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Sylbill
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01/03/2015 09:39PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
Four of us (all in our early 60's) are planning a 7 day trip into Quetico in early August. Two of the guys have done a Quetico trip before (in at Nym, through Pickerel, Dore, Twin, Sturgeon, Jean, Oriana, Jesse and back out Nym) and would like to do a different route with more down time. This year we are looking for a 7 day trip with two or three layover days so we can do more fishing than past trips to Wabikimi and Woodland Caribou where we only had one layover day. We are all experienced trippers and in decent shape (for our ages). The main things we are looking for are good fishing (any type) and solitude. We prefer the smaller lakes where we would not be wind bound. I realize the first option below contains a lot of big lakes, but the wind should be with us.

Three options we are thinking about are detailed below, but we are open to any suggestions. One of our participants would prefer a trip on the south side of the park, but it is not a requirement.

1 – Use an outfitter for shuttles and go in at Beaverhouse, through Quetico and/or Cirrus into Kasakokwog, McAlpine, Batchewaung Bay, Pickerel and out at Stanton Bay.

2 – Take a tow into Cache Bay into Saganagons, into Slate, Fran, Bell, the Man Lakes, Emerald, Plough, Ottertrack, Swamp and into Cache Bay. Or possibly leave Saganagons for the Falls Chain, into McEwen, Wet, Sidney, Saganagons back to a tow pick-up at Cache Bay.

3 – Take a tow into Prairie Portage into Sunday Lake, Agnes, Silence, the S lakes into North Bay and back to a tow pick-up at Prairie Portage.

Any advice or recommendations would be appreciated.
 
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OldGreyGoose
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01/04/2015 01:30PM  
So days 1 and 7 plus 2 others for travel, and 3 layovers? #1 works for that with a mixture of all species of fish. Layover on Kasa for walleyes and Pickerel Narrows for SMB would be 2 of my picks. All lakes but PN are of the deep/cold type so lakers are an option too. There was a trip about like this (except out at Nym) in the winter BWJ. Jim at Canoe Canada called it the "Geezer Route."
--Goose
Thwarted
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01/04/2015 06:58PM  
You can't go wrong with any OGG suggestion. Another idea if you are willing to work a bit would be traveling down the "B" chain from Pickeral to Oliphant. Quiet, awesome scenery, great fishing for SM and Fern is a gem of a lake. Give yourself a day to get from Fern to Oli and fish some of the pools along the way. I did that trip with a group of 60 year old guys going up hill from Sturgeon all the way to Pickeral in one day in high water. You can do this. Loop back via the Deaux Rivera and Dore.
tumblehome
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01/06/2015 07:24AM  
I've been on most of the lakes you plan to visit and have gone in on the three entry points you mention.

Trip 1 will probably give you the best solitude. There is so much water on that trip that the few people that are up there are very spread out. Northern Q receives the fewest visitors mostly due to the drive.

Trip 2 gives you the best variety of fishing options. More visitors but still, your in the Q so it's not that bad. Nice lakes too. Plough Lake has some nasty jelly like goopey slime floating in it that nobody could tell me what it is/was. All the other lakes are great. If you go through Plough and the stuff is in there, take pictures.

Trip 3 is the busiest. That said, I paddled the entire length of Agnes in mid June and never saw another canoe. That was kind of freaky.

If I was your group leader, I'd go for Beaverhouse but mostly because it's so damn pretty up there. Second would be trip two.

All those lakes on your list are fishable so no one area is better than the other. It comes down to luck and attitude!

Tom

Sylbill
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01/06/2015 08:01PM  
Thanks for the advice guys. I will discuss it over with the others going on the trip. I suspect this is one of those things where none of the ideas is a bad one. I like Thwarted's idea of the B lakes into Oliphant. That one intrigues me since you don't read much about them. We don't mind the work. I just posted a trip report on the trip we did to Woodland Caribou in August. I want to make sure whatever we do this year allows for more time to fish than we had on that trip.
OldGreyGoose
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01/07/2015 09:50AM  
I agree with Thwarted on the B lakes. The mile postage cuts down on area's popularity, but you'd be going downhill. Did upper from Sturgeon thru Bs to Pickerel in one very long day, wished we'd had several! Get earliest start you can on Pickerel, though. See my trip report for B lakes scenery. --Goose
01/07/2015 11:05AM  
The B chain is gorgeous. More enjoyable heading west (we did it going east). Wish I would have had more time to fish all the pools below the drops. The big portage is tough, but worth it because of the view along the river. All the sets of rapids are interesting and beautiful.
Sylbill
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01/11/2015 04:01PM  
have one question about the B chain of lakes route. Will the Deux Riviere between Sturgeon and Twin Lakes be high enough to paddle upstream in early August?
Eyedocron
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01/11/2015 07:21PM  
My crew paddled it upstream start of this past August. No problem paddling through.
MrBreeze
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01/21/2015 03:34PM  
I have done option 3 except we went on up to Kawnipi rather than stay on Agnes. Better fishing in my opinion. I like # 2 and have wanted to do a variation of that trip as well.

Have a great time and enjoy the fishing.
OldFingers57
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01/21/2015 03:57PM  
quote Sylbill: "have one question about the B chain of lakes route. Will the Deux Riviere between Sturgeon and Twin Lakes be high enough to paddle upstream in early August? "


I was with Eyedocron in August and the only obstructions were two beaver dams which we had no real big problems paddling over in the canoes and lots of water plants slowing your speed down. Otherwise it's kind of a neat scenic area with lots of lotus flowers and the beaver dams and lodges. We had hoped to see a moose there as I guess that is a good spot to see them from what I have read in BWJs, but swa none.
01/21/2015 05:30PM  
We put in on French in NE Corner and did a 10 day trip, but you could just go down to Russell and fish there, take the B chain to Russell and then come out the same way. That Russell has some damn good fishing and it is Beautiful.

I have also done the Man Chain and it would be a great route also.

But I would go back to Russell anytime and the B Chain, as that is one Purdy place

SunCatcher
Sylbill
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01/25/2015 05:28PM  
Thanks to everyone for their comments. A couple of the guys in our group of four have traveled part of the B lakes on a past trip. So, the consensus of the group is to go in at Beaverhouse and come out at Stanton Bay. I'll look through past postings in the Fishing Forum, but I was wondering if anyone has any comments on which of the various routes from Beaverhouse to Stanton Bay is best for catching SM bass and walleye.
OldGreyGoose
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01/25/2015 07:00PM  
Tough to do that trip with your original plan of travel and layovers. BH, down Quetico, over to Jean, down to Stureon, up thru Deux Rivers to Pickerel and out. Good SMB and 'eyes all the way. Especially east Quetico, Jean, Burntside, Sturgeon, and Stanton Bay area itself.
--Goose
Sylbill
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01/25/2015 07:43PM  
I should have been more clear in our route choices. We plan to enter BH, go into Quetico, Kasakokwog, McAlpine and into Pickerel or from Queitico go into Oriana and then into either Hamberg or Jesse, then Maria and into Pickerel. We will take the first route unless the fishing is reported to be better in the second choice. Thanks for the response.
OldGreyGoose
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01/28/2015 10:21AM  
quote Sylbill: "I should have been more clear in our route choices. We plan to enter BH, go into Quetico, Kasakokwog, McAlpine and into Pickerel or from Queitico go into Oriana and then into either Hamberg or Jesse, then Maria and into Pickerel. We will take the first route unless the fishing is reported to be better in the second choice. Thanks for the response. "
Have not been to Kasa, but it is supposed to be a good 'eye lake, and most of that route would be better for lakers, 'eyes and pike until you reach Pickerel. Jesse is a great 'eye lake, especially the inflow from the West (personal experience) and on reefs if you can find them, but it is also more popular. Have not fished Oriano, but met two guys who had caught the pike of a lifetime there, in 1997. Eastern Quetico Lake is good for SMB and 'eyes. Fewer people on the Northern route, more through Jesse. --Goose
 
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