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ozarkpaddler
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03/03/2017 08:42PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
I've been trying to plan this next trip around MY wants but I have a couple trip partners whom would prefer smaller lakes. Also one is interested in catching lots of smallmouth but all of the places I've gotten the best smallmouth action would require us to paddle some big water at some point.

So, if you were wanting to get good smallie fishing and stay on small lakes, where would YOU go? Ely, Grand Marais, Tofte entry points all ok. Thanks!
 
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03/04/2017 06:29AM  
Ashigan comes to mind but I guess some big water to get there
 
Savage Voyageur
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03/04/2017 07:06AM  
I think I remember meeting you on the Splash portage, so you know the area. You take the tow from Moose to the Splash portage. Then paddle 3 miles across Ensign to Ashigan as OTH suggests. I only fished the lake one day but it was full of big Smallmouth. Or you could go to the north out of Ensign and hit Trident, or Triangle on older maps.
 
QueticoMike
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03/04/2017 08:08AM  
Wind, Indiana, Good, are decent smallmouth lakes and not that big.
 
tarnkt
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03/04/2017 09:12AM  
Meeds lake off of Poplar. Can either access through lizz/caribou or take the long portage. Pillsbury and Henson to the south are also small and good
 
bruleman
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03/04/2017 11:20AM  
quote ozarkpaddler: "I've been trying to plan this next trip around MY wants but I have a couple trip partners whom would prefer smaller lakes. Also one is interested in catching lots of smallmouth but all of the places I've gotten the best smallmouth action would require us to paddle some big water at some point.

So, if you were wanting to get good smallie fishing and stay on small lakes, where would YOU go? Ely, Grand Marais, Tofte entry points all ok. Thanks!"


Back in the 60's and 70's, we had really good fishing for smallmouth on Dick Lake. It is just off the Sawbill trail. We entered through Two Island Lake. It is just a short carry over or you can shoot the rapids. I am pretty sure that it is not in the BWCA. Go to the Minnesota DNR and use lakefinder to check the surveys. It looks as of the 2013 survey, Dick Lake has a good sampling of smallmouth. You might hook a walleye or northern, also. Try a plain French spinner, sometimes the silver blade works better than the gold.
 
fishscales
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03/04/2017 01:06PM  
Gun Lake, the one by LLC and Takucmick. Caught lots of 17"+ smallies, most of them on surface lures, fantastic!
 
bassnet
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03/04/2017 02:27PM  
Ensign. You won't be alone, but the fish are there. Just remember, when you fish the shore, you turn your back on 90% of the fish. The farther northwest bay is a flat5-10 ft. deep, with sparse to thick cabbage weeds. They will align themselves to look out from clumps , and wait for prey. Lots of lures to use: spinnerbaits(both horizontal and falling), jigs, cranks, Silver minnows. There's a feeder stream coming near the Boot portage that holds LMB. In front of the Ashigan portage is a boulder/rubble flat that that just screams "crawdad crank". However, not much cover, so consider this a lowlight area and be quiet. Trident is where I spent my honeymoon, and I have returned since, and the fishing is still good. When the weeds are finally in full growth, there is kinda a central hole, a little to the east of the middle. Again, the fish align themselves to look out from the heavy stuff. Fairly small, good C&R needed. Both times I have been there I caught pike at 38-39 inches. Ashigan has lots of fallen lots, loaded with smb and just begs a 7wt. and a popper.
 
murphylakejim
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03/05/2017 08:56PM  
quote QueticoMike: "Wind, Indiana, Good, are decent smallmouth lakes and not that big."


+1

Also add wood lake to this list
 
WTer123
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03/06/2017 01:29AM  
quote tarnkt: "Meeds lake off of Poplar. Can either access through lizz/caribou or take the long portage. Pillsbury and Henson to the south are also small and good"


+1 on Meeds lake, should be a good place.
 
ozarkpaddler
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03/06/2017 09:02AM  
quote Savage Voyageur: "I think I remember meeting you on the Splash portage, so you know the area. You take the tow from Moose to the Splash portage. Then paddle 3 miles across Ensign to Ashigan as OTH suggests. I only fished the lake one day but it was full of big Smallmouth. Or you could go to the north out of Ensign and hit Trident, or Triangle on older maps. "


No, it wasn't me! But thank you and THANKS TO ALL of you for the great ideas.

Meeds lake off of Poplar, Pillsbury and Henson definitely piqued my interest because I'm familiar with the area and it's close to my favorite places, Trail Center and my friends Ted and Barbara at Boundary Country Trekking. Never been to Meeds and I assumed Pillsbury and Henson were pretty much Northern lakes? This area would also offer me opportunity to get into some of my good walleye holes too.

Someone mentioned Two Island Lake (should be 22 Island Lake (LOL)? It is out of the BWCAW but I've been there, but never fished it. One of these times.

Bassnet, "boulder/rubble flat that that just screams "crawdad crank"" really got my attention. Most of my casts the last 20 years are with my trusty Rebel craws, both here and MN. All that good info about the Ensign area and the lakes in the LLC area tempts me because I also have a desire to see some different country. So, will narrow things down to the those three differnt areas to concentrate on and look at maps and permits.

Again, THANK YOU SO MUCH for the generous gesture of sharing your fishing ideas. Over the last decade I've devolved from fishing nut to canoe nut, so a few fish is fine for me. But, I want my trip mates to have a memorable fishing trip, especially after their last trip was post a really big storm and we had to work so hard for a few fish. Appreciate you'all! And here you go, bassnet, my favorite lure:

 
GoSpursGo
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03/06/2017 12:53PM  
Ive read on here that Toe is a gem - going to check it out for myself this year
 
Bumstead
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03/11/2017 06:36AM  
quote ozarkpaddler: "
Meeds lake off of Poplar, Pillsbury and Henson definitely piqued my interest because I'm familiar with the area and it's close to my favorite places, Trail Center and my friends Ted and Barbara at Boundary Country Trekking. Never been to Meeds and I assumed Pillsbury and Henson were pretty much Northern lakes? This area would also offer me opportunity to get into some of my good walleye holes too.


When I make it back to this area in the future, I'd like to give Meeds a shot, too. Caribou, Horseshoe, Allen have all given me at least some decent smallie results. I was told Pillsbery had a little more of a pike reputation, too. Perhaps I should have fished with some leeches to test for the wallies and smallies.
 
VoyageurNorth
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03/18/2017 11:44AM  
Would you be happy with basically smallmouth to catch and some pike as well?

The Crab Lake area, while starting with huge Burntside Lake, is smaller water and full of smallies. You can get a tow across Burntside and not have to paddle the big lake. It would also save your energy for the 1.25 mile portage in (the rest of the portages are mostly short tho')
 
03/18/2017 12:22PM  
Pillsbury is a good smallie lake and it's a lot quieter than most of the lakes in the area. Caught lots of smallies and found enough walleye for a fish fry. We had the lake to ourselves for 3 days (only saw one group pass through). There are only 2 sites on the lake....western one is really bad and the eastern one is decent but small. this is the better site and there's a grassy area behind the trees that fits 2 or 3 tents
 
Guest Paddler
  
03/18/2017 12:51PM  
 
bassnet
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03/18/2017 02:06PM  
Don't forget the little rivulet or feeder streams after a toad strangler of a rain. The area as in enters the lake will be roiled and kinda murky with debris....and the predators will be in there feeding heavy. Yea, those Rebel crawdads are fish catchers...although I was more of a Bagley guy, a little heavier.
 
gymcoachdon
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03/18/2017 04:43PM  
Is Bald Eagle a big lake? I can't believe no one has mentioned entering Gabbro. Bald eagle and Pietro have nice smallmouth, and non-stop action on Pietro. Bald Eagle also has walleye. We did two nights on Bald Eagle last September and had good fishing.
 
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