Piragis Northwoods Company
105 North Central Avenue
Ely, Minnesota 55731
1-800-223-6565
www.piragis.com
April 7, 2010
Your Friends in the Great Northwoods

News from Piragis Northwoods Company and the BoundaryWatersCatalog.com:

"Customer service like you give is a good reason to be a returning customer!

Take care."

Regards, Oyvind Bliksvaer, Sweden



NICE it is, ICE is OUT!

The ice-outs of an early spring trigger awe in northern Minnesota
 Even some BWCA lakes have ice-out
By Chris Niskanen, Pioneer Press

A car drove through downtown Ely on Monday with a canoe on top.

Remarkably, there were plenty of places to launch it as the spring of 2010 continues to awe Minnesotans, especially those living in the north woods.

"It's unbelievable," said Steve Piragis, owner of Piragis Northwoods Company in Ely, who spotted the canoeist. "The grass is turning green, the aspens have their catkins, and they just swept the sand off our streets. That normally doesn't happen until May."

Piragis, a 35-year resident of Ely, said it was the earliest spring he ever had seen.

Resort owners around the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness woke up on Easter and found many lakes had lost their ice. Robins, too, have showed up along the Gunflint Trail.

Two lakes in the Ely area broke early ice-out records.

Click here to read the rest:
http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_14825889



Subscribe to our Blog and keep up on News and Deals

Our Piragis Northwoods Company BLOG is a great place to keep in touch with the day to day happenings around Ely and the Boundary Waters. For instance if you were a subscriber, you would have seen pictures of rotten ice last Friday Morning and pictures of wide open water the next morning. That's right, Ice went out last Saturday, April 4th. Can you believe it. So early. We're already booking early trips in the BWCAW and Quetico. Our first group is going out this weekend.

This more personal medium of Blogging will allow us to post things on a daily basis as they happen or as we decide to put something on Sale or closeout an item. It is a great place for feedback from you, our valued customers. We'd like you to comment with reviews of your favorite pieces of gear and books. We'd like you to share trip pictures and fish pictures as the summer progresses.

Most of all, we'd just like to stay in touch, and let you have a little bit more of Ely, vicariously through your computer. Hey, it's free, and its fun.

Click here http://piragisnorthwoodscompany.blogspot.com/ to view our Blog. You can subscribe near the bottom of the Blog so scroll down through the posts and have a great read!



This weeks Specials from the Boundary Waters Catalog:



See Bag #5
Item # C0070293
List Price $13.95
Your Price: $9.77
http://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/browse.cfm/4,4792.html

See Bag #10
Item # C0070294
List Price $16.95
Your Price: $11.87
http://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/browse.cfm/4,4793.html

See Bag #20
Item # C0070295
List Price $19.95
Your Price: $13.97
http://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/browse.cfm/4,4794.html

See Bag #30
Item # C0070296
List Price $23.95
Your Price: $16.77
http://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/browse.cfm/4,4795.html



Kelty Binto Bar
Item # K200001
List Price $124.95
Your Price: $87.47
http://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/browse.cfm/4,7541.html




A CHIPPEWAN THANK YOU

By Cliff Jacobson


Saturday is "turnaround" day at many fishing lodges in northern Canada. Eager to take advantage of the morning calm, float planes begin to shuttle fishermen and groceries with the rising sun. By nightfall the airways are quiet again and everyone is tucked into a spacious cabin and psyched for a week of great fishing and story-telling. After the customary breakfast of Red River cereal and Canadian bacon, clients will meet their native guides who will motor them out to hopeful spots where trophies lurk. A week later, they'll fly home, keyed high with tales about the great shore lunches and the lunkers who got away. Of course, these good times would be impossible without the services of the gentle native guides who bait the hooks, clean the fish and service the outboard motors.

Cree Lake Lodge is located 180 air miles from LaRonge, Saskatchewan and one fourth that far from the nearest Indian settlement. For this reason, many native fishing guides choose to stay with their families in a tent or cabin near the lodge during the tourist season. Once beyond the trail head, they are completely dependent upon radio telephones and chartered float planes to provide all their needs. This is the story of an eight year old girl and an aging Chippewan guide whose special "thank you" touched our hearts.
Our intent was to canoe the Cree River from its source at Cree Lake to Stony Rapids on Lake Athabasca. We agreed to supply logistical information about canoeing the Cree if lodge owner Clarence Biller would provide a night of lodging and pay for our air fare from Seeger Lake to his resort. Biller could then share this information with clients who would later canoe the river.

It was cold and gray and nearly dark -
Read the rest of the story from Cliff here:
http://www.piragis.com/cliffjacobson/cliffjacobsonnotesv51.html



Our Biggest Canoe Paddle Sale Ever!
Check out blem Bending Branches Paddles at 30% off.

COSMETIC BLEM paddles from Bending Branches are 30% off.

We sold a third of our remaining stock last week. They are moving fast, especially the bent shaft paddles, place your order today to get this short term deal.

To celebrate our untimely high temperatures, were dropping our prices on these fantastic paddles. A blem or blemished paddle is a great way to go if you like to save money and have been looking for gear a great deal prices. We all know paddles are the work horse of the trip and they get scratched and dinged almost immediately after the trip starts - or sometimes even before. We bang them, drop them, clean fish on them and hit the water every day the weather allows and some it doesn't. These particular paddles are marked down 30% to save you money, because somewhere on them is a blemish. It could be a varnish bubble, it could be a variation in the wood, a knot or soft spot filled with wood epoxy and sealed over, it could be that in the lamination process, something didn't come out to spec and isn't as pretty as it should be. It could be that the blemish is very hard to find. Bending Branches sets the bar high and at some point in the inspection process, these paddles didn't make the top shelf, but only for aesthetic reasons, not for anything structural. They will perform to spec despite their title of Blem.

NO BACKORDERS WILL BE TAKEN ON THESE SPECIAL COSMETIC BLEM PADDLES. ORDERS ARE FILLED ON A FIRST ORDER, FIRST SOLD BASIS, YOU WILL BE NOTIFIED IF YOUR SIZE IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE.



Loon ST Paddle special
Item # B0040031
List Price $49.95
Your Price: $34.95
http://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/browse.cfm/4,8014.html



Traveler ST Paddle special
Item # B0040032
List Price $59.95
Your Price: $41.95
http://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/browse.cfm/4,7999.html



Arrow ST Paddle special
Item # B0040033
List Price $74.95
Your Price: $52.95
http://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/browse.cfm/4,8019.html



Explorer Plus special
Item # B0040034
List Price $94.95
Your Price: $66.95
http://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/browse.cfm/4,8006.html



Espresso ST Paddle special
Item # B0040035
List Price $109.95
Your Price: $76.95
http://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/browse.cfm/4,8023.html



Sun shadow ST special
Item # B0040036
List Price $109.95
Your Price: $76.95
http://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/browse.cfm/4,8030.html



Expedition ST special
Item # B0040037
List Price $129.95
Your Price: $90.95
http://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/browse.cfm/4,8018.html



Sunburst ST special
Item # B0040038
List Price $169.95
Your Price: $118.95
http://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/browse.cfm/4,8001.html



Sunburst ST XL special
Item # B0040039
List Price $169.95
Your Price: $118.95
http://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/browse.cfm/4,8022.html



BB Special Bent special
Item # B0040040
List Price $79.95
Your Price: $55.95
http://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/browse.cfm/4,8005.html



Cruiser Plus Bent special
Item # B0040041
List Price $99.95
Your Price: $69.95
http://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/browse.cfm/4,8024.html



Sunburst Bent Special
Item # B0040045
List Price $179.95
Your Price: $125.95
http://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/browse.cfm/4,8029.html



Sunburst Bent XL Special
Item # B0040046
List Price $179.95
Your Price: $125.95
http://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/browse.cfm/4,8004.html



SUNSPLASH is on the way. Test paddle before you buy weekend $ALE!

Saving at SunSplash Memorial Day Weekend May 28 - 30

This year at SunSplash Canoe and Kayak Tryout days on the water in Ely, we're going to feature our standard 10% off on New Canoes, New Kayaks and New Paddling Gear. We're also going to feature special deals on Blem Canoes and Inventory Clearance Kayaks. It will be a fantastic weekend to save like never before on your choice of canoes and kayaks. It is always the best time of the year to try out, to test drive, test paddle for FREE any canoe and any kayak you like. Three days of free paddling usually finds you with a variety of weather conditions and lots of opportunity for FUN. To get paddling experience in a variety of canoes and be able to compare designs and functions, this is essential!

Our no-nonsense approach to sales and service this weekend gives you one on one opportunities to "talk turkey" with our canoe sales people and reps from the manufacturers. We're on hand to answer any questions you might have, to teach basic paddling techniques and to, above all, make sure you fit the right canoe or kayak to your needs.

It is wonderful to be able to take advantage of super savings. We guarantee that SAVINGS is an integral part of the weekend!
Friday May 28: Noon to 5 p.m.
Saturday May 29: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday May 30: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

How do I get to Ely? and Piragis Northwoods Company?



If you need help with lodging for Sunsplash Weekend in Ely, contact Drew Brockett at 1-800-223-6565 and if you have questions about canoes or kayaks, contact Steve Schon.

Please call Steve Schon with questions at 1-800-223-6565




Cast your vote for Ely as America's Coolest Small Town!
Help us prove to America that (well at least on paper) we're deserving of the title. We all know Ely holds a special place in everyone's hearts. Now we can vote online to prove it. We've only got until May 9th and Ely is currently in first place! You can vote and tell your friends to as well.

http://www.budgettravel.com/bt-srv/coolestsmalltowns/CST2010.html?wpisrc=newsletter




BLEMS, Used Canoes and Kayaks and 2010 rentals on Sale!
March is approaching fast, and here in NE Minnesota the best part of winter is about to begin. In f
SPECIAL BLEM CANOE SALE (Available Now)

Contact us about arranging delivery for $75 to $300 depending on distance from here.

Call 1-800-223-6565 to get yours today
SOLO Canoe Model
Length
Layup
Weight
Reg. Price
Sale Price
Bell Rockstar
15'6"
Royalex
49 lbs
$1192
*SOLD*
Wenonah Wilderness
15'4"
Royalex
47 lbs
$1199
$899
Bell Yellowstone Solo
14'
Blk/Gold w/wood
33 lbs
$2693
$2100
Tandem Canoe Model
Length
Layup
Weight
Reg. Price
Sale Price
Bell Alaskan
17'
Royalex
72 lbs
$1592
$1299
Wenonah Adirondack
16'
Royalex
62 lbs
$1299
*SOLD*
Kayak Model
Length
Layup
Weight
Reg. Price
Sale Price
Gulfstream
16'10"
fiberglass
51 lbs
$3249
$2599
Pamlico 160T
16'
poly
83 lbs
$1250
$999
Vision 150
15'
poly
59 lbs
$1499
$1199
Tsunami 14.5
14'5"
poly
56 lbs
$1325
$1099
Kestrel 140 with rudder
14'
hybrid
41 lbs
$2049
$1599
Kestrel 140
14'
tcs
44 lbs
$1799
$1399
Kestrel 120
12'
tcs
41 lbs
$1599
$1249

Check our our USED CANOES and KAYAKS below:

Used/Demos/Trade-Ins/Rentals (Available Now)
If you've got a boat to trade in call us. Steve Schon will be happy to check out your craft and apply the trade-in value towards a new canoe or kayak. Pick them up in Ely or contact us about arranging delivery for $75 to $300 depending on distance from here.
Canoe or Kayak Model
Length
Layup
Weight
Color
Price
Wenonah MNIII
20'
Kevlar
55 lbs
skin
$1600-$1750
Wenonah Seneca
19'4"
Kevlar
55 lbs
skin
$1900
Wenonah MNII
18'6"
Graphite
42 lbs
skin
$2500
Wenonah MNII
18'6"
Kevlar
44 lbs
skin
*SOLD*
Wenonah MNII
18'6"
Kevlar
42 lbs
skin
$1400
Wenonah MNII
18'6"
TuffWeave
63 lbs
ivory
$900
Wenonah Escape
17'6"
Graphite
41 lbs
skin
$2400
Bell Seliga
17'
Kevlight
47 lbs
light/tec
$2500
Bell Seliga
17'
Kevlight
47 lbs
light/tec
*SOLD*
Bell Magic Solo
16'
Kevlight
34 lbs
light/tec
$2000
CD Crosswind Kayak Tandem
18'6"
Poly
96 lbs
blue
$1300
Necky Tesla Kayak
18'
Kevlar
50 lbs
teal/white
$1700
Current Designs Soltice GT Kayak
17'7"
Fiberglass
54 lbs
yellow/smoke
$2200
Perception Eclipse Kayak
17'
Poly
65 lbs
yellow
$900
CD Storm
17'
Poly
64 lbs
orange
$1000
SD Vision 150
15'
Poly
59 lbs
green
$1000
Perception Acadia Scout
12'
Poly
28 lbs
yellow
$300

e-mail Steve Schon with questions or to purchase your used boat

Click Here for 2010 Rental Canoes and Kayaks

You can reserve yours with $200 down today.



Update on our Piragis Canoe Pants, Piragis Camp Shirts and the Piragis Ultra Light Windshirts

Our shipment of all our wonderful new clothing has been delayed a bit. We expect to have our pants in before the end of April and we expect the new shirts and windshirts to arrive by May 15. We are sorry for the delay. As soon as they arrive we'll ship them out to those of you who have placed orders. For those of you who haven't we guarantee they are worth the wait.

 We have a full-service canoeing and camping store full of everything you will possibly need.
The Boundary Waters Catalog




National Cell Phone Recycling Week

EPA's Plug-In To eCycling program is teaming up with leading cell phone makers, service providers and retailers to launch the second annual National Cell Phone Recycling Week! Last year, Americans turned in approximately 11.7 million cell phones for reuse and recycling.

Even with that impressive number, an estimated 58 million cell phones are no longer being used but are still in storage. If these phones were reused or recycled, enough energy would be saved to power 10,690 homes for a year.

Recycle your old cell phone! It's an easy call!

Click here to read the rest:
http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/partnerships/plugin/cellphone/cellweek2010.htm

Thanks to our Newsletter Sponsors Below!