Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) Trip

[dvldog]

Finally planned a trip I have been wanting to make for a long while. Leaving in a couple of weeks for a 5 day trip. Hope to catch a lot of small mouth. Anyone ever been there/done that? Interested in your experience.

 

[92tide]

Finally planned a trip I have been wanting to make for a long while. Leaving in a couple of weeks for a 5 day trip. Hope to catch a lot of small mouth. Anyone ever been there/done that? Interested in your experience.

you'll have a blast and the fishing is great. i went on a two-week trip with the scouts (black warrior council) in summer of 1986 and loved it. tons of great fishing and wildlife watching. we started in minnesota and worked our way into canada (quetico) and did a big loop. i remember being able to drink directly out of most of the lakes in quetico. some of the portages were tough with two week's worth of gear.

 

[dvldog]

Sounds great. My friend and I are playing it safe. Getting a tow in through one of the larger lakes and then base camping for fishing/exploring. Basically, a loop from/to the outfitters dock area on the Gunflint side. Probably not peak fishing season but we wanted to dodge the bugs and reduce chances of bad weather.

 

[92tide]

Sounds great. My friend and I are playing it safe. Getting a tow in through one of the larger lakes and then base camping for fishing/exploring. Basically, a loop from/to the outfitters dock area on the Gunflint side. Probably not peak fishing season but we wanted to dodge the bugs and reduce chances of bad weather.

iirc, we went in mid-july. also, i got to see the northern lights up there. that was pretty cool. we went through the boy scout high-adventure base, so our group had a guide and they helped us pull together the logistics. if i were doing it now, i would go the base camp route. the paddle across the big lake to get to the border crossing was tedious.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

I've been a couple of times, once for about a week and once about 10 days. Both trips were in August and were in the same general area you're visiting - Gunflint and across Saganaga. The first time was chilly part of the time. The second one, we had unusual weather - 90F and windy. That trip, we got the ferry across to Hook Island and then proceeded to Canadian customs (lie about your alcohol, if you drink - they'll confiscate all but a very small amount and give it back to you on exit). Second trip, we turned east at Silver Falls and went all the way out east to Boundary Point, where Quetico ends and Crown Lands starts. Coming out, we had our scariest moment. Coming down south on Cache Bay to customs, we had a heavy following wind, which threatened to swamp us. At customs, the ranger agreed that we were safe now, because with a short run over to the east to reach Hook Island, we should be in a wind shadow from the north wind. However, a backdoor cold front chose that moment to come through and the wind backed around to the east, in our teeth. In order to keep the bow up into the wind my stroke was a right sweep every stroke and my wife, in the bow, gave a left draw every stroke. At one point, I said "I guess you realize that, if you tire out, we die?" She shouted back that she realized that. Most drownings on Saganaga, the bodies are never found. We made it, but it was hard, hard work. One funny thing that happened - we had two skiffs, carrying two canoes each, going over to Hook on the way out. One of the boat skippers didn't show. After waiting for about an hour, Suddenly, the head guy pointed at me and said "You, there, you can drive a boat with an outboard, can't you?" I stammered out "Yes." We got in the boats and my wife said "How'd he know?" I said "I don't know. I guess when you grow up a river rat, the look just stays with you..."

 

[92tide]

I've been a couple of times, once for about a week and once about 10 days. Both trips were in August and were in the same general area you're visiting - Gunflint and across Saganaga. The first time was chilly part of the time. The second one, we had unusual weather - 90F and windy. That trip, we got the ferry across to Hook Island and then proceeded to Canadian customs (lie about your alcohol, if you drink - they'll confiscate all but a very small amount and give it back to you on exit). Second trip, we turned east at Silver Falls and went all the way out east to Boundary Point, where Quetico ends and Crown Lands starts. Coming out, we had our scariest moment. Coming down south on Cache Bay to customs, we had a heavy following wind, which threatened to swamp us. At customs, the ranger agreed that we were safe now, because with a short run over to the east to reach Hook Island, we should be in a wind shadow from the north wind. However, a backdoor cold front chose that moment to come through and the wind backed around to the east, in our teeth. In order to keep the bow up into the wind my stroke was a right sweep every stroke and my wife, in the bow, gave a left draw every stroke. At one point, I said "I guess you realize that, if you tire out, we die?" She shouted back that she realized that. Most drownings on Saganaga, the bodies are never found. We made it, but it was hard, hard work. One funny thing that happened - we had two skiffs, carrying two canoes each, going over to Hook on the way out. One of the boat skippers didn't show. After waiting for about an hour, Suddenly, the head guy pointed at me and said "You, there, you can drive a boat with an outboard, can't you?" I stammered out "Yes." We got in the boats and my wife said "How'd he know?" I said "I don't know. I guess when you grow up a river rat, the look just stays with you..."

i got borderline hypothermic after an afternoon rainshower on our second afternoon. i remember on our paddle out from the border crossing back to the boy scout base, we encountered very high winds and choppy water.

 

[92tide]

link

MINNESOTA’S Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is one of America’s most popular wild destinations. Water is its lifeblood. Over 1,200 miles of streams wend their way through 1.1 million acres thick with fir, pine and spruce and stippled by lakes left behind by glaciers. Moose, bears, wolves, loons, ospreys, eagles and northern pike make their home there and in the surrounding Superior National Forest.

All of this is now threatened by a proposal for a huge mine to extract copper, nickel and other metals from sulfide ores. The mine would lie within the national forest along the South Kawishiwi River, which flows directly into the Boundary Waters Wilderness.

 

[gman4tide]

Been twice. I might have been up there at the same time as 92tide back in '86. We did a base camp fishing trip with Williams and Hall. Great trip where we caught fish from our first cast on!! So many smallies and walleyes with large heads and pike thrown in. Went again in '05 with several friends. Went the last week of June and, if I understand correctly, that was the only week of warm weather that summer. The ice hadn't been gone long and they said the spawn was messed up. We left Hartselle at 93deg...stopped near Madison, WI early in the morning and could see our breath. Pretty sure the high the day we got there and the next didn't get to 60. It warmed that week and the last 2 days we were there, it was in the low 80's. Caught tons of smallies and large heads. A few pike and very few walleyes. Still haven't seen or been visited by bears...and still haven't seen a moose. :/ I may try and get one of those trips up for my 2 boys in the next couple years for graduation trips! Hope you have safe travels and a great time up there!

 

[dvldog]

I had a sneaking suspicion that HSV had done this:smile:. It is indeed Sag that we are getting a tow to cross and then look for a primo campsite in one of the smaller lakes. Checking the temps, high today is something like 62. Burrr!

Can't wait.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

I had a sneaking suspicion that HSV had done this:smile:. It is indeed Sag that we are getting a tow to cross and then look for a primo campsite in one of the smaller lakes. Checking the temps, high today is something like 62. Burrr!

Can't wait.

You'll have a blast! PM me for contact info, if you want to talk further...