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Ipso Facto: The
photographs of the people with
their catch, before releasing…they
know the reason why they fish
responsibly, why they take pictures
in the wilderness, after landing
a fish more than half their
size – because Lake of
the Woods is wild, and will
be that way, with good governance
and public attention.
People like to holiday at Lake
of the Woods in the summer,
and in the winter – snowmobiling,
cross-country skiing, hunting
and ice-fishing, and the wilderness
remains.
They do come for the fish –
that is what attracts an angler
to Lake of the Woods.
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A New Type of Net
Luring Tourists: There are
no marlin, no whale, no shark, no giants of
the sea, but a check of web sites dedicated
to the best fishing for the giants of the
lake – muskellunge, pike and walleye
– shows that Ontario’s Lake of
the Woods ranks high. Web surfers can access
fishing sites, resorts, recreation activities
and fishing photographs depicting size and
scope – pictures of muskies and men,
men standing tall, arms open wide, holding
the object of their effort. Smiling for the
camera; yes, they post them on the Internet
(and yes, some of them are women – but
mostly men.)
Web users can find them there, pictured in
the quiet marsh, surrounded by rocky shores
lined with birch and pine. They have been
fishing where moose wander and bears lope,
where muskrats ramble. Muskrat, along with
beaver and wolf, were among the first items
of trade between the intruding Europeans and
the region’s First Nations people –
the Ojibwa, Cree and Sioux.
Today’s anglers fish history, in areas
managed to maintain fishable species and habitats
where nature holds course, either by government
or private will. They fish where the environment
is protected, because that environment is
the reason the photographs are taken. People
protect The Lake of the Woods smartly.
Lakeside Attraction: A read
of the Internet concerning The Lake of the
Woods shows an area rich in wild beauty. People
are drawn there by stories and photographs
of wilderness adventures, enchanted by achievements
of patient endurance and reward that exists
only because the lake exists, a very complex
lake, geologically. The people in the photographs
report boating, fishing, hunting, hiking and
touring fun and frolic; they have their photos
taken where the species live in the wilderness,
still striving to survive the intrusion of
boats, cottages, resorts, roads and resource
extraction.
Much of Lake of the Woods remains relatively
untouched. Its very complexity protects it,
for few venture into it. While many people
enjoy a seasonal hiatus, far removed by plane
or boat to a quiet, remote lake-side cottage,
camp or resort, the heaviest casual vacation
and recreation use - and the greatest ecological
disturbance - occurs near highways and in
cities, towns and villages. There are parks,
resorts, campgrounds, trails, shoreline cruises,
historic sites and cultural centres from the
lower Rainy River/Minnesota border area, north
along Highway 71 and the eastern shore of
the Lake, then northwest to Kenora and Keewatin,
at the lake’s northern tip, where it
meets the Winnipeg River, and the Trans Canada
Highway.
Wilderness Beckoning: However,
throughout the vast islands that crowd the
lake, out from its eastern and northern shores,
surrounding the Alneau Peninsula that dominates
it, and along the western shore wilderness,
many fine, far-flung resorts provide a wide
range of accommodations, and targeted tour
activities, including fishing, hunting, canoeing,
hiking, wildlife viewing, photography, historical
and nature appreciation.
Only dedicated naturalists and experienced
woodsmen and women attempt the true wilds
of Lake of the Woods, advisedly with the assistance
of guides and outfitted according to the season
and activity.
Accessibility to the lake, and development
of it, is limited, and often uniquely private
because of the environment. There are tens
of thousands of:
islands – some are
big and wanderable by boat or foot, many are
small, some tiny, rocky or sandy, with beaches
and shorelines that are home to birds, turtles,
frogs and insects;
inlets – marshy, swampy,
boggy or clear, twisting, rocky-shored or
sheer-cliffed;
bays clear and wide or small
and reedy;
duck-filled swamps hunted
by eagles;
marshes; bogs;
fens; forests;
and dunes.
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