Suggestions on Lakes in the BWCA that hold big Walleyes?

[GoggleEye]

Hey all, I am just looking for any suggestions as to what lakes in the BWCA are known for producing the most trophy walleyes (28 inch+)? I have only been into the BWCA once and my experience was good, but I was catching huge northerns, not walleyes.....which is what I like to fish for primarily. Don't get me wrong though, a big toothy northern still gets my blood boiling. I just want to give the walleyes a shot this spring and fall and hopefully come back with a few stories to tell everyone about the 30 inch walleyes that I couldn't keep off my line!! I am definitely going to need some advice though before that ever happens. Good luck all.

[Northlander]

Lac La Croix and Basswood are 2 I have fished and seen trophies out of both. I like late May early June.

[JBMasterAngler]

Saganaga has some giants. Check your regulations though, the first 2 weeks of the season are closed to fishing in alot of areas. You have a good chance of catching a few of your "toothy" friends in excess of 10 pounds also.

[Mudcutter]

maybe not as numerous as the big fish in basswood and Sag, but Insula has it's fair share of big fish. It's the only lake mentioned with no motors. Crooked is not far behind, thou big slimers (sat bay) ,, tend to be what the lake is noted for. Other lakes in the interior of the B-Dub have big fish, but I'd rather have someone else get into that.

[JustinG]

If you can find JustinG-that is where the big fish usually are!

Crooked Lake

[smallmouthguide]

I don't have a lot of experience in the BWCA other than the motorized areas of Snowbank and Basswood. Basswood would be my first choice. Basswood offers an abundance of big fish spots. It's just a matter of paying your dues on the water and having a good structure map.

I would recommend hiring a guide if you not familiar with the lake and tell him your willing to sacrifice quantity for quality if your after big eyes. Some of the guides may welcome the opportunity to trophy fish instead of the daily meat hunt for a change.

Big eyes can be caught while fishing for eaters from time to time, but If your in search of true trophies you need to focus on big fish areas and fish long and slow.

[Great Outdoors]

If you can live with fishing just outside of the BWCA, Burntside will produce the big walleyes you are seeking. The best time for this about July 2nd-July 10th. For some reason, this remains consistant, year after year. You can catch some earlier, but fishing is slower. (though some would say it is always slow)

[Flatlander]

While I have never caught a walter over 27" in Brule, I've seen some pigs that other guys have caught. If you're willing to do some serious paddling, you can get on a lot of structure that goes almost untouched. Just keep an eye on the weather. Even a 10 mph wind from the west will get some pretty good rollers coming down the lake.

[Surface Tension]

Ain't no secrets on what lakes hold big walleyes and some have been mentioned. In fact being that you ask on a motor route narrows that down.

The question is.

Alex, "I'll take "I Want To Catch Large Walleyes" for 1000 please.

Answer: What is, "so does everyone else in this state."

I'll combine this with "what lakes are good lake trout".

Saganaga, you can fish for both eyes and lake trout and its on a motor route.

Time of year is going to make a huge difference as to how, where and with what.

[rodmaker]

GoogleEye,

Contact Bill at Timbertrail lodge, and ask for the name & # of the guide that they use. You could ask him his recommondations for lakes. He has two graphite replicas of Eyes over 30" & 10 lbs. They are monsters.

Rodmaker

[caseymcq]

It is a bit of a paddle but Insula is a good walleye lake.

[ditchpickle6996]

Eight of us did Insula in about 6 hrs in August but you have to push it a bit. If that's your plan I would apply for a permit soon as Entry Point 30 is very busy and can be tough to get during the prime paddling times. That being said, Insula is a great fishery.

[Casaloma]

Many good suggestions so far, many many good lakes to fish. Lots of border lakes have been mentioned & I often tell people that travel to the BW that the name has merit GOTO THE BORDER. You'd be surprised how many people have taken 3 plus trips to Crab or Insula & not gone to the border. That's all good, until you see what you've been missing... Which brings me to the lake that has constantly produced the best walleye size average for my trips.

Thomas/ Fraser. But Thomas for sure. Once there you can run up through Kekakabic to Knife for the quality laker fishing & try Knife for a border battle walleye. Good luck on that 30 incher. Pretty rare, please report back when you get her.

[GoggleEye]

Thanks for all the help guys. Your assistance is helping me get my trips for the open water season planned and secured. Hopefully now I can just put some fish in the boat when I am actually there. Good luck to all!

GoggleEye