A small, or compact park in Roseville in a built up area. Most of the land around the park is…read moreprivate, everyone has a deck, but there is room for visitor activities. A boat launch, beach, playground but not much in walking paths. There were a few cars parked on a 0 degree winter day as it is just a spot to pull over and kill time. I played around with my radio pre-sets because some streaming channels were gone so I had to scroll around for something else.. tough times in the 21st century.

My partner and I took my one year old son to this beach over the weekend. It was small, clean, and…read morenot so busy as to make it impossible to enjoy yourself. My only real complaint was that the only swimming area that was open was very small and extremely shallow the whole way through. It could have been due to the fact that it was very windy, and perhaps the buoys had been blown in closer to shore. Other than that, it was a nice place with good looking facilities, a big parking lot with plenty of spaces, and decently clean lake water. We will be going back again.

Very fun float kayak paddling trip! We rented kayaks and they helped us put in and take out along…read morewith a quick bus ride back. It was about 8 miles on the river with a few small rapids. The water was fairly shallow and easy to navigate. It took us maybe 2.5 hours for our kayak trip with beautiful scenery. We saw deer, 2 fawns with spots and a doe. We saw two bald eagles and 1 golden eagle, blue herons, turtles, kingfisher, turkey vulture etc. The parking is free; there is a bathroom where you put in. You need to sign waivers before going. They offer PFDs to everyone; under 18 must wear PFD.

We love the town of Cannon Falls. We decided to plan a Kayak trip with some family and give this…read moreplace a try. This area is beautiful and we saw many Bald Eagles as we strolled down the Cannon River. I don't think this was too expensive and it was a lot of fun. We had not been kayaking before and my wife was clueless. I had used canoes when I was a kid and had been up to the Boundary Waters, I felt okay. We told the people that it was our first time and without much of any instruction, they put her in the kayak and away she went. I felt like they could have done anything to make her more comfortable. The rental area is a shack, basically. They put you in kayaks and then pick you up in an hour from departure at the pick up point. Look for the large pink rock, that is where you exit the river to be picked up. We had the last time slot with several people overturning and having to empty their kayak, not me, I stayed dry. The people that had to drain their kayak wasted a lot of time and we were late to our pick-up at the end of the day when you know they wanted to go home and start their weekend. I felt bad but it wasn't my fault. This was a fun time. I would recommend that you have some experienced people to help you if you are new at this. The people running this place are not interested in spending time teaching you how to stay dry. That is up to you.

Was in the area as we are in the market to buy a home, and any home we buy needs to be close by to…read morea public park! So before my scheduled tour time, I came here to scope it out. The road the park is off of, Butler Avenue , is extremely busy for a little two-lane road (everyone apparently uses it to get to highway 52), but once you pull in, it's like a sigh of relief. Nice big parking lot can accommodate lots of vehicles, if you are visiting by car. There's a big bathroom facility right there at the entrance (that's even open during the winter!) with additional tables and grills for picnicers. The lake is just a short distance away, and there's a short trail that goes all the way around it; very picturesque! Additional trails will take you through more landscape and trees (all paved and in great condition), and even over highway 52 into the adjacent park (Kaposia) and further to Simon's Ravine Trailhead, if you're up to it! Truly excellent to have the option to really stretch your legs and go some distance. If you're not here for hiking, there's also an impressively-sized kiddie park that's modern and has some fun unique play structures. (Legit, I wanted to go play on it and I'm 38 1/2.) I think it might've included a small splash pad, but I couldn't be certain in the winter. I spotted some tables with built-in chess/checkers boards, as well as some additional picnic tables. A pier that extends into the lake for fishers. By the kid park there's another large building with external-facing restrooms, and the building itself looks like it gets used for classes or something if you're there at the right season. Seriously, what a great resource for the neighboring communities! If I do move nearby, this would be an excellent spot to be able to relax, play, and exercise.

Spacious park with walking trails, playground, fishing dock, senior center, and a pavilion. Tons of…read morespace to grill and picnic

Friendly and knowledgeable staff. I'm a beginner at fly fishing and I never felt intimidated by…read morethe staff. They love to give you tips to improve your fishing game. Great selection of flies and gear. They also have classes throughout the year and have guides for more private sessions. Cool shop to check out if you are in the cities.

Have always leaned on BMFS for strong advice and products. As much as I liked the drive out to…read moreLake Elmo it's nice to have them in the city.

We just love this company! We utilized their shuttle services to take us and our kayaks North on…read morethe Mississippi so we could do a sweet 5 mile paddle back down yesterday. Super friendly and helpful staff! Lots of great kayaks and canoes for sale and rent in their shop, as well as cool gear (and more!) in their fun gift shop. We will definitely be back!

Wonderful outfitting company. Bought a six-mile Groupon for two people and it was a lovely way to…read morespend a gorgeous Friday afternoon. The staff was helpful and friendly. Sandra checked us in and made us feel welcome and ready to start our trip. Cody is engaging and friendly as he drove us from the end point back to the drop off. They explained the river and gave us a map. There's a few sand bars and tiny islands along the route to stop and have a rest, lunch and lounge. The Mississippi River is wide and calm. As adventurous kayakers, we enjoy a few rapids here and there, which this journey didn't have any. But for those who like a relaxing time on the water, this is the way to go!

Great service. Great stuff. Great place. I always have a great experience when I visit Mend.read more

Finally, a fly shop in Minneapolis. And finally, a review of it on Yelp (years after it opened)…read more Mike, the owner and sole employee, is always in there. He's got a big beard and a big personality and isn't a salesman. He'll tell you exactly what you need if you want help--sometimes recommending the lower priced items over higher priced items because he's a genuine dude out to make fly anglers vs. make a buck. I've bought countless bugs from him. A rod. A waist pack. I think a t-shirt at some point. I've drank his free beer at the occasional, random store parties he decides to throw on a whim. It's a beautiful store. He even sells American made jeans if you decide that on your way to the river, you not only need bugs but also some raw denim for whatever reason.

Jim was fantastic. The entire family had a great time. He was patient with the young ones and…read morehelped all of us with his knowledge of fishing. The entire experience was relatively inexpensive considering that we just brought ourselves and everything else was provided by Jim. And at the end, he even had goodie bags to give away to the young ones. We will definitely be using his services again and recommending him to our friends & family.

My son was coming up from Texas for his 30th birthday. He loves to fish so I looked for a guided…read morefishing trip all over Wisconsin and from Saint Paul to Michigan. Everything was way expensive and booked way in advance. I Stumbled onto www.smallcraftoutfitters.com . Guided Kayak Fishing. Incredibly inexpensive and addictively fun! Tyler (the owner/guide) is based on a small ~150 acre home lake, Eau Galle Reservoir but he guides on other lakes as well. Beautiful Lake Eau Galle (Spring Valley, Wi) is east of St Paul roughly 40 minutes A four hour fully furnished excursion aboard a personal custom fishing kayak waiting for you already in the water. Poles already fitted with lures ready to cast. Ice chest with water in the guide's boat and bring your own snacks. The rates for us that day was $75 for the 1st person and $25 for each additional person with their own Kayak. WOW! If we weren't to catch a fish at all it would still be worth it for just the guided tour around beautiful Lake Eau Galle. I have to add up front, I broke my foot a few weeks before and wearing a boot. Tyler was super accommodating making sure there was no trouble getting me into the Kayak. Also, handicap parking just 20 feet from the dock. I had never been in a kayak before but these were very stable and a very comfy seat. You are also fitted with life jackets. We got there around 630a, Tyler wasted no time getting underway. We headed straight for the dam and worked our way around the lake. I don't want to spoil anything for you but he will give you all kinds of interesting information about your surroundings and always quick to point out the eagles flying about. You can bring your own rods and tackle but his selection for you is all you need. I wasn't quite used to the open face spin reel and only a couple of times had to fix a minor tangle. That was mostly me and my lack of talent. Just to make it easy next time I'll bring a closed face spin/cast combo like a Zebco 33 or 808. The artificial lure he will likely select for you is a weedless top water frog. It's a light lure but his rod/line setup delivers casting distance. You can pretty much cast it anywhere.... Over logs, on top of water growth or up on land and jig is back towards you like a little frog swimming from the bank. I'm sure part of the reason for using the weedless lures was to promote more fishing and less toil of trying to get unsnagged from a bad cast. The trick with the frog lure is when the bass takes it under you have to wait a full 3 seconds before you set the hook or you will jerk it out of his mouth and not catch him. I had trouble forcing myself to wait but after I caught on I could make the catch. My son was a natural catching more than a half dozen decent sized ones from the morning and into the heat of noon. Opportunity was always there, I'd say we had 30 strikes between us. My son hooked a pike but it threw the lure before it could be landed. That's the way it goes sometimes. All in all a very pleasant outing, I'll do again. Bugs weren't bad at all but don't forget sunscreen, hat and sunglasses. Tyler is very humble and loves to talk. A few occasions I pulled my Kayak up to his and talked about everything under the sun while we watched my son catch fish. Bonus: Tyler will take lots of pictures for you and send up to a share drive so can view and download. Oh and did I mention how beautiful Lake Eau Galle is? One more thing to think about. So you could go and buy yourself a Kayak with every thing you need to do this and it would cost a good bit as well as having to store it, load it, haul it. Rather you might consider www.smallcraftoutfitters.com guided trip once a month for the short summers we have up here and it would cost you a lot less than owning your own fishing Kayak. Not to mention the space you'll save in your garage.

From the owner: A family owned business passionate about kayak fishing!read more