Late Ice Basswood Pike!?!?!?

[finnbay]

Steve's got it down pretty much. For northerns, a vex isn't much help because you're usually fishing in 12 feet of water or less. Hand auger, some tip-ups, maybe a jigging pole. Ciscoes for bait, a kettle to heat water for coffee and hot chocolate along with cooking up some polackers for lunch. Few extra clothes and that's about it. I haven't packed in as much camera gear as Steve has, but the load in my sled usually weighs 20 pounds or less on the way in. Plenty more on the way out if it's been a good day. One of the reasons we haven't made as many trips to Basswood is the slot. We like to eat northern, and the best ones to eat fall into the slot. Smaller ones don't make the trip worthwhile, and we try to let the hawgs go if we can. Back in the day when we could take out 6 6-8 pounders, it made a good meat trip (sorry, but again we'd release the 12-30 pounders). We could take off at 6:00, be fishing by 8:00, head back for home by about 3:00 and it made a good day. Good luck!

[caseymcq]

 Originally Posted By: stfcatfish

I've hiked in about three miles before for lakers in the BWCAW, and that's about what I pack

Where was that into?

[Steve Foss]

Trout Lake off Vermilion, Casey. Did I get the mileage wrong? I can't remember exactly.

[finnbay]

The portage isn't that long, but depending on where you started and where you ended up fishing, it could easily be three miles.

[Steve Foss]

Yeah, Ken, that's what I was looking at.

[Doop]

I guess I'll cross this off my list as well. This is probably wishful thinking...but maybe they'll change it back in a year or two.

Which one of the bays do you guess fish for pike? Looks like a road comes "somewhat" close to Jackfish Bay. It would have been a good trip for my buddy and I. Oh well.

[finnbay]

Jackfish was always considered "inland waters" and was not open during March and April. Border water bays included Wind Bay, Rice Bay, Inlet Bay, Frog Bay and if I remember correctly, Hoist Bay. All others on the American side closed with the inland season.

[caseymcq]

HaHaHaHa, I was telling people (and myself) that we only walked a mile. That shows how well I estimate distances.

[Steve Foss]

Casey, in the shape you're in it probably really did only feel like a mile. It felt like five miles to me.

[Great Outdoors]

finnbay,

Jackfish, Pipestone, Back, and Hoist are the 4 "Inland" water bays.

[finnbay]

Thanks GO. Memory was fuzzy about Hoist, but I guess we would fish that in December and not March.

[GoggleEye]

Thanks for all the info. guys. I may have to try it this year if I can find the time to get up there. Has anyone else done any late winter BWCA trips that would be worth spending a day fishing?? I am not the best with being familiar with the BWCA yet, so forgive me if this is a dumb question, but can you access Saganaga by foot anywhere and get to some areas that are good fishing in March?? Provided it is legal and an open season on Sag that time of year. Thanks!

GoggleEye

[GoggleEye]

Oh yeah, one last question. I was looking for info on what entrance points would be good to access some good fishing areas on Basswood for walleyes in March and I can not find any info. on this. Could someone recommend a good access point(s). Thanks.

GoggleEye

[finnbay]

GoggleEye,

You'll be a very lonely fisherman looking for walleyes on Basswood in March. Tough to say where they might be then because I have never fished them up there at that time, nor do I know of anyone in recent history who has. I know that one will come up through the hole at Beaver Island on occasion when fishing for lake trout at 40-50 feet, but I'd be hard pressed to say there was a concentration of them there. One of the shortest ways to get up there is across Moose Lake to Wind Lake, then onto Wind Bay. You've got some current in this route this time of year that you have to be careful of, both between the islands on Moose and at the far end of Wind Lake. Where to drop a line? Got me. Great Outdoors, any ideas?

[GoggleEye]

OK, well I appreciate that advice. I definitely don't want to waste an entire day looking for walters if they aren't going to be around much. What lake in the BWCA would you recommend for late season walters? I don't want to have to hike like 20 miles though as by the time I get there I will have to turn around and head back!!! I am looking to do a one day trip only. Thanks!

GE

[Tullibee]

I'm with Finnbay, I don't know anyone that has caught a walleye through the ice on Basswood. I am assuming that you are looking for a border lake to do some late ice walleye fishing after the regular season closes??? If so i'm not sure of any that are worth a trip other than Lake of the Woods or Rainy.

[caseymcq]

 Originally Posted By: stfcatfish

Casey, in the shape you're in...

That shape would be rather round these days.

[Great Outdoors]

finnbay,

Any ideas, yep!

Have him contact one of the many mushers that could run him up for a day of fishing, wherever.

May be a little tough on the wallet, but you'd make it up by not having to pay the deductable on your medical insurance if you tried walking in.

[finnbay]

Hee,hee,hee!

[Surface Tension]

GoggleEye, you need to look at a map to get an idea of how long a the trek it is to get into Basswood. This may shoot down any plans to fish eyes there. If it were a hot fishery for winter eyes you can bet others would be doing it. As said you can hire a musher to bring you in but IMO you'd be wasting your money. Now if your looking to fish lakers and had the funds to hire a musher then you have a pretty nice trip.

[GoggleEye]

OK, thanks for the advice all. I just may have to fish for trout and panfish instead and forget the walleyes. Maybe I'll do a weekend of hitting a bunch of the small walk-in lakes off of the echo trail. I'm just looking for something different, I am sick of fishing all the high pressured waters down here in the metro. These lakes down here, for the lack of a better term..........stink. Not just the fishing, but the scenery and the pressure they get. Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

GoggleEye

[Steve Foss]

GoggleEye, you might consider the 2-mile walk into the BWCAW and Trout Lake off Lake Vermilion after the regular inland laker season closes. The BWCAW lakes stay open for lakers two weeks later, and I've made the walk into Trout Lake quite a few times.

Numbers had not been high through the 90s, possibly because of the increase in eelpout populations, but aggressive stocking has produced better numbers of some real footballs at the same time as the eelpout seem to have been in decline, and you have an honest shot at old big native fish there. It's about the same size as Burntside but gets far less pressure.

There's a topic about it on the Vermilion board right now. It's far easier than any type of jaunt into Basswood or Knife lakes. Of course, you WILL have a bit of drilling by hand in the March ice, but that's true of whichever wilderness lake you're in.

It's easy to drive right now with a 4x4 off Moccasin Point Resort and across the Vermilion ice to the Trout Lake portage, and probably will be in a month, too. We don't typically get much snow up here in February.

[GoggleEye]

Stf, thanks for the info. and starting points!!

[GoggleEye]

Steve, that's a great forum on trout lake. Thanks a lot for letting me know about it. What a great site................

GE

[djb1]

It's about the same size as Burntside but gets far less pressure.

Burntside use to get alot less pressure but that has changed in the last 5 to 6 years and I think its a shame. A person use to be able to fish a piece of structure and not have to worry about having people setting up next to you. Most days it was rare to even see another group out fishing. But now with all the talk about it on the web and the bash those days are gone for good. I just hope the added pressure on the lake will not hurt the fishery.

[Steve Foss]

Hey djb1, welcome to HSO/FM. Great to have you here!

[Northlander]

Burntside on its busiest day doesnt come close to some waters around Duluth and the Metro. Burntside is also about 30 times bigger than most lakes around here. Fishing is still very good in my opinion. I dont think Burntside will have any negative effects from the fishing pressure it gets.

Smelt and other exotics would be more of a worry to me.

[djb1]

I agree that smelt and exotics are a concern but I also think fishing pressure is something we should not take lightly when it comes to Lake Trout Lakes. There are areas of Burntside were in my opinion fishing pressure has already started to affect the fishery. Structure were we would catch trout consistantly that we don't fish anymore because the numbers and quality of the fish aren't there like they had been. The only change we have seen is the fishing pressure on these spots.

[Doop]

Google was looking for 'eyes on Basswood...how about the pike?

Obviously a March trip is out of the question...but anyone fish this lake in December for pike? I certainly don't mind a 2 mile hike if the fish are there.

[finnbay]

Doop,

Basswood is renowned for pike and December is a hot time for them. Two miles won't do it, however. You can get up to Basswood from Fall Lake, Wood Lake or Moose Lake but in each case it is about 5-6 miles to Basswood and then another mile to 3 miles to where you might fish.