Hi group, just returned from a great trip! Went in May 7 at Mudro, 3 cars in parking lot. Self-registered via snail mail with the Quetico office since during the off-season. She said could do it via mail so I didn't have to drive out of my way to a self-permit station. Had RABC in hand as well.

Went via Horse L. and Horse R. through Basswood Falls, Moose Bay, Robinson, Deer, McIntyre, Paulene, Burt, Suzanette, Brent, Darkwater River, Darky, Argo, Friday Bay, then back through all the small lakes through Fourtown back to Mudro. Awesome loop! Loved going in through Mudro as drive to Ely is much shorter for me coming up from I35 than the other accesses to Quetico...

This was my 6th solo May trip up north focusing mostly on lake trout. Previous trips in the BWCA to known laker lakes such as Ima, Thomas, Fraser, Kek, Gabi, Peter, Ogish, Knife, Little Sag, Gillis, Tuscarora. I bring my Royalex Spirit II up from Iowa (my river canoe down here) and paddle it "backwards" from the bow end with some rocks under the stern seat for trim. I consider the added Royalex weight (compared to Kevlar) an extra workout during my trip!

I use a rod sentry holder for trolling and mostly a 2/5 oz Little Cleo for both trolling and casting for lakers, will use 3/4 oz Little Cleo if need to go deeper. I start trolling/casting shallow water with the 2/5 oz first, then the 3/4 oz. If I don't catch any with the 3/4 oz will switch to a Wally Diver or Hot-n-Tot to fish a little deeper. If still no trout I switch to deep-diving Yo-Zuri or Rapala crank. For bass I also like the Little Cleo and sometimes a #3 or #4 Mepps.

As usual I don't bring a watch, gps, or fish finder. I try to simplify life on these trips!

Pretty good fishing this trip, caught quite a few trout including 5 lakers over 30". The trout in this photo I actually caught right from my island campsite on a windy day!



Caught fewer lakers than what I have caught in some BWCA lakes where have caught 30-40 per day in good weather; but average Quetico trout were much larger in size (haven't caught a 30" trout in 6 years of BWCA fishing but five 30"ers in one Q trip). Anyone have similar experiences?

Some of my best fishing this trip was for smallmouth, especially towards the end of my trip. We had a couple of nice sunny days and the smallies had moved up into 5' to 7' of water depth, just a little deeper than their spawning grounds (evident by all the redds that I could see). Caught & released probably 50 total smallies with maybe 20 of them in the 16-18" range, nice fish and fun action! The larger ones looked like females with very fat bellies.

Picked up a lot of smaller pike while smallie fishing in the back bays, off rocky points, and where running water entered the lakes. Also picked up 4 random walleyes, 20-24", while trolling for lakers.

Only saw 2 canoe parties while in Quetico, both on Argo. Didn't see anyone for 5 days of the trip from Moose Bay to Argo. I think it's interesting that so few people head up early in the canoe season, for me the pro's (no bugs, good solitude, statistically least amount of precip, shallow lakers) outweigh the cons (occasional snow, hypothermia risk, walleye season not open in Q). Thoughts?

Overall 9 days, 8 nights on the water. Punched out back at Mudro on May 15. 34 cars in parking lot (MN fishing opener). Didn't fish as hard this trip as some previous years, each year I find myself spending more time back in camp reading, journaling, meditating, bird watching, etc - just enjoying being outdoors and in a peaceful wilderness environment.

Still looking for that elusive 40" laker, do you guys think there are many Q lakes that have 40" lakers? Thinking about making the long portage back to PooBah to try for big lakers next spring...

Here are a couple more photos from this spring trip. Already looking forward to another spring Q trip in 2012!

Iowa Guy

All I can say is - sounds like a great trip! Thanks for posting.

Thanks! sounded like a terrific trip!
We are headed up in 19 days! ;-)

Nice trip. Thanks for reporting it. My daughter and I went into the
Q two years ago on the 15th of May - something like 6 days after ice-out trying to target lakers. It was too early. We were wind stalled trying to get out of Nym for 1 1/2 days and then got snow bound and wind bound on the Russell River for almost another whole day. Had to wait for calmer water one more half day and by then had to high tail it back. We only fished very little but each spring is different. I would love to try early again but you do face some elements that you don't have later. Glad you had a great trip. I am envious of you going solo. That's on my bucket list. Murray from Iowa

Great trip and nice pictures. One of the top 2-3 neatest things Ive ever done is portage over a beaver dam in the Q (end of May 2008). Im not much of a fisherman but the best fishing Ive ever done was at the east end of Sturgeon Lake; about 45 minutes of a fish on every cast.

My trip this year is in July. Part of our group is going across Prairie Portage and heading north. Im staying on this side and doing a loop from Snowbank to Kek and back to Moose so your mention of laker lakes in that area is good info.

WindChill, also from Iowa.

Thanks for the great report - brings back some great memories of early ice-out trips and 3 inches of snow! Glad to hear the lakers were cooperative.

Fantastic, thanks for posting this. Nice fish!

(Hey, what #lb line do you use? I'm thinking of taking up a medium spinning setup with 6-8lb line for walleyes and smallies, and then a baitcaster with maybe 12-14lb line for lakers and northerns... i think that should cover everything for me.)

(Hey, what #lb line do you use? I'm thinking of taking up a medium spinning setup with 6-8lb line for walleyes and smallies, and then a baitcaster with maybe 12-14lb line for lakers and northerns... i think that should cover everything for me.)"

Howard - I use 8 lb Trilene XL low-vis green for lakers, smallies, and walleye. I have a separate pole that I rig up with a steel leader for pike that has 10 lb Trilene XL.

In my opinion, 8 pound test should allow you to handle pretty much anything you hook into if you have a decent reel with a good drag system. Being in a canoe is like an extra drag as well, wears the fish out pulling you around! I caught a 40" pike a few years ago in the BWCA on 8 lb test and it dragged me for quite a stretch across the lake!

8 pound test casts so much easier than the 12-14 you mentioned. I also think with the ultra-clear water that very heavy line can cause some refusals with lakers. I would use the 8 pound for lakers. If you want to bring the 12-14 pound setup I would only use it for pike, they don't seem to mind the larger diameter line or steel leaders. That's my opnion, YMMV...

Best of luck,
Iowa Guy

I admire you. I appreciate the chance to experience, vicariously, something I would like to do, but would never attempt.

Quetico is a challenge, under normal conditions, but, especially so just after ice-out.

I can understand the urgent desire to get on the lakes the first opportunity. So, I can understand your ebullience at the opportunity to get out there.

The Lake Trout fishing is wonderful. I've only caught them through the ice, so I appreciate your getting out there early when they are more accessible.

I very much enjoyed this report.

rr