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Boundary Waters Quetico Forum

Trip Planning Forum

Brule to the East

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Date/Time: 04/30/2024 02:24AM

Subject:

Brule to the East

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Previous Messages:
Author	Message Text
ducks	01/06/2018 10:04AM I haven't been to Brule so I can't help you with that part, but I think you'll remember I went to Swan from Bower Trout with little duckling last year. I really liked Swan Lake. It was very quiet and beautiful..... we went over Memorial Day Weekend which is a busy weekend with many entry point quotas getting filled. When we got to Swan on Friday 1 site was occupied and they left early Sat. morning giving us Swan all to ourselves the rest of the stay. The middle site was very nice (occupied when we got there) and we ended up staying at the Northern Site where the old logging camp is. Nice sand beach and a stream running next to it. That is the most moose droppings I have ever seen in my life. It was everywhere.... right in camp, just outside of camp, and along every trail leading out of camp........ old dusty almost decomposed to very fresh. Moose had spent a lot of time there, but we unfortunately did not see any. Little Duckling is the only one in the family that has not seen a moose yet :( ozarkpaddler........... I've driven the Lima Grade so many times in hopes of seeing a moose and have never seen one there.
ozarkpaddler	01/06/2018 03:32AM Thanks, Tusc, I love your trip reports and that Black Pearl too!
TuscaroraBorealis	01/05/2018 08:53AM That was our daughter's first trip! Brule Bay baby Vickies favorite waterfall is located between Brule and Vernon. There's also a neat little 'bath tub' where this creek washes out into Vernon Lake. The campsite on Vernon near the tub is quite nice, and there are a few huge cedar trees just downstream the shoreline. If you make it to Swan there's a nice beach and one of the campsites was once an old lumber mill camp. Potential for good walleye fishing all through the above mentioned areas.
ozarkpaddler	01/04/2018 06:02PM Thanks for the info so far! I know Brule is big, but I've been on Sag and Gunflint many times. And, as you said, it looks like the east side is more protected? I'd love to find a few Lakers, so that sounds good. I know the Bower Trout EP and you're correct, much too far to shuttle. I actually send folks into that area as a good spot to see moose at dawn and dusk. Sedges, you'll have to tell Spartan2 you saw a moose on that road (LOL)! Thanks again to all of you!
sedges	01/04/2018 04:42PM I would definitely suggest an out and back and not worry too much about paddling Brule coming out headed west. The shuttle is way too long as you have to go out almost back to Grand Marais(Devil's Track Lake) to get between Bower Trout and Brule. The paddle would be much more fun. although we did see both moose and bear on the shuttle from Ram to Brule. The east end of Brule is not that exposed. A early start the last morning would help.
nofish	01/04/2018 03:54PM Starting at the Brule EP and heading east is the easiest direction on Brule. Heading west you get into big water without much protection. On the east side you've got more islands and bays that offer more protection. I've spent time on Brule where the east side was fairly calm and no concern about paddling but once you got further west where its more exposed to the wind it was really unpleasant paddling. Only done short visits to the lakes to the east but I believe Vernon has lakers and northern. Haven't heard anything about smallies but I'm sure there are a few. Brule itself can be good for smallies and walleye. Prepare for crowds on Brule with campsites harder to come by. The 2 sites farthest to the east near the Vernon portage seem to be the last to fill up but the one to the north isn't a great site in my opinion and the one on the south shore is ok but buggy.
paddy3001	01/04/2018 01:34PM I've been to that area a few times. Don't know about the fishing, but Vernon and Swan are pretty lakes. The Vernon campsite right next to the portage from Brule is nice and spacious, and also has a private trail to the waterfall that is off the portage. Definitely worth checking out that waterfall either way. Portage from Vernon to Swan is a bit long and buggy, but has some remains of an old logging camp to explore near the end. My experience with Brule is that sites fill up fast, especially on the weekends, but a large number of those people aren't interested in portaging to a campsite, so once you get to Vernon you should be in good shape. Enjoy!
scramble4a5	01/04/2018 01:12PM Big water. Start early before the wind comes up.
ozarkpaddler	01/04/2018 04:25AM Well, last year I had a permit for Bower Trout EP and planned to go as far as Brule and back. Unfortunately, my friends had to cancel a week prior to the trip. Thinking of actually STARTING on Brule and heading east instead this June? I've never been to that EP since I usually go up the GF Trail. So any info about Brule-east would be appreciated. As my buddies want to concentrate on smallies, any info on that would be welcome also. Thanks!