For those that were forunate enough to attend the 2nd Annual In Depth Outdoors Houseboat Excursion!! 
Simply a pleasure to meet new people and talk smart with the guys that attended last years event.
There simply is no better way to experience the undisturbed wonders of Rainy lake than a luxury floating condo provided by Rainy Lake Houseboats. For those of you planning your families vacation next year I HIGHLY recommend calling the staff at Rainy Lake Houseboats to book you trip for next year!! http://www.rainylakehouseboats.com A Big shout out to Billy, Cathy, Wendy, Joey, Jon and all the hard working dock hands that allowed our “In Depth” fleet of 10 floating condos stacked with 60 addicted anglers take part in this annual event!! 
As always with Outdoor Excursions we played the cards we were dealt with from “Ma Nature” I would venture a guess that every single fisherman was very thankful that they returned from there day on the water to the dry/warm confines of their Rainy Lake houseboat vs. a cold damp tent. Don’t get me wrong I’ve spent 25-30 seperate trips hucking logs in the BWCA on camping trips, but I have no issue with modern day convienence in a wilderness setting!! Experiencing the endless solitudes of Voyageurs National Park does not mean you need to sacrifice the comforts off home. This also means as GUYS we can likely sell this MANS FISHING DREAM to the wife and kids!! 
Last years excursion greeted our group of anxious anglers with “Summer Shandy” nights on the Front porch of the Houseboats with the Pungent smell of Northwoods steak burning on the grills. Guys heading down the slides into the………… WARM September waters?? THIS YEAR we got a bit TOO MUCH of what we requested!! I promise I will discontinue the FALL WEATHER DANCE a few days prior to next years outing!! A bit too effective I must admit 
As has been discussed in priot threads the cold Heart of a brutal front powered by “a bit too windy for flying kites weather” made things much more difficult for some anglers than normal September fishing. What is nice about Rainy lake is that what Bordeland anglers refer to as SLOW fishing often means you only catch 20-50 walleyes along with Slabs and Pike!! Fish much less active due to the instable weather patterns, but kudos to our group MEN/ANGLERS for working together. Big fish were still caught, and the smell of shorelunch lingered down the Pine Studded shorelines on a daily basis.
Our Houseboat pulled 2 Skeeters, and there is little doubt the walleyes on the East end were a bit nervous when we passed overhead. My Buddies strapped on the heavy gear made for “Manland”, and fished there 1850 Skeeter hard merely scoffing at anything “Ma Nature” had to offer. At one time I think I heard the distant yell from Andy while soaked to the bone crying “IS THAT ALL YOU GOT!!” They boated between 40-50 walleyes per day, and my hat is off to them for their results in very difficult conditions.
My boat had Mike W’s group “Whittsend” following the first day in which we pinned down a Nice Slab Crappie and Tank walleye bite up shallow which proved to be GOLDEN with the next days wind. I guess I’ll also need to check on the Snapping turtle limit for Dad!! 
Think he inadvertantly hooked up 2!! I wanted him to lip that big snapper for the pic, but he graciously declined the opportunity to showcase his catch!!
Fishing Rainy lake 6-7 days from Ice Crack in the end of April to the departure of Deer Camp in the end of October in our open water provides an angler with a distinct feel for how fish will respond with oncoming weather systems. There is NO DOUBT we endured a tough system, and with that fishing………..Remains Fishing even in world class waters like Rainy Lake. Our biggest Pike measured 38 inches and looked like she’d just swallowed a northwoods loon, and our biggest walleye taped out at 27 inches. I was only fortunate enough to sling Moxies from the new line of AuthentX http://www.bfishntackle.com one day due to the high demand of the product on the first day from other anglers, but I will say Big pike like them too!!
This trip once again served as our annual get together for great friends. Getting together as a group tends to be diffcult in the everyday hustle and bustle of todays world. While there is no fisherman with more of an addiction to catching TANK fish I also must admit I truly enjoy more and more everyday time spent on the water in withing the confines of Voyageurs National Park with family and friends from In Depth Outdoors.
While many other anglers have depicted their boats fishing presentations I too will share our experiences. We fished a tradational fall deep water pattern for walleyes, yet yieded to the wind, and sometimes out of the fish. Much of the water in which I’ve hammered the fish was a bit too uncomfortable for out likings on our Trip of fun and relaxation. We fished a very successful shallow water pattern out of the wind, but NOT out of the fish. We ate Sturdiwheat pancakes for needed nourishment. We talked, Laughed and moaned after eating a piece of Sliders “Diabetic Coma inducing” Chocolate cake.
Life is seemingly made up of a series of unforgettable memories, and this outing no doubt will be talked about for many years to come. For those unable to attend this years event……..Nope you can’t get it back, but you truly want to be a part of this great group of guys out catching big fish!!
A Special thanks here from Rainydaze Guide Service for all those who attended this event, and I truly hope to see each and everyone of you again next year. We’re a close knit group men with a common bond while all being Hardcore anglers, and being a part of this excursion is a with a lack of better words……..JUST A LOT OF FUN!!
I’d also like to give a Shout Out to James (The Great Oz of IDO) with all his behind the scenes coordinating. I assure you this is no small feat!! We as a group have received High Praise from the staff at RLHB for our good nature, and organization. We are the largest group they take care of, and we are a model for other corporate outings. I am very proud of our representation of IDO when we hold this event, and locals everywhere are well aware of when you roll into town!! There is little doubt without proper planning this event would be difficult to pull off.
Here are some pictures from our trip that I hope you all enjoy!! I apologize for my tardiness in posting, and clearly need a secretary with the fishing schedule I’m keeping right now!
Take note the Big Moose Mikes Team and I were fortunate enough to come upon crossing Black Bay!! I would estimate the paddles to be in the 40-45 inch class…….. THAT truly is worth the price of admission for me!! That is only the 3rd Bull moose I’ve ever had the pleasure to lay eyes on, and it is simply an awesome sight for outdoorsman like myself!!
In closing there has been some discussion of possibly holding 2 In Depth Outdoors/Rainy Lake Houseboat excursions next year. My understanding is the hopes are to enable other anglers to participate that might not be able to break away in the fall along with fishing freaks being able to target different bites. You might want to keep your ears open for an announcement from the “Great Oz” or myself on that. I personally have recommended the May timeframe trip along with of course the coveted September trip. May allows anglers to BEAT the Tank fish up in the shallows where Monster Pike, Walleyes, Smallies AND Crappies are all getting it done within the back sheltered bays. IF this happens my guess would be there might be a limited amount of Houseboats for this event available.
