QUESTION NUMBER 8:

What kind of people go on these trips?



NORTH COUNTRY'S ANSWER:

Once in a while, someone will tell us, "We want stringers full of record sized fish, get deep in the woods but no portages, see a lot of the area and lots of wildlife while staying in one campsite ... and we need to come when it won't rain!" Well, that trip only exists in their mind's eye. Those who feel "roughing it" is when room service is late with the morning paper, probably wouldn't enjoy the border lakes country.

For the most part, our clients are just regular folks, but they are "special" regular folks. They are ones who reach out and grab Life before it goes by. They are not whiners; if something doesn't go as planned, they re-group and alter their plan. They set realistic goals about their trip. If they want to be on a lake by themselves, they are prepared to venture farther than the average guy. If fishing is the prime reason for being here, they come when the fishing is traditionally best. For the folks that want to venture out on a 75 mile journey in 10 days, they know in advance that they won't be spending three hours fishing after getting-up at 8AM. And for parents who take their trips with elementary school age kids, they think about warm water and good weather: great for swimming, but weak for fishing.

Most successful canoe trips take some physical effort. Sure, there are routes that stay close-in and can work with just one campsite. But not portaging into back country lakes will leave you with the rest of the folks who didn't want to portage; chances are you won't have the lake to yourself. As for fishing, we have some of the best in the world ... but that doesn't mean one only has to open a tackle box and the fish will line-up to jump into the canoe. Some knowledge and practice goes a long way.