Hello,
A couple buddies and I went off the gun flint trail through the tuscarora lodge last year memorial day weekend. We drove through the day and decided to book a lodge on a Thursday night so we could get to paddling early Friday morning. Our goal was to get to Crooked or Gillis and see which camping stops are open. We entered trough Round Lake/Missing Link Lake.
We wanted to fish along the way which in hindsight was a bad idea. The portages between Tuscarora and Owl lake were brutal and it took us a solid 7 hours. We had a large group and had to double back each portage which made the journey abnormally long. It should be noted that there are some really long portages and if you are early in the season its going to be muddy.
We reached Crooked lake and decided to camp in the most northwestern camping spot. It was BEAUTIFUL. the camp sight was well maintained and very large. there was hamock trees as well as two tent spots.
We started fishing early Saturday and immediately were slaying the lake trout. We used blue and silver/green and silver little cleo's. Those seemed to work very well. since the temperature of the water was almost the same throughout the water column the Lakers were caught relatively shallow. almost every single one of mine were caught in 30 feet of water, 15 feet down. A slow retrieve and pausing at various intervals did the trick. they would hit it on the way down. We caught our limit every day. I caught most of my lakers around the most northwestern island right where we camped. Stick to the west side of the lake for fishing, the east side didn't produce much.
We fished Gillis as well. the only fish we caught on Gillis were right out of the portage from crooked to Gillis.
Overall i would suggest going early in the season if Lakers are what you are going for. It is easy fishing with little effort.

I made a gopro video of my fishing trips in may. the boundary waters trip is going to be a couple minutes into the video. Check it out!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKwQZnLfuMg&t=33s

Dude!! You just let the cat out of the bag on my favorite laker lake! We try to get the eastern campsite just north of the Owl portage...I recall the site you stayed and indeed it is wonderful! The inlet from Gillis can be very good. The island due south of "your" campsite can very good, also. Frankly, my biggest, about 7 lb., came 35feet of water due south of that camp, just sorta out from the camp. The bay you are talking about on Gillis can be stupid easy on a N or NW wind. We just drift in with jigs and the little 15-20 inch fish practically fight over the twister tails...lose one, don't reel in, another will hit it!! SSHHhhhh, don't tell anyone......our little secret.......

haha sorry. I enjoyed that lake. Im not surprised there are 7 pounders. I hooked into one that I fought for 20 minutes before breaking my line. I can only imagine how big it was. What time of year did you go? I feel like the long portages and the distance it is into the boundary waters deters people from going there. i didn't have to fight many people for camping spots.

quote jdeininger6: "haha sorry. I enjoyed that lake. Im not surprised there are 7 pounders. I hooked into one that I fought for 20 minutes before breaking my line. I can only imagine how big it was. What time of year did you go? I feel like the long portages and the distance it is into the boundary waters deters people from going there. i didn't have to fight many people for camping spots. "

You'd be surprised at how many people camp/fish in Crooked and Gillis Lakes, because they are relatively easy to get to. I've fished those lakes in winter, and my kids have been there since they were as young as 4 years old.

Only been there for openers.

Wife caught her first Lakers in Gillis.

Interesting the names of lakes on your ruler? A story behind that?
That whole area is beautiful.

quote Pinetree: "Interesting the names of lakes on your ruler? A story behind that?
That whole area is beautiful."

I record each lake/river that we've paddled on; inside the canoe.

....just wrote right over the ruler.

Thanks,that is cool.
I would think you could look at certain lake names and fond memories come back.

Probably the most productive week I've ever had fishing lakers was a few years ago on Gillis, at the end of May. They were coming right up to the surface and sipping bugs off the top-water. Most of them were in the 18-22" range, but they sure were fun to catch.

quote arctic: "

quote jdeininger6: "haha sorry. I enjoyed that lake. Im not surprised there are 7 pounders. I hooked into one that I fought for 20 minutes before breaking my line. I can only imagine how big it was. What time of year did you go? I feel like the long portages and the distance it is into the boundary waters deters people from going there. i didn't have to fight many people for camping spots. "

You'd be surprised at how many people camp/fish in Crooked and Gillis Lakes, because they are relatively easy to get to. I've fished those lakes in winter, and my kids have been there since they were as young as 4 years old."

I went in there a couple years ago on the Sunday of Memorial weekend and ALL the camp sites were full. Even the burnt out ones.
Bat also.