Heading out next week for 8 days of fishing. Flying in from NC and will buy tackle when we get to MN. What are your favorite rod and reel combos we could purchase there that would be easy to carry and use in the BWCA? Will fish mainly for walleye and smallmouth bass with a few northerns. Thanks for any ideas.

Good quality 6 1/2 to 7 foot 2 piece medium action spinning rod, and a Shimano Symetre 2500. Put some 6 or 8 Trilene XL clear line and you can handle any fish the boundary waters will throw at you.

This has a lot of variables. Do you insist on one piece rods? Or do you mind sectionals? Bottom line is, you will be portaging and moving a lot.

The canoe is small. Rods tend to take a beating even when you are being cautious, so you might not want to spend a fortune on it. When I went I bought myself a 6' one piece Fenwick Eagle GT cuz it was on sale at Cabelas and I bought a Pfleuger Purist spinning reel and a Pfleuger President spinning reel for my partner. Very quality stuff and didnt cost a fortune. Some people bring rod cases and keep the rods inside during portages to protect them.

Dont bring a ton of lures. You dont need that many. Buy a rod float. They are cheap, light and in the rare event you lose a pole overboard it will float.

There is a TON of other info here on the messageboards about this stuff.

Overall, have fun!

quote walllee: "Good quality 6 1/2 to 7 foot 2 piece medium action spinning rod, and a Shimano Symetre 2500. Put some 6 or 8 Trilene XL clear line and you can handle any fish the boundary waters will throw at you. "

This is what you need, walllee nailed it.

quote Savage Voyageur: "

quote walllee: "Good quality 6 1/2 to 7 foot 2 piece medium action spinning rod, and a Shimano Symetre 2500. Put some 6 or 8 Trilene XL clear line and you can handle any fish the boundary waters will throw at you. "

This is what you need, walllee nailed it. "

I agree. You should be able to get by fine with this setup.

Above posters have nailed it. Just to be contrary, I opt for a ML rod...just 'cause I will use it for a white bass/heavy crappie rod back home, and I like a tad lighter tip(personal preference).

6'6" medium lt rod ,shimano reel spooled with 8lb magnathin. thats my fav. landed many big fish on it also.

Rod float work for rod. Rod and reel it just sinks slower.

quote GSP: "Rod float work for rod. Rod and reel it just sinks slower."

I used the Blakemore large size and tested it out. Kept my 6' spinning rod and purist reel floating. They make different sizes (8" and 6"), that could be the difference? In any case, even if it did sink slower, thats better than sinking faster! You may at least get a shot at saving it before it sinks too far.

Good advice here but just to be contrary... I don't think a two piece rod is a necessity unless you prefer them - I don't. If you get one piece rods just make sure they are securely lashed at the side of the canoes, under the thwarts, and they should be fine. Just take a little care when throwing the pack in the canoe. Nite Ize rubber coated twist ties are reusable, sturdy, quick to lash gear in and take out, and come in many different diameters/lengths and work great to lashrods/reels in - also many other uses. The rods ride just fine on portages and are very secure.

I would go with a 6.5 medium or medium light made by a reputable company and the same for the reel. Shimanos are great but not the only good reel out there. Bring at least 2 rods/reels each just in case the worst happens. They don't add a lot of weight and if secured properly you won't even know they are there. No need to spend a ton of money on a rod and reel for the BWCA - sure you will have plenty of expenses already if coming from afar.

Good Luck.

All great advice, thanks everyone....keep it coming.

I went to Dick's Sporting Goods today here in Greensboro, NC and checked out their rods and spinning reels. They had some very nice ones that fit the descriptions above. I'm thinking we might buy at the Dick's in Duluth? I'm worried I might not have as much choice at the outfitters in Ely? Or do they carry lots of options?

There are gas stations in Ely that have a better rod/reel/fishing section than I have around here in Illinois. Any half decent 6'6" medium rod and an OK reel will take care of most of your needs. I had a relatively inexperienced fishing partner with no gear on my trip in June. I picked up an inexpensive Daiwa combo from Dick's and it worked really well. The added benefit was that if it did happen to break, I would not be too bent about it as opposed to some of the more expensive equipment that I have.

Enjoy your trip!
Brandon

Lots of good advice above. I'll add my two cents on rods, though.

We jig a lot so we opt for 6' rods. Still plenty long enough if you want to cast or whatever, but if you jig a lot like us (maybe 90% of our day), the constant lift-and-drop of a longer rod can get cumbersome, at least in my opinion.

For casting, slip bobbering or Lindy Rigging, I'm with the others - a 6'6" rod is preferred.

i have a few st croix's and a fenwicks. the fenwick eagles are my favorite canoe country rods; they're relatively inexpensive($50 full price, can be had much cheaper), tough, and extremely sensitive for the price. i use pfluegers, either the preferred presidents or trions. trions are about $20-30, presidents $50-60, but they're both good reels.

Just to let you know, by the time you touch the water next week small mouth bass will be catch and release only. Unless your on one of the border lakes.

quote bassnet: "Above posters have nailed it. Just to be contrary, I opt for a ML rod...just 'cause I will use it for a white bass/heavy crappie rod back home, and I like a tad lighter tip(personal preference)."

+1

quote walllee: "Good quality 6 1/2 to 7 foot 2 piece medium action spinning rod, and a Shimano Symetre 2500. Put some 6 or 8 Trilene XL clear line and you can handle any fish the boundary waters will throw at you. "

That's my rig...lol

quote Jackfish: "Lots of good advice above. I'll add my two cents on rods, though.

We jig a lot so we opt for 6' rods. Still plenty long enough if you want to cast or whatever, but if you jig a lot like us (maybe 90% of our day), the constant lift-and-drop of a longer rod can get cumbersome, at least in my opinion.

For casting, slip bobbering or Lindy Rigging, I'm with the others - a 6'6" rod is preferred."

I agree. I prefer a 6' 3" rod for vertical jigging. My wife's is 5' 9".

All the advice you have received so far is spot on. My only addition is that Pflueger President reels for the money are outstanding if you cannot or do not want to spend for a Shimano. I prefer bringing the President reels to the BW because they only cost $59.00 and if lost, not big deal.

A Shimano Stradic is something I would not like to lose. You should be able to find the Pflueger Presidents at stores in MN. They are very nice and sturdy reels for the money.

Best, Jerry G