BWCAW

I am going to be heading up to the boundary waters area for about a week during the last week in may. Does anyone know anything fishing wise there i.e. presentations, lures, or hot spots while up there. Any info would be great. Its my first time going up there and i heard there is great fishing for all species up there. Thanks guys

any idea of which lakes you may be going to? i’ve been on a few of the more popular routes, i could possibly help point you in the right direction

as far as techniques……for wallys, leeches under a slip bobber have worked well for me in the past. you can also try the plastics thing, although i’ve had minimum success for wallys with those up there.

smallies will still be a bit sluggish yet that far north, but you should be able to get some using slower presentations…….the banjo minnow for example (sorry, inside joke)

and the toothy critters are always willing to munch on anything and everything (watch your toes)

what really helped me was going to the lake finder feature on the DNR website……they have topo maps for a lot of the larger lakes. A definate plus if you don’t have a little protable depth finder to bring along.

The type of fish you’re interested in, would definately be a factor. I’ve been up there a couple times early in the year (late May early June). Once on the west side, once on the east. Fishing for ‘eyes was good on both trips with live bait under a slip bobber & casting cranks from shore at night working best. I also tried a little jigging from the canoe one night two years ago with good luck. If you want northerns, just hang a spoon off the side of the canoe as your paddling around, and you’ll get bored of catching them. The first time I went there, we caught quite a few smallies pitching jigs near shoreline rock piles, and throwing cranks in the same areas. I was told several of the lakes have an abundance of lake trout, but I’ve never fished for them, so I would difer to someone else if you want to try for them. If this is your first time, a little nonfishing advice. Dress in layers, and don’t forget the long underwear. Bring waterproof, disposable cameras in addition to your regular camera. You can’t bring too many matches/lighters. It will be cold at night, and not being able to start a fire…..brrrrr. If you’re using an outfitter, they will be a great source information, and even if you’re not, their websites have checklists, general area maps, fishing info etc. I am going back for my third time later this summer (first time without an outfitter),and it definately won’t be my last. Good luck, and have fun.

If you are going to a lake trout lake you should still be able to pick them up in the shallows that time of year.

Trolling a regular walleye spinner rig tipped with a minnow near the shoreline worked well. Make sure to zigzag when trolling – they like to follow and the turns provoke strikes.

We would normally pick up a few large Northens using this method as well.

We would pick up good numbers of trout/pike throwing Vibrax spinners from shore at our campsite.

Lots of fun.

Keep the info coming guys lots of good information, its greatly appreciated. How do u get minnows? nets or traps? I will mainly be targeting walleye but would like to get some lake trout and northerns the lakes around the are we are going are as follows. Sawbill, alton,beth, phoebe, knight, hazel, polly, kawasachong, square, and kawishiwi. Any of those better then the rest? Thanks again guys for all your information.

we took a similar route late may last year. sawbill, alton, and beth were DEAD!!! supposedly there are lakers in alton, but we never found anything willing to bite. never caught a fish until we hit phoebe. PHOEBE was the place to be!!!! BIG smallies and a couple of nice wallys mixed in. fishing was really good on that lake compared to anywhere else we found. we ended up staying there a couple nights. ringies were the ticket for the smallies.

on a side note……we ran into a ranger rick on that lake one night…….apparently he does not like it when you throw hatchets at the big pine trees …….DON’T DO IT!!!

So it sounds liek Phoebe is the lake we should just stay at the whole time? I understand that i can just carry crawlers and leeches with me cuz those will last but did u use minnows at all, if so did u use a net to get them or a trap cuz u couldnt possibly get them before u enter. What type of cranks worked the best? Thanks for all the info once again.

Oh yea, by the way jake i know ur sister KT, she says hi

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Trolling a regular walleye spinner rig tipped with a minnow near the shoreline worked well. Make sure to zigzag when trolling – they like to follow and the turns provoke strikes.

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spinner rig meaning what, like a crawler harness or what. Just wondering what you mean by that, thanks

JonathanB nailed it:

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Fishing for ‘eyes was good on both trips with live bait under a slip bobber & casting cranks from shore at night working best.

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The key for eyes is fishing into the evening. Casting or trolling cranks along the shore. #9 floaters (Stick baits) in 6 feet of water or less. Just paddle along the rocks dragging that crank way behind the canoe.

Good luck and dress warm. Snow storms in late May or early June are not uncommon.

Thanks guys for all your information. Ill post some pics and a report of how we did when i get back

Anyways, anything else i should be aware of when going up there? Things to do other then fishing, if there is anything else? Thanks guys.

Yes – like a crawler harness. We made our own.

Not sure why you don’t think you would get minnows ahead of time. We just bought them in the air-pack bags and put them in a daypack to be worn on our front. Actually the guy who got to carry the minnows got off easy because he did not have to carry two regular Duluth packs – just one Duluth plus the minnows.

I just went back and re-read your original post and noticed you mentioned it was your first trip to the BW.

Just an FYI – maybe you already know this:

When I mentioned carrying a pack on your front we do just that. We tried to pack just one Duluth pack per guy.

When you portage (depending on quickly you are trying to travel – we tried not to double portage) one guy grabs the canoe and his partner puts his pack on his back and his buddy’s on his front. That way there is just one trip across.

When I think about it again I believe the guy with the canoe carried the daypack with the bait because the other guy already has two packs.

For the minnows i just thought that they wouldnt do to well being bounced around and its added weight as well. since we are going 6 hours of portaging in one day anything less we have to take would be nice. but i might just have to bring some anyways. This time of the year is it even worth it to bring shorts and warmer weather clothes

Look for moving water, especially below rapids. If the fish arent in the moving water areas, then keep moving out and fish current related points. Jigs, jigs and jigs!

If you have a large lake with good current flow, look to neck down areas, example Crocked Lake out of Ely.

Dont forget if the water gets warm and its major sunny, slip into back bays looking for smallies,

Dont ignore emerging weeds and muck bottomed bays deeper then 5 feet for walleyes.

For trolling we seemed to have just as much luck with dead ones.

Probably work fine to salt them or just put them in a zip lock.

I guess my point was that where there is a will there is a way.

Minnows aren’t as big a deal to portage as you would think, but I agree that preserved ones would probably work fine if presented on a spinner or jigged. I’ve actually caught as many fish there with artificials, as I have with live bait. If I go again early in the season, I think I’ll bring fake leeches, and dried minnows in addition to my cranks & Mepps.
As far as warm weather clothes go, just get one or two pairs of those pants with the zip off legs, and you’ll be fine. Waterproof footwear, and extra socks are a must have–the water is going to be pretty darn cold, wet feet will make you miserable in a hurry.
Have fun–JON

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This time of the year is it even worth it to bring shorts and warmer weather clothes

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we were swiming last year when we went……but BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR…….it was more like jumping in and out as fast as you possibly could……then shivering for an hour……then do it again …….fun times

and have fun with that six hours of portaging…….that 465 roder is a beast and a half ……..and make sure to watch out for moose on the trail

Thanks for the info guys. Im trying to pack the least amount of tackle needed. i have a very bad habbit of bringing tackle i dont need. Just a question to see what u guys think. What tackle would u bring with and why? ive got it compacted down to 1 tray but its pack so tight with things and probably weighs 10 pounds. haha anyways thanks again for all the info

We always teke several of those wine boxes with us.
Take the mylar bladder out of the paper box and tie it to the canoe.
Just let it float in the water and stay cool.

I used to “outfit” groups up there every other year (I would arrange for the food, canoes, permits, and travel routes) and have learned a few things you might find useful.
1) Macoroni & cheese was one of my favorite meals
because all you had to do is add some butter, powdered milk, and water and heat it up and it tasted great.
2) Never use clothing as a sail – my friends did this and one of their sleeping bags never did fully dry after they dumped.
3) Tie everything to your canoe when paddling – see #2
4) A filter really improves the taste of the water.
5) Bears – never encountered one but have run into guys who lost all their food and had to come out early. Stow food pack in between 2 trees (not in tree) at least 6′ high and 4′ from each tree.
6) Put your maps in plastic bags or have them laminated, have more than one map
7) Matches and a lighter
8) Steaks for the first night are mighty tastey
9) 2 pairs of foot wear and some rain gear – both a must!
10) 2 fishing poles (nice to have a backup)
11) Spinnerbaits – work for northerns & smallies
12) #2 hooks for rigging walleyes and under a bobber for eyes and smallies
13) A few hair jigs, raps, and a daredevil.
14) Minnows can be carried in but if you have a long journey the effort might not be worth the trouble.
15) Leeches are by far the easiest to transport and have stay alive, bring a leech locker
16) Crawlers last awhile but it can be difficult to keep them cool, I always used them up in the first few days because of this
17) Yeti Juice – Take a 1 quart canteen, add 1/2 a pre-sweetened quart size packet of koolaid, 1/2 quart of water, and tap off with the whiskey of your choice, shake well and enjoy in moderation.

I haven’t been up there in about 12 years…it’s a great experience. Have a fun, safe time!

Thanks newt and everyone else for the info. Very good ideas. How long does your beverage last? one sitting i take it what about the ohter 5 days? haha would it be worth bringing a fish finder at all, cuz i have an old one that would be easy to carry around cept for the battery would be heavy.

The Yeti Juice is definately for sittin around the fire at the end of the day. I usually bring enough ingredients to last the entire trip. I’ve never used a depth finder up there, but of course if you want to bring one it would be useful. Another thing you might want to bring is a fish de-lier or a small tape measure. I caught a nice walleye up there one time which I’m guessing was around 6 pounds. It would have been nice to get a little more accurate measurement than just a guess.

Most folks take their own favorite “mouthwash”.
Like a flavored schnapps, brandy, hot damn, etc.

this september will be our 12th annual trip. we go in in the fall so fishing well most likely be different wehn you go. we have done the sawbill to kawishiwi trip twice. watch out on alton, if the wind is from the wrong direction it can be real tough crossing that lake. as far as minnows go it’s real easy, we bring salted minnows. i pick-up 4 scoops of fatheads, drain them good and put them in a ice cream bucket and fill it up with canning salt, not table salt. put them in the fridge for a day or so. the salt will be like mud, real wet. pick out the minnows and do the process all over again. this time put the minnows in gallon zip-lock bags and add a little more salt over them. the minnows will be bent and their sides will be sucked in but afterabout a minute or two on your jig they will be rehydrated. tried this with leeches once and it worked. only did one salting. as far as booze goes, you can’t bring too much! we do the wine trick also. those mylar bags can take a beating. beer is out of the question. we go for the buzz, wild turkey, jack daniels and a like. have fun and good luck fishing…………tom f.