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March 18 2024

Entry Point 36 - Hog Creek

Hog Creek entry point allows overnight paddle only. This entry point is supported by Tofte Ranger Station near the city of Isabella; Tofte, MN. The distance from ranger station to entry point is 30 miles. Access is a 15-rod portage to Hog Creek leading into Perent Lake.

Number of Permits per Day: 4
Elevation: 1664 feet
Latitude: 47.8104
Longitude: -91.0864
Hog Creek - 36

Hog Creek/Perent Lake

by matty2334
Trip Report

Entry Date: June 04, 2009
Entry Point: Hog Creek
Number of Days: 4
Group Size: 2

Trip Introduction:
Thanks to people on this site, I brought my wife to Perent Lake. It was a great trip. Solid fishing and really good weather.

Report


We left our home in Southern MN around 5 am. We had planned on leaving earlier, but we ended up packing until about midnight. After a nice ride up we stopped by the Tofte ranger station and picked up the permit. We stopped by Holiday, picked up some crawlers and minnows and headed in. Once we got to the entry point we were met by bugs, mainly black flies. We started out and barely a 100 yds downstream we found the rapids/portage. After that we were off. We paddled for another 2+ hours. Easy paddling. But we soon learned, a little too much paddling and we'd nearly speed into the bank. It was "S" curve after "S" curve. We moved around several beaver dams. Only one required us to get out and drag the canoe over. Once we got to Perent Lake we took off to the NE side of the lake. I read on this site two great reviews of that site. We paddled to the site and thankfully it was open. We stopped at one along the way so she could see what looked like. Once we got to the 5 start site, we unloaded after briefly snooping around. It was calm, buggy and muggy. Shortly after beginning to set up, the wind picked up, the clouds rolled in and so did our first shower. Thankfully, I had the tarp already setup so we found a temporary shelter. It was a short lived rain event, so we finished setting up camp. The winds stayed up so we decided after a full day of driving and getting in to make supper and have a cocktail. Since it was so nice during the day, I didn't dress good enough for sleeping. I woke up in the middle of the night and I thought my feet were going to have frost bite. I made it thru the night, got up early as I am want to do, and fired up the pocket rocket and percolator. Coffee and Irish Cream liquor are a staple in my BWCA diet. We mixed together some Cache Lake Scones and we were rolling. The winds were steady and hard, so we meandered around the islands in front of our camp site. Within 45 minutes, we had 4 eater walleyes and a snake. So we decided to head back and chill out at the basecamp. Not much else to report for this day. That night, it's safe to say I dressed with another layer and had a great night sleep. The next morning, we woke up to GLASS. We spent the majority of the day fishing. Some nice jumbo perch, eater walleyes and I stumbled onto a 42-44 inch northern. What a great day. We finished up the day, cleaned fish, ate great and called it a night. The next morning is when things got interesting for us. I was woken up to the sound of a plastic grocery bag noise. I scrambled out of bed and saw a creature in the trees off in the distance. It took off shortly after I spotted it. I then looked up at our Duluth Pack Kitchen Pack hanging in the tree and there was another one. He looked at me and turned around and dug faster into my pack. I hollered for my wife and he jumped some 12-15 feet out of the tree and off he went into the woods with something in his mouth. It ended up being a Fisher, and he stole a baggy of peanut-butter. We forgot to buy a small container of it when we were grocery shopping, so we threw a slab of it into a baggy. I didn't know what that creature was until I got home and looked up Northern MN wildlife online. The night before we had decided to pack up and relocate closer to the mouth of Hog Creek. So we packed up and headed out. We stayed at a site on an island. Pretty uneventful. Caught a couple of fish, just west of the island. After another quiet night we made our way out the next morning. A very easy paddle up the creek, we saw 3 different parties coming in and headed out. This trip is highly recommended for a newby. My wife loved it. And even though it wasn't the most difficult trip, I had a blast. The fishing was great but more importantly, so was the company.

 


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