My second BWCA trip is in 2 weeks, entering at Snowbank lake. Original plan was to head straight to Thomas lake and set a base camp and fish for 4 days. Day trips are a possibility as we want to see as much as we can.

The other option we have discussed is heading to Boot and Ensign Lake Sunday. Move again on Tuesday down to either Ima or Thomas. Head back towards Snowbank Thursday for an exit Friday.

Can anyone share any ideas on these options? Or share others if you wouldn't mind.
Any advice is greatly appreciated. Fishing is our goal as we didn't do very well on our first BWCA adventure. We would also like as much solitude as we can find, if that possible in September.

Thanks in advance.

I suppose it kind of depends what you want to catch...If you want lake trout, spend as much time as you can on Ima, Thomas, and Fraser (I prefer Thomas and Fraser). You'd find more solitude here, too, compared to Ensign, which is always busy in my experience, though it is better the farther east you go.

From Fraser, you have some nice day trip options to the east (into the Boulder/Adams area) and north (into Kekekabic, which is another good lake trout lake).

From Ensign, you can daytrip up to Knife, which is good for pretty much everything, or just stay put and enjoy decent walleye and bass action.

For my money, I'd get as far in the first day and then daytrip from there. I'd go to the Ima/Thomas/Fraser area, and from there you can access lakes with plenty of fish, all without having to move camp too much.

There was another recent Snowbank to Thomas post last week that is worth the read. If Thomas is your goal, the route from Snowbank through Disappointment is much easier. Ima is a nice base camping lake. You can easily day trip up to Thomas/Fraser from there.

The portage from Snowbank to Disappointment is an easy one. mostly flat, smooth, and fairly wide.

Thank you for the advice. Looks like Thomas it is!