First time to Kab/Nam

[BigStevie]

Hey there,

My wife and I will be coming up to Kab/Nam June 23-25th. We'd like to boat in to one of the campsites. This will be our first time in to Voyageurs. We're experienced campers but I was wondering if there is anything specific we should know?? I've got a couple of good maps, GPS's etc. and we were thinking we'd drop the boat in at the visitors center. Is there anything you would recommend for a first-timer??

I appreciate the info!!

Steve

[booter]

A couple of things to keep in mind:

You must get a permit (free) to camp in the park, you can do this at the visitors center when you launch. There is an after hours box if you are there, well, after hours.

Use the bear boxes. Some people actually think that if they are camping on an island that they don't have to "bear-proof" their campsite. We've seen bears swimming around on several occasions so an island site is not a sure way to avoid bears in camp.

Most important though is just to enjoy being in one of the finest national parks in the park system.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Hey Steve. You'll just be leaving and I'll be coming.

I have done the trip several times. We use to stay at Woodenfrog campground, but staying in the park is much better. It is so peaceful in the evening and the stars & northern lights are awesome!

We used to have bear issues up there. Our first time camping in the park somebody bonehead had removed the bear box from our site. We tried to hang the cooler in a tree.. yeah right; what a joke that was. Bear came through all night and tried to get our food. They finally did while we were fishing the next day. We ended up packing everything up and stayed at a resort campground.

Lesson learned: get a site with a bear box. I can say that we haven't seen any bear for several years now. The rangers trap the nuisance bears and relocate them. If you see any, don't be afraid of them. They are like big raccoons and are after any food they can find. Don't be afraid, but don't be stupid either.

Here are some other tips:

- Bring a 12' x 16' tarp and lots of rope. You can make a great dinning shelter setup that way.

- Otters love minnows! Find a way to lock your minnow bucket.

- Resorts have good burgers. Nice break from camp food and when you need more minnows (see above).

- Bring a camera and take lots of pictures.

- Bring HD tent stakes. Lots of rocks and hard ground.

- Bring a small radio and leave it on while your out fishing. Helps keep bear away from camp.

- When out fishing after dark, leave your lantern and radio on. Helps you find your camp against the dark shoreline. Be sure your lantern can't start a fire!

- Frogg Toggs leak

- Otters make cool sounds at night.

- NO FOOD IN TENTS! Can you guess why??

- Zip lock bag for your TP. The stuff seems to work better when it's dry!

- Baby wipes. Not just for kids anymore.

- Solar showers work great.

- Keep your camp clean. Put all of your trash in the bear box. Bear will not come around if the camp is clean. Or, at least they won't come back if they don't find anything at your site.

- Leave your campsite better then you found it.

- Write some trip notes about what worked and what didn't. Make changes for next time.

- Take only memories and leave only footprints.

[BigStevie]

Thanks for the info guys! I'm a BWCA guy so I'm familiar with the bear issue and keeping the TP dry! Is there any advice about navigating around the park that I should know about??

[shutupNfish]

Camping in western Nam is much better. Go to junction bay or

randolph bay has very nice camp sites. Kab is to busy for me. I will be there june 15th to 23rd. We go middle of june every year.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Yeah sorry Steve, I missed the experienced camper part of your post

There are rocks hazards once you get out of the navigation lane. Be careful and you should be OK. Be careful going between islands that are not in the boat lane. You can ask a ranger, if you see one, for more details about the area you will be in. You also call up there before you go and ask them.

My GPS is not always accurate up there for some reason. Even if you think you are following your track back, you can be off. Somewhere on this board is a post telling of a guy hitting an island (at night) while using his GPS

Have fun up there!

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Hey shutupNfish, any help on where to find the fish that time year? We are going up the last week of June. We have always gone in late May, but fishing has not been good then for us. If you don't want to post on the site, you can e-mail me at [email protected]

Thanks!

[shutupNfish]

We have gone late May and early June and have no luck. We go every year and found mid June is the best. We have been there catching nothing and then one day you can't keep them off your hook don't know if it is water temp or what. You just have to hit that date. Every year we go to the spots from last year and nothing. You just watch your depth finder, if you see no fish on bottom then move. With the rocky bottom a good depth finder will not lie. As for bait, one year all minnows and the next year all leeches. You will find out quick which one will catch more fish.

Good Luck

[BigStevie]

Wish-I-Were-FishN,

No worries. "Experienced camper" can be a relative term. I'm always open to new tips or suggestions. I'm really looking forward to the trip! Thanks for the info!!

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

shutupNfish, what 'finder are you using?

[shutupNfish]

I use Lowrance color. My brother has Garmin. Both work well.

With the hard bottom fish show up very well.

[maxfish]

GO TO WESTERN END OF NAM!!!! kab is busy

[BigStevie]

That's where I'm planning on heading. Do you guys think we'll have trouble finding an open camp site this time of year??

[maxfish]

you can probably get a spot if you are willing to go to deep slough try mica island it has a dock