Lantry said that besides fishing, families can enjoy the many hiking trails in the park, and if you want, you can hike into remote lakes. Janssen said Voyagaire has boats in some of the interior lakes in Voyageurs National Park where you can hike in and have your own boat on a remote lake, and do some fishing and hiking in a remote surrounding.

"There is a lot of swimming, and the water quality is outstanding," Lantry added. "Kettle Falls Hotel is part of the National Park System and people always make it a point to go there. You can see the native paintings throughout the park, and when you do drop some bait in the water, the walleyes, pike and smallmouth bass fishing is the best in the state."

For more information, contact Voyagaire at 1-800-882-6287. Their Web site is www.voyagaire.com.

SPORTSMAN'S LODGE
"It's all about the fishing," said Greg Hennum from the Sportsman's Lodge on Lake of the Woods. "People come here because they know this is one of the best walleye lakes in the world. There's just nothing that compares to Lake of the Woods."

This is no exaggeration, as anglers return from their annual trips to this huge lake with stories of the many fish they caught there.

"One of my best-kept secrets is the big crappies," said Dick Nash, one of the guides there. "It's a fall thing, but the fish are big and there are plenty of them there, but only a few of us know this, so they don't get a lot of pressure."

Sportsman's Lodge is a great family fishing road trip, but only if the kids are old enough to handle the big-water waves and are willing to spend a day on the water trolling or drifting for walleyes. This eliminates the youngsters and leans more toward the teens that just can't get enough fishing time in and are sorry to see the day end.

If you're not equipped for big-water fishing like you find on Lake of the Woods, Sportsman's Lodge has you covered. Their guides are waiting on the dock for you about 8 a.m., and you just hop on the 27-foot cruiser and off you go. They have the rods, reels, bait and everything you need to catch plenty of fish.

Sportsman's Lodge also gives you two options for your stay. There are housekeeping cabins if you want to cater to yourself, or the lodge has restaurants and rooms for those who want full service.

"It's a retreat for those who want to spend their time on the water catching fish," Hennum said.

For more information, contact the Sportsman's Lodge at 1-800-862-8602, and visit their Web site at www.sportsmanslodgelow.com.