A few pics from this gem of a location.  Gonna spend 5 days paddling here end of May with my daughter after som 'eyes out of Oak is.  up thgrough Tranquil Channel and back to US side of the angle.

Last week Ice fishing

Drove up to Wheeler's point N of Baudette, MN.  Loaded up snowmobiles and toboggans.  Was -30 F that morning and I told my dad that I wouldn't sled accross ice unless warmed up to -15 F.   By time we arrived from Bemidji and loaded, temp was up to -13 F.  took us only an hour to get up to the Angle at Oak isl.  The ice trail had been groomed and there wasn't narry a bump.  The toboggans pulled flat behind our machines and our gear stayed secure.  Wasn't nigh much of a wind either.  Got a few "burns" to my cheecks.  Arrived just in time to make the lunch Bombadier run out to our shack.  Only take for the afternoon was my 15" 'eye.  Tommorow would be better.  

Here's a map of the route.  Most years, an ice trail is marked on lake, similar to those in Voyager's.  Distance from wheeler's to Oak isl is 38 mi.  At one point, you are out of sight of any land horizon for about 5-10 miles and is quite erie and gave me some pucker factor given the temps we were dealing with.
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A pic of the sleds and toboggan outside of the chalet at Sportsman's lodge/Oak Island.
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The shacks are mostly 1 mi east of the isl. right smack dab on the Ontario line.  They fish a reef that rises up into Canadian waters.  no need to travel further than 1 mi for great fishing.  Makes for a short ride on your sled or in the Bombadier.  tahts Oak isl in the background.
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A view South back towards Garden isl 14 mi away...small rocky isl highlighted by the sunset.  The land at the far end of the horizon is the point of land owned by the US, but only contiguous to Canadian land, the NW Angle of Minnesota.  Beyond that is 30 mi of open lake passing down to Baudette and Warroad, MN.  Only -15 F at quitting time this evening.  It hit -31 F that night though!  We had to pull the spark plugs and use some ether to get our sleds fired up the next day.
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Next day we limited out on our 'eyes and saugers.  Brought in a few jumbo Perch as well.  But the highlight of the trip was my dads near 6lb'er Walleye.  This one came in at 5.7 lbs.  It ran so much that we all three had our 2 hooks in it.  We each fished two holes.  Ultimatly the fish came up my fathers hole with 6 hooks in it, but only his hook in it's mouth.  We all claimed as percentage of the catch, as we all had a hook in it.  She took off down the hole, no worse for the wear, right after the picture.
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On the trip home the trail had drifted in and speeds were reduced from 60-70 mph to just 20 mph to keep from smashing our gear in the toboggans (Vexilars and such).  We had just crossed a dangerous ice ridge and open water and we stoped to take theis pic looking back at Little Oak Isl, just N of Garden isl.  The whole 2 hr ride back accross the ice, we saw no one, except, I heard a loud noise outside my helmet, looked up and just 30 yds from my left was a Border Patrol helicopter, matching my speed about 30 mph, just over my head, presumably taking my pic.  Suppose we could have had anything in those toboggans.  I like to think they were "Geigering" us for Nuclear material.  I waived but they didn't.  they hovered up to my father-in-law, took his pic, then my dad, the same.  Then they were out of there.
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If you get a chance to go up to the Angle in summer or winter....don't miss it.  A great piece of histiory lies up there with LaVere'ndrye and son and Massacre Island.  The fishing is often great any time of the year.

GREAT PICS WALLY!!!
that is some serious cold!!!
i feel dowright warm here in lower MI, in the single digits ;D

enjoyed your report. most people don't know that the northwest angle even exists, although the smuggling report on national tv educated a few.

Happy to share the pics...

Funny you mention the "smuggling report".  There isn't much love for Anderson Cooper up there after his visit and newspiece.  Bar owners and the resort operators were less than pleased with the "spin" of the story.  Personally, aside from the issue of Border Saftey and whether or not the comming changes will help,....it will and is hurting, some of these buisnessmen/women in our country.  Bar/resturant owners told me this is the worst volume they've seen in over a decade.  There are many reasons for it, but the border issues have exacerbated the situation.

The Angles a special place logisticaly.  IMO, it is not an easy spot at all for terrorists to oppourtunitize, despite being "wide open".  But lesislativly speaking, it's easier to make a "one size fits all rule", vs. deliniating special circumstances for each persons economic concern.

OK, enlighten me. I understand all too well that the honor system has major faults but I've no clue on the specifics. In your own words please.

hard to evaluate a threat from that area. from my own experience on the lake, when running at night we were very cautious. now, with the uncanny accuracy of gps charts, we can run wo, and so can anybody else. i saw a boat in the middle of the night a couple years ago that had to be going 75mph-no nav lights. talking with various business people on my two trips north in 06, all reported decreased business, but identified no single cause. some said that the peak was 10 years ago, in other words, pre 9/11. difficult to really get a handle on what's going on. personally, i think there's declining interest in outdoor activity of any kind, north or south of the border.

Remember, you asked for specifics
...here comes my verbal diarrhea, cover yourself!

I've only heard referance to the CNN piece, haven't wittnessed it.  And only side I've heard from is the Angle "locals".  Here is the "second hand" story as I heard it.  Cooper says he's coming up to do a story on the Angle and border "issues".  Wants some interviews.  Locals (granted, only 4 that I talked to) state he does a spin job and the real story is lack of security on our National borders.  The bar owner, resort operator, Bombadier driver and local tavern customer tell me he showed the Angle as another example of a gaping hole in our nations security.  Presented it as prime pickings for terrorist insurgency.  Showed it as an example that needs to be shut down.  (Again, I didn't see the piece).  These folks felt slighted, as the story pushed for tighter border crossing security.  They are totally dependant on Canadian customs for anyone who desires to driveup there.  They all told me the newer, tighter regs are putting a crimp on those who are not familiar with border crossing and scares away traffic.  They say Cooper didn't even go out on the lake or into the area.  Showed up for a little while, does his interviews and leaves.  They felt that shows he had a pre-arranged agenda for the piece.  (Personaly, I don't care).

Now hold on as this gets complicated....

This year, new regs were put in place that is making it harder on the US locals to enter into Canada and back out, once inside the Angle.  You used to be able to use a 24 hr phone on Cyclone isl....just accross from Flag Isl (unmanned, but open to use in the winter).  You'd lift up the reciever and tell some customs agent off in Quebec why you wanted entry into Canadian side of LOW/Ontario.  They would or wouldn't grant you access right there on phone (or supposedly they could also ask you nicely to please return to the American side of the border...HA!).  Very convienient for the US resort owners/and their customers on Flag and Oak islands.

Now any patron who wants to come up and sled some, has to drive ice or sled back to Young's bay (mainland Angle), then drive back to 4-corners (near inlet village) to the video phone and hit the "Canada button" and request entrance.  You then go drive/sled, back the 15 mi to Oak isl and do your Canadian snowmobile trip.  (So a 30 mi round trip to get clearance to enter Canada to the North and a 30 mi round trip to clear US customs upon your return).  Upon re-entry from Canada, you used to be able to "check back in to US" later on, when you left your stay, and "hit the US button" back at 4-corners, and tell them you got back from Canada yesterday.  You then would then immediatly hit the "Canada button" to request entry back into Canada as you're driving back home out of the Angle (again into Manitoba).....en route back to the contiguous 48.  Oh yeah, you gotta hit US customs again as you cross back into the US out of Manitoba.

You can see how complicated this becomes, they feel they are being economically deprived by the current "farce" of things.  I agree somewhat.  All this checking in and out on this island or that island....is useless (IMO).  It's all via remote and there is no one there to....
1) stop you
2) see if your story is real
3) see that you really use the system and don't just cross willy-nilly as you please.
.....I was told that resort patrons have already been fined by the US for checking back in from their Candian afternoon snowmobile trip....because they got back to 4-corners in too much of a delayed fashion (you can imagine what that does for repeat buisness).

It's a total honor system up there.  Two years ago I get to the video phone as we crossed back into MN at the Angle from Manitoba.  The phone has a sign that says...."video camera not working".  The US agent asks me on the phone to describe myself.....then asks, "is anyone with you" and "who".  "Put them on the phone".  He even asked me to "read your description on your liscense to me" (I hope he was checking it against reality in his computer).  Again IMO, it's all a farce and does nothing to increase security and slows down and impedes economic use of the area.  It serves only to give the "illusion" of increased security.  If they told me I would be denied entry....who's gonna stop me?  Who can even legitamatly verify my identity via remote?

Sorry so winded...
Yeah, it's open border, but I think it's the least of our border security holes at the time.

(does a RABC permit cover this part of the border.  Would that be easier?)

.....oh yeah,
reminds me of coming back from the Q through Ely, and not stopping in and clearing customs voluntarily.  I hear they are gonna start enforcing and fining $$ for this?

Thanks guys.   (You need to Login or Register or at least the one I read.

You'd think two basically friendly countries who happen to share the longest unguarded border in the world could come to some sort of mutually beneficial agreement for the citizens involved. "One size fits most" looks kind-of silly on an angle I guess. Somehow I'd expect the honorable citizens would be more apt to report suspicious activity were they not inconvenienced to such a degree.

I assume there is not a US equivalent to a CANPASS/RABC and you need to check back in upon your return? Is that correct?

db...
I've not heard of a US equivalent pass...although there very may well be.

Good idea though.  I have heard "talk" of a "short-term" passport, much reduced cost, would cover Canada/US only, for $20 or so proposed...possibly 5-10 yr duration.

wally wrote on Feb 15^th, 2007 at 4:34pm:

db... I've not heard of a US equivalent pass...although there very may well be. Good idea though.  I have heard "talk" of a "short-term" passport, much reduced cost, would cover Canada/US only, for $20 or so proposed...possibly 5-10 yr duration.

That would be great! Get's my vote!

Hmmm.  I guess I always "forgot" to stop at 4 corners (What do they call it. . . carls corner, nelsons corner, I forget).  I had a property for sale on Pennasse Island (American Point) 2 summers ago and we always made the corner w/o stopping.  I noticed the phone and box there and told it was the honor box system.   I wonder if it being on the reservation has something to do with the current headaches?