We're (I'm) planning our trip to Quetico. this is my very first trip across the border to Quetico. We have a Carp lake entry in late August and plan to make our way up the Man chain to Blackstone. We have a lot of information but I want MORE! I was thinking an out and back then take our time and get some awesome fishing done. But I do like to explore too. I see a river route out the North end of Blackstone over to Saganagons Lake.
Has anybody done this route? If so what's it like and is it worth the exploration.
What direction does it flow? west to east or visa-versa?
Thanks for any additional information on this area.

In 2017 I looked at the portage from Bell to Blackstone and found faint traces but not a well used track. Consequently I took the river route and got to Blackstone without any difficulty. Unfortunately the weather turned dismay and I couldn’t enjoy the lake like I had envisioned.

Yikes! That was my planned route. Sounds like a ordeal. So the best bet is to go around through Slate lake? or that long .... river route out and back?

We're going in thru Cache Bay in late May and plan on a few nights on Blackstone. Will likely day trip to Bell/Other Man, so may try that notorious portage. Will advise if we have intel for you.

Our group went into Blackstone in July 2005 using the route from Slate Lake. The first portage out of Slate was mostly underwater due to beaver activity, but that was many years ago. When we arrived at Blackstone, the only site was occupied so we camped across the lake on a sloping rock... not good. The next day we moved over to the site and had a great time fishing and camping with our young sons.




We caught some nice lakers (not the one shown) and a few large northerns. The weather was hot and we did a lot of lake time to keep cool.


We took the northern route out of Blackstone to avoid the flooded Slate portage. It seemed like a nice option, but it had a few beaver dams to paddle over. It flows from Blackstone to Saganagons.

On day one, we talked to the guy on the campsite and he mentioned getting there via the Blackstone Boogie (from Bell to Blackstone). I took that to mean it was not a great route.

Great information! Thank you all.
I'll be ready for the report from you sns.
In the meanwhile, back to the route planning. I'll have to see how it works out to avoid that portage.

My second trip into Quetico was to Blackstone in 1999. The island campsite was first-rate. The fishing was great. We took the portage from Bell to Blackstone and it was a pretty messy portage. We walked through deep moose muck from time to time. It was not a fun portage at all.

We left Blackstone through the northern creek into Saganagons, which was much better. I've thought about returning to Blackstone, but with only one really good campsite and difficulty getting into it, I've opted for other areas. Been there...done that, but it was a great trip. Glad I did it.

Terry

Terry, would love more on fishing on Blackstone - LT and Walleye? What time of the season were you there?

No walleye in Blackstone. Pike, smallies, and lakers.

Love the Man chain

We are heading to Blackstone end of May for 4 or 5 days. We will be out by May 29th if we are out in time to provide intel happy to. Going through the creek in and out. Hoping for lower water than last year!

sns: "Terry, would love more on fishing on Blackstone - LT and Walleye? What time of the season were you there?"

End of June. No walleye. Only caught smallmouth, pike and lake trout. Lots of smallmouth.

Terry

I will be at the north end of the Man Chain May 18th and will have a week in the area likely base camping, and wouldn't mind some day trips, is there anything else to consider for fishing if not blackstone? Bit, Bock, Bell, fran?

If I had a Carp permit and 6 nights, Man Chain to Falls Chain to Wet, and then McEwen Chain, out the Louisa, Meadows, etc. But Wet to Agnes is a great route.

Bockting: "We are heading to Blackstone end of May for 4 or 5 days. We will be out by May 29th if we are out in time to provide intel happy to. Going through the creek in and out. Hoping for lower water than last year! "

Bockting, what is the creek route like? Have you taken the other route, & can you compare?

In my 30+ Quetico trips since 1967 as a Boy Scout, my crews have been to Blackstone twice, both times through Slate Lake and out the stream. The entry through Slate involves a couple of portages through the woods with a edge of the marsh area in between. We camped on the central island in Blackstone and caught pike and smallmouth. No walleyes. One time in the western part of Blackstone we floated for an hour as a family of baby beavers swam around us. Late June.
We went out the stream to the north both times. A peaceful paddle with short portages and beaver pull-overs.
Not a long stream, as we were across Dead Man's Portage and into the Falls Chain by noon. One trip camped on Wet Lake and the other on Kenny Lake below Canyon Falls.
Not many people on Blackstone, as a bit of a side trip if going out the north end of the Man Chain, but what's the rush? Enjoy the Quetico.

If you really want remote, go up the Waiwag River to Mack Lake and come back down to Kenny Lake.

campnfish: "I will be at the north end of the Man Chain May 18th and will have a week in the area likely base camping, and wouldn't mind some day trips, is there anything else to consider for fishing if not blackstone? Bit, Bock, Bell, fran?"

I would take any info you could share after your trip! I'm still thinking about an out 'n' back with base camping in a few spots. Either that or a loop around Jasper through Knife . We're staying flexible and we'll probably adjust as we go.
Thanks to all for the help and suggestions. Let me know if anyone does a Trip Report.

sns: "

Bockting: "We are heading to Blackstone end of May for 4 or 5 days. We will be out by May 29th if we are out in time to provide intel happy to. Going through the creek in and out. Hoping for lower water than last year! "

Bockting, what is the creek route like? Have you taken the other route, & can you compare?"

Never been there yet, trying to do some research as well before May 25th. We have been through Chatterton to McDougall, and to Agnes.

We went to Blacktsone in 2009, so the info I have is dated, but for what it's worth, we went in from Bell and out along the creek to Sagnagons. I really enjoyed it. This was back in the day when I wrote detailed pictorial trip reports, so there's a pretty good record of what we did. The route into Blackstone was on Day 4, and out was on Day 5. You can find Day 4 here (with link to Day 5 at the bottom of that page) -

https://bwca.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=trip.report_view&sel_trp_id=1773&sel_trp_part_id=4

(PS back in the day I used Photobucket to house my pictures, their business model changed and I haven't kept up with it, so the pics aren't that great, but they are still there)

Edit - Let me know if you have trouble with the link and if so I'll link you some other way.

In mid-September 2022, our group of four paddled southwest on the Man Chain. We went up the creek from Saganagons into Blackstone, and our experience last September reflects Ho Ho’s trip report details linked above. Portaging between Blackstone and Bell took us a full hour to single portage. Overgrowth, downed trees, and mud resulted in a rough and sometimes indiscernible path.

Ho Ho: "We went to Blacktsone in 2009, so the info I have is dated, but for what it's worth, we went in from Bell and out along the creek to Sagnagons. I really enjoyed it. This was back in the day when I wrote detailed pictorial trip reports, so there's a pretty good record of what we did. The route into Blackstone was on Day 4, and out was on Day 5. You can find Day 4 here (with link to Day 5 at the bottom of that page) -


https://bwca.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=trip.report_view&sel_trp_id=1773&sel_trp_part_id=4


(PS back in the day I used Photobucket to house my pictures, their business model changed and I haven't kept up with it, so the pics aren't that great, but they are still there)

Edit - Let me know if you have trouble with the link and if so I'll link you some other way."

HoHO This may help you

I went through the Bell-Blackstone portage about a year after the legendary HoHo. Sounds like it didn’t change too much over next dozen years. Just a passing reference to those fabulous HoHo trip reports brings back nostalgic memories of waiting for the next daily chapter to be added. Internet canoeing just hasnt been the same since they ceased. Triumphant comeback tour in 2023??

All this is a great help. Hoho, thanks for the trip report link. It’s a great read and Very useful for our trip. Though I don’t think we’ll keep up with your “easy” pace. We’re a little older and will be puttering along much slower. Our philosophy is to: start off slow then taper off.
And great intel on portage travel time Matt. With us double portaging, it would be about 3 hours for us to get all our gear up there. Maybe we’ll base camp on Bell and do a day trip to fish.
I’m still debating whether we should push for the loop or base camp and do extensive exploration of the Man Lakes.
We’ll have both plans ready and decide when we’re there.
Thanks all

Hey Bonz and everyone - thanks for the shout outs on the trip report. Flaxman, I doubt I'll ever return to making them again, as much as I enjoyed doing it in the past. But you can find reruns here on the site!

Bonz, we are definitely not keeping up with our "easy" pace anymore. Our two trips last year (one BW, one Quetico), we opted for alternating travel and layover days. The travel days were still pretty serious, but we really needed those layover days after each one. We're in our early 60s now . . .

Ho Ho: " We're in our early 60s now . . . "

Wait what???? oh yeah. Last time someone told me, I'm there too.

But I had just turned 49 when the trip in that report was taken. Ah, youth!