Outdoors with Sam Cook http://www.areavoices.com Outdoors with Sam Cook on AreaVoices en-us http://www.areavoices.com/images/avLogo_rss.gif Outdoors with Sam Cook http://www.areavoices.com ---> The opener and beyond http://www.areavoices.com/samcook/index.cfm?blog=26914 http://www.areavoices.com/samcook/index.cfm?blog=26914 <p>  <img src="/samcook/images/thumbnail/opener.jpg" align="baseline" /></p><p>  PHOTO BY CLINT AUSTIN / NEWS TRIBUNE</p><p>  Dave Schaeffer of Tower holds one of the five walleyes he caught Saturday on Lake Vermilion.</p><p>    The weather was challenging across Northeastern Minnesota on Saturday and Sunday, opening weekend of fishing in Minnesota. Mon, 12 May 2008 14:28:00 CST ---> Ready to roll http://www.areavoices.com/samcook/index.cfm?blog=26786 http://www.areavoices.com/samcook/index.cfm?blog=26786 <p><img style="WIDTH: 299px; HEIGHT: 190px" height="190" src="/samcook/images/thumbnail/samgrantquet102.jpg" width="299" align="baseline" />   </p><p>A young angler with a nice smallmouth bass from Basswood Lake near Ely last summer.</p><p>     It's the eve of Minnesota's 2008 fishing opener, and I'm eager to head north. Fri, 09 May 2008 13:26:00 CST ---> Ice and fishing http://www.areavoices.com/samcook/index.cfm?blog=26718 http://www.areavoices.com/samcook/index.cfm?blog=26718 <p>    OK. Thu, 08 May 2008 10:32:00 CST ---> Bloodroot and more http://www.areavoices.com/samcook/index.cfm?blog=26592 http://www.areavoices.com/samcook/index.cfm?blog=26592 <p><img style="WIDTH: 252px; HEIGHT: 336px" height="336" src="/samcook/images/thumbnail/bloodroot.jpg" width="252" align="baseline" /></p><p>Photo by Andrew Krueger / Duluth News Tribune</p><p>A bloodroot plant blooms in the Rice Lake Township yard of Andrew Krueger on May 4.</p><p>SPRING WILDFLOWERS COMING ON</p><p>     One of my colleagues here at the newspaper, Andrew Krueger, shared the photo above of a bloodroot blooming over the weekend. Tue, 06 May 2008 08:17:00 CST ---> Look, no ice http://www.areavoices.com/samcook/index.cfm?blog=26559 http://www.areavoices.com/samcook/index.cfm?blog=26559 <p><img src="/samcook/images/thumbnail/openwater1.jpg" align="baseline" /></p><p>Tim Wagner (left) of Hi-Banks Resort and Duane Brown of Duane's Outboard Repair Services guide a pontoon boat onto a trailer at Fish Lake Monday morning.</p><p>THE ICE IS OUT</p><p>     The ice went out on Fish and Island lakes north of Duluth on Saturday. Mon, 05 May 2008 15:33:00 CST