Have entered at E69 twice and spent 4 days on East Pike. Northern and smallies were excellent in 2014; not quite as good in 2015 (northern good but smallies lacking). First week of August both times. There is almost no mention of East Pike in the forum. For the veterans out there -- why no love? Thanks for any opinions or past experiences on this lake.

I haven't been there in a dozen years or more, but I went several times with my dad and friends while I was in high school, and again a couple times after that. I have had some spectacular bass fishing there, and some only OK. I caught my biggest smallmouth the last time I was there. That was satisfying; I was alone in the canoe with my dog just off a campsite. I was casting a spinnerbait while chatting with the camper at that site. He was bemoaning the poor fishing he'd been having on leeches. I said I was doing pretty well, and *boom*, a 20.5" smallie drilled my spinnerbait as we were speaking.

The pike were just starting to get into the lake the last time I was there. Thirty years ago there were no pike, but there were Shoepac strain muskies. We caught a few of those; I don't know if they are still there.

I always liked a day trip to West Pike from there. Good bass and lake trout, and the line of hills around the lake are pretty.

I'm not a great fisherman but I had a great time catching bass on a floating rapala from the campsite on east pike. It was the first time for me catching bass on a top water lure. It was a calm evening and i was surprised they would hit top water in early September.

I hooked a muskie on East Pike about fifteen years ago . Lost it next to the boat .

Good question. I'd guess because it at the far end of the BWCA so there isn't any through traffic. It's at the fart end of a loop if you are starting from the western portion of that section. I've only been to that area once myself entering at East Bearskin. It look like a good starting point for a trip and I would like to get there in the future.

east pike is a gorgeous lake, paddled through it many times but never fished or camped. if you don't mind a bit of work there are some really nice couple day loops in this area. the forest in here is thick old growth, similar to wabakimi, if woodland caribou ever make it back to minnesota (unlikely) this is where i would expect them to show up.

I stayed on East Pike twice. Besides the muskie story, here is another one. I was camped on a west side campsite and it was morning, around breakfast time. I was solo. I noticed a moose was swimming across the lake directly towards my campsite. It was still close to the east shore when I first noticed it. I sat still with my binocs and camera and watched it. When it got close, again aimed right at me, I could hear it. It was like a steam engine, chugging along like nobody's business. I made the slightest move, to get in better position for a pic with the old water proof camera, and the moose saw me and immediately did a one eighty and swam all the way back across East Pike Lake and climbed back on the far shore and crashed into the woods. I felt so bad about causing it to swim all that way and then turn around and swim all the way back. Good thing it is a skinny lake. The muskie was on the same trip. I had it next to the boat. It was at least three feet long with a fat back. That's one thing that stinks about going solo. Nobody else to have the memory with.
Cheers.

quote paddlinjoe: "Good question. I'd guess because it at the far end of the BWCA so there isn't any through traffic. It's at the fart end of a loop if you are starting from the western portion of that section. I've only been to that area once myself entering at East Bearskin. It look like a good starting point for a trip and I would like to get there in the future."

quote Lost: "

quote paddlinjoe: "Good question. I'd guess because it at the far end of the BWCA so there isn't any through traffic. It's at the fart end of a loop if you are starting from the western portion of that section. I've only been to that area once myself entering at East Bearskin. It look like a good starting point for a trip and I would like to get there in the future."

"

Fart end of the loop sounds a bit stinky to me!!