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Bemidji Area Fishing Reports by Northcountry Guide Service


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2013 kicked off where 2012 left off. Ice fishing is in full swing... The lakes in the Bemidji area are absolutely pristine as far as ice conditions go, and the fish are cooperating.

Spent a day out with my family to ring in the new year. A buddy asked me about a little puddle I found last year, and he and some others knocked some crappies around out there, so I thought I'd bring my family out to enjoy our first outing of the year. My son is now 5, and watching him work fish over solo is truly amazing. I was a proud papa watching him reel in a few fish...

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Also had clients in the rental on Lake Bemidji on New Years Eve., New Years Day, and throughout the week and weekend. In 2013 one house has put out 29 walleyes, which is pretty good for Lake Bemidji right now. A lot of the fish are the smaller year classes, ranging from 8-14", but a lot of solid 15-19" fish are mixed in. Perch continue to be active, especially during low-light periods. From 8-11am and again from 3-5pm. Pike seem scarce this year on a lot of bodies of water... The early appearance of the tulibees on Lake Bemidji has been a nice surprise, so I've been tinkering with them while they're hot. A large spoon like the Original Viking Spoon for flash with an 8" drop down to a Lindy Bug with a plastic has been tricking them nicely. The ultimate 1-2 punch.

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Many smaller lakes in the area are putting out great bluegills and crappies. Shallow water has been great, as the snow cover is minimal, and there's still a lot of oxygen. Some fish are hanging out deeper too, and can be aggressive when found.

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Great report Matt, and as always, terrific pics to boot!

I may have to look you up for some of that Tullie fishing! Bet those things are delicious on the smoker.

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Come on down, Matthew! Hit it right and you and my old man or brother could ride down together... wink

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As we all know, winter is here. Temps have been bottoming out and everyone's patience has been tested. Things break, blood boils, but the fish keep right on with their daily lives. Some seem less apt to bite than others, but overall the fishing is still good.

Walleyes can still be had during prime-time in the morning, and again in the evening and into darkness. Daytime fish are a bonus on most lakes in the area right now. To maximize your chances at some good fishing, get out there an hour before sunset and stay until at least an hour after. Fish have been uber-deep during the day, with many fish hanging in 40+' of water. At twilight they move up as shallow as 5' of water to feed.

Two good perch bites going right now, 30+' of water and less than 13' of water. With the lack of snow on the lakes in the area, there's still plenty of o2 in shallow, and lots of forage is still hanging in the standing weeds and mats... Frostee Spoons packed with euros or tipped with minnow heads has worked well.

Panfish in the area are still going strong. I had guests out for crappies and bluegills this past week on 2 different lakes, and the action was fast and furious. Moving until we found the pods, and then setting up the Clam's to stay warm was the ticket. Fish were holding in 20-24' of water on both lakes, and were eating up euros.

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Rentals are still putting out fish! Checked on renters last eve. after a few hours in the shack, and they had 3 nice eater walleyes and 13 nice jumbos! Still fishing deeper edges of mid-lake structure, and getting a nice mix of fish... Set lines ruled the roost yesterday was the report. full-1826-29414-792203_10151464871938694

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Hey Matt! I'm not going to have time to get over there for at least a couple weeks. Are the tullibies still showing up regularly?

Would it be possible for you to stockpile a bunch of those bad boys in the freezer for me until I can get over there? I'd like to smoke a pile of em', and use the little ones for the spring big pike bite!

I'll take as many as you can gather.

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Wish I had seen this sooner, Matthew! I was out there the other day and was playing catch and release after we had enough for my buddy to smoke... They are still biting, with some searching and finesse, and the bite will get better as we get closer to late-ice...

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That's great Matt! Well, as time allows, if you and your clients could set aside whatever you can until I can get over there I'd greatly appreciate it!

I'll plan a trip over in a few weeks. I'll give you a call and perhaps we can pencil in a trip together, or I can quietly tag along behind a scheduled client?

Thanks again Matt!

BTW...those look to be the perfect size for the smoker, AND for pike bait! Can't wait to get into em'!

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Matthew, I completely forgot about hanging on to some for you when I was out the other day! I apologize! I will remember from now on... wink They are still biting, even on accident we're catching them!

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Fished on Friday for a couple of hours while waiting for renters to come in, and did quite well. 33' of water on Lake Bemidji, midday, mix of Lindy Frostee Spoons with minnow heads and bobber rods with Frostees and full minnows put out some tullies, 5 nice eater walleyes, and a big bucket of jumbos. One of the best midday bites I've had out there this year.

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Renters that came in did quite well, lots of walleyes and perch, some pike, and a few beautiful burbot.

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of taking our a client who happened to be from my hometown! Fun day reminiscing and knocking on some panfish. 22' of water, -20 degrees. Was a cold sled ride, but we stayed comfortable in the X2 and only had to drill 2 holes. Pannies seem to still be very active, and still riding nice and high off the bottom.

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Been a great year for all species, we'll see how things settle in after this snow has a chance to affect the lakes... O2 should be depleting in shallow with the lack of sun penetration. We're looking at roughly 15" of snow on the lakes, and more is incoming!

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Matt.

How thick is the ice now? Are there certain areas of the lake to watch out for....ie... inlets/outlets/springs?

Thanks.

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I think we measured 26" on Bemidji. Lots of ice. Close to 20" on a small spring fed lake the other day... Have to watch out for areas like you mentioned on a lot of lakes up here, as many are connected/chains of lakes. Many are spring fed as well. Use your head and you should be okay...

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I think we measured 26" on Bemidji. Lots of ice. Close to 20" on a small spring fed lake the other day... Have to watch out for areas like you mentioned on a lot of lakes up here, as many are connected/chains of lakes. Many are spring fed as well. Use your head and you should be okay...

Very good to know. Thanks.

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Well, we got roughly 14" of snow, on top of the already existing 13" plus... Travel off of plowed roads is not advised. If you are using plowed roads, be sure to respect them, and not drill on the roads, or block them. Tossing a $5 at the plow guys doesn't hurt either... wink

On a good note, the fish didn't seem to care one bit that we had a giant front coming through! Walleye and perch fishing on Lake Bemidji continues to be quite good. Renters came in on Friday and caught fish on the first 4 drops when they entered the house, and had steady action all weekend. Pretty even mix of walleyes and perch, even mid-day. Deeper water is still putting out, but we've stuck to the mid-depths around mid-lake structure. Set lines are producing well. Family went out in the blizzard and found that the set lines are producing, as are bigger spoons tipped with a head or Lindy Darters in gold or dace.

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Panfishing is also going strong. We hit some untouched water on Sat. pre-storm with sleds and struggled to find pods, but once located they were hot. Last spot of the day we found fish 4-6' under the ice over 14-21' of water on a steep break. Literally fished right under the 'ducer on the FL-22HD... very fun and surprising this early in the season! We managed a pile of crappies, biggest going 14", and 3 'gills over 10"!

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Good luck out there, and be SAFE! Bring your shovel, tow straps, and common sense!

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Is the ice/snow any better on Bemidji. Heading there in a couple weeks for some tullie action(hopefully). No atv/snowmobiles so looking to travel in our trucks. Oh and do you have a website to maybe setup a guiding trip for next season. Thanks grin

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Was out Sat. and unless you have a plow, you're not going anywhere off the road. Pulled 2 young guy's back to the road that went out without a shovel and thought they could drive off the road. Also, as soon as you drill a hole the water starts up and before long your standing in 3" of water.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Was out on Thurs. night with the wife and kids. We hoped to do some eelpout fishing, but when I pulled up to the freshly plowed house, it was completely flooded out. Woke up early the next morning and had a friend along to help pull the house out of the slush. It took two trucks... MOved to get renters in, and within an hour of moving and drilling on a very clean slab of plowed ice, the flooding began.

If you've got a house on the lake, probably best to get it pulled. I cancelled the remainder of the weekend after today's clients get out, and plan to pull the plug for the year.

It's a mess out there, be careful!

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  • 2 weeks later...

It's been awhile since I have posted any current reports... been too busy to sit down and get it done!

Fishing in the area is great, travel is another story! With the last couple bouts of snow, I have pulled off the lake, and finished bookings and trips for the year... Way too much slush, deep powder, drifting, etc... to venture out with any comfort anymore!

Perch are doing what perch do... some fish are still hanging shallow, and others are still feeding deep. 8-12' of water seems to be good for flats fish, while 33-42' of water seems solid for deep fish.

Bluegills, despite the huge amount of snow in shallow, are moving that direction. Most of the fish we've been getting the last 2 weeks have been in 6-13' of water. A month ago we couldn't buy a fish shallower than 19' of water... Some good fish have been showing up, and some good numbers!

14 y/o guest with a 10.25" 'gill...

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Eaters out there too...

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Crappies are sometimes mixed in with the 'gills now, which tells me that some fish are pushing in shallow as well. Most of them are being found out just off the breaks or basin edges though. As soon as we see a good melt, the shallows should start to see even more activity!

Burbot are starting to push hard now. Bellies are full, mouths are open, and they are spending more and more time in shallow. Day bite has begun, and into darkness things are alive. The next 2 weeks will prove to be the best of the season I'm guessing! Big baits that glow and make some noise, shallow humps, go get 'em!

Jason with a good one...

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Same goes as last time I reported... tow strap, shovel, common sense!

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  • 1 month later...

Friday was the first really nice day of this spring, and we had ice on the mind. Go figure...

A couple of buddies and I hit the ice around 2:30 and my truck said 65 degrees. We took a short walk out and found 26" or so of mixed ice. The top layer was slop, the mid-layer was slush, and then the hard pack was below. Jagged ice on the bottom as well.

We fished 6-14' of water in search of 'gills, and didn't hammer them, but were able to scratch out enough for a meal and one nice picture fish.

I am going to try to sneak out on May 1, just to say I did it. If the ice is too far gone by then, I won't be depressed... winkfull-1826-32603-921722_10200907863120925

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  • 1 month later...

May is coming to a close, and I have hardly been on the forums... Sorry for the lack of updates.

Picking up where bass season started... My wife and I packed up the kiddos and fished opening weekend of bass season for a couple of hours. We chased smallies around, and found the fish to be utilizing the shallow rocks, but not tending to beds. We casted twitch baits and ghost casted Yum Dingers and had luck using both. We didn't manage anything really big, with a couple of pounds being the biggest fish we landed. Still an awesome time catching the tough fighting bronzebacks, especially with the kiddos in tow!

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Bemidji walleyes are on fire. Made it out with a buddy for a bit last night in the pouring rain. We were lucky to have the lightning stay to the south. We were able to make quick work of a couple of scoops of shiners in 4-6' of water on Lindy Jigs. Fish were tight to boulders...

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Come on up for some great fishing!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Again, lacking updates due to being swamped! Figured I'd hop on for a quick mid-June report...

Walleyes are on fire. Lake Bemidji is putting out nice fish as well as great numbers of eaters, as are many lakes in the area. I've been strictly fishing during the day, 5-42' of water with jigs and shiners (which are basically gone at most shops again) or suckers, as well as some fatheads. Hasn't seemed to matter much... Night fishermen have been doing well with cranks too. Water temp. is up around 65* now, which is nice. Weather has been great, and the wind has the fish stacked in areas...

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Red Lake too... Lindy River Rockers in 5-7' of water...

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Panfish made their late run, but are going through their progression very quickly. Crappies moved up, and then moved into spawning areas lighting fast. Bluegills are already up and getting hot...

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Smallies did the same... went from non-existent on beds, to spawning and moving toward the end of their spawn in a week. Still lots of fish on beds, soon the giants will be lazy and all you'll find are males. Rocky ledges with twitch baits and sight fishing have worked well.

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Come on up, the water's nice... wink

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  • 5 weeks later...

Again, apologies for the lack of updates. Hardly been online outside of my phone... I can't believe July is at its mid-point!

After a lousy spring, things heated up quickly, and we're in the typical summer patterns and all caught up on all species. Every fish is acting just like they should in mid-July...

Walleyes have invaded off-shore structure, and are being caught on mid-lake rocks, sunken islands, etc... Rigging leeches has worked well, pulling cranks has been stellar, and bouncers and spinners has been great too. Leadcore has even taken off as of this past weekend... With cranks I've been targeting rocks or sand in 5-13' of water, and pulling rigs or spinners I've been working 15-32' of water, with the mid-twenties range producing the best fish.

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Crappies and bluegills are also using humps and mid-lake structure, as well as long points and deeper shoreline cabbage. Some REALLY nice 'gills have been showing up, as well as some good numbers of decent crappies. We've even been getting them mixed in with cranks on a few different lakes in the area. Really aggressive, and really fun!

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Perch are also on fire, utilizing every part of the lake. Inside edges of cabbage, rocky flats, even getting them out over open water on lead... The shallow bite is a blasty for the kids though...

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We've even got trout in the area!

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Come on up for some awesome fishing!!

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  • 1 month later...

This is turning into a monthly report in the summer I guess... I don't even really have time to be doing this, but someone (you know who you are) pushed me yesterday to get it done!

Fishing in the area is still good if you're willing to tinker around, and possibly adapt to other species when needed. IF you can lake-jump, it's a good tactic for walleyes. One lake might be hot one day, and dead the next. We're finding that the smaller bodies of water are MUCH more productive than Bemidji, Leech, etc... with Cass being an exception, as the bite continues to shine out there. Crawlers or leeches rigged over mid-lake structure, or along weed edges is working. Cranks are still putting out fish on the rocks and over the thick weeds.

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Bonus pike are hitting, and the bigger fish are showing up...

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Multi-species trips are what we're doing most days now. Half a day for walleyes and then moving over to aggressive crappies. We've been on a great bite with slib bobbers or casting Lindy spins with Yum plastics. Size has ranged from 9" to just over 13".

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Bear baiting is in full swing now, so fishing will take a back seat for me for a few weeks... Look for a report just before the hunting opener! Good luck out there!

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hey Matt, any updates for Bemidji or Plant? Will be up in the area in less than 2 weeks for a bowhunt/fishing combo, can't wait! Thanks

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Was uber-busy with bears and then early goose season, and my backup has been on 2 lakes not mentioned. Fishing in the area is still good from what I'm hearing. I will find out for myself on Friday!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Haven't been on much as of late, but thought I would pop in and get a report up. With hunting in full swing, I haven't been on the water much in the last month. The times I have ventured out though, I've found fish to be in typical fall spots and eating well.

Look for walleyes off main-lake points and bars, as well as off the deep edges of off-shore structure. Last week I ran drifts out of 26' of water, over a hump that tops out at 13', and back down the 30' side and we caught fish in nearly every depth. Big minnows and moving slow was the ticket.

Yesterday I had clients out chasing crappies, and we found fish to be suspended over deeper water. 21-35' off defined structure, such as points and humps. Fish were schooled up very tightly, and were aggressive when we could stay directly on top of them. Clients took home their limits, and we had 3 fish over 14"!

Duck and goose activity has been solid, as some new birds are finally pushing into the area. Grouse numbers do appear to be low, as we're not encountering nearly the numbers we typically do. Woodcock migration is finally underway, and we found our first migrating birds on Thurs.

Good luck, enjoy the fall! full-1826-37519-img_20131004_165701.jpg

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  • 1 month later...

My guys and I hit 5 lakes over the weekend, and here are our findings...

Red Lake - Solid 5-8" of ice everywhere we drilled. Actually took the ATV on a traveled road and were able to stick to that area, and travel by foot on the non-traveled areas quite safely. There are some mine fields of shards of ice, but mostly we found clean slates. Fishing was decent, and we ended the eve. with a fatty...

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Bemidji Chain - Ice on Bemidji varies a LOT. Some spots are still inly 4" or so, with some others pushing 7". This snow today isn't going to help with rental season one bit. Let's hope this bitter cold coming later in the week can penetrate through the layer of snow and keep making solid ice. Good news is that the frozen base is nice and clean.

Local panfish haunts - Ice varied greatly from lake to lake. Spring fed ponds were showing 4-6" while some of the solid shallower lakes were in the 6-8" range. I don't advise ATV or sled traffic, though I did see some people pushing it over the weekend. Fishing also varied... one lake was a complete blank, another was quite good, and others were somewhere between. Crappies are suspended nicely, and are feeding heavily. Bluegills are anywhere from shallow bays to deeper haunts suspended with or just below the crappies.

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Be very careful when venturing out. Use a buddy, and have safety equipment along. Life vest, picks, and I still advise using a spud...

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Dude, think those fish wanted to be caught, just to check out that sweet Movember stuff you got going on there winksmile

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  • 5 weeks later...

Hey Matt, you ever fish teacup lake??? Don't know much about it, thought you could help with a little info. Thanks

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • smurfy
      thats great to hear regarding the lake levels!!!!!!
    • Kettle
      On an off light precipitation today. Hoping the weather this weekend will be nice so I can get out and crappie fish and check the weather. My yard has standing water and the driveway is a mess. Lot of lakes are near standard water levels which is good. Heard they are done stripping eggs on cut foot. Shaping up to be a good opener. Last year fished open water 60+ days and 28 different lakes. Hopefully bump both those numbers up this year
    • rundrave
      I don't think its 100% accurate, you are just relying on other average joes to report precipitation. But I think most numbers there are right in the ball park, especially when you see consistency among multiple reports in a general area.   It's probably more accurate than what the weather terrorists say on the news  which usually only reports metro areas. cocorahs is good for getting rural area reports you just might not have as many reports to go off of
    • smurfy
      i like this site!!!!!  👍 thanks rundave......its in my favorites!!!!!!
    • leech~~
      Thanks Mike.  I've been looking at bags of it for years but never wanted to chance wasting good meat on it.  I have a gas and charcoal grills, but really love the flavor of charcoal over gas. Most of the time it's if we have time to use one or the other.  
    • leech~~
    • rundrave
      Leech is missed
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the south end...   The big open water, otherwise known as Big Traverse Bay, is ice free.  The bays and tributaries of LOW such as Zippel Bay, Bostic Bay and Four Mile Bay are ice free as well.  The lake is in good shape for the MN Fishing Opener on May 11th. The many bays and backwaters of the lake have been receiving attention from spring pike anglers.  Some pike have already entered the bays, spawned and gone back out to the lake, but there are still a pile of fish to be had.   The pike season on LOW is open year round. The limit is 3 pike per day with one fish allowed more than 40 inches. All fish 30 - 40 inches must be released. On the Rainy River...  Another great week sturgeon fishing on the Rainy River.  The bite has been very good and lots of fish of all sizes are being boated.     Sturgeon are being caught from Four Mile Bay at the mouth of the Rainy River all the way to Birchdale, about 42 miles.  There are many boat ramps along the river to make life easy.  Starting from the east going west...   -Nelson Park at Birchdale (About 30 miles east of Baudette) -Frontier (9 miles west of Birchdale) -Vidas (Near Clementson Rapids) -Timbermill Park (East Baudette) -Peace Park (International Drive, Baudette) -Wheeler's Point (mouth of Rainy River)  The sturgeon season continues through May 15th and resumes again July 1st.   Oct 1 - April 23, Catch and Release April 24 - May 7, Harvest Season May 8 - May 15, Catch and Release May 16 - June 30, Sturgeon Fishing Closed July 1 - Sep 30, Harvest Season If you fish during the sturgeon harvest season and you want to keep a sturgeon, you must purchase a sturgeon tag for $5 prior to fishing.    One sturgeon per calendar year (45 - 50" inclusive, or over 75"). Up at the NW Angle...  The Angle is ice free.  Resorts are gearing up for the fishing opener which is expected to be excellent.  The late ice bite was very good and the walleyes are in good numbers amongst the islands area of the NW Angle.  
    • smurfy
      oh you know where i mean..........where all your friends are!!!!!!!🤗
    • Mike89
      Charcoal Briquettes are great for low and slow cooking as they produce long-lasting heat. Lump Charcoal burns hotter and adds more flavour to your food; therefore is great for hot and fast cooking.
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