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I am planning to fish Burntside sometime this winter and am just trying to figure out the best mode of transportation to get there from the West end of Vermilion. Would it be easier/quicker to snowmobile with portable in tow, or would it make more sense to trailer the snowmobile and portable to Burntside? I have never snowmobiled from V to B-side so I have no idea about trail conditions especially when pulling a portable. The trail maps show a route that looks like it follows a river or stream.? Thanks for any info.

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I agree with vermilionwally, Mike. It's a fun trip on a sled alone, but to tow a portable all the way across Vermilion and the trail to Burntside would be pretty slow. Either that or you'd risk your gear getting trashed inside your portable at higher speeds.

There's a great public landing off Van Vac Bay on the south shore of Burntside. You just head toward Ely on 169 and turn left about four miles short of town on Grant MacMahan Blvd (Cty. 88), then go a couple miles and turn left again on Van Vac Road (Cty. 404), and the public landing is up a bit more than a mile on your right.

It's about an hour from Cook to Ely driving in your vehicle on Hwy. 1 and 169. It would take significantly longer than that at portable-towing speeds on the sled.

Good luck with the Bside lakers! Well, I'm assuming it's lakers if you're leaving Vermilion to fish Bside. Lots of 'eyes in Bside, but it's a tough, tough fishery for them. Those lakers are a total blast! grin.gifgrin.gif

If you're targeting lakers, the season ends in March, and the fish tend to hit better early rather than late in the season, so that may enter into your thinking.

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Good advice by Steve!

I live on the East end and have pulled a portable over to Burntside from here. Decent trails and not to bad of a trip from this end. Decent trout fishing also in the first deep water you get to.

Cliff

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Thanks for the reponses. I think for fishing with portable I will trailer the equipment to Bside. For a pure snowmobile adventure I'm gonna have to do the snowmobile ride. Too bad Bside Lodge isn't open in the winter for a meal. I guess it will be on to Ely for the eats & drinks.

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You can snowmobile to the Grand Ely Lodge on Shagawa Lake for some great food and beverages! grin.gif

Cliff

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I have not been on this trail yet this year...how is the trail between Vermilion and Burntside this year? Do they groom that trail now?

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Does that trail to Burntside Lake via Vermilion start up by Mud Creek Bay? And if it does, once on Burntside is that lake staked for snowmachines like Vermilion is? Thanks for the info.

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Yes the trail into Burntside starts in Mud Creek Bay and runs up the river.

I do not know how well burntside is staked. I did see a few stakes out there last year.

Cliff

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Finnish Flash:

Burntside is well staked. No problem there. And the trail turnoffs on Burntside, Little Long and Shagawa lakes are clearly marked.

The later in the season, however, the greater the likelihood that stakes come out or get trashed by vandals.

The big snowmobile trail maps you get free at most C-stores and gas stations all along the trails are very good, and coupled with the staking make things pretty darn handy.

Good sledding! grin.gifgrin.gif

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I wonder why the walleyes are tough to get on in b-side. especially if there is a helathy population. \:\) just curious and cant stop thinking/talking fishing!

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Plus there are millions of ciscoes and smelt for them to eat! Very hard to compete with that type of feed base!

Cliff

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