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A friend e-mailed me the other day from Ishpeming, Michigan with a sudden revelation. A couple of years ago, he bought a neat little house across a quiet road from a trout stream. The house has enormous granite outcroppings for a backyard at the edge of a pine woods. Ishpeming is a quiet, picturesque town with a unique history, and it took him all of two years to finally realize that he lived in a very unique and beautiful area of the country.

I began to wonder if many of us, fortunate enough to live in and around the Chisago Lakes Area, have yet to experience a similar “awakening.”

On numerous occasions, my wife and I have assumed the role of tour guide to family and friends visiting us in Taylors Falls from out-of-town. I think we’ve all done it at one time or another. We take them into the state parks to look at the St. Croix River, once hailed as “the most beautiful spot west of the Rockies.” We’ve ducked into ice cream shops, coffee houses, and strolled the sidewalks of our quaint towns. And we’ve perhaps shopped in “touristy” stores that we otherwise only briefly notice from our cars and trucks as we drive to and from work.

During the summer and fall months, we see folks from as far away as Japan and Sweden pour out of buses in our towns, cameras at the ready, snapping pictures of themselves standing next to a statue, a brightly colored water tower, or a “pothole” in Interstate Park.

During September, the throngs of visitors driving up from the cities to witness our fall colors is also a familiar sight. And each of our towns play host to a number of unique festivals, parades and seasonal celebrations that remind us of the area’s history and offerings.

We see out-of-town anglers paly our local waters for bass, pike, walleye and panfish. Why do we feel the need to trailer our boats and venture north to fish unfamiliar waters- usually a knee-jerk response to a vague tip from a buddy’s goofy brother-in-law- while countless other anglers make the Chain of Lakes their destination of choice? The good fishing is right here, my friends.

Chisago Lake is arguably one of the upper-Midwest’s finest bass lakes, and the walleye fishing isn’t too shabby, either. No, our lakes don’t consist of what you’d call classic walleye structure, with gravel and rock bottoms. Our walleyes look to the weed lines for forage, and with some adjustments in where to look for them, and techniques to fish them, they can be caught on a fairly consistent basis. North and South Center Lakes have consistently produced some dandy walleyes over the years. And I certainly don’t need to remind anyone that sunfish and crappies are abundant in our lakes.

There are plenty of things to do and see in and around Chisago County. The next time you’re tempted to escape elsewhere for a weekend or a day, try looking close to home. Play tourist. Take a canoe trip down the St. Croix River. Visit the nifty gift shops that you see dotting our main streets. Pack a lunch and hike in a state park for the day. Take a St. Croix Valley train ride. Save some gas money and trailer your boat to one of the many, productive area lakes.

Personally, It makes me feel good to see our sidewalks and roads busy with visitors. It serves as a reminder that we live in an area that other folks choose to visit and spend their vacation time.

I think I’d enjoy taking a paddleboat tour of the Dalles and lower St. Croix this fall. We’ve lived in Taylors Falls for nine years now, and I’ve yet to set foot on the Taylors Falls Queen. Hey, I’m as guilty as the next person.

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