Day Trip Ideas

[BowOut]

We will be staying at an Ely area resort for a week this summer and we are looking for any day trip ideas for the kids. We are looking for single day trips such as taking the kids up to the Hegman lakes to look at the pics and I am looking for any ideas to get my nine year old son onto some catch and release smallies . Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

“...glad I shall never be young without wild country to be young in.”

Aldo Leopold

[Steve Foss]

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

If you're going out on Hegman to look at the pictographs, combine it with some smallie fishing. South and North Hegman (and Trease, which is connected through a short channel to North Hegman) are not totally loaded with smallies but have good populations.

If you want to see the pictographs with the sun on them you'll want to get to the northern edge of North Hegman by mid-morning at latest, as the rock face they're on faces east. In the late afternoon/evening, they'll be shaded, which can be nice too.

Check out the DNR Lake Finder for both Hegmans to look at smallie production.

What lake are you staying on? You may find great smallie action right there. Burntside, Shagawa, the Farm/Garden/White Iron chain are just a few examples of good smallie lakes with resorts on them.

[finnbay]

Hiking the Bass Lake Trail (depending on how old your kids are) can be a good day activity. You can fish next to Dry Falls (panfish, smallies and largemouth)and if looking for something a little different, can take the spur over to Dry Lake and fish for some stream trout from shore.

[caseymcq]

Try Section 12, Triangle Lake, or Dunnigan. They are outside the BWCAW so no need for a permit and no can/bottle restrictions. I also think being outside of the BWCAW and being so close to it they actually don't get as much pressure as some of the BWCA lakes.

Triangle has a somewhat unique roller portage going into it, so that is kind of cool.

The South Kawishiwi River is good option for smallies in the BWCAW.

[BowOut]

Thanks for the replies and the information; these are just the kinds of suggestions that we are looking for.

Stfcatfish, thank you for the Hegman lakes timing information. I am anticipating that we will be staying on Farm/White Iron again. My son had a couple of smallmouth last time that just cemented his love for the sport and finally took him from fishing all day for gills into hunting the whole trip for the perfect catch and release smallmouth. Thanks for the DNR Lake Finder suggestion as well.

Finnbay, the Bass Lake hiking trail is a perfect suggestion. We are going to have several families with kids of a wide variety of ages and this suggestion sounds like a great idea for the older kids capable of sustaining a hike with fishing gear. For the younger kids we generally take them on short trips onto the lake we are staying on or for short hikes such as the outlet from Garden Lake into Fall Lake.

Caseymcg, thanks for the lake suggestions. The roller portage is just the type of thing that helps break up a day trip into a series of adventures and gives the kids memories for a life time. You mentioned the South Kawishiwi River and that looks like a very good choice for a day trip; do you have any knowledge regarding the arm that runs north after the Birch lake dam at State Route 1 north to the outlet into White Iron? I am very familiar with the outlet at White Iron, but I know nothing regarding the conditions between the dam and White Iron and that is a day trip that I think my son might enjoy (depending on the conditions).

Thanks again for everyones help.

[caseymcq]

I don't know much about that section. I know that the water level can fluctuate drastically depending on time of year and/or precip. There is a nice parking area right there at the bridge.

You may even want to consider going a little further down Hwy 1 and use the landing at the South Kawishiwi Campground and go up river there. There are some good fishing spots along that route and as you get further north there is a waterfall/rapids that is kind of cool to see.

[Trout_Slayer_77]

We used to fish the river between Birch and White Iron back when I was in college in Ely (mid-1990s). There is a trail/Forest Service Road just south of the dam that runs along the river, the problem is that it is not right next to the river. I don't know how to describe exactly where we fished but I would say approximately 3/4 of the way back to White Iron we would leave the trail and walk to the river through the woods. We used to do really well on walleyes, but I know there are a lot of smallies in there as well. The exact time of the summer you are there and the water levels will be important as well. We used to fish it in May and then September/October, so not really sure how good it would be in the middle of summer.

[yukon]

bowout there are also put and take trout lakes that make for a good day. tofte, miners, lots of small lakes over by isabella. If you make the trip to Isabella you might see some moose too. Blueberry picking if you are up when they are ripe.

[BowOut]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

I will be sure to post a report after the trip.

[Down Deep]

Don't overlook spending a day in Ely. The Wolf Center, Molter cabins, and the museum at Vermillion College are fun and interesting activities. There are many spots for lunch and lots of Ely only stores in which to shop.

[caseymcq]

 Originally Posted By: Down Deep

Don't overlook spending a day in Ely. The Wolf Center, Molter cabins, and the museum at Vermillion College are fun and interesting activities. There are many spots for lunch and lots of Ely only stores in which to shop.

The Bear Center is a good one to visit too. It has the FATTEST black bear you will ever see. 900 lbs!