Brule Lake - September 2016
by adludwig
Trip Type:
Paddling Canoe
Entry Date:
09/02/2016
Entry & Exit Point:
Brule Lake (EP 41)
Number of Days:
5
Group Size:
2
Discuss Trip:
View Discussion Thread (2 messages)
Day 3 of 5
Sunday, September 04, 2016
As we approached the western side of the lake, we realized our directional bearings were off a little. We had veered further south and saw the portage to South Temperance Lake. We quickly headed north and soon there was no doubt where Wench Lake was located. I have seen so many cool photos of the shoreline where the Wench Lake portage is located. It truly is one of the coolest sights I have ever seen in the BWCA.
We pulled up on the shore, only to see that the portage looks like it is very seldom-used. The path was easy to follow, but there were trees down the entire way up to the lake. We slowly made our way up the trail, occasionally having to tag team the canoe to get it over or under fallen trees. What a gorgeous little lake! We were excited to see if we could lure any brook trout out of the depths. We figured we would have a nice quiet day, with the lake to ourselves. As we finished our first drift down the lake, we heard voices. Here came three canoes filled with seven people. I couldn't believe it. The lake is small, but the other party did a great job of giving us our space. We fished very exploratory on the first pass, working small baits at different depths to see if we could locate any trout. I missed a quick strike near shore, so on our pass back toward the portage, we decided to work the shoreline, casting small spoons and spinners. A short way back down the lake I hooked up and landed our first trout!
It wasn't a huge fish, but there is something awful special about catching these trout out of Boundary Waters lakes. The other group out fishing pulled up on the western shoreline and climbed up to have some lunch. We took the opportunity to work back down the northern edge of the lake, again working the shoreline. Soon, I caught trout #2. They weren't coming fast and furious, but it was fun to catch a few. The other group wrapped up their meal and paddled down the lake. They headed back down the portage and we were once again alone on the lake. We decided to break for lunch on the southern shore. Jarod had missed a fish that followed his lure up to the canoe multiple times. We decided after lunch, we would see if we could coax it into a better strike. It was nice to get out of the canoe and stretch on the rocky shoreline.
After lunch we tried in vain to get Jarod a trout. No luck on this day. We were glad we made the journey to this beautiful little lake. We headed toward the portage and I snapped a photo of our two little trout. They weren't very big, but they would be delicious!
The wind had picked up greatly during the day, but it was hard to judge how hard it was actually blowing on this little lake. Before we headed down the portage, I snapped a photo of this amazing lake. Even if you don't trout fish, this lake is worth a visit. Just a little gem off the beaten path.
As we got back on to Brule, it was very apparent that again, the wind had increased to gale force while we had been enjoying our time on a small lake. Today we had about a two mile run, straight east to our campsite. The waves were again, out of the south, and were crashing hard into the side of the canoe. We stayed off the big lake for a little while, fishing some bays on the way. We soon ran out of cover and faced the big lake. Today's waves were in the 3-4 foot category. We saw Fishbox Island off in the distance and it was our first goal. We slowly made our way, with me barking out when I was going to turn us, so we would quarter the really big waves. Other than that, all focus and concentration was just watching the waves, and anticipating the really big ones. We got to Fishbox Island with very little water in the canoe. We took a few minutes to rest and get crazy enough to go back out in this. We could see our island and it wasn't too far. We pushed on and made it to camp without incident. We got out of the canoe and both of us knew we had just done a really, really stupid thing, crossing the lake in those waves. Fortunately we were dry and safe! We had dinner and did a little fishing. As the sun set, we could see what was coming. It looked like it would be a wet night.
At this point of the trip, we just anticipated some major wind for the day. This lake was living up to it's reputation. Given that fact, we got up early and ate a quick breakfast. Our plans for the day were to head west and chase the elusive brook trout found in Wench Lake. Jarod has been with me on all my trout adventures over the years, and after hearing about the steep portage we knew we had to go see if it rivaled the portages to Vale and Gadwall, that we had fished a few years earlier. We made our way across a fairly calm Brule Lake, quickly passing Fishbox Island.
As we approached the western side of the lake, we realized our directional bearings were off a little. We had veered further south and saw the portage to South Temperance Lake. We quickly headed north and soon there was no doubt where Wench Lake was located. I have seen so many cool photos of the shoreline where the Wench Lake portage is located. It truly is one of the coolest sights I have ever seen in the BWCA.
We pulled up on the shore, only to see that the portage looks like it is very seldom-used. The path was easy to follow, but there were trees down the entire way up to the lake. We slowly made our way up the trail, occasionally having to tag team the canoe to get it over or under fallen trees. What a gorgeous little lake! We were excited to see if we could lure any brook trout out of the depths. We figured we would have a nice quiet day, with the lake to ourselves. As we finished our first drift down the lake, we heard voices. Here came three canoes filled with seven people. I couldn't believe it. The lake is small, but the other party did a great job of giving us our space. We fished very exploratory on the first pass, working small baits at different depths to see if we could locate any trout. I missed a quick strike near shore, so on our pass back toward the portage, we decided to work the shoreline, casting small spoons and spinners. A short way back down the lake I hooked up and landed our first trout!
It wasn't a huge fish, but there is something awful special about catching these trout out of Boundary Waters lakes. The other group out fishing pulled up on the western shoreline and climbed up to have some lunch. We took the opportunity to work back down the northern edge of the lake, again working the shoreline. Soon, I caught trout #2. They weren't coming fast and furious, but it was fun to catch a few. The other group wrapped up their meal and paddled down the lake. They headed back down the portage and we were once again alone on the lake. We decided to break for lunch on the southern shore. Jarod had missed a fish that followed his lure up to the canoe multiple times. We decided after lunch, we would see if we could coax it into a better strike. It was nice to get out of the canoe and stretch on the rocky shoreline.
After lunch we tried in vain to get Jarod a trout. No luck on this day. We were glad we made the journey to this beautiful little lake. We headed toward the portage and I snapped a photo of our two little trout. They weren't very big, but they would be delicious!
The wind had picked up greatly during the day, but it was hard to judge how hard it was actually blowing on this little lake. Before we headed down the portage, I snapped a photo of this amazing lake. Even if you don't trout fish, this lake is worth a visit. Just a little gem off the beaten path.
As we got back on to Brule, it was very apparent that again, the wind had increased to gale force while we had been enjoying our time on a small lake. Today we had about a two mile run, straight east to our campsite. The waves were again, out of the south, and were crashing hard into the side of the canoe. We stayed off the big lake for a little while, fishing some bays on the way. We soon ran out of cover and faced the big lake. Today's waves were in the 3-4 foot category. We saw Fishbox Island off in the distance and it was our first goal. We slowly made our way, with me barking out when I was going to turn us, so we would quarter the really big waves. Other than that, all focus and concentration was just watching the waves, and anticipating the really big ones. We got to Fishbox Island with very little water in the canoe. We took a few minutes to rest and get crazy enough to go back out in this. We could see our island and it wasn't too far. We pushed on and made it to camp without incident. We got out of the canoe and both of us knew we had just done a really, really stupid thing, crossing the lake in those waves. Fortunately we were dry and safe! We had dinner and did a little fishing. As the sun set, we could see what was coming. It looked like it would be a wet night.
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