BWCA Entry Points

[shorecaster]

Registering for a permit for a spring fishing/canoe trip; first week of June. Can someone give me some ideas on good entry points in the Ely area? Four day trip, don't mind some portage and paddle. Thanks 3D

[gunflint]

I think that you have to wait until febuary until you can get a permit. Then it will depend on the pending lawsuit. There might not be any permits anymore.

[chaffmj]

Gunflint,

Could add a little more detail to your post?

[gunflint]

Sorry, I thought everybody knew. The US Forest Service along with CWCS and the Justice Department has filed an appeal against a ruling that reduced the number of motor permits in certain areas of the BWCA. If they lose the appeal, the plan from the opposition (Sierra Club, Fiends of the Boundrywaters)

is to reserve as many of the motor permits as they can and not use them. This along with competion from property owners and business owners. Who under the ruling are now required to have permits. Will make it next to impossible to fish certain lakes anymore.

[Northlander]

Sierra Club and friends of the BWCA? What a joke! Im sorry these folks are just getting too radical for this guy.

I wonder how many of those people drive big SUV's, smoke mother nature like its going out of style and have never seen the BWCA?

[Steve Foss]

Even if that tactic works to some degree, there will still be permits. Gunflint, methinks you were being a bit dramatic and alarmist when you said "there might not be any permits anymore."

[gunflint]

Cynical maybe, sarcastic probably, but I don't think alarmist. If the S.Club and Friends pull this off and reserve the bulk of the permits there just won't be many left. Last year I reserved all mine in Feb and like you I live here so it's fairly easy for me to slip over to Sag for a day. Alot easier than someone comming from the cities. If the USF loses the appeal I will be making my reservations at midnight on the day the start taking them. Do you think I will be the only one?

We just went through a temporary shut down of the federal gravel pits because of a suit filed by the Sierra Club in California. Luckily common sense broke out and they are once again open.

I believe that the USF will prevail and this will be a non-issue soon. I also believe that these groups will continue to file these suits until there's some sort of cost to the losing side.

[Northlander]

I agree Mark there needs to be a penalty for waisting tax payers dollars in court!

[Powerstroke]

You're talking about motorized permits.....that doesn't affect the great majority of us who go to the Bdubs to find serenity without motors.

Last year on Sag we stayed at an island campsite that turned out to be the main boat channel for boats going to the E. side towards the CA. Customs. Nothing ruined that day more than having a parade of motor boats past our site. The best part of that day was the 50 mph winds and hail. It kept the boats away for about 3 hrs.

To answer the question that was asked, go to the BWCAW website and scout out the entry points and how many permits they offer. Also look into the books "Boundary Waters Canoe Area". They arte broken up into East and West. The west one will have all of the entrys near to Ely and can provide you with tips and some route ideas.

[Surface Tension]

Powerstroke, theres so many entry points and only a handful that allow motors. Maybe your new to area and didn't know you'd see outboards on a motor route, anyway if motors are something you'd like to avoid, as I said theres a lot of entry points that don't allow motors.

I guess that would be my recommendation to the original question about which entry point to choose from. If you'd like to avoid motors pick an entry point that doesn't allow them.

[gunflint]

This is obviously a topic of great interest and I don't want to hijack the thread so I won't bring it up for discussion until the results of the appeal are in. But I do have one comment for Powerstroke on the noise.

My wife decided to come with me to sag for a day this summer to get some sun. She loved the scenery her only complaint was all the noise. The interesting thing is that all the noise was comming from the canoe parties and the campers on the islands. I'm not making this up.

[Animal]

Back to the original question. Lake One Two and Three are good lakes for an easy trip. Expect lots of people. Gabbro to Bald Eagle is also an easy trip and has decent walleye fishing. Stay on Bald Eagle and day trip it into Petrio (sp) for some world class June smallmouth fishing. Bring your spooks or pop-r's. Moose to Insula is a great trip but requires some effort to get back there. The Knife Lake chain is also a great week-long trip. My favorite is Crooked. Enter the Mudro entry or you can tow boat to US Point on Basswood and paddle in the front door. US Point on Basswood is non-motorized and has some campsites next to some awsome walleye fishing. Take a towboat into Basswood @ Washington Island and save a lots of paddling. Permits can be applied for online and the lottery is sometime in January or Feburary. Information is on the US Forest Service site.

On the issue of the court appeal...I think we should keep the perspective that these same so called radicals lobbied congresss 50 years ago to establish the original BWCA. I doubt if anyone who uses the area today is sorry those groups did that. If they didn't by now we would be looking at lakes that resemble Vermillion.

There will always be pushing and pulling by opposing sides on usage, but at least the road builders, loggers and developers have been taken out of the equation. The sad part is that in todays political climate it would be impossible to restrict any large tracts of land and reserve it for similar use. So the emphasis has to be on conserving existing resourses.

[Casaloma]

ShoreCaster, On Topic, you never did say motor/ or not.

For the paddling fisherman on a 4 night tour I'd have 3 top choices. These ideas are a paddle in & out on the same water rather than the 'loop' type route.

A) Lake One ( as mentioned ) is a solid day from one of the coolest non-border lakes on the West side of the BW. INSULA. Always a word spoken with hushed voice & deep baritone by my traveling partners. Holds a great supply of 'eyes & my personal best Nor-tron Pike. Classic Island Lake so bring a good map!

Snowbank to Disappointment to Ima or Thomas. Diss. is as quality a lake as there is for all species besides Lakers. Check the MN fishing regs & I believe the record Silver Phase Pike is out of there. Once you jump the potholes to Ima, keep going an hour or so to Thomas. Both lakes hold Eyes, Pike & Lakers, but Thomas is..... Perfect for camping & fishing (you'll see). Only one day out to Snowbank from Thomas/ Fraiser.

C) Nina-Moose River. to Lac La Croix. WOW, amazing to navigate small rivers & lakes from a gravel road & then paddle out onto La Croix. Sweet boundary lake with all kinds of history... see, Warrior Hill, Petrogliphs, Little Ottertail, USFS Ranger Cabin, Magline & ivy Channel Rivers, logging artifacts... Great Smallie, Eye, Northren & Crappies here. Likely some lakers but I have not found them. Beautiful country & worth a trip to Iron lk. & Rebecca falls!

No losers here, good luck with the weather & have fun!

Later- CLoma

[sparetime]

I enjoyed Fall lake when I used that entry point.

[shorecaster]

Thanks for the excellent info. I'm paddlin in, but at times I'm sure I'll wish I had a motor. How's that for ridin the fence. I was looking at that Mudrow Lake entry, up to Fourtown, over to Horse lake, across on the Basswood, and down jackfish bay. Anyone do that loop? Fishing?

So what do these clubs do? Flood the lottery with permit app's? 3

[Casaloma]

I've already posted my personal fav's. Regarding Mudro.( I've paddled that way 8 or 10 times in my life ).. The downsides are; You have to pay to park. The area is very crowded. My wife almost divorced me for dragging her down the Horse river last summer with the water so low. I have heard ( but not experienced ) of good eye & northern fishing on Horse & Fourtown, I have heard & experienced bears very friendly with people due to the close quarters of the camps on these lakes. Many mid-length portages.

The Positives; Once you get to the basswood river. you're fishing has potential to be great. On a normal year you can shoot to the border pretty quick. Anything called basswood holds fish . You have parked at the chainsaw sisters saloon lot, you get to have an ice cold carbonated beverage the minute you get back to your car.

Any one else can add to this list??

Hope my past experience helps.-CLoma