As Memorial Day approaches it is time to make plans to get out on the water and discover boating. A great time and a great person to go boating with is with your Father on Father’s Day. Thinking of Father’s Day and boating reminds me of a time fishing with my dad in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) in northern Minnesota.
Discover boating and discover fishing in the BWCA
Boating and fishing memories in the BWCA with my dad
We were up at our cabin at the end of the Gunflint Trail and had just completed a grueling backwoods canoeing trip. We decided to take it easy a little bit now that we were out of the woods, so we took the motor boat out. In less than an hour we were in the huge Saganaga Lake. Home to some incredible walleye, bass, and northern pike fishing. Most of the BWCA is off limits to boats, but the huge Saganaga Lake does allow motor boats. We found a perfect island with coves to explore. After we got off the main waterways, we hardly saw anyone else except maybe a few canoeists and campers.
Discover boating with your father this Father’s Day
We trolled around granite outcroppings hoping to land the big one. We were actually hoping to tie into some walleye. This did not happen, but we did catch some really nice smallmouth bass and a few smaller northern pike. It was an absolutely gorgeous day. The Boundary Waters always looks so stunning on bright summer days. We caught enough for a nice fish dinner and rolled back to the cabin to cook up some fresh battered bass filets and have a few beers and talk about other adventures we have been on around the fireplace. There is nothing like boating to bring father and son together. Watch the video below to see how one father and son relationship and life in general revolved around a boat.
While the story of my relationship with my dad does not play out the same way as the video above, there are parallels. A lot of our time through the years has centered around a water craft and a boat.
Boating memory with dad in Canada
Another great boating memory for my father and me was getting in a boat in Minnesota where they hooked our canoes on top and motored us out to edge of Quetico Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada. We were definitely excited to start our canoe adventure in a boat and thankful we were able to get closer to the park thanks to the boat. Plus, it was a fun ride watching bald eagles fly from the trees and loons swimming and calling from the water.
Make sure those PFDs are on when you discover boating
It is great to know that my dad and I have more than past memories of boating to share. We also have future boating plans for this summer and beyond. We will be boating the Wisconsin River later this year and I am sure a boat will be involved when I visit him in Florida. We canoed with manatees a couple of years ago, so perhaps we will take a boat cruise and enjoy them next time I am down there.
When you discover boating with manatees around, be careful
Discover boating
Discover Boating is a national program to help people get on the water to experience the fun of boating. For those looking to get their feet wet, Discover Boating is an unbiased online resource packed with easy, interactive features on all things boating, including a boat selector guide, cost comparison tool, renting options, youth boating programs, education courses – even nautical lingo and how-to videos. Plus, Discover Boating offers tools and information for experienced boaters looking to learn more.
What is your favorite boating memory with your father? Do you plan to be out on the water with him this Father’s Day?
Today’s post is sponsored by Discover Boating, but my love for the boating lifestyle is all my own!
Adventure on!
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