NORTHWOODS GUIDING SERVICE
Bill Slaughter has been living in Ely all his life. He was born and raised there, and has been a Boundary Water Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) guide since he was a teenager. He has noticed there are more "younger" families taking advantage of the BWCAW because they've discovered how to utilize a low-impact form of exploring this wilderness.

"You see Dad and Mom with a couple of kids who are 8 and 10 years old," Slaughter said. "They drive up in a small motor home they rented and stay at one of the campsites on Fall Lake or Fenske. Sometimes they just rent a couple of rooms at the Paddle Inn in town. Then they hire me to take them (to the BWCAW) on day-trips to explore and fish. I provide all the equipment and cook the meals while we're there."

Slaughter said this has been an evolutionary process.

"Ten years ago, the only young people you would see were teenagers who were part of a wilderness or church group," he said. "Those poor kids just paddled all day long and never really got a chance to enjoy the beauty around them. Now you see younger families, I suppose because people don't feel like their younger kids should keep them from doing whatever they want to do. And they're right. These younger kids love paddling and fishing and hiking in the woods."

If you're planning on doing a BWCAW experience with your youngsters, Slaughter recommended day-trips because then parents can gauge how much time the children can handle in a small watercraft before they get bored. Fortunately, according to Slaughter, the fishing is generally good, so the young anglers stay focused on fishing as long as they're biting. Plan on making frequent shore stops so the kids can skip rocks, follow some trails and do some exploring.

"Take it slow when they're smaller and you'll have some great partners for extended camping trips in coming years as they get older," Slaughter said.

To contact Slaughter, call 1-800-559-9695, and visit his Web site at www.elymnguide.com.

SPIDER SHORES RESORT
I have fond memories of Spider Lake and Spider Shores Resort. It's been a few years since I've been able to get up there, but it still is a great family fishing road trip.

I recall leaving the docks with my two sons and heading through the central basin for the southern basin to do some walleye fishing on the sandflat at the southern tip of the lake. As we passed the point on the west side of the central basin, my sonar showed a big pod of suspended fish. I took them for walleyes until my slip-bobber went under and I reeled in a 17-inch smallmouth bass.

There was no wind, so I drifted over the school of smallies, and my two young boys and I were pulling in one right after another. Soon a few other boats came over to share in our good fortune, and one angler hooked into a muskie that must have been swimming in the school of bass. It broke off at the boat after a long fight.