Poll: Best Loop, Best fishing Lakes in BWCA

[Jim W]

I would like to hear what your favorite "Loop" in the BWCA is and what you think is the best fishing lakes in the BWCA?

Doesn't matter how long of a trip you usually take. Personally, I am planning a 4-5 dayer next year. I'm going with a friend who visits the BWCA annually. We are really going to rough it, bringing little food, relying on what we catch for eats so good fishing lakes are key. Thanks Jim W

[Guest]

My Dad & I have fished the "Three Mile" area in Quetico just a few miles north of Lac LaCroix a couple of times. The beauty of this trip is that you can fly into Three Mile, fish several of the lakes/rivers in the area, then fly back out. This option gives you one heck of a lot more time actually fishing and less time "getting there".

There's plenty of opportunity for smallies, pike & walleye (and a few lakers, also). We've also scored on some 15" crappies in the past.

Our favorite option is to base camp at least a couple of days on Woosley Lake and do some serious smallmouth fishing. There is only one very short portage to get into this lake from Three Mile. Both trips to this lake have produced an average of 1 smallie for every 15 minutes of fishing. It could be even much more productive if you hauled the float tubes along rather than 1 guy fishing while the other controls the canoe.

You can also stay at cabins and do daily fly-outs, but I'm assuming that could get quite expensive.

FLB

[This message has been edited by Rick (edited 12-03-2001).]

[Guest]

That's like asking a starving man if he would prefer prime rib, New York strip or Lobster!

Couple of my favorites are Crooked/Iron area, lots of walleyes, smallmouth and big northerns and Insula/Alice, excellent also.

If you have the time and the energy, you owe to yourself to fish the blue walleyes of Kawnipi sometime. Its a heck of trip getting there, but the lake is polluted with fish - to the point of ridiculousness.

[Seabass77]

Jim,
I was up in the BWCAW 4 times this past summer. 2 trips to basswood - but we had motor boats, coolers, etc..nothing rough like you are planning, but, we slaughter em. Lots and lots of eating fish plus the group took 3 8's and a 11-9 during the trip. Not to mention a few 20 + pike.

My wife and I took farm, through kawishwi, and left gabbro, easy trip, but great fishing and wildlife. Very beautiful. We caught lots of eating size walleye but I have heard that some monsters are in the kawashwi. Gabbro is also supposed to be very good.

Over the 4th of July, my buddies and I went into saganaga, red rock, alpine, and seagull. I had the best fishing in my life at Alpine. (See my post from July) We caught dozens of 3 to 4 pound walleye off of one rock on alpine. Along with a few 18 to 20" smallmouth. We were ear to ear for two days.

Wow, all of these memories are making my nuts. I need to fish, now!

I do love the B-dub. So untouched. Lots of big fish!!!!

[Guest]

My favorite loop has to be leaving from Lake One landing; and ending up at Moose Lake. Staying on Insula and Alice, absolutely beautiful lakes.

Fishing lakes: Insula, Basswood, Crooked, Iron. Petey Z is right when he said Kawnipi, excellent fishing!!!

[Guest]

We did a five day loop, starting from Mudro - Sandpit - Tin Can Mike - Horse - Horse river - Basswood river - Crooked lake - then down through Gun - Fourtown - and back to Mudro, I know i didn't list all the lakes but you get the idea. Believe me, five days is nowhere near enough time to fish all this water, the fishing we did do was excellent, pike and smallmouth were constant action, while the walleyes provide a welcome bonus at the right places/times. I really enjoy the boundary waters, this was my fifth year, try to get there at least twice a year. Next year we are planning on visiting Insula and Alice, whats the word on these lakes? Also, can anyone recommed a good lake for a January expedition for lakers. We will be going in with snowshoes, a portable ice house, plus winter camping gear for a few days. Don't want to drag all that stuff too far.

[HOGEYE]

Williamsson island on lake Insula is a great place to stay and not far from the narrows going into Alice.

[Guest]

Kawnipi? Never heard of this lake. Not on Gazateer, not on DNR website. Is this thing in the BW or is this a leg puller?

[Guest]

Kawnipi is in Quetico Provincial Park - the Canadian side. It is north of Agnes, which is north of Prairie Portgage. No leg puller here, but you'll definitely earn your fish on the journey in.

[HOGEYE]

Blue walleyes? Are they actually blue?

[Jim W]

HOGEYE,
I'm sure Pete will correct me if I'm wrong, but in some of the Canada Shield lakes, especially dark stained waters, the walleyes will be very dark in color with indeed a touch of a blue hugh(sp?) to them. I have noticed this in Canada a few times. QUite the beautiful specimen.

Keep the Loop ideas coming people, I'm really enjoying the various routes people are coming up with! Very beneficial information!

Keep the rods bendin'!!!

Jim W

[Guest]

Hogeye...I have seen Walleyes come out of very tanically stained water that are without a doubt "Blue" In some fish, a very small percentage, there is a distinct blue pigment that is very unique. The walleyes are not genetically different, still (Stizostedion vitreum), but in these cases it is more along the lines of being an environmental or regional characteristic. I have seen this in many areas, but rarely have I seen it often. If you have one of these fish, you will realize not only the blue sheen and dark golden skin, but if you were to place the fish on a white paper plate, the pigment would actually rub-off and leave a bright blue imprint on the paper. Like I said, this is not that common, but very unique.

[Guest]

Jim W and Alaskander are both thinking along the same lines as me... that its an environmental thing.
Funny part of the "blue walleye" is that I have been fishing and caught normal looking dark water walleyes and blue or bluish-green ones out of the same school. Some are quite striking.
On some dark-water lakes, the walleyes will just get darker, on others they will take on an orange look, but the "blue" thing seems to be a fairly localized color variation - maybe due to a mineral in the water.
The variations in color on Basswood Lake range from the really pale gold down towards Prairie Portage, to the darker colored fish in Pipestone, and some orange in Jackfish. Back before the motor bans we would get some interesting stringers of various shapes and colors of walleyes from the different parts of the lake.

[southerner]

Pete,
Not only have I caught walleyes in BWCA with the bluish hue, but I landed a ~6lb northern "blue" pike a couple of months ago. Other members of my party were quite astonished at the coloration, as was I. So, my opinion is that the offbeat coloration is indeed due to environmental factors (tannic water perhaps) and is not a species-specific trait in these waters. Additional thoughts?

[Sarge]

I remembered reading some info on "blue pike" at one point, so I thought I would try to find it again.

After doing some research I began to feel like Fox Mulder on a X-file. The info is out there, but is the Stizostedion vitreum glaucum really extinct?

Is the Blue pike a subspecies of the Walleye? Here is some stuff that I found.

Order: Perciformes
Family: Percidae
Distinguishing characteristics: Pelvic fins whitish blue and body bluish gray. Otherwise much like the yellow pike or walleye but with the eyes larger and closer together and without brassy or yellow mottlings.
Significance: the Blue Pike was an important commercial species of Lake Erie where annual catches frequently exceeded 20 million pounds. In 1955 the catch was 19.7 million pounds before its decline and near disappearance. It was also prominent in the commercial fishery in Lake Ontario but the annual catch never exceeded 500,000 pounds.
Protective measures taken:In 1969, a pair of Lake Erie Stizostedion, believed to be Blue Pike, were spawned at the Pennsylvannia fish commissions Linesvile fish culture station. About 9000 of the fry were transferred to Gavins Point National Fish Hatchery at Yankton,South Dakota. Some of the fingerlings were stocked in an isolated lake in northern Minnesota.

Anybody interested yet?

This Blue Pike or Blue Walleye is supposed to be extinct in its native waters."Still today, there remains conflicting stories about its demise. Fishermen report catching Blue colored pike in lakes in Canada and Minnesota. Rumors have for years abounded about the Blue Pike translocated by private individuals and government stocking programs outside thier Great Lakes homes and still carying on. Could it be true?"

One group is even offering A 500$ reward for anyone who can produce a recently cuaght Blue Pike or Hybrid, for DNA testing.

Maybe this subspecies is alive and well, maybe stocked in some BWCA lakes and other lakes and forgotten about.

Granted we all have seen the color of fish change because of phyiscal conditions ( color of water, depth, etc.) but maybe, maybe we have an X-fish file here.

[Guest]

Just read some information on Blue Pike (Walleye). Said although environmental factors have created blueish hues in Walleyes and N. Pike there is a recognized species of Blue Pike (i.e. the above Lake Erie info). State of MN mentions a state record for the species. Can't remember the size (around 6 or 7 pounds) and it was caught in Disappointment Lake. Can't find anything official on this but have seen it a few times in literature and on maps. Maybe it's not official due to the dispute over the extinction of the species. Found some info on the web about a DNA test being performed on a 30 yr old frozen suspected Blue Pike back in 1999 but couldn't find anything on the results of the test. Maybe this should be an X-File...

[This message has been edited by JustOneMore (edited 12-04-2001).]

[Jim W]

Great stuff guys!! However, maybe we should open up a new post(x-file) on this so we don't stray too far from the original post?

Blue walleyes are definitely cool.
I'm going to open a post on the open water forum on unique species!

Jim W

[HOGEYE]

Thank a lot for all the feed back everyone. I do have a B.S. in environmental studies and would have to agree that environmental conditions have much to due with certain color variations. I have landed a couple of black walleyes right along with ones that displayed the typical coloration.

[Scupper]

Hey Sarge,I also read an article on blue walleyes. I believe it was in Outdoor News a couple months back. While I was in Thunder Bay on business I asked the fellow I was working for if he had ever heard of blue walleyes. Yes was his reply. He was more than willing to take me fishing for these fish but due to my schedule I was forced to plan a trip with him next year. I look forward to this outting and will post my results.

[Guest]

Coldone-
A good lake to try for lakers would be Snowbank Lake. I used to go to college there some odd years ago, and Snowbank is where friends and I found consistent action. If I remember right, Snowbank was 1/2 BWCA, other half not (motorized). We always went to the BWCA side and had great fishing.
Another lake would be Burntside Lake, but the average time/fish caught was about 12 hours on the ice! Tough lake to fish, but if you get one it will be big.