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stevedug
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Has anyone been on Jean Creek between Sturgeon Lake and Rouge/Burntside Lakes recently? We're headed that way in a couple weeks and are wondering what the water levels are like.
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jdddl8
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My outfitter said there is no water.
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stevedug
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woodsmoke - thank you for the info.
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Queticoforlife
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mapsguy1955: "We just got out of the north side, to Draper actually, and the water levels are good, just the weather was windy, rainy and cold for a week. Hopefully the jet stream will do something a bit more normal for you!"
Going to be cold for us too it's looking like.
Draper is a great place, hopefully you had a good trip despite the weather.
Good water levels is good to hear. What I'm really wondering is if the Deux may be manageable?
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Woodsmoke
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I went down Jean Creek a week ago. It is a hard slog. Very low water, had to pull through quite a few mucky sections, and there are lots of beaver dams to pull over (maybe 7 or 8, I lost count). It was a very "memorable" experience. If you have other options, don't go that way.
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Queticoforlife
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mapsguy1955: "I heard it is CLOSE to manageable!"
Close, yet I'm willing to bet a slog lol! My fear would be below the lowest dam. With high water last fall, we drug bottom in a couple spots on the Sturgeon side of the last dam.
I have a severe aversion to the idea of wading through deep mud, thus we'll likely avoid this and go the B chain. Or, we may attempt, and if too bad back out and go around. I've heard you can follow the game trails on the bank, but that also would be time consuming and likely lead to sinking into the ground in spots.
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Queticoforlife
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Going in next Tuesday, and had looked at possibly going from Badwater over to Bentpine then down Jean creek to Sturgeon. Think all the recent rain would make Jean more doable?
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mapsguy1955
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At least the B Chain is open again, even though the fire is purportedly still smoldering...
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mapsguy1955
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We just got out of the north side, to Draper actually, and the water levels are good, just the weather was windy, rainy and cold for a week. Hopefully the jet stream will do something a bit more normal for you!
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Queticoforlife
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Good to know regarding the bottom portion. If we go that way I'll keep that in mind.
As for the wind, that's always a factor, and I've experienced the wind blowing in our face, and turn a point and low behold it's still in your face haha, or getting off a lake and making a portage and the wind having had changed direction. Those big lake certainly do get nasty when it blows, and a couple of them get rockin pretty quickly when the wind picks up. I've had sturgeon, as well as pickerel, be almost glass and go to rollers and white caps seemingly in the blink of the eye!
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TomT
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I went this way to Sturgeon on 9/5. It's doable and every beaver dam except one I just pulled the loaded canoe over the middle. They aren't that high. My problem was I couldn't locate the last portage to Sturgeon so just followed the creek. This turned out to be not so bad because the creek bottom was hard so I pulled or floated all the way. Maybe easier than doing the portage? There was always enough water to float the canoe without me in it. I was solo with a 50 lb. dog.
I went up to Lonely Lake that same day and there is a very large beaver dam on Lonely Creek. Jean's biggest was probably two feet high but most are about one foot. It's work but also very scenic.
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mapsguy1955
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I heard it is CLOSE to manageable!
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TomT
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I think it will be fine. The good thing with Jean Creek is that when you start getting shallow at the Sturgeon end you will have a firm bottom. I just stepped out, grabbed the rope and walked it. I skipped or rather "missed" that last long portage into Sturgeon. The way it turned out was probably much easier than taking that portage.
Now, Sturgeon you are rolling the dice on the wind. I had an easy tail wind to lonely Lake. But damn if I wasn't worried about being wind bound on Sturgeon.
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