Stating to think about 2011 trips, and I would like to hit Crooked for walleye, small mouth and monster northern. I have travel Mudro, to Thursday Bay via the Horse river. Great trips. About 22 miles, and 7-8 portages. This year I'm thinking about the same EP, but heading NW through Fourtown, Boot, Fairy on our way to Friday Bay on Crooked.

Does anyone have a recommendations/experience with this route? I'm concerned about the time to travel through Boot etc. Plus what is the fishing like on Thursday Bay in late May - early June? There looks to be several small creeks that enter the bay, which we target for W's and small mouth.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, and as always, set the hook hard!

The Mudro thru Fourtown to Crooked is probably the shortest and maybe fastest way there, but you will work. Take the lakes (Boot, Fairy, etc.) rather than the stream out of the north end of Fourtown...it is pretty slow, but very interesting.

Personally, I'd split the route into two days and take it easier on both, but I'm older and travel slower now.

I think it probably took me about 4 hours to travel (solo) through Boot in Sept 2009, so you could pretty easily get to Gun, I think. Beyond that I don't know.

Unless you have weather problems or are poorly packed, if you figure double-tripping the portages, you should be able to make it from Mudro to Friday bay in one day. If you want to break it up, plan to camp on Gun L and sample it's waldos.

I'm with Old Salt... You could do it say you got on Mudro early. You'd be pretty drained by the time you got there though. We stayed on Gun and had time to fish. Then you'll have plenty of time to find a good campsite on Crooked the next day. The 300 rod portage isn't to bad once you get over a small hill if I recall correctly. It's a pretty route.

I did that route backwards last June. The 300 rd portage was a very nice walk. It took me 27 minutes to single portage it. I was concerned about Papoose Creek, but it was totally navigable with one beaver damn to go across. I left Friday Bay at 10:30 AM and was on Boot Lake by 1:30PM. I could have gotten to Mudro that day but I wanted to extend my trip by a day. The hardest portage is the 140 rd between Mudro and Fourtown not the 300 rd. Beautiful paddle.

Thanks all for the first hand intel. I'm thinking of a loop, heading up fourtown, boot etc, then returning via the Horse River. Is there any lakes that folk's would recommend wetting the line at along the way?

Walleye, did that loop 3 years ago. We hit the Mudro parking lot at like 9:00, 9:30, went through Gun etc. and made it to Friday Bay by 4pm, single portaging. We didn't fish at all on the way in but fished Friday Bay with a lot of success on big smallies. The wind can be a big factor in your travel time though, we paddled all of Wednesday Bay with winds right in our face, made for very slow going and we were exausted by the time we got to LBF.

hey, 5 trees! woot woot

LOL! GRATS APU!!

Sounds like a doable route. We single portage in order to make more time to wet the line. Thanks all.

Great route! Are you planning on doing any fishing in Fourtown or Boot or Fairy or Gun or Moosecamp? I'm wondering where to target my fishing on a solo I'm doing up there next summer.

Planning on moving through to Crooked. The lure of small mouth the size of tractor tires it driving use. I have fished Fourtown and done very well. Early June, caught everything. Largest northern was 40", walleye in 2' of water and small mouth that would jump in the boat. Great area.

quote apugarcia: "hey, 5 trees! woot woot"

CONGRATS!

Friday Bay

Such a serious fisherman... looks like you are trying NOT to laugh at the cameraman.