What would you pack for a light compact fishing kit for a spring and fall fishing trip into the boundary waters. Any fish no specific species. I would imagine plastic s would be great but if anybody has specifics that would be great. Thanks in advance!
Hooks, line and sinkers! Catches everything, any where, any time! Fresh bait from the bush and you are ready to go! As a teenager fishing the boundary waters, that’s all I ever took along and always caught fish.
I like tail dancers, husky jerks (or similar) and 1/8-3/8oz jigs with 3″-4″ grubs and paddle tail plastics.
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Hooks, line and sinkers! Catches everything, any where, any time! Fresh bait from the bush and you are ready to go! As a teenager fishing the boundary waters, that’s all I ever took along and always caught fish.
When did they open the BWCA to live bait? Maybe on the Minn side but not in Canada…
Jigs, Moxies, Mepps spinners, Rapalas and a few top waters…colors…whites, chartreuse, and natural minnow colors.
I have found blade baits to be a hoot up there. Plastics are way better than live bait, no mess or keepin stuff alive. Crank baits of course. I love the flicker shads and so do lakers! Should get you started! Check a few of the outfitters web sights, they usually will have tackle ideas also. Good Luck!! 
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When did they open the BWCA to live bait? Maybe on the Minn side but not in Canada…
Tom,
There is NO BWCA in Canada. The BWCA thing is ONLY on the American side of the border. 
“Fresh bait from the bush”
I think he means dig your own worms.
Excuse my error, but BWCA used to be considered all of the waters including Quetico Provincial Park (boundaried the BWCA)…I have been fishing out of Ely, since the 1970s.
JMHO…there is far better fishing in Quetico…no live bait tho… 
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JMHO…there is far better fishing in Quetico…no live bait tho…
Amen Tom 
fish the bwca quite often in spring/summer/fall
go to is slipbobbers. do need to bring some live bait worms or leaches. depending on time should be plenty of steep drops by shorelines cast a bobber and wait for it to go down. late summer fish mid lake reefs and rock piles always use flicks.plain hook with a tiny blade on a ring. simple easy and don’t have to troll around. 
Love casting shorelines. Check out this post from the Canadian forum. This has my shortlist for BWCA and some other good advice:
I fill a plano box with rapalas, daredevils and plastics. The box goes in my thwart bag, so I don’t have to worry about how and where to carry it when portaging.
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fish the bwca quite often in spring/summer/fall
late summer fish mid lake reefs and rock piles always use flicks.plain hook with a tiny blade on a ring. simple easy and don’t have to troll around.
I’m heading up there in a few days, and someone gave me a few of what you’re describing but I’ve never used them. What is their official name, and how do I use the little guys? Should I weight the line a foot or so up from the lure?
the ones I use are called flicks. from bait shop in grand marais which unfortunatley is closing. Usually put just one split shot about a foot above the hook.
Perfect thanks; that’s what I was thinking. Do you jig it then? Let it sit?
The ones I have are from the same shop, so hopefully they work!
usually jig frequently depending on how the fish react. where are you going fishing? a lot of times on the really clear lakes there end up seeming to have the best luck fishing steep drops right by the shoreline. main thing is being stealthy in the canoe not making too much raquet and spooking em.
Ideally, you will have 2 different setups for spring and for fall. The idea in a canoe trip is to not have a large amount of tackle, so here are some essentials I bring on every trip.
*Spring: Fish will be shallow through June.
1)Original Floating Rap Size F9-F11 for walleye/bass/pike or F13 to target big bass and larger pike, color should be firetiger, florescent red or bleeding copper for stained lakes and bleeding pearl for clear water. Troll at a 1 person paddling speed in less than 10 fow for most lakes.
2) 3″ black shad Gulp minnow on a jig 1/8-1/4 oz jig–jig colors to have: Pink, orange, green, gold, white, or combinations of these.
3) Northland’s Classic Reed runner 3/8 oz white or pumpkinseed
4) B Fish n Tackle’s “Pulse-R Paddle Tail” Size 3.25″ in colors Chart Orange,Chart Green,and/or Great White, with B Fish n Tackle’s H20 Precision Jigs 3/8 Oz in colors Pearl White, Green Tiger, Orange Tiger
5) #6 Gamakatsu hooks with steel 1/8 oz split shot for any live bait.
6) Some #6 Gamakatsu hooks with split shot for live bait
7) My secret bait, pm me and we can trade secrets for this one.
*Fall fish will be deeper per average
September/October fish will be spread out and you will find it easier to target different species in different depths.
Walleye in about 20 feet, Pike all over but prefering the outside of deeper cabbage beds, and bass will be on rocky drop offs in 10-20 feet.
1) Replace Floating Raps with husky jerks and Xraps for Pike and Bass.
2) Deep Tail Dancers for 15′, 20′ and 30′ for Walleye in firetiger, Emerald Shiner, or Blue
3) Keep Gulp Minnows/jigs
4) Keep spinner baits but troll them slowly, or count them down a ways when casting deeper points, and throw on a white or chart mister twister double or single tail.
5) 1/4-3/8 Jig and a live minnow
6) Slender Spoon 1/8 oz & 1/4 Oz tipped with a berkly minnow head in silver/green, gold/green
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