I'm heading up the Gunflint Trail and will be staying at a friends cabin on East Bearskin. The plan is to fish some area lakes via day trips.

I've never fished in the BWCA this early in the year and am looking for some advice. What can I expect for active fish? Will the lake trout be in shallow? Pike too? Probably too early for smallmouth bass? Any good lakes with quick access from the Gunflint trail?

Also I will be fly fishing. What size and color flies do you recommend for lake trout? Thanks for any help, I appreciate it!

I was up in that area this weekend. Fishing was really slow. Things should improve as water continues to warm up. I was after lakers and fished West Bearskin, Duncan, and Clearwater. Didn't bother portaging to Mountain as numerous parties I encountered reported equally slow action on Mountain. Caught one small laker on Duncan, and two beautiful brookies (big!) on Gogebic. I fished Flour Lake for walleye one evening but nada.

Ask around when you're up there. If lakers are biting Mountain is supposed to be good. The folks at Clearwater Lodge can set you up and even tow you to the Mountain portage. Good people. Also heard reports from good laker action yesterday on Daniels.

If things are still slow all around, try for rainbows on Leo lake. Talked to several folks who limited out there this wknd.

Good luck.

If you are fly fishing use a full sink line and woolly buggers and clouser minnows. Throwing meat might also get you into some pike. I will be on Gabi this weekend and will be chasing lakers with the fly rod. We have doing slow drifts with woolly buggers and if they are shallow you should be able to cast at them with the full sink line. They eat cisco up there so white and blue is a good pattern to start with.

I found Lakers along windward shores and bays. I caught one in less than 5ft. of water casting from shore on Kekekabic. Fishing was a little slow, but not bad. Water was very cold on Sag when I paddled out. I bet things will pick up this week, but you probably need to find the warm water.

Driftless: "I'm heading up the Gunflint Trail and will be staying at a friends cabin on East Bearskin. The plan is to fish some area lakes via day trips.

I've never fished in the BWCA this early in the year and am looking for some advice. What can I expect for active fish? Will the lake trout be in shallow? Pike too? Probably too early for smallmouth bass? Any good lakes with quick access from the Gunflint trail?

Also I will be fly fishing. What size and color flies do you recommend for lake trout? Thanks for any help, I appreciate it!"

We caught plenty of lakers on Knife this past week. Fish were no deeper than 15-20ft, and in the evening I was fly fishing from shore. They were chasing them all the way back in before smashing them. I was tossing 4-5in trophy dungeon style streamers with a beadhead, intermediate line, and lots of casting. Color didn't seem to matter too much, and lost several to pike. Pike were very active, and smallies were not.

Thanks guys! Can't wait to get up there!

Any luck on West Bearskin? Got a place on that lake. Fishing is usually pretty slow there

Tyler11: "Any luck on West Bearskin? Got a place on that lake. Fishing is usually pretty slow there"

I didn't have any luck on West Bearskin on May 18. I talked with some guys who had fished West Bearskin hard (with electronics) on May 17; they were skunked as well.

I just got back from Seagull...

I had great luck from shore Friday morning. I caught 2 nice walleye (22 and 25), a few pike, an a 25" lake trout. Most were caught on jigs with white twister tails.

Then... A pretty good storm moved through Friday night. I tried nearly everything. I caught a bunch of pike and that was about it. I trolled and trolled. I tried jigs, leeches, twister tails, spoons... nothing.

I am very happy to hear that it was slow for other folks too...

Thanks for the reports, hope it picks up this weekend - it is sure going to warm up (air temp anyway)!