Things you need to know when you are thinking of booking a fishing trip for you and your family or friends. My family and I have been in the outpost business for over 20 years now. We can give you some helpful tips on booking a trip and preparing for the trip.

1) Know what your budget is and know what service you want to pay for.

Each of these will constitute costs.

Do I want to “fly” , drive or boat into the lake?

Know a general area you are wanting to go to fish.

Do I want or need to have a guide?

Do I want the food provided for me and my group or shall we provide our own.

Do I want or need running water? Indoor plumbing? Solar? Or a Generator? American Plan or do it ourselves?

2) Know what species of fish you want to target as most lakes have 2 species that will be excellent and possibly another, but the more species, usually means not as good one of the species.

Remember, a lake can only hold so many pounds of fish to bait fish---be it walleye/northern/bass/or lake trout/ or musky.

3) Walleye and northern are the primary fish of the north. They thrive in dark water river systems lakes. Those lakes will hold the most fish and be the most productive in contrast to deep, clear water lakes which produce big fish, but a lot fewer numbers and harder to catch.

4) Know how far you want to drive--or if you chose to fly in to go fishing, know how far you will fly, or boat in to a cabin. You can choose a long drive and short flights (which are more reasonable ) or if your time is valuable to you, fly out farther and drive shorter to maximize your time.

One thought to remember and think about....do you get motion sick?

5) Use these points to pick an outfitter. Your best bet is to use someone who was recommended to you. This saves allot of time checking and worrying about finding a good outfitter. Every outfitter has fish, but to what degree and what condition is his equipment. The major point of concern is, will he or can he fix something in a timely fashion should it break while you are at the lake. We all know things will break at times. And no one wants to hear any bull_____. The family operation has pilots and and employees that shine and are more eager to see that all things are to your satisfaction. (compared to some of the bigger companies.) Family owned and operated businesses care about you and care that your trip is a great trip and that they will see you come back again and again and again.

6) Don’t skimp on bait for your trip. If your outfitter recommends that you use bait, trust their suggestions. The cost of bait if just a small price to insure that you have fast fishing.

7) Pre-orders. That can save you having to be concerned about overweight in the airplanes if you are preparing for a fly in trip. If you are going to want or need beverages, be sure to order them ahead of schedule so that the outfitter can have them flown in to the cain before your arrival. The cost might be a little higher than normal, but it will be cheaper than an overload. Also, if you have an early morning flight, get a room near the place of flight so you do not hold up the schedule.

Arrive the night before and get yourself a room so you can be up early and be at the air service with plenty of time to take care of things before you board the airplane.

8) Mostly for a fly in trip, don’t pack what you don’t need. Have the guys and gals get together and put together a food and beverage list of what each one wants to have. On the fly in trips, weight is an important factor.

DON’T duplicate. It only makes extra baggage and weight.

Have ONE person do the shopping. Not each do their own. That, too, makes more baggage and more weight.

Pack in soft cloth sided bags and cardboard boxes.

DON’T pack in large, hard tupperware containers. They take up extra space and cannot be molded or shaped to fit into spaces allowed.

Use actual rod holders (Do NOT use sewer pipe. That is too big, hard, and heavy) for your fishing poles. Place yours and your friends in rod tubes for protection.

9) The water in the lakes is drinkable, but you can boil the water if you feel more comfortable with doing that. Or you can bring a water purifier. They are inexpensive and weigh very little compared to hauling case after case of water. With all the water out here, the water is the last thing you need to be concerned about packing and hauling. The lakes did NOT dry up.

10) Remember, you should be able to trust your outfitter. Know that your outfitter is a true outfitter, not just acting like one and hiring all the work done. A family owned and operated outfitting business takes care of what is important to their guests. They don’t hire someone to do those things for them.

They do their best to see that their guests come back year after year after year.

11) Last, but not least... by ALL means.....enjoy yourself and don’t worry about what happens back at the office while you are away. Breath in the fresh air and take in the natural beauty. Kick back and relax!! And enjoy the company of friends and family. Be glad you are able to do this and share what God has created for us. It will make you walk away as a recharged person.

Book yourself a fishing trip and have a great time. It is a wonderful way to enjoy the nature of our world.