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 Boundary Waters Quetico Forum Trip Planning Forum First trip June 2017 Reply
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| Previous Messages: | |
| Author | Message Text |
| billconner |
06/26/2017 06:32AM Came out of there Saturday. Take a Thermacell. I even struck it in the parking lot, where skeeters were awful. I took deet but after a few days, relied on Thermacell - much more pleasant. Hardly saw anyone north of Lower Pauness. Full parking lot most going to Shell I guess. |
| forgop |
06/25/2017 10:47PM Leaving Monday evening to split up the drive and get around Chicago traffic for the drive to Ely on Tuesday. Haven't even begun to pack a single thing yet, although I've made a master checklist from looking at multiple recommended checklists. At least the fishfinder batteries have been on the charger. Looks like it's gonna be highs in the mid-70's and lows in the mid-40's with potential for rain. Looks like the long-sleeve Under Armour shirts I got will get put to good use all week. If it's too miserable to paddle, I'll have a big bottle of tequila with single-serve dry Margarita mix to relax at camp with. |
| ericb309 |
06/20/2017 05:14PM regarding food - I'm not a three meal a day guy myself, but keep in mind - up there, every aspect of your life will amount in more work, and it will increase your appetite. you don't get water without working for it. same with bathrooms and bear bags. I can't even get a nap in without securing the canoe on dry land. |
| EasyFisher |
06/20/2017 09:46AM Start early, take your time, and take some food. Stay on shell if you your tired, I'd say the fishing is OK on shell and lots of people. If you can push on to Lynx. We wished we would have pushed on to Lynx on the first day instead of staying on Shell. If not, I'd move on to Lynx the next day to Base camp or push on to Hustler. If you basecamp on Lynx you can always day trip to Hustler. You want some outstanding pike and bass fishing, I would stay a week on Hustler. It is a really long portage in, but for that reason it keeps a ton of people out. |
| ericb309 |
06/19/2017 05:29PMquote forgop: "I'll be honest and say this is my first canoe trip. I know the portages will take its toll and I'll make multiple trips for the long portages for sure. It looks like the portage to Shell will be the longest by far of all of them. I figure once I'm on Shell or Lynx, I may just take up and camp at the same spot all week if I have a spot I like. From a map, I just have no idea of knowing how far I can go the first day. As of now, I'm a solo, but I have an invite to a friend desperately in need of time away. " Assuming you double portage getting from your EP to the last campsite on Shell (near the portage to Little Shell) you are looking at: 6 miles of paddling - I plan around 3MPH - so 2 hours paddling time You also have 330 rods to walk - so at double portage - that is 990 rods. Which is 3 miles give or take. I figure 2mph (includes canoe load/unload times) so another 1.5 hours. So I would plan about 3.5 hours worst case. |
| MikeinMpls |
06/19/2017 02:44PM I did this as a solo a couple of years ago. I've also done this area with my wife on at least two occasions. You can easily make it to Shell on the first day. You can make it a lot farther if you want. The Pauness to Shell portage isn't tough. It just has a mini pond in the middle. Carry your canoe or stuff to the pond, go back for the second trip, then float it across. Continue the portage. I've actually swam that pond as I thought I forgot my canoe paddle once.... embarrassing little story. Anyway, I had no leeches. Little Shell has great bass fishing along the western rock wall. Shell has good campsites on Con Island. Be sure to check out Devil's Cascade. Please bring food for all your meals. If you think you'll have fish, fine, then bring the food home. But you never know when you'll be windbound, lightning.... or any number of other possible scenarios that may get in the way of fishing. But please bring food. I agree with Boonie: have everything wired tight. When I solo I carry a canoe and a pack. That's it. PFD is snap-linked to my pack, paddle is wedged in a special paddle-holder on my pack, map is attached to canoe, fishing poles are BDB'ed onto the thwarts. My thwart bag stays put. So much stuff is lost when it's loose. Mike |
| BigCurrent |
06/16/2017 03:19PM Shell Lake is a nice spot for a base camp. Several nice sites on the lake, although it can get busy. From a travel standpoint I would try to be efficient as possible. Here is the distance and travel times to the middle of Shell Lake from EP #14. Adding an extra trip to the portages really add up quickly. Total Distance: 7.1 Miles Total Time: 3 hours 7 minutes (Single Portage) 4 hours 11 minutes (Double Portage) Paddling Distance: 6 Miles Portaging Distance: 1 Mile (Single Portage) 3.1 Miles (Double Portage) |
| HDguest |
06/16/2017 01:10PM My daughter and I made it from shell to the EP in about 3 hours, however we are very efficient single portagers and it was the last day of our trip so we were light on gear. I would double that if paddling solo and double portaging. However, there are a few great sites before Shell on that route, so why not add a day at the start of your trip? Give you time to go check out the waterfall too. |
| Frenchy19 |
06/12/2017 09:22PM Others have said it, but you want to bring food with you rather than assuming you will eat fish ever day. You will be working hard, and you will need nourishment. Naked and Afraid is not real; what you will be doing is real, and you will need food beyond snacks. |
| Wables |
06/12/2017 04:31PM I typically plan on one meal per day of fish with adults, and half that if there are kids. I bring backup shelf stable chicken and bacon in case we can't get out on the water, and some of the meals I plan are shore lunches. On a rain/wind day you can eat snacks for lunch, and have a hearty dinner. I will say I've never had to skip a meal, but I have needed to resort to small mouth on a number of occasions. |
| treehorn |
06/12/2017 02:01PMquote forgop: This should be no problem at all if you leave in the morning...even if you're very slow. |
| boonie |
06/12/2017 09:26AMquote forgop: "quote boonie: "I can't help with the fishing, but it sounds like this could be your first experience with portaging. You'll want to keep your load(s) as light and compact as possible. I'm assuming you won't be single portaging - carrying your canoe and all gear across in one trip. You don't want to have more than two loads though, since you'll have to walk each portage three times to double portage. Plan accordingly and get an early start - designated campsites are first-come, first-served and can fill quickly near entry points. In case you aren't familiar with the terminology, 320 rods = 1 mile of portaging. And, of course, walking it three times to double portage would be three miles. Since it's your first canoe trip and experience with portaging, and since you'll probably be solo, we should elaborate a little more. How far can you go the first day? I don't know, but I can give you some information that may help you. I usually plan on a 2+ mph average for travel and about 5 hours (+/- 1) of travel per day. You should plan on no more than 1.5 mph average, especially if you are not an experienced solo paddler. It is about 9 miles to Shell Lake, assuming you double portage, which means you'll walk each portage 3X, 2 with a load. That will take you at least 6 hours, maybe longer. If you triple portage, you'll walk the portages 5X and add 2 miles and another hour and a half. I'd suggest you do whatever you have to do to be able to double portage and no more. Try to figure out about how much you can carry for 3/4 of a mile and have make sure that everything you take - gear, clothing, food, canoe, paddles, PFD, fishing tackle - weighs no more than twice that and is packed to make two loads. Bill's advice about not having a lot of loose items is very important to save time at the portages. For reference, I had 2 packs, a canoe, PFD, and 2 paddles on my 12-day solo last fall. The combined weight was 90 lbs. to start. One pack was small and carried with the canoe (spare paddle already strapped in) on the first load; the second trip was the larger pack, PFD, and paddle. It goes like this for me at a portage landing - put the large pack, paddle, and PFD off to the side of the portage out of the way, attach the yoke (you'll do this only if solo), put on the small pack, lift the canoe onto my shoulders, and go. At the end, put the canoe and small pack off to the side of the portage out of the way, and head back for load #2. The walk back is when I eat some trail mix or a ProBar for lunch and take some pictures. I drink from a Sawyer Water Filter Bottle on the way back with the final load. You shouldn't carry more than is a comfortable load for you; carrying too heavy a load will increase your chance of injury. And remember, no matter what you can carry, carrying less is easier, and so is lifting less, and lifting it fewer times. My maximum load/lift is about 50 lbs., but I like to keep it less if possible; I'm neither young nor strong. This is probably to a good time to add a note about portage etiquette. Portages are bottlenecks and it's important not to block the landings, so when you get to the portage, put the stuff you're not taking on the first trip off to the side out of the way of others, and keep it together as bill said, so you don't forget anything. When you get to the other side, put the first load off to the side out of the way. It's also important as Bill said not to have a lot of loose items to mess with at the portage landing - everything in a pack or strapped to the canoe as much as possible. You can save a lot of time at portages by being organized and efficient. You should be looking for a campsite by early/mid-afternoon, which means you'll need an early start (7-8) at the entry point. The entry point is an hour drive from Ely, if you stay there. After you get to the campsite, you'll have to set up camp and, if you are solo as seems likely, you'll have to do it all yourself. That's another good reason to start before too late. You can always stop on Pauness for the first night if needed. I'd assess how it's going and how you are feeling at that point and make the appropriate decision. If you give this all a little thought and work before you leave, you'll be a lot further out the learning curve and have a much more enjoyable trip. I know time is getting short though. |
| billconner |
06/12/2017 06:37AM Whether you double or triple portage, don't have a lit of loose items. Too easy to lose one at a portage but also slows you down and that slows everyone else since they are suppose to wait till your clear. Put everything in a pack or have it attached to something. |
| forgop |
06/12/2017 06:18AMquote pswith5: "I would never assume the fish will bite! I bring enough food so if they aren't I am not hungry. Just so you know; the portage into Shell is interrupted by a pond caused by some busy beavers. You will need to load gear back into canoe a paddle 50-100 yards. Or meters for you Canadians." I've watched Naked and Afraid. I won't be naked or afraid and at least I'll have a ton of leeches and all my fishing gear. I could stand to lose another 15#, so if I only eat 1 meal a day, I'll still survive. :) |
| forgop |
06/12/2017 06:17AMquote VoyageurNorth: "I took my second solo trip there a number of years ago and went back last year too. Sounds really nice. Will have to give it a look, but would like to see if I can get to Shell on the first day. |
| forgop |
06/12/2017 06:12AM I'll be honest and say this is my first canoe trip. I know the portages will take its toll and I'll make multiple trips for the long portages for sure. It looks like the portage to Shell will be the longest by far of all of them. I figure once I'm on Shell or Lynx, I may just take up and camp at the same spot all week if I have a spot I like. From a map, I just have no idea of knowing how far I can go the first day. As of now, I'm a solo, but I have an invite to a friend desperately in need of time away. |
| pswith5 |
06/12/2017 04:52AM I would never assume the fish will bite! I bring enough food so if they aren't I am not hungry. Just so you know; the portage into Shell is interrupted by a pond caused by some busy beavers. You will need to load gear back into canoe a paddle 50-100 yards. Or meters for you Canadians. |
| VoyageurNorth |
06/12/2017 04:51AM I took my second solo trip there a number of years ago and went back last year too. I like that area! Not sure how far in you want to go but if you want to fish/camp on Pauness on the way in or way out, the first campsite on the right, near the 8 rod portage & rapids is a great solo site! Just enough room for one tent (I guess you could squeeze another one in somewhere but...) and the sound of the rapids all night is like a lullaby! Just up the way from that, past the second site on the right, is a small bay where I caught a bass & talked to people who also found walleye there. |
| boonie |
06/12/2017 04:19AM I can't help with the fishing, but it sounds like this could be your first experience with portaging. You'll want to keep your load(s) as light and compact as possible. I'm assuming you won't be single portaging - carrying your canoe and all gear across in one trip. You don't want to have more than two loads though, since you'll have to walk each portage three times to double portage. Plan accordingly and get an early start - designated campsites are first-come, first-served and can fill quickly near entry points. In case you aren't familiar with the terminology, 320 rods = 1 mile of portaging. And, of course, walking it three times to double portage would be three miles. |
| forgop |
06/11/2017 08:45PM Hello all- I'm making my first trip canoe trip and will be headed out of #14 Little Indian Sioux River and will be making a trip up to fish primarily in the Shell/Lynx area as I hear it can be pretty good. Dates are 6/28 to 7/4. I've primarily done fly-in trips to outpost camps in Ontario for walleye and northern over the past few years but opted for a much more budget friendly trip this year. It sounds like the BWCA can give much of the same experience in terms of the outdoors, fishing, etc. I will be renting almost all of my gear and have several things I can bring from what I use up north. I'm planning to eat fish for most of my meals, but will have some stuff for snacks and perhaps if I'm kept off the water due to lightning or something. What are your top bits of advice for the fishing/camping/paddling in the area? Thank you. |
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