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I decided to ask around, interviewing people who’ve spent a lot of time fishing in the Boundary Waters to actually figure out how people are fishing in the Boundary Waters and answer a few questions. I kept my questions open-ended on purpose while I interviewed people. “What are your top 5 Boundary Waters lures/flies and briefly, what is your approach to fishing up here?” While we’ll certainly get in-depth with specific tactics in a later volume of The Canoe Country Angler, I wanted this article to instruct people new to fishing the Boundary Waters on what they should start shopping for and to give seasoned anglers a few ideas for lures and baits they may not already be using.

by SFBW staff The Four Features Bill  On Monday, February 12th, 2024, a new bill was introduced to the Minnesota State Legislature that would prohibit specific nonferrous metallic minerals mining

If you’re one of the thousands of anglers who take to the Boundary Waters every year with a fishing rod in tow, you know what everyone else is missing. I recently met with Steve Renneberg of Arrowhead Outdoors in Ely, Minnesota, to talk Boundary Waters fishing. While the minnow tanks bubbled and eager hunters and anglers trickled in and out, we talked for nearly two hours, constantly returning to the same conclusion: fishing in the Boundary Waters is downright incredible. 

Author’s Note: Below is a short excerpt from my new book, The God of Wild Places: Rediscovering the Divine in the Untamed Outdoors. The book tracks my journey out of the church – I used to be a pastor – and into the woods. As the passage below hints, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness has been an important part of my healing, which is why I so fervently support the mission of Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters. If you love the BWCA as much as I do, I hope you’ll find some resonance in the words below, and in the book as a whole.

For anyone interested in exploring the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness this year between May 1st and September 30th, it’s time to start thinking about making reservations through the US Forest Service. The process can seem daunting, but it’s relatively simple to get you and your group ready for an incredible journey in America's most visited wilderness area. In this article, we’ll break down that process and some important considerations when booking your Boundary Waters trip. 

Early ice can be one of the most productive times to ice fish, but with that comes additional safety considerations that one must consider before heading out for those first bites of the winter. As the open water starts to glaze over, the allure of that first ice bite is hard to resist, even when the weather is as wonky as it's been so far this winter.

2023 was highlighted by the Biden Administration's decision to withdraw sensitive BWCA federal lands from mineral leasing for 20 years.  SFBW is incredibly thankful to all who helped secure this landmark decision!

With a 20-year moratorium on mining federal land surrounding the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness still fresh on our minds after the decision was made early this year, several questions loom over recent developments on the mining front in Northeast Minnesota.

The art of the cast and blast has always intrigued me. In my experience, people choose this type of outing for one of two reasons. One, the fishing might be bad so at least we can shoot a couple birds, or two, the hunting might be bad so we may as well catch some fish while we’re out here. I propose that there is a third reason someone may decide to combine these two activities, though. Perhaps some people, like me, get so enamored with the idea of multiple hunting and fishing opportunities being available at once that picking just one is impossible. To me, September means fantastic fishing and incredible grouse hunting. When my dad called and said, “We can do whatever you want this weekend,” I took that as an open invitation to plan one hell of a cast and blast weekend.

Fall is also my absolute favorite time to visit the BWCA.  The summer bugs have hit the road, the walleyes get shallow, the temps are perfect for portaging, and the colors are postcard-worthy everywhere you look.  If you’re willing to beat some brush, you can find Ruffed and Spruce grouse in there while being among very few other hunters.  The Boundary Waters is an Autumn-lovers paradise, to be sure.