I was just thinking about this and I was wondering if anyone else here from MN would like to get together for some campig/fishing this summer? maybe if there is a place near a gun range?

just spitballing, and seeing if anyone might want to do it.
and of course anyone from nearby states is welcome to come too!

I would be willing to go.

Hey you are from Crookston, I have passed through there many a times on trips to and from Minot ND.

next time you come through give me a shout! I'll be here in college til fall 2010

I'll give a shout around the beginning of July.

sounds good, I'll be here!

anyone else feel like getting together this summer some time?

I'd be interested depending on what time of year. (Hey-we gotta talk about the boat, too)

ya mon, sounds like fun.

Timing is everything, but I'm all ears!

I'm up for it.. I'll even help host it if you want to enjoy the cool north shore on a hot summer weekend. Let me know what I can do to help.

I am a firm....maybe. We are building a house this summer and that is priority 1 for us. But if it works out, I could be coerced into it. Err, would it be in flying bear territory?

I'm in.

Probably...

I'd be interested. Even if we do let people from sconnie come.

Well, I'm FROM MN. I just happen to live in sconny.

Purple and Gold run through my veins, even if I have to watch another season with that clown as the QB.

I'm in!

Probably helps a bit that I'm close, eh? :P

nice add with the "eh" on the end

ok, well now that people are interested, what part of the state and times would work best for people?

Schit...I got a min 3 hr drive, so I don't care where it is, I have to drive anyway.

Duluth is nice this time of year.

You're welcome!

anyone know of a good place by duluth?
it looks like most of us are in the northern half of the state anyway.

I know lots of them...What kind of place do you think we would need.

Northern_Dave's dad lives by a hell of a nice place. Cold beer and good food to boot, eh'.

I was 1/2 kidding when I said that, that is where I'm from. But there are quite a few nice places around there.

I'm thinking I like that spot even more. It is Island Lake, it is by several lakes, I'm sure there are enough of us that could bring a boat too.

That looks like a nice area, should be a campground where we can have a nice campfire, some tall pines, sky blue waters, lofty balsams,.....sounds refreshing.

Which Island Lake are we talking? Would love to attend, but would need particulars to find if it would be feasible. Best to all, John

Close to Duluth would me nice I am about 3 hours east of there.

stephANIE
I agree nice touch with the "Eh" thats good old fasion Yooper talk lol.

"Yooper dialect differs from standard English primarily due to the linguistic background of settlers to the area. The majority of people living in the Upper Peninsula are of either Finnish, French Canadian, Flemish, Scandinavian, or German descent. Yooper is so massively influenced by these areas' languages that speakers from other areas may have difficulty understanding it. The Yooper dialect is also influenced by the Finnish language making it similar in character to the so-called "Rayncher speek" of the Mesabi Iron Range in northeast Minnesota."

The Island Lake just north of Duluth on hwy 4. There is a campground there too. Hell, there are lots of campgrounds aroud there I think. Boulder Lake, Fish Lake, Rice Lake, Island Lake, all close together, I'm pretty sure they all have campsites, I know they all have walleyes and northerns.

There is the United Northern Sportsmans gun range there as well, though I don't know the hours of busniess.

Just found this. This is the one I was thinking of.

ISLAND BEACH CAMPGROUND
Owners: Alan & Rose Jenny
Island Lake
6640 Fredenberg Lake Rd.
Duluth, MN 55803
(218) 721-3292
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.northwoods.net/islandbeach/

HSK. cabins or camping. Boat/motor rental, bait, tackle, take-out food, firewood & fish licenses. Game room, boat launch, store, shoreline gas, showers, laundry, beach, playground, group picnic area & dump station. Canoes, paddle boats & waterbike rental. Located 20 min. N. of Duluth. Special rates offered spring & fall. Pets welcome on leash. V, MC, AE, DI. Open May 1-Sept. 30.

If fishing is to be had I am in, I love guns and shooting but fishing is at my core. I have most likey been past some of these lakes at one point in time. I will have to find out if they have bass in them....and get a MN fishing license.

Dey got bass. But why in the hell would you want to catch bass when you could catch walleyes and norhtern.

I'll bring a boat, it that is what we are doing.

I'm pretty much booked up until the weekend of July 17th though. So if it is before that, no can do here.

Don't hang me for saying this but, bass taste just as good as walleye and they are twice as fun to catch (to me at least). I have fed Bass to many people and told them that they ate walleye, once you tell them it was Bass then they say (oh that was terrible). Smallies for the most part hang out in the same places as walleye. If you cook them the same they taste damn near the same. I would like to add that if you pull bass off the shore in a hot day they tend to taste a little different (usually large mouth). I love to catch and eat them all, I mostly go for Bass and Pike. I do all of my walleye fishing early in the season when bass isn't open, all three taste good though.

well then you can have my Bass
I'm all for Island beach.
Tzone, would you mind checking on a group rate for there?
see what they have available and we can see what weekends would work for all or most of us?

Yeah I can do that. I'm assuming after the 4th of July the rates my be a little better, since there isn't a holiday for awhile.

Remind me agin, I can't call today, but can tomorrow.

Any idea of a head count?

There are lots of other things to do around there as well, for anyone that doens't want to fish. Lots of hiking/biking trails just up the road from there.

OK,

SNAFU #1 That place and phone # are no longer valid. I will track down some other spots in that area and post some info.

Boulder Lake should have something too.

anything that will work sounds good to me. helps you're from the area and know more than I would.

I know for me it will be my son and I probably, he's pretty young, turns 1 in august. so I might have to just hangout at the camp and do all the cooking, which would be fine by me.

I might bring a friend with, who knows I'll have to see what he's up to whatever weekend we decide.

From a very selfish standpoint, mid to late August would be best for me. My daughter's softball season ends with Nationals in Kansas right around the first of August.

I'm planning on heading to colorado mid august, so it wouldn't work for me, but just because I had the idea doesn't mean I have to be there, its whatever will work out for everyone

I have a family reunion in South Dakota the weekend of July 25th, so it just won't work for everybody. Pick a date and let the chips fall. No hard feelings, stuff happens. I do think Colorado should be there cause it's his fault!

I found another near the same area. Sliver Fox Lodge, on Boulder Lake. Says it has 42 campsites. I'll call tomorrow, hopefully tomorrow we'll have a better head count.

LOL I sure would like to make it, but with the divorce going on and everything, who knows. we'll make it work somehow

If we're bringin' kids, I might as well bring mine too. My boy would go for sure, my daughter is not so much the outdoors type...yet.

but kids love to camp!

I know I would need a campsite for myself, with room for another couple in a tent, thats what I would have

if we were "tenting" it I would probably find a sitter for the little un

We're all family, hell yeah, if ya got 'em, bring 'em, unless you just need to get away, lol!

I'd probably stay at my mom's house, which is a 15min drive from most any place we'd camp at.

whats the fun in that

you afraid of my cookin

Oh I'll eat your cookin'. You haven't met me yet. There ain't much I don't eat.

Really it depends on who comes with me.

anyone else?

Do we have this narrowed down to a known weekend yet?

i'm just catching up with this.


good chance this will work for me & my merry crew.

July looks good for me also. I would also bring a boat.

july works for me.

Go for August to many things in the fire in July, and September is early goose, bear, archery, etc. That would be a great summer wrap up.

are there any available permits for bear in your area?

what part of the state are you in?

I have an update. I ment to put this up last week but it got lost in my pile of work on my desk.

Silver Fox Lodge on Boulder Lake doesn't have a group rate. Their rates are $30/per night. She did say if we give enough advance notice, she has a site where we can all be together. It sounds like they have tent and camper sites available.

So the next step is to set a date. Late July-September would work for me, but don't base it on my schedule.

I can try to help out where I can, but I'll be working out in the field for the rest of the summer, starting about this Thursday.

Tom

once we get a date on paper I'll be able to commit yea or nay

Will the snow be gone by then??

If this is up in the Duluth, area, I may be able to come in July but it depends on the date.. I'll just have to watch and see..

Snow should be melting by then. I'll let you know, I'm heading up there on Thursday. Crazy wife is running in a 1/2 marathon there this weekend.

is it grandmas marathon already?

Yes sir.

Aaaah,, she's only half-crazy then..

If date/weather work out, I'll ride the Ultra up there for the meet/greet.. Should be a decent run..

i'd like to ride my petro scoot as well but if i go that a way the rest of my tribe would want to go as well beings that's where gram & gramps lives.

We'll see, maybe I can come up with an excuse to ride seperate

mama can follow with the family truckster full of screaming fighting kids.

All I can say, is keep me posted. My daughter's softball team got a birth to the National tournament in Shawnee, Kansas for the last week of July. We get about 3 weeks off and then ball cranks right back up again with the start of the fall ball season. 'Won't really get significant time off until the end of March when Dome Ball wraps up. About a 6 week break, and then she's back at it again. 'Sure keeps us hopping.

That's enough softball to make a guy's head spin. Good for your daughter...and good for you, truckin' all over the country can't be easy on a guy.

Hope you get to go.

Tom-she sure keeps us hopping. I can't believe how much our lives have changed as she's gotten more serious about softball. It's literally all we do any more. There really is no off season. It goes right from spring ball to fall ball to winter ball in a dome. She's got a good chance of getting a look from some Division III schools in a couple years. She skipped 14U and went up to 16U for this spring. Her pitching's been fine, but she's struggling with the bat. She gets really frustrated, as she hit over .500 last year and batted clean-up all year. Now she's struggling to stay in the lineup. This was a big jump, and we keep telling her her time will come. I love to watch her pitch. She's a pure power pitcher. 13 years old and she's pushing 60 m.p.h. With her playing up, she can't really take a session off, as the competition is so fierce. The money that used to go to guns and ammo now goes to pitching and hitting lessons with her personal instructors. 'Hope to be able to attend the getogether, but of course it will depend on her schedule.