There are some big changes happening with Northern Water Excursions LLC starting in 2026. Captain’s Classes will be the main foundation of Northern Water Excursions LLC moving forward as it has been, but we will still be providing outfitter services (hunting & fishing) on a drawn-back/limited scale. The fishing guide portion of this business is being dramatically reduced and only a limited number of special trips, which will be available in the late fall on the Rainy River.
The reason for these big changes are due to the new opportunities that have risen to the surface. These new opportunities will have me guiding on Lake Erie in the spring and then Alaska throughout the summer. I am pleased and excited for these new opportunities that have been offered to me, and I will be posting more about this on social media to help those follow along during this adventure.
I have had this particular question brought to me recently; Why are you making this change when you’ve been operating a successful guiding business for yourself already? There are a few reasons that I am pursuing this even though I have had amazing success on my own. The reason being that it is a divinely inspired change. How did this come about, you might be asking yourself.
I knew this was coming near the end of the 2024 season, but I just didn’t know the timeline that would take place. As I was coming in after dropping clients off, I received the message that my time was done here (Northern MN). Then a few months later I received a random inquiry about my interest on guiding for salmon in Alaska, made the follow-up phone call, and then everything fell together quickly. What Ninilchik Charters is seeking from myself is to provide outstanding guest service, while providing a fishing experience with the intention of creating a memory of a lifetime. This is going to be an easy transition, as this is in-line with every one of the experiences that I have sought to provide with Northern Water Excursions LLC. I have treated every trip as if the individuals in my boat had saved for an entire year just to come on this experience for this single day. That mindset/attitude has helped provide so many people a trip of a lifetime.
I look forward to the upcoming future and the big changes that are taking place. If you would like to book a salmon fishing charter on the Kenai or Kasilof Rivers in Alaska, get a hold of Ninilchik Charters on their website (click the previous hyperlink) or you can contact them at info@ninilchik.com, or if you would like a walleye experience on Lake Erie in the beginning of April you can contact Dunlap’s Fishing Charter Service – Fishing Charter, Lake Erie Walleye.
See you on the water!
~Capt J
