Northern Water Excursions LLC

03/29/2026

To all of those who took classes with me this winter season: THANK YOU!
It was a pleasure to have worked with each and every one of you. Regardless if you continue to pursue a Captain's License or not, be safe on the water and I'll see you again when I'm back in the area this fall.
Tight lines,
Capt J

01/16/2026

Slipped up into the mountains with a couple of other fish whisperers.... well over 100 fish in only a few hours

01/08/2026

ATTN: Future Captain’s

The teaching season is upon us and we've gotten a number of reps (classes) in already. With the limited schedule that is out this year, I am strongly urging you to make sure you plan accordingly and adjust to get the time off.
There was very little room for private classes this year, which in turn is the reason that all of those time slots have been booked.
****The only remaining openings available are the scheduled courses which can be found on northernexcursion.com ****

I have been fielding a lot of phone calls and a number of inquiries on upcoming courses. I'm more than happy to answer your questions to ensure that you are on the right road to obtain the license in which you are looking for, you can give me a call at 218-324-1776
~Capt J

USCG OUPV Captains Classes & Rainy Lake Guide! Classes provided in MN, WI, and MI. Voyageurs National Park Tour Guide & Fishing & Hiking

11/11/2025

These are the days in Feb and March that I will be able to teach. Please reach out with any additional questions and I hope to help you fulfill your dream of being a Licensed Captain!
~Capt J
218-324-1776
Go to northernexcursion.com to sign-up

11/05/2025

I'll have two captain's classes coming up in December for a restricted OUPV.
You can sign up here: https://northernexcursion.com/in-person-captains-class/
I will be having two additional classes coming up in February and March, for those that need something else outside of the two classes listed above. I plan to release those scheduled dates in the middle of next week.
These classes are going to be the only ones available this winter for a restricted license. I will be guiding out of state from April-September next year.
Thanks,
~Capt. J

11/03/2025

For those that are curious on guiding, and whether it's a good fit for you or not...

Honestly, it would probably be shocking to the vast majority of you, if I were to tell you how many (and no I do not have the actual number) phone calls, and how much time I've given into helping people grab a small visual on this industry. I do think it's very intelligent on their end to seek out and look for information. That way it allows them to make an informative decision in the aspect of, is guiding going to be a good fit for them.

To help overcome some of these challenges and phone calls, I have decided to post a small series on YouTube. I have broken it up into four main sections and I will release one video a week to make it much more palatable. I do hope this helps some of you and this does will help answers a vast majority of questions that I do get.

I appreciate you watching,
~Capt J

These videos give insight to those looking to turn their passions into a career.

09/18/2025

Whelp, That's a wrap for the 2025 guiding season!!! I am calling it off early this year, for myself, as I am chasing a few opportunities that I have been pursuing for a couple of years now.
I am super excited about it and there'll be more details to come in the near future.
If you are looking for a guided fishing trip yet, you can always get a hold of Preston Benedix who's been working next to me this season, 218-324-6438, as he'll continue running the Champ 😁
This guy is an absolute hammer and his understanding of fish patterns as well as fishing knowledge is vast. He's had an excellent year guiding thus far and I'll put my name next to his at any point in time.
~Capt J

09/14/2025

Three days fellow guides Turbo and Beth had to put up with shenanigans 🤪
Three days with great friends and some truly hard fishing. We hit the ground running and never quit until the race was done. Unfortunately, we didn't put the hooks to any Muskies. We raised two, a good one and a great one, but similar to a young male these days.... they were afraid of commitment 🤣
Looking forward to chatting with you two this next week.
Good luck on Erie this week running Dunlaps Charter Services - https://dunlapscharterservice.com/

09/13/2025

Had an absolute smoke show out there today!
That was the first time I've fished the North Arm of Rainy in over a month, and it started up right where I left off. We targeted most of our big fish in 23' on isolated humps on the edge of deep water.
Yesterday, we spent time just learning presentations and how to effectively fish them in the East End, and then today was all about ex*****on. I truly do enjoy teaching people how to fish and helping them succeed.
When clients turn into friends, it's a bond of great created memories. I look forward to seeing these two again soon 😁

09/08/2025

What a great start to the morning! The fish are in transition and on the move.
Your PRO-TIP for today = where you are fishing early/mid-June, is where you should be fishing right now for walleye.

08/17/2025

It's just like when the M&Ms met Santa..... They do exist.... this is in my top five biggest blue gill I've ever seen