Adam Johnson Outdoors • Guide's Notebook

Adventure at the End of the Road

So, it's time to hit the field or drop the boat in the water for your next outdoor adventure! But where do you go? Where do you stay? What do you bring? Is the bite hot? Are the ducks flying? Is the ice out? Should you expect tracking snow? Importantly, is there a hot tub? Questions. There are always so many questions.

Adam Johnson Outdoors travels the region seeking out - and staying at - the top lodges, resorts, and camps that feature the best in accommodations for the outdoors enthusiast. So, stay where Adam stays, but call ahead to check the action. Every outdoor hotspot we recommend will tell you all you need to know to make your next adventure productive, exciting, and, at the end of a long day outdoors, relaxing. The guides, staff, and cooks at our selected sites are top notch and will make you feel right at home.

Sportsman's Lodge

Sportsman's Lodge is located on Lake of the Woods, the largest fresh water lake in North America after the Great Lakes. This lake is dotted with islands in the north and has a huge expanse of open water in the south. The structure and diversity gives way to excellent walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass, musky, lake sturgeon, and jumbo perch fishing.

Pike Bay

Nestled on the southeast shore of Lake Vermillion, Pike Bay Lodge is your northern getaway for everything from fishing, hiking, golfing, snowmobiling, shopping, and anything in between. You can fish for walleye, northern pike, musky, large- and smallmouth bass, crappies, sunfish, and more. Lake Vermillion covers over 40,000 acres and is dotted with 365 islands, all surrounded by 1,200 miles of shoreline.

Bill Slaughter

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) is vast and beautiful. The sound of a loon cry, the chatter of a chipmunk, and the soft splash of a paddle dipping into the water all await the explorer wanting to get away from it all in the BWCA. Bill Slaughter has been guiding in this wilderness for more than 20 years and knows every hidden secret the BWCA is ready to give up. Winter or summer, canoe camping, dog sledding, hunting or fishing Bill can make your BWCA experience special.

Stokes Bay Resort

Stokes Bay Resort on the far eastern shore of Rainy Lake is a remote wilderness renowned for its quality fishing, hunting, and solitude. The closest road is over 25 miles away, and the resort is accessible only by floatplane or boat. There are literally hundreds of miles of wilderness shoreline to fish, hunt, and explore. Leave the drive to lodges for someone else and discover this truly remarkable lake.

Adam's Outoor Tips

Reading Outdoors

Creating a Profile
: Most of the anglers out there today are well versed in how to present a crankbait or rig a plastic worm, but when it comes to locating the fish to achieve some success with a lure presentation things get a bit hazy. My game plan for finding fish is what I call, "Setting Up the Profile"…
Anatomy of a great panfish lake
: Think of your favorite panfish lake. The one with those bull bluegills and slab crappies. There's a reason this lake is so productive and it has everything to do with the characteristics of the lake.
Hunting dog conditioning is important year-round
: The time most hunters seem to think about getting their dog into shape, if they think about it at all, is right before the hunting season begins. A year-round conditioning program, besides offering the obvious benefits of making your dog more productive during the hunting season, provides for an overall healthier dog too.
Forcing the bite
: When finicky walleyes won't cooperate, try these luck-changing tactics.