This year I will be taking 4 teenage girls, including my daughter, into Gabbro lake. I have been going to the Boundary Waters since I was a kid but I always go alot farther that these girls could possibly enjoy. Last year we went to Perent Lake and the girls caught alot of small walleye. They had the time of their lives, especially eating them! I am looking for some fishing tips for Gabbro to keep these girls interested in the outdoors. Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Charvel: "This year I will be taking 4 teenage girls, including my daughter, into Gabbro lake. I have been going to the Boundary Waters since I was a kid but I always go alot farther that these girls could possibly enjoy. Last year we went to Perent Lake and the girls caught alot of small walleye. They had the time of their lives, especially eating them! I am looking for some fishing tips for Gabbro to keep these girls interested in the outdoors. Any advise would be greatly appreciated. "

The channel between Gabbro and Little Gabbro definitely holds fish. It's a neat little area with rock outcroppings and little islands - fish around them and I'd bet almost anything you'll get hits.

Gabbro also has many good points and bays in the main lake. We troll Rapalas around the southern shore mid-lake, with good result.

Just my own experience, but for some reason Bald Eagle has been a better fishing lake than Gabbro for me. Gabbro is a more interesting lake, but Bald Eagle was better fishing. Gull Lake, a portage off Bald Eagle has been very good to me. Caught a lot of nice fish there. Some of my best walleyes. I like that lake a lot. I would suggest a day trip to Gull. It’s pretty darn cool.

And just one portage from Gull is Pietro, and it is loaded with smallies. That said, we just paddled through Gull on our way to Pietro, and the biggest walleye and smallmouth of the trip were caught on Gull.

"The channel between Gabbro and Little Gabbro definitely holds fish. It's a neat little area with rock outcroppings and little islands - fish around them and I'd bet almost anything you'll get hits."

I limited out fishing just above this channel in May 2008. The bays on the north side of the lake can be very productive as well, at least early in the year. I did Gabbro in both 2008 and 2009 and along with some really nice walleye, we found several northern 32"+, 13"-15" crappies, 12" perch and some beautiful small mouth, most in the 2-3 lb range. I wrote trip reports for both years if you want to read through them and look at the pictures so you can see what the lake's potential is. Love the area, and most likely taking my own kids there in August this year.

We find fish in weeds midsummer in that area. The current areas are a good place to try as well. I've been there with four young women myself and we had fun. Slip bobbers on weed edges are a place to try. Also, speak in British accents the entire time; that's what we did...