low-down on the best presentation by the foremost pro. 

All About Hull Speed, Evans, P. 95: Be ready with the science behind making that canoe go better when your bow partner is dogging it.  It is not all about physics but it is part of the picture.