09/21/2022 11:10AM
Ended up doing the Basswood loop and happy I did. Good fishing and got to see a lot of water in 4 days.
Responding to my own thread to say the most pleasant surprise of the trip was camping in Wind Bay on my last night. Paddling through on the way up to the falls, I didn't think much about the area. Just seemed like a shallow, weedy bay to get through as soon as possible. Decided to camp there anyway so that I would have an easy paddle out on exit day.
What was cool about the bay was the amount of wildlife - eagles, loons, mergansers, geese, ducks, owls, swans, grouse, squirrels, snappers/painted turtles, frogs, crayfish, etc... Yes, you can see all these animals all over the BWCA, but I don't think I've ever seen so many in the same place at the same time. Also saw a pair of otters (or perhaps beavers, they were a little too far to make out exactly). It also looks like an excellent spot to see a moose, although none present while I was there. Last, the pike fishing was excellent, plus I caught my first BWCA largemouth bass, and she was beauty (18-19").