need your opinion

[nonamesleft47]

First off you're going to need a large lake, Lake of the Woods, Saganaga, ect. Not sure what large lakes are in the Ely area. I know there are a bunch of guides that operate off of Saganaga. The ones I have talked to specialize in walleye but do catch other fish as well. Pretty sure most are independant although some may be hooked up with outfitters. I know with the outfitter we get our permit through most of their customers are canoe customers. I'd start by talking to some of the outfitters. You might be better off going as an independant and advertising to get clients and specializing on just a few lakes. If you can get hooked up with an outfitter or two who will send you business more the better but I wouldn't want to depend on one outfitter to send me enough business. Most of the serious fishing guys that go up there know what they are doing although if I were fishing out of a boat a guide would be a good idea first day out.

Another thing to think about is most of those lakes up there have motor restrictions and almost everybody uses v hulls.

[onemorecast56]

well Ely is in the motorize part of the BWCA. I`m planing on dealing with resorts not outfitters. I`ve been going up there to Ely since I was 3. I`ve met alot of people and 10 yrs ago i was going there and doing some bartering with 4 different resorts installing carpet for my stay,,got to know alot of people,,I`m not doing this blindly,,I do know the Area really well. I`ve thought long and hard on this,,and if it don`t work out,,,MAN I`d had a hell of a vacation...LOL

[Tyme2fish]

I can see a couple of problems with your business plan.

1. Isn't this the off season up there? I don't know too many people from down south here heading to Ely in November. It won't be long before the water up there turns hard.

2. Repairing boats this time of year may be a better option up there.

Good fortune to whatever you decide.

And yes, my unheated boat barn does have carpet and TV and you are welcome to stay there, in or under my boat. lol

[parker]

If you dont have any children you should have already left! Whats the worst that can happen if you go, find another wife or something like that.

[kygorski]

My cousin guides in the upper peninsula. For him its an all year thing, he has a snow mobile with sled, a couple of ice fishing shantys, and a gas auger. He wont get rich doing it,but he made great money as an iron worker. There are guides all over the area, the good ones work the not so good ones work, but not as much. Wish I would have moved up there 15 yrs ago. Make some flyers, ask merchants if you could post them, dont forget watering holes. Might take a couple of years, bait shops usually stick with a few guides who sort of grease the palms of the owners. Lots of luck, practise working on Lunds!

[onemorecast56]

My cousin guides in the upper peninsula. For him its an all year thing, he has a snow mobile with sled, a couple of ice fishing shantys, and a gas auger. He wont get rich doing it,but he made great money as an iron worker. There are guides all over the area, the good ones work the not so good ones work, but not as much. Wish I would have moved up there 15 yrs ago. Make some flyers, ask merchants if you could post them, dont forget watering holes. Might take a couple of years, bait shops usually stick with a few guides who sort of grease the palms of the owners. Lots of luck, practise working on Lunds!

Hell I can`t make no money on Lunds,,,lol, they ain`t like a tracker and leak,,,Well if i can somebody interested in my idea,,plus i`ll be alot cheaper then them up there,,they get 350 for a 8 hour trip,,,I`ll do it for 200.00 and give them a nice time,,shore lunch and all if they want,,,I`m a good cook,,,but if I can get the resort owner out with me and show hime what I can do,,I think I canmake it work,,but desided to just take my truck and boat ,,make a deqal with a resort to rent a cabin for 2 months,,,I`ll know by them if I`ll make it up there,,if not move back around here before i run out of money and just chock it up to a good vacation,,lol

[onemorecast56]

Well guys,,,I`ve done a bunch of research and hard thinking since I have only 1 shot at what I`m going to do the rest of my life. All of a sudden it hit me last night that my boat shop up there wont work,,cause 1 most the people up there have 14-16ft alum V-hulls with no carpet, 2 the boats up there are great boats,,and don`t leak.(no trackers up there) and any bassboats up there are tourist Most the boats I do here are bassboat or runabout,,all fiberglass, So there goes that idea,,

No as far as my guide service,,the idea sound great and would work if I could get enought resort owner to give me a shot at doing it. I`d use a guide like what I was wanting to do,,if i ewas short on time,,perfect example,,A buddy and I went to White Iron lake,,looked for 3 days hard..Jim and I was on the dock scraching our heads whe we looked up and here come the owner with a trolling motor dethp finder and his rod,,,got in the boat,went 200 ft of the front of the docks,,had alimit of walleye in 30 minutes,came in and smiled at us,,went and cleaned his fish,,,well I`ll be,,wasted 3 days,,fish in front of the dock,,after that we would hit it every morning and evening,,and kiled them,,wish somebody had saved us all that time.

Another thing is the cost,I was thinking of makeing a deal with a resort for a deal on a little cabin for 6-8 weeks,,and see if it was going to work,,well got to looking at places I use to stay at,,,OH MY GOD! the prices are unreal,,the last time there we payed 450 a week on the off season,,,the same 50yrold cabin that barely keeps you rhead dry is 900-1100 a week! And I got to looking and all of themare like that,,no wonder Ely is dieing and and needing jobs,,,Hell cut your Dan prices to where the avg family can afford it and you`ll fill your cabins up instead of the resort being only 12 full..everytime I`ve gone early,,most the time I`m the only one there,,

So I have no idea what to do,,guess i`ll stay around here somewhere,,or take that 30k and go up there for the summer ,,blow all the money,,all but for a couple of hundred bucks so i can just shot myself and be done,,but had a hell of a time....LOL busted dream,,,don`t worry guys,,,I don`t have the B..ls to pull the trigger,,,my luck I`s miss

[parker]

I thought you would come around after the Makers Mark or whatever wore off.

[onemorecast56]

I thought you would come around after the Makers Mark or whatever wore off.

Aw it was wishful thinking and the stress i`m in,,but Ely is crazy,,so I was looking in the Tower Mn where Lake Vermillion is...my musky lake,,and I a plyed for a boat repair man,,work on motors,fit new boats,,pontoons,,ect,,just what I do here,,then I aplyed for a dock guy,,if I get either one,,I`ll still go out every night and learn the lakes,,thank goodness i got a GPS,,that lake has over 200 islands...if I get the job I`ll get my motorhome and go,,they can`t throw me out of it...LOL but thats still 5 monthes away

[RoadToad]

Sounds like you've got a Plan B, and C, and even a D and E if you need them... you're ready, willing and able to do whatever you gotta do. You're gonna be alright. I went through a divorce too, and I know how stressful it can be. I felt like everything was ending, but in a way it was really just beginning, and I realize now that the glass I was looking at was half full all the time. God Bless. I wish you the best of luck in the future.

[parker]

Aw it was wishful thinking and the stress i`m in,,but Ely is crazy,,so I was looking in the Tower Mn where Lake Vermillion is...my musky lake,,and I a plyed for a boat repair man,,work on motors,fit new boats,,pontoons,,ect,,just what I do here,,then I aplyed for a dock guy,,if I get either one,,I`ll still go out every night and learn the lakes,,thank goodness i got a GPS,,that lake has over 200 islands...if I get the job I`ll get my motorhome and go,,they can`t throw me out of it...LOL but thats still 5 monthes away

Now you are talking with an almost clear mind! I would encourage anyone to follow their dream and with a level head you will make it. I would say get you a plan and a backup and try it, if it doesnt work out fall back on the 2nd plan and try again later. Dont be afraid to do anything, I shook hands with a gay guy once and didnt catch anything. Man was I glad.

[onemorecast56]

Well it looks like I`m going to give it a shot. Wife wants me out of this state so bad for some reason that shetold me tonight that for me to figure how much it would take to go where ever I want and stay the summer trying to make a go of it,,that`ll be another good 10.000 extra so I wouldn`t have to get into the 30k I`m getting to walk away. HMMMMM
SHE MUST HAVE SOMEBODY READY TO MOVE IN OR SOMETHING,, wonder where she`s getting all this cash at. She wants me gone bad,,,lol should hold out for a new Ranger or something. But I`ll give it a shot! Find me a outdoorize woman, one that likes to fish,drive a truck and I`ll teach her to drive my boat. Nothing like a burly woman..lol But if it don`t work,,,well I would have had a great last vacation. What I really like to do is go to Ely in the spring and summer,,and come back here and do my boat biz in the winter,,thats my busy time anyway,,But scared to death to try but look out people the smelly hillbilly is heading your way,,,this is a warning