I am going to the BW for the first time ever over memorial day weekend. we are putting in on moose lake and making our way to knife lake by way of birch lake and sucker lake.

Does any one have any tips on bait to use or where to fish?

THANKS

Troll Rapalas, jig with leaches.

I don't know the lakes you will be on. But here's what I would do. Go out and cast the shorelines during the day. Use this as a scouting period too. Look for water that is 4 - 8 feet deep that has a good mix of all size rocks - softball size , basketball size on up to larger rocks and boulders. If this has access to deeper water you should have found where the walleyes will be as the sun goes down. Position yourself so you are anchored in 10 to 12 feet of water and cast towards the shallower water. We use a lighted slip bobber and leech. Set your bait to be down 4 to 6 feet. As the sun goes down below the treeline the walleyes should start to bite. Find a couple of spots like this. During this time of year is when they should be easy to catch using this method. Don't be afraid to move if they aren't biting. If you fish until 10 PM or later you should be able to catch quite a few. Good Luck. Izzy

mats0109 - I am taking the same trip in three weeks with three other dads and their kids. I would be interested to hear how you do on your trip. Fishing, campsites, historic, etc...

From what I have heard from others that have been up there, the advice you have heard so far is great. Using live bait may be key and if you are interested, the lake trout should still be shallow. Good luck!

fishguts has it right, If I'm on unfamiliar waters I'll troll shorelines, Islands and points with Rapalas then when I hook some eyes I'll switch to jigs and concentrate on those areas.

Very good strategy but I'll spend a little more time on "good looking" points by jigging in deeper water on both sides and off the end of the point during the day. Sometimes you'll find a great spot if the trolled rapala doesn't bring 'em up. This obviously is too time consuming when traveling and only works when the wind is right.

If you really want to catch fish and have fun, and you don't care what kind of fish you are catching, try topwater lures for smallmouth bass along the shorelines in the evening. In my opinion, smallies are pound-for-pound the hardest fighting fish out there. And they are good eatin' to boot! So here's how you do it...

In the evening as the sun is going down on the horizon, during the last hour of sunlight, the water will normally get very calm and glassy. Tie on a floating topwater lure. Some of the best ones are:

* Jointed floating Rapala in size J-9, gold/black
* Heddon Zara Puppy in gold/black, baby bass, or frog colors
* Heddon Tiny Torpedo in gold/black, baby bass, or frog colors
* Arbogast Hula Popper in frog or black color
* Rebel Pop-R
* Arbogast Jitterbug

Find a moderately sloping shoreline with scattered boulders and paddle quietly along within casting distance of the shore. Now cast your topwater lure all the way to the shore, within 2 feet. Let it sit for 20 seconds until the ripples go away. Be patient. Now give it a little twitch to make it look like an injured minnow. Let it sit again. Then twitch. If you don't get a strike, reel it in and cast it to a new spot. Keep moving down the shore.

This method is deadly for summertime smallies in the BWCA. But you have to wait for the golden hour when the water gets glassy and the sun is getting close to the horizon. When the sun goes down, the smallies move into the shallows to feed. If you use this strategy during the last hour of sunlight, you WILL catch a smallie if they are in the lake you are fishing (they are in almost every lake).