OTTER TAIL LAKE
There are some families who just want to fish, and they want to fish for walleyes. And they want to fish walleyes on lakes that have that classic walleye structure -- sunken islands, sandbars, long-tapering points and rockpiles. There's no better lake for this than Otter Tail Lake. It's a big one at more than 13,000 acres and it's loaded with structure, but it's a lake that's also loaded with walleyes, and they can be caught.

A great deal of a resort on Otter Tail is Three Seasons Lodge. The cabins are comfortable, the location is perfect and if someone in the boat just can't take the strain of an entire day on the water chasing walleyes, there are plenty of other options. The lodge has a game room, there's a nice sand beach and this big lake is surrounded by many quaint communities that can take a couple of days of shopping to fit it all in.

For more information, check out Three Seasons Lodge's Web site at www.yourresort.com.

LAKE SUPERIOR BY GRAND MARAIS
When I take a trip to Lake Superior's Grand Marais area I strap a canoe on the top of the truck, pull my 14-foot fishing boat with the 20-horsepower motor and book a charter trip for at least one day, maybe two, on Lake Superior. This way I can fish some of the BWCAW lakes in the area in my canoe, hit some of the lakes outside the BWCAW in the motorboat and get to chase some salmon and lake trout on the biggest lake in the world.

Plus there are actually a lot of other family options in this out-of-the-way place, such as hiking on the Superior Hiking Trail, shopping all along the North Shore from Duluth on up to Grand Marais, and Lutsen has one of the finest golf courses in our state.

If you're taking the entire family, make a call to Thomsonite Beach Inn and Suites. This cozy camp is right on the shores of Lake Superior and makes a perfect base for all the exploring and fishing you're going to be doing in the region.

For more information visit their Web site at www.thomsonite.com.

BAY LAKE
The kids will love you if you take them to Ruttger's on Bay Lake. There's not a minute in the day when they can't be doing something with all the activities available to them there as part of Kids Kamp. There's a beautiful golf course at the resort that is guaranteed to eat a few of your errant golf balls, so take some extra ones along.

The fishing on Bay Lake can be great for bass and pike. Walleye anglers might have to work for a limit, but they can be found by working the deep edges of the humps during lowlight periods with a bottom-bouncer/spinner setup. Use shiner minnows when you can find them or medium suckers. If you're hooking pike, move deeper. Bass anglers will have a great time on this lake. Work the milfoil beds with jigs and you can catch largemouths all day long.

Ruttgers is the granddaddy of Minnesota resorts, having started operations in 1898 and slowly but steadily expanding the operation. Their popularity is derived from the satisfaction of their steady stream of returning customers, a testament to the great service and fun you find there.

For more information, visit the Ruttger's Web site at www.ruttgers.com.

The perfect vacation is often defined by how well the weather held up, how good the fishing was and how straight the ball went down the fairway. But when you find yourself in a resort that suits your tastes and keeps the kids occupied, the week always winds up ending too quickly. Such is the case of the vacation week. They're never long enough and there's too much time in between them, so enjoy it while you can.