I was looking at making planked salmon on the grill and had a thought, how come you never hear people making planked fish in the BWCA? I could see it as being easy to do since it seems pretty common to split wood using the baton method. Is it bad to use not completely dried wood or is it just unreliable or a pain to find a large enough downed log then make planks as well?

I have cooked whole (gutted) fish on a stick over the fire before and this just seems like an alternative that is much easier than trying to prop a stick up and secure it properly. Just set the plank with (whole in my case) fish in an area where it gets hit by the smoke but not too hot. Are there any drawbacks or reasons why I shouldn't do this? Would the sap from the wood I use be a health risk or adversely affect the flavor? Planks don't have to be perfect so I can't see that being too hard. Are people more concerned about the time it takes to cook the fish so there just isn't a whole lot of interest in this style of cooking or what? Why have I never heard of this before?

I'm not sure how the different types of wood work as planks. Traditionally cedar is used for planks when cooking fish but I suppose other hard woods might work as well. The trick is to find the right downed log that you can cut to length and then plank with a knife/baton. I think that right there is a big reason most people don't do it.

Also, usually the plank method is used for fish with more fatty oils like salmon. Lake trout in the BWCA could work but while I've heard of walleye and other fish being done on planks i'd be more concerned with them drying out too much.

You're also fighting the tradition of a fried fish shore lunch. Its quick, easy, and a pretty cemented tradition for a lot of people.

I would just bring a peice of cedar plank board made for this. They are very light and easy to pack. Burn when done.