Bogus lake

[rumeye]

Wife and I are heading up to Grand Marais this Friday. Last year did some grouse hunting and fishing. Shot some grouse but the shore fishing was not so good. Did Kimball lake to hard to get to deeper water in that one without a boat. Did Mink off the fishing pier did not catch anything there was thinking about going into Bogus lake. Is Bogus any good ? And what type of baits should I be using? Tried night crawlers and different types of little spoons last year. Any help would be appreciated. JB I know you are pretty knowledgeable about those trout lakes up there can you shed any light on this? Maybe be willing to hit Chester or Ester also. Is there any good shore spots up there? I am not bringing the boat.

[hayseed]

Been a few years since I fished up there, but I don't believe you can reach deep water from shore on Bogus. I fished it from a float tube one day and caught a few Splake up to 18 inches. Liked green or olive colors the day I was there. Best shore fishing I found up there was either Boys lake or Trout lake, All late afternoon to dark. Floating crawlers up 30 inches. Thompson lake was another, but I believe they changed the rules for that one. Good luck. 

[JBMasterAngler]

Yeah, bogus is really shallow (and soft bottomed) at the access. Mink, kimball, and trout lakes have much better shore fishing opportunities. Boys lake is pretty shallow and mucky also. Pine trestle lake probably offers the best shore fishing. There are several spots along the road, as well as the access, where it drops off quickly. Esther is good as well. I've found, with these two lakes, that in the fall, the crappier the weather, the better the fishing  In all the years I've fished Esther, I've always stopped at Chester and made a few casts from shore. Have yet to catch a fish. So take that for what it's worth. Shoe and carrot lakes are worth a stop. Even greenwood lake is worth a shot! In the fall I've caught a couple brook trout from shore. I've caught lake trout as well, although they are usually pretty small. Now, granted, I'm usually up there in mid to late October, so I don't know how much of a difference that makes, but it's not uncommon for me to break up skim ice and fish through snow flurries. Thomson lake is a waste of time! Personally, I wish the DNR would just give up on this lake already! No live bait, and only single hooks allowed. Catch and release only. 

[monstermoose78]

You guys nailed this! Remember trout like cold water so the later in the year the better. A hike into Kemo for lakes can be fun times. Try mink again and kimball they poisoned these lakes just year ago or two it takes splake a while to grow into keepers. I like the brook trout lakes because come late fall as they try to spawn in the shallows sight fishing for them with small spoons or minnow looking baits. I have only caught one fish from Chester and it was a 4 pound brown in the winter. Ester is nice to shore fish from. I would look to some lakes you have hike into as people are lazy so the fishing can be better. Fall is good for smallies and walleye from shore up there as well. 

I set a float at 4 to 6 feet in fall with a salted minnow or worm for splake or rainbow