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Houseboat Camping on Namakan in august


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Howdy guys. 

We are heading to Namakan in mid August and would like some info on good houseboat campsites on Namakan for a decent sized group(10 people).  We will have 2-3 fishing boats and are interested in targeting walleyes in the area of the campsite.  Any info. would be great.  I am getting a little worried about wrecking my prop/lower unit on my boat or the house boat after reading around on some forums.  Any tips for fishing namakan?  I have done a fair bit of research and im confident we will find fish but will always take some pointers from people who have fished the area. 

 

Thanks!

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I dont houseboat but Junction Bay North site has a nice beach. And on the Wolf Pack side of McManus island is a huge beach that there are always houseboats at (dont think it is an "official" site but there is someone parked there all the time)

If you are up towards Kettle Falls, the Mica bay site has a nice beach too.  I'm not familiar with sites on the east part of Namakan.

There also are two sites just east of the Wolf Pack islands, with Randolph bay having a much larger beach.  Both face north tho, so limited sun.

Do you have a GPS map chip for Namakan?  

 

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Get this map, which shows all the official houseboat sites (also available at REI).  http://www.shop.jnpa.com/Prod-663-1-1085-295/Map_Voyageurs_National_Park.htm

Your houseboat outfitter will also probably provide Fisher or Mackenzie maps, but probably not sonar on the houseboat. Check with them on that. I ran into a guy this summer from Chicago who had maps but no compass, and visibility was maybe 500 feet. He had no idea where he was. Bring a compass and a handheld GPS if possible, or the Navionics phone app, but don't panic. The buoy system is good, all the red & green buoys are numbered, so you can reference them against the Mackenzie paper map for sure, probably Fisher maps also. The rock hazards in normal travel areas are buoyed also, but my rule of thumb is if you are in less than 20 feet of water, be careful and if you are in less than 10 feet, be paranoid.

The Randolph Bay site (N34) is nice, well protected from wind, but as Xplorer wrote, facing north. That can be good if it's hot, maybe not if it's cool. August, like much of the year in Minnesota, can be fickle. Junction Bay North (N50) looks nice, and I think you can tie up on either side depending on the wind. I'd avoid the sites facing west or northwest because of wind, but August is pretty busy houseboat-wise, so you might have to compromise. There are also a few unofficial spots where houseboats tie up for the night.  As soon as you get underway, send a scout boat out to check sites.

Good luck.

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