BWCA Trip in 1 week!

[prov1900]

Haven't been to the BWCA or Quetico in many years. We are headed with a group of Boy Scouts next Sunday for a week long foray in the BWCA (only). Probably going to do a Basswood loop to see pictographs, etc. My son is making his first trip with me on my old stomping grounds and I am pretty excited. I guided for Charles L Sommers for 3 seasons when I was a lot younger some 25 years ago. Back then we fished with Fuzz E Grubs without bait (of course) and did pretty well. My question is two fold. 25 years later, what is a hot bait to stock in my limited tackle pack? Thinking plastic swimbaits and assorted jig trailers, but am open to any good suggestions to maybe have a night or two of walleye dinners to supplement the freeze dried stuff. Also, what depths are fish at now? (roughly). Thanks for any and all help. Looking forward to getting "back home". Pray my body holds out! 

[reinhard1]

The last time I was on Basswood we did well on jigs  with a minnow, but I know your thinking artificial's.  I went in June for only a couple of days.  The walleye's were in about 20 or so feet of water and bit well during the day.  We drifted with the jigs off the bottom in between islands and shorelines.  I would think minnow type plastics with 1/8 th oz jig heads on them would produce or heavier jig head depending how deep you are finding them.  The eye's moved closer to shore in late afternoon and early evening.  We caught a lot of smallmouth also.  We had smallmouth for shore lunch and they were tasty.  Caught mostly eater walleye's with a few in the 24 inch range.  We portaged in from Newton Lake and fished  from the falls there up through Pipestone Bay.  I think you can catch smallmouth and walleye's with the same baits.  Plastics are a good choice.  I still use fuzzy grub jigs up north tipped with a minnow or leach.  good luck.

[ANYFISH2]

I would suggest fishing saddles between islands and as well as shallow (10ft) bays that has scattered wood, this time of year.  We always bring leeches or pike suckered into basswood.  However, I have found 5" gulp leeches work quite well. On jigs or trolled on a spinner rig.

 

 

 

[prov1900]

 Thanks guys. I'm no stranger to fishing sheild lakes but I was watching u tube videos last night on people's tackle selections. I was perplexed at the number of people bringing slip bobbers but with what bait? Gulp? Maybe they were carting in leeches...Also, is barbless the rule throughout?

[ANYFISH2]

I don't believe barbless is a rule in the BWCAW(exception may be trout lakes). I think it is in the Quetico, however. 

Leeches are easy live bait to keep in BWCAW trips.  A pound of leeches split into a couple of leech bags last along time. Just place a rock in the bag keep the bag just under the warmest surface water.

[reinhard1]

I think ANYFISH nailed it with the leeches this time of the year.  Heck your favorite fuzzy grub jigs would work great with leeches or just a plain jig head.  Those Gulp leeches would be a great bait to take along by themselves or as a sub in case you run out of live leeches.   Regardless, just being there is 90% of the enjoyment for me.  As far as barbless hooks, in the last few years I have been bending the barbs on all my hooks anyway when using live bait.  Easy to take the hook out and good for the fish, but that's an option.  good luck.

[prov1900]

I agree Reinhard1, that is definitely God's Country up there and fishing is a nice bonus to all the scenery. Thanks everyone for chiming in. Really getting jacked about the trip now more than ever. As an aside, I like going barbless on trips where the E.R. isn't a 5 minute drive away. I remember a trip I guided where a guy had a smallie attached to one of the trebles and the other two were stuck in the guys right and left thumbs, respectively. That was fun...

[Surface Tension]

 You'll have to keep the leeches cool. It only takes one time to get them over heated and they're toast.

Guys are using the Gulp leeches, some swear by them and considering the temps we've had lately not a bad idea take them along.

Trolling driving cranks works well on the humps and saddles but gets old when under paddle power.

[PiedmontAngler]

Per Quetico Park web...

"January 2007 Quetico went barbless and removed all organic bait (minnows, leeches, food items, ect)."

Have a good trip.  My last excursion up there was too much paddling and not enough fishing.

[prov1900]

We are shooting for Pictographs early second morning, then up and around US Point to lower Basswood Falls and past. 3 nights, 4 days. Finish out hopefully southbound towards and into Moose. What do you think? Too much?

[monstermoose78]

It can be done but you will not be fishing.

[chaffmj]

I was on Basswood less than a week ago.No problem with keeping leeches. Lindy rigs with leeches or worms worked well.

[PiedmontAngler]

We are shooting for Pictographs early second morning, then up and around US Point to lower Basswood Falls and past. 3 nights, 4 days. Finish out hopefully southbound towards and into Moose. What do you think? Too much?

Depends on where you go in and the experience level of the scouts.  We went in Fall Lake with mostly inexperienced teens, to Jackfish Bay day 1.  fought the wind all day.  Up to just below upper Basswood falls day 2 set up camp early.  Early morning set out to pictographs on day 3 and back to camp.  Out through Horse River & Horse Lake to Tin Can Mike on day 4 then out Mudrow day half day 5. Finished with a picnic in Ely.  

We fished primarily from camp and did catch and release a few small walleye and northern pike.  Everything we caught was on plastics and spinners.  Nothing big enough to keep for a meal. 

[prov1900]

I'm the only one with any real paddling experience in my crew. We have some strong kids and a couple other young ones. Don't plan on fishing till we get to our camp each day. We don't want to mess around and get caught late in the day with no camp site available. I think we put in on Moose but can't swear. We are outfitting with Cliff Wolds.

[Stick in Mud]

I've been through the Lower Basswood area probably a dozen times now, and that area seems to be really, really busy. I'm usually traveling solo or with another person, so we don't need big sites, but it can get pretty tough to find open sites--especially nice ones--in that area.  Sounds like you know to get an early site, so that's half the battle.  A friend of mine just went through there last week, and he had to go nearly to Friday Bay on Crooked to find a site.   

Thank you for bringing some youngsters up to the woods.  I'd be happy to share some info if you'll give a bit more about your planned route...

[prov1900]

Well, if we put in at Moose, thru Prairie Portage into Basswood the first day. Pictographs early morning second day, then take a left at US Point....after that I assume our natural course would be through Lower Basswood on second night. Problem is we only have one night left to get close enough to Moose (thinking Horse Lake). I've been to Crooked back in the day and remember that being about as far west as anyone might venture Ina 10 day trip. We walked the portage to look at Lac Lacroix. So your story about your friend having to go that far to find a site freaks me out just a little. I know (or at least think I do...lol) that next week is going to be one of the busier weeks in the BWCA. 

We aren't dead set on our route quite yet. Maybe an eastern route would be better. My son is one of the two youngsters. I'm really excited for him to see where I (truly grew up) 

[Stick in Mud]

Campsites always seem to be hit or miss, I guess.  I've had the premium site right below LBF a few times...and I've also gone through there a few times where the sites were 100% occupied.  There are a few up the river between Wheelbarrow Falls and UBF that are usually open, though from what I remember they weren't that great.  It's a different area, but when I was up on the Gunflint last week, *every* campsite on Caribou and Horseshoe Lakes was occupied.  It is the busy time of year, alas.  

Horse has some nice sites on it, too.  The site on the point before you go down the Horse River comes to mind.  The one near the southern bay is another.  Plenty big for a decent group, and if your leeches are still alive by then, the walleye fishing can be good right from camp (though I prefer the points all along the western shore).  It can also be a busy lake, as it's a common first night in/last night before leaving lake.  

Good luck, and let us know how the trip goes!!

[prov1900]

Will do! Excited as can be. Took a few of my last days of work off to let the beard grow. Will post pics after. Thanks everyone for the great advice!

[ANYFISH2]

Looking forward your pics and story.

[prov1900]

Got back from our trip last week. Had a fabulous trip! Weather wasn't bad at all, exception being the wind on a couple of the first days. Entry point was Moose. Paddled to Basswood and the wind was howling, so we stopped short for the night a couple miles down lake. Trip started off with a slight hitch though. Two of the older boys dumped their canoe about 20 feet after the initial launch on Moose! So we got them and their gear in and started over. Of course that made for some tense moments on the first day, but that was the last of the swampings.

We went the Basswood route and stayed in Pipestone Bay on the second day. That was kind of a long haul as the wind played with us a little. Finished out the trip on Fall Lake. All in all a great trip. Fishing was so-so, but I think everyone enjoyed the atmosphere/scenery so much that fishing was kind of an after thought. I personally had more fun taking pictures with my D50. The one posted here via cell phone, is on the ramp to Fall Lake waiting for our pickup from the outfitters. Cliff Wold's had fantastic food and equipment as well as service.

I will say that the couple of months working out helped me survive (physically), but in hindsight, I should have been in better shape. My boy, who is 12 was with me in the canoe. He did a great job at the portages and hauled his share. It was definitely work, but what a better place to do it in. He told me on the first two miles of the trip that we need to do this again soon and repeated it throughout the week.

[chaffmj]

Glad you had a good trip and survived the swamping. Basswood is one of my favorite lakes to go to.

My boy, who is 12 was with me in the canoe. He did a great job at the portages and hauled his share. It was definitely work, but what a better place to do it in. He told me on the first two miles of the trip that we need to do this again soon and repeated it throughout the week.

You have introduced him to a lifetime of adventures. My Dad took me in when I was 14 and I have been going back ever since and now have moved to Ely. 

I was in Basswood for 3 days towards the end of July and the fishing was good but we went in through Prairie portage so we were fishing different water. Headed back for a 5 day trip at the end of August.

[prov1900]

Yep. We went through Prairie Portage as well. "Almost" didn't need the map to get there as that one jack pine is still there to signify the slight left. We didn't really struggle too much finding campsites. We were up pretty early and got rolling. I was up there when I was my sons age and was hooked. One more trip when I was 17, then three years of guiding for Sommers. Man did I miss it!

My wife and I were celebrating an anniversary on Vermilion in September 2001...yep on the 11th. Watched it live like the rest of the world. Drove to Ely that day because it felt right, like the place I had to be if the stuff was going to hit the proverbial fan. It was my wife's first visit to Ely. She fell in love with it too. I always thought I may move there too someday. 

[Stick in Mud]

Thanks for the report...Good to hear things went well even after the swamping.    

 

[reinhard1]

Glad everything went well and I'm sure there will be plenty of memories to share for years to come.  I think of the Arrowhead area every day.  good luck.