Many years ago, when people hired a guide, they expected the whole Northwoods experience and that included a shore lunch. Back in the 1930s and 40s the people who traveled to the Northwoods for a fishing vacation did so by train, stayed at resorts and hired guides each day. These vacationers obviously had money and wanted to catch fish, be pampered and around lunch time have a cocktail while the guide prepared their lunch over an open fire.

These shore lunches continued into the 60’s, 70’s and a few into the 80’s, but this part of hiring a guide started to fade unless you hired the same guide each year and he knew you expected and appreciated a shore lunch as part of the day on the water. Today, things have changed. For one, people don’t hire a guide every day and I don’t know a guide in the Northwoods that offers you a shore lunch.

The people that do hire a guide usually will pack sandwiches, snacks and beverages into a cooler for a day on the water. If you CAN find a guide that still offers a shore lunch, I’m sure there will be an extra charge for that service. If this does happen, around noon the guide will stop at an island or designated bank (picnic area) and will either give their clients deli sandwiches and bottled water for around $10 to $12 per person.

For that traditional shore lunch, your guide will fillet and cook the fish you caught that morning (talk about pressure to catch fish) over an open fire. That usually consist of fried potatoes, onions, pork n beans, bread and depending on the time of the year, maybe even corn on the cob for around $15 per person.

If the weather cooperates and you catch fish in the morning, shore lunches can be an awesome experience with or without a guide. If a shore lunch sounds like something you might want to try, call different guides in the area where you want to fish and try to find one that does offer a shore lunch. Or, have your own shore lunch. I have found planning your own shore lunch is much better because you can fish as long as you want, pick the area you want and pick the time you want to have lunch.

Remember, shore lunches are all about memories, so take a lot of pictures. If you do have a shore lunch and would like us to post a few pictures, we would be happy to do so.