I am a middle-aged guy a little overweight with double knee replacement. I have a couple buddies that I've been trying to convince to go to The Boundary Waters canoe area. unfortunately our schedules do not line up as they have kids who take up most of their time. So I'm looking to do a solo trip and trying to find a lake where I can get a little privacy and a little fishing (I do understand this will be very difficult with no Portage). Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated I'm looking in June or July and will probably get some level of outfitting

You might try Sea Gull - big enough to find a spot and usually pretty good fishing or even Lake One.

Kawishiwi, Sawbill, or Brule on the east side.

Anderson tow shuttle to Lac La Croix. Drop off at Fish Stake Narrows or Bottle Portage.

Saganaga, Sea gull, Brule and Lake one would be my choices. On Sag you can get a tow to American point and then paddle West from there.

Tony

Basswood. Prairie portage on the truck trailer side.

Ok thanks for the suggestions. I will start researching.

Red Rock Lake. You can get a tow to Red Rock Bay, and the portage into the lake is only about 100 feet. Decent fishing for all species except lakers.

This walleye caught by my son in 2016 from shore at Red Rock:

Unless things went wrong with your replacements you ought to be able to portage if you keep your gear weight down and the portages short. You might be surprised. Just do as many trips over the portage as necessary

My bionic knee was fine with a 45 lb pack and three ports ( all single carries) totalling 4 miles in one day.

Get a tow to Washington Island on Basswood and paddle up to U.S. Point.

I would suggest start out at Moose Lake, take the tow to Splash Lake. There is a very short flat and easy portage over from Newfound to Splash. Then you just pull your canoe over a small spillway into Ensign Lake. You can base camp on Ensign as long as you want. We take the first tow at 6:00 AM and we are in camp by 9:00 AM. Can’t get any easier than that.

Man this site is incredible. Thank all of you Very much for all the advice and guidance. Hope to see you'll out there!

Off the Gunflint Trail: EP 64 E. Bearskin to Alder (Fishing!) and back out same way. A 52-rod portage (840 ft.) located on the south fork of E. Bearskin Lake to Alder Lake. You will see other canoers and passersby but that's a good thing should you need to flag someone down for assistance. Just take it slow as it's not a long paddle nor a rough portage. A mid-morning put-in will get you to Alder Lake in plenty time to set up camp and fish on day one. Especially with the longer daylight hours. Tip: any kind of a hiking stick helps with balance--especially getting in and out of the canoe.
Nice parking area with a wide and shallow landing. Motorboats allowed on E. Bearskin Lake only up to the very east end just before the fork.

QueticoMike: "Get a tow to Washington Island on Basswood and paddle up to U.S. Point."

+1

Grandma L: "You might try Sea Gull - big enough to find a spot and usually pretty good fishing or even Lake One. "

+1

QueticoMike: "Get a tow to Washington Island on Basswood and paddle up to U.S. Point."

If you really want solitude and great fishing, get a Quetico permit. You can still get a tow to Washington Island on Basswood but instead of the U.S. Point you can paddle up into Basswood North Bay. Head to Lost Bay for solitude. This is what I will do once I can no longer portage.