I made a major decision and reservation over the weekend- I decided to finally do a long-dreamed-of trip and fly in to Clay Lake and enter Mack Lake on May 22, Friday before Memorial Day, and wander south from there back to Moose Lake or maybe PP. I plan on coming down the Falls Chain and then over to the Man Chain .......planning on lots of fishing, wandering, solitude, and exploring.

I figured with the amount of effort it is going to take to plan logistics and getting there, I could justify a fly in. At least that is the premise I am going with....;-) as I live in California, I will fly to Minneapolis, probably, then drive to Ely area outfitter. I think I will use LaTourells as it gives me the flexibility of paddling out when I want to rather than wait for a pick up...we will see.

I have maps spread out and looking at possibilities. I would love to hear any experienced input on fishing, campsites, or must-see views and/or pictographs, etc.

Thanks in advance, the count down begins!

Nice and congrats. I hope the Greenwood Creek cooperates for you and can paddle out of Clay. :)

The Greenwood will most likely be high and fast, like everything else in the 3rd week of May. If you tip in those temperatures, air and water, that may be game over. Be safe.

Sounds awesome...!!! I did the Falls Chain in 2013 and the Man Chain in 2012. Went up and down spending 8 days on each so I got a pretty good feel for them and can suggest some camp sites. Drop me a email and we can connect on the phone or catch up in chat some afternoon

Have a Great time and enjoy it! This sounds like a hoot!

SunCatcher

Mack lake and the Wawiag River are wonderful places.
Any route in the area is outstanding, and great fishing can really be had just about anywhere on those routes--especially on Mack, Kawnipi, McEwen, Agnes, and Louisa lakes.

quote Bushwacker: "The Greenwood will most likely be high and fast, like everything else in the 3rd week of May. If you tip in those temperatures, air and water, that may be game over. Be safe.
"

Greenwood was high and slow when we were there...(See trip report)...creek flooded the surrounding low, brushy areas and it was not "fast." Once on the Wawiag it was faster. Hope you don't find a huge new fallen tree blocking the way like we did. Lots of fun. Be prepared for unforeseen log jams and impromptu "portages." --Goose

Awesome trip! Make sure you check back in and write up a report!

Hey Ken, I was wondering if you'd make it back to the BW after your move to the west coast. Good for you! Back in May of 2011 I did the fly in to Clay Lake and paddle back to Moose Lake with my sister Gaye's son Matt and his buddy Jon. We had a great time.

The flight was fantastic, though I learned I've spent way too much time looking at Google Earth as I recognized many lakes and even a campsite from the air. It's expensive, but I'm glad I did it.

The paddle down the Greenwood creek was kind of tough, lots of downed trees and new growth over the water. But with two 20 year old kids wrestling the gear and canoe around these obstacles it wasn't terrible.

We had fun on the Wawiag river as we encountered a moose with a calf and then an hour later we saw a bear. We didn't wander over to Mack Lake, but I've visited it on several other trips and it is one of my favorites.

We had some success fishing Kawa Bay and there are a couple great campsites there.

We paddled down through Lake Agnes, that is a llloooonnnnggggg lake, through the Meadows portages, and to Prairie Portage.

I like your idea of traveling through the Falls Chain as that is my favorite area in Quetico. And the Man Lakes are interesting too.

Are you going to do this trip solo? How many days are you planning for the trip?

You might want to look at flying into Duluth. The past couple years I've had people from San Diego join me on trips and Delta and United have some decent flights. Leaving on the first flights in the morning, about an hour layover in Minneapolis, and landing in Duluth around 3-4 PM.

Have a great time Ken!