Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Trip Planning Forum :: Mudro - Western Lakes (mid Aug)
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cyclones30 |
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WhiskeyCreek |
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WhiskeyCreek |
You all have my attention regarding Horse Lake... keeping the group entertained with fish is up there on the priority list, so numbers means more than size. Seems like Horse and Fourtown have all the numbers you want, just no size. We do want some seclusion; would we see that camping on the north end of Horse? How long of a trip is is up the river to Basswood Falls (lower and upper) from Horse lake (not the Mudro EP)? Thanks again for bouncing off different ideas! |
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lindylair |
Boot is a nice lake too and I think it is a good lake for walleye fishing, particularly good sized fish. My best ever came from shore at a site on Boot. I believe that Gun may be the toughest fishing lake in those parts because the water is unbelievably clear. Entering Gun from the south we were astonished at the difference in water clarity. If you could get to Gull, the peninsula site is worth the extra effort. I would say the easiest fishing is probably on Fairy and the most lunker potential would be Boot. A few years ago we spent 6 days in the area and basecamped for a few days on Gun. We took a daytrip up to Beartrap and had lunch in the 5 star site there, and then slowly made our way back to Gun. It took 6 or so hours total and we were not in a hurry. Maybe we were just lucky but we did not see anyone else on that entire daytrip. I have not been to Horse Lake and that sounds pretty darn nice. But if you get "stuck' in the Boot, Fairy or Gun area, i would consider yourself lucky. |
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thlipsis29 |
I'd second tarnkt's vote for Horse if you can still get a permit that allows you to camp on Horse. Beautiful lake with some really good fishing. The only drawback is there aren't a lot of campsites on the lake so if you miss out on one, it's a lot of paddling to get back to Fourtown or Boot. Hope this helps. |
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thlipsis29 |
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boonie |
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bkelley314 |
With a shorter trip I might opt to basecamp on Fourtown.....day trips could include Horse, Moosecamp River, the falls, and Boot Lake for fishing purposes.....Just a thought to consider. Good luck with the planning and let me know if you have any questions. Thanks, Bryan |
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colecudd |
My group of 6 took this route last year in August and basecamped on Gun (site 1085). The site is huge and easily accommodated the 6 of us and all our gear. There is a nice area for hammocks and a better canoe landing on the western side of the site compared to the wide open grassy area and large rock leading to the water. However, we saw a lot of traffic in this area so if solitude is what you are after I would push on to bear trap or thunder. We did a few day trips, stopped at the peninsula site on Gull and that campsite was really cool, caught some smallmouth that were pigs on Gull. On Gun we managed only a few walleye and smallmouth on Gun. We tripped to Fairy for a day too and caught a ton of panfish (Perch and Bluegill) just jigging near the inlet. Also stopped at the campsite on the eastern side of fairy and it was great! If that is open I would recommend taking it, its off the main canoe route and blocked by an island. Fairy lake has a special feel to it, not sure how to describe it. As far as timing, we made it there quickly (considering we took a wrong turn right away on mudro and ended up on Horse) probably around 4 hours single portaging and kept the fishing gear packed up. The lakes in this area are really cool I am sure you will enjoy your trip! |
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cyclones30 |
If you want to see the falls, head thru Horse and camp on the Basswood R all week. Great fishing but some traffic and hard to avoid seeing others. |
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WhiskeyCreek |
We have our permit and are entering on a early Thursday morning and coming out midday Sunday in August. Basecamping is the name of the game. With only a few days I am trying to get a grip on what we should expect on overall timing to Boot, Fairy, Gun, or Gull lake from the Mudro EP... I think Beartrap or Moosecamp is out of the question. Really we have about 3-4 hours max of paddle/portage time at our disposal. We usually double portage and paddle at an average pace. Looking to see what you all might think our best lake is to target for basecamp? Would love to get to the peninsula site on Gull but I'm afraid that is too far. It seems like there are plenty of big, well maintained campsites on this route so that should not be an issue. Any interesting, things we must see/do on this trip? What are your favorite lakes to visit/fish in this area? |
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Tman |
Knowing your priorities (fishing, exploring, etc.) would help but I'll give an overview. I don't fish so can't give input on that. Most of the campsites south of gun or gull are heavily used and pretty worn. Go at least that far if you can. My recommendation would be Moosecamp if you can push that far. I can easily make it there in a day but I single portage and move fast. Once into Fourtown the portages are pretty easy but it might be a push for your group. If you do make it there, aim for the east or center campsites. Lots of logging remnants in the woods behind the east campsite. Also, you could return or day trip down the moosecamp river as a nice alternate. Lots of logging remnants and nice terrain through there. Beaver dams change year to year but if water is high and beaver aren't over active it isn't bad. Summer of 2016 it was a breeze. I haven't stayed at any of the northern Gun Lake campsites but have stopped at all three and was not impressed. Check out the old resort remnants near campsite 1110 in the south east corner of Fourtown for some fun. If water is low look around at all the portages. During low water in the fall of 2012 I saw historic stuff in the shallows at almost all of them. Good luck! |
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boonie |
Since you have a group of 8, I'd take the first good site you see that is open. |
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Blatz |
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TuscaroraBorealis |
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tarnkt |
Solid fishing lake and fun day trip opportunity to head down the river to lower basswood falls. If by chance all sites are taken hopping over to fourtown is a viable backup and not hard to do. |