Basswood portage question

[kstruck]

Well I might have stumbled on some free time in the upcoming days and was hoping to put together a bw trip, but all the buddies are tied up and it looks like it might be a solo jaunt.

Quick question: For the sake of my arms not being in solo canoe fashion, I was hoping to bring up the small lund 14. To get into Basswood I believe Fall Lake is an access without portages, correct? However there are no permits available. But there are om permits for Moose, long question short, is it possible for one guy to get to Basswood via Moose? Is Prairie Portage motorized (and if so are they open at this time of year), or would it have to be done by portage wheels? Basically I am just looking at clarification of my Moose Lake to Baswood idea.

Thanks in advance for any input!

[finnbay]

Prairie Portage is motorized, but make sure you get in touch with LaTourell's to arrange for transport from Sucker to Basswood. There are two portages from Fall to Pipestone Bay, and portage wheels are needed to pull a boat over them.

[Mike Stark]

will the om moose permit allow him to get to basswood???

i thought you needed the moose-basswood via praire portage to get into basswood.

[finnbay]

That's not a Basswood northern, is it Mike?

[Mike Stark]

yep it is....i also made it in the echo/angler this week.

finnbay just sent you an email...

[kstruck]

Thanks for the quick reply guys.

It was my understanding that the Basswood-Moose via PP was for day use motor or day use motor to Candada. And that the "Moose OM" was commonly used to get to Basswood.

[Mike Stark]

yeah i just looked into it...i think your right...the moose lake om pemit lets you get up into basswood...learn something new everyday.

[Mike Stark]

my understanding was that they would be open until the last day permits were issued...but i would call and make sure. i just got a day use pemit throught praire for thurs or friday..someone must have just cancelled.

[JBMasterAngler]

OK, so I've become interested in basswood recently and totally confused about getting into the lake...let me see if I got it figured out...you can boat into basswood from moose? You can get there from fall, but have to use portage wheels? As far as wheels go, do you rent them from an outfitter or are they at the portages?

[Jakesbuds]

JB,

You are correct.

I just got back from Basswood Last week. If you go from Fall Lake there is 2 portages that require wheels to get to Basswood. First portage gets you to Newton I believe then the next portage goes through Pipestone and after the 2nd portage you are in Basswood. We rented portage wheels from Wilderness Outfitters for $8 a day.

From Moose I believe there is no portaging necessary to get to Basswood, *But* you wont be able to get to the area of Basswood that you can get to from Pipestone without portaging.

Kind of confusing lol.

[Great Outdoors]

Let's end the confusion.

You can get into Basswood Lake with portage wheels either through Prairie Portage (1 portage), or Fall Lake (2 portages).

You get to Prairie portage by putting in at Moose Lake. Then motor through Moose, Newfound and Sucker Lakes.

You then come to Prairie Portage where you can have Latourells pull your boat across with a motorized vehicle (recommended), or use your portage wheels and do it yourself (you're nuts). As Ken said earlier, call Latourell's to make an appointment if you want them to pull you.

If you put in at Fall Lake, you motor to the left of Mile Island to the Newton Lake Portage (1st one)

Pull across, and you will be in Newton Lake.

Travel through Newton and you will come to the Pipestone Portage,(2nd one) which will take you into Pipestone Bay of Basswood Lake.

I think both portages are about 90 rods.

[Jakesbuds]

I think the two portages from Fall to Pipestone Bay in Basswood are 70 rods and 60 rods if I remember looking at the map correctly. The 1st portage from Fall to Newton is up and down hill with little rocks on the trail but the 2nd portage from Newton to Pipestone Bay is shorter but much more rocky. Important to have a guy paying attention to steer around he boulders lol.

[delcecchi]

And as far as I recall, the two sections of basswood that allow motors are not contiguous. So if you go in Prairie portage you can't legally get to the part of the lake accessable from Fall lake.

[finnbay]

Well, not quite true. You can go through Prairie Portage, motor down to Back Bay, use portage wheels to go across a flat portage of about 100 rods to Pipestone and Jackfish Bays, the come out to Newton and Fall Lake motoring all the way.

[JBMasterAngler]

Uh huh

[Northlander]

Just go threw Fall Lake and do the 2 easy portages to Pipestone and go where you want from there. Easy portages but make sure you have good wheels.

[delcecchi]

Thanks. I didn't know that.

[bwtrout]

Just go threw Fall Lake and do the 2 easy portages to Pipestone and go where you want from there. Easy portages but make sure you have good wheels.

Kitchen sink included???

[JBMasterAngler]

Well luckily I have a small boat that is pretty light. However, having never portaged with wheels before, I can only imagine the comical display I will show while trying to set up and get going

But it sounds like the better fishing is through that way?

[Mike Stark]

yeah...i would say better fishing in pipestone/jackfish.

[Northlander]

I should be clear. Its not a 1 man job of course but 2 guys in a 14' boat with average gear and some good portage wheels should have no problem. If you find the boat is to heavy than portage some bags seperately. Probably wont be needed though.

[finnbay]

Any luck this week, Mike?

[tkettel]

I did the Fall Lake into Basswood portage for 10 years with a group of 9 in three boats. We varied from lightly loaded day trips to 3-4 day kitchen sink included barge runs. As we got older the portages got harder and maybe took a little more time and an extra guy pushing, we went from pushing three through at once to adding more man power to each boat, but it wasn't that bad. When running with a full load it was important to balance the load well, position the wheels correctly and make sure a couple of strong guys were on the bow. Over the years I have seen various videos and pictures posted on sites like this, you may find one that give you a little idea of how to get a boat up on wheels an balanced and tied down correctly. If I remember correctly, our biggest challenge was always at the end of the last portage going in, we called it Heart Attack Hill. It was always a challenge to get the boat turned around and backed down the steep trail with out it slipping and sliding on us. Hint for end of Heart Attack launch, a fresh cold beer has a incredible taste to it when cracked open motoring out of the bay! If you want some detailed instructions to how we portaged I would gladly send you an e-mail and pics.

[Mike Stark]

finnbay,

no walleyes. fished lots of water with no luck. the northerns were very hungry back in hoist...no pigs this time...lots of 6-7lbers. im going back next week.

mike

[JBMasterAngler]

It'd be me and my wife most likely, so yeah basically I'd be doing my work load plus about 75% of hers

[Mike Stark]

i would go through praire if you will be doing most the work. you dont even have to get out of the boat going through praire. as of oct. 1 you can self issue permits. just make sure to call la tourelles and set up an appointment for them to be there.

[Northlander]

Ya If its you and your wife do like mstark83 says.

[JBMasterAngler]

OK, and that's the moose lake way? I don't think I'll totally get this until I'm finally up there and see things for myself

[Mike Stark]

yep. to get to praire portage you put in at moose lake. from moose you go into newfound. from newfound you go into sucker. you can motor through all these lakes..no portages. on sucker is where praire portage is. there is a dock on the american side and on the canadian side there is big sign welcoming you to canada. you pull up and wait for the bronco to back up into the water then the lady will tell you to pull on up. she takes you to the other side and you back off and then your in basswood. get a map that has praire portage on it before you go. fishers are good.

hope that helps.

[JBMasterAngler]

How long of a route is that (length and timewise)?