After several years of taking the kids on trips, the wife and I are doing a trip by ourselves this summer. I have searched/read every post on this site about Iron Lake (thanks Whitewolf and mcsweem for your frequent posts answering questions about Iron Lake).

I have not found any comments about the long slender bay/possible creek in the south east corner of Iron Lake, due south of the eastern edge of Three Island. Is it so shallow that it fills in with vegetation, thus no one paddles? On my Voyageur maps it looks like an interesting paddle with maybe some good wildlife viewing, maybe some pike fishing, maybe see a moose.......but the utter lack of comments about it makes me wonder whats up.

So....whats up?

I have been to Iron several times but never into that bay. There are way too many great places to fish in that lake to be poking around a shallow bay looking for pike. Iron Lake is a fish factory. I have caught 5 different kind of fish in that lake in one day. I will be going back there this year myself.

If you have been talking to McSweem then you should have some good scoop on were some pretty good fishing is at. There use to be a very good fish map on the board of Iron. Maybe still around. Suggest you do some searches.

I recommend the site just north of Peterson Bay. It has some very good reviews on this Board.

UPBoy

That bay can get real shallow. Last time I camped near there in the summer and you couldn't even see water due to all the vegetation.

I saw a moose back there about 7 years ago chowing along the shoreline. I now call that "Moose Bay". There's usually a beaver dam right at the mouth of the creek, but once you get past it you can paddle back quite a way. It is shallow, but doable if the water levels are average. Saw some beavers and cool birds back there. Caught a 5-6 lb smallie in that bag just last year. Love Iron lake and I'll +1 the campsite by Peterson Bay.

Been by it a few times in hi(2008-9) and low water(2007) ; usually fishing/nosing from SE corner camp to Curtain . My impression was not much back there, but didn't get out of the canoe. Sweem had a fish map of south part of lake. The first time we went we came in from bottle down W bank, hung a left past 'turtle' or 'buck skeleton' island past Petersen to finally get SE site (1st one open) . Next time will skip and gamble on curtain or three if we go past turtle island. A couple nice sites down W bank too. Fun hiking bottle too. Didn't care much about the SW corner camp, but the point bank near sw portage from (?rushfox?) just sse of that camp) is worth dropping a leech. Petersen makes a nice daytrip to fish/explore too.and turtle island is a cool camp. We usually went late may. there are a couple west central reefs island there too an the border pin island and the 'chimney rock' camp halfway down the w bank fro bottle. We have caught most everything except lakers. Seen beaver,bear,moose,eagles,gulls.loons.martin or fisher,deer,turtles, and I think otter around that lake.

Here's a map that might help.