Hey All.

We are heading in for our BW experience at EP 38, Sawbill. Will be there as long as my 9 year old son lets us stay, or a week, which ever comes first!

We would really like to catch a few walleyes. I think we will be good for catching Smallies, however, I don't have a lot of experience with walleyes. I know/think I need leeches. Going to pick some up on the way. Also have gulp leeches. BTW, where is a good place to get them from Duluth to Tofte/Grand Marais?

I would really like any advice you guys wouldn't mind sharing. We will be fishing in Sawbill, Alton, Smoke, and maybe Kelso.

I know I've posted here a month or so ago about a similar topic, but it's getting closer to my entry date, mid July, and I'm starting to get nervous about how to catch them. Also, since I last posted, my nephew and his wfe and son are going too. Yeah.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

I don't have any new advice since the email I sent you last time..........

Have fun!!!!!!!!!!! Nothing better than being in the bwca w/ your kid ;) I just back from my annual daddy/daughter trip.

Leeches in Tofte can be had at the Holiday Gas Station. That's where I get them when I do Sawbill/Caribou Trail entry points.

Thanks Ducks,

Actually, I accidentally deleted that email. Could you resend it?

Will stop in Tofte to get leeches. Thanks.

done!!! Have a great trip!!!

I do not have any experience with those lakes. I'm also not sure what the dates of your trip are. However, I have caught many a walleye so here are my tips.

Due to your comments I assume you are going mid to late July. At this time of year the water will be quite warm so the Walleye will be deeper. Your key times to target them would be mornings and evenings. I assume you probably know this but want to be thorough. Here are some ways that have proven themselves to me to catch walleye...

-trolling original floating rapalas in the evening. I'm partial to the blue and white variety. Also have caught with black and silver and black and orange. You could troll a shad rap or something deeper if you wanted as well. I have done best with the original floater trolling around islands and across points. Basically anywhere that there is some shallower water where the walleye come in to feed. At this time of year I would target islands and shallower water with deeper water nearby. This will be the easiest way for you to catch Walleye. If you can find moving water even better.

-If you find a spot where the walleye are coming in to feed you can catch them with a jig and a leech or jig and twister tail. This is usually along a ledge or drop off with boulders or other structure.

-You can also target feeding walleye with a slip bobber and a leech if you know there they are coming in. This is one of my new favorite methods. A couple weeks ago I caught about 30 in just over 2 hours on my Boundary Waters trip.

- I have also done well with a black jig and black twister tail attached to a silver spinner.

Thanks Fishingfanatic.

We are going in July 19. Planning to stay a week. That depends on my easy bored 9 yr old son who mysteriously gets sick when he wants to quit anything! As soon as we quit, he gets better almost instantly. Peculiar hum?

Anyway, was planning to take a few floating Rapalas, jig heads and twister tails. Some spoons and mysky killers for casting for northerns. Mepps spinners jigs and crawfish plastics
for smallies and leeches. Among other things. I fish tournaments down here in the south and can pull a largemouth out of about any body of water. It's those northern lake that baffle me!

We were there 11 years ago and caught our share of smallies fairly easily.

Thanks for the advice.

In Smoke, try the southeast end of the largest island in the NE corner of the lake. It has a slow break from 5-6 feet down to about 15. Rapalas, shad raps, or husky jerks should put you on some fish. If you find them, hang out and try a slip bobber leech combo set about a foot off the bottom. Move the bobber stop until you have hit bottom and slide it up from there. There is also a nice flat running about 10 feet deep to the east of the island that should produce a few northern or bass as well as some walleye in the evening.

If you make it over to burnt, there are some nice walleye or bass to be had north of the cluster of islands and on the saddle between the smallest island to the east and the other islands there. I have had good luck drifting through with leech on a spinner rig or casting shad raps. There is a sharp break on the south east side of this area that can stack some fish up if the wind has been blowing in for a good portion of the day. Far north end of the lake near the large island produced all the way around using various lure combos.

Wherever you end up, if it gets calm at the end of the day, work the shorelines with a top water bait. Skitter-pop in fire tiger or blue-silver have always worked, jitterbugs in black, or buzz-baits worked somewhat parallel to the shoreline over chunk rock are some of my favorites. Husky-jerk, floating rapaals, jointed raps are all good too.

Not too familiar with Sawbill, but have heard that it is a good lake. I would try between the 'S' island and the other islands to the north. Seems like there woule be decent current through the saddle areas especially if it's windy. North side of the islands drops off to some deeper water so may be a nice spot. Looks like there is a mid lake hump coming up to about 10 feet a couple hundred feet north of there that may produce, Lots of places to cast for northern all along the shoreline. take a look at the narrows leading to Kelso river. At the north end appears to be some nice boulder fields that could be good too.

Have fun, and good luck!

Thanks Bfurlow.

It sounds like you were looking at an underwater topo map when you were making those comments. Where did you get it?

I've gotten a lot of advice from you guys. It's all been great. I'm going to have to print out all of the info and take it with me because I'm never going to remember it all.

If you have topo maps of the lakes. Do you see anything promising on Alton Lake?

Speaking of Kelso. I like the look of that river. Looks like a place I'd fish here in the south. I'll definitely give it a try.

New to the thread, but you can get topo maps for the lakes at https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/lakefind/search.html by inputting the lake name, then selecting "Lake Maps" from the left hand side of the page. That's the quickest way I know how.

Some of the lakes also have the DNR Fisheries Reports (but it doesn't appear that Smoke does, sorry) to check out what the fish population of a given lake looks like.

Basser8239: "Thanks Bfurlow.

It sounds like you were looking at an underwater topo map when you were making those comments. Where did you get it?

I've gotten a lot of advice from you guys. It's all been great. I'm going to have to print out all of the info and take it with me because I'm never going to remember it all.

If you have topo maps of the lakes. Do you see anything promising on Alton Lake?

Speaking of Kelso. I like the look of that river. Looks like a place I'd fish here in the south. I'll definitely give it a try. "

Some of it was being in the area and using a depth finder the rest is from online resources or advice I got here.
You can find and print them from voyageurmaps.com I also use the navionics app on my phone and that gives a lot of detail. Fish finder is also valuable to find the spot on a spot. Listen to everyone here, try a lot of different techniques, and keep an open mind. Oh yeah, have fun! Even if you get skunked it is one of the best places to do so :)

I would not recommend Alton. It’s not known for a great fishing. And can get rough if it’s windy. If in search of Walleye I would go into Smoke or Burnt. I’ve had success on Burnt fishing in between the the cluster of small islands mid day in September. As well as slip bobbering in the evening from the peninsula site just to the West. As said before I recommend the Navionics map for your phone. A great fishing tool. Here’s a pic of the spot I’m talking about from my Navionics.
The red dot is the site I stayed on. The fish is where I was catching them. The lines are all spots I would drift and bounce a Jig and leech if I was in search of them.
Best of luck! Hope you can get into them, keep the little guy excited about fishing!

Wow! Thanks guys. The topo maps are great. I didn't know you could get them.

I am rethinking the Alton stay. We originally wanted to stay on Smoke but I chose Alton because of it's proximity to the EP. Also, if we just used it as a base camp, we could travel to the other lakes fairly easily. I like site on Alton that is close to the Kelso river. Might be fun to stay there and the river will help keep the kiddos busy during the day. IDK.

Thanks for all of the tips. I'm sure they will help.

Enjoy the trip, but do practice caution on Alton. That lake is a wind tunnel just about every day and I've come close to swamping several times just trying to get from portage to portage. Obviously any lake can be dangerous but this one has a reputation for a reason.

https://www.twincities.com/2012/10/08/forest-lake-couple-died-in-bwca-while-pursuing-their-passion/

Side note - try fishing where the Kelso River enters Sawbill for walleyes. Had some luck there before.

Agree with smokechaser, we were on Sawbill over the 4th and had a blast fishing where Kelso River flows into Sawbill. We had a lot of rain the day before, so the flow was decent. We fished about 20-30ft away from the rapids in 7-8ft of water with a jig and leech in the middle of the day and crushed the walleyes and smallies.

Thanks for all of the tips guys. I'm sure they will be very helpful. We are leaving outta Charlotte in the morning. Be there Wed.

I'll let everyone know how we did when we get back.

BTW, I think we are going to avoid Alton. Gonna go look at it, but we will probably avoid it if we can find other options.

Basser8239: "Thanks for all of the tips guys. I'm sure they will be very helpful. We are leaving outta Charlotte in the morning. Be there Wed.


I'll let everyone know how we did when we get back.


BTW, I think we are going to avoid Alton. Gonna go look at it, but we will probably avoid it if we can find other options."

Good luck! I can't wait to hear how you did out there. Remember, anytime in canoe country is good time. If you are catching fish, all the better. Have fun.