We are planning our annual trip for memorial day weekend. I mentioned to the outfitter we were hoping to get away from the crowds a bit and try to catch a bunch of fish. We aren't too picky with our fish, but ideally catch some walleye.

So my question is...

Is Stuart worth the trek?

it is a lot more portage than we typically do, but if the fishing is good we'd be ok with that. We are looking more for quantity than size.

Thoughts?

THANKS!!!!!!

I heard a lot of water walleyes

YES!
The fishing is reported to be excellent (we hardly fished at all because we were 'behind schedule'). The only fish I caught was a 28" northern.
The Stuart River is a beautiful paddle. So far, it's my favorite river to paddle in BWCA.
And there is a beautiful bare rock vista on the east side of Stuart from which to watch the sunset. It's a gorgeous lake. Take a hike over to the Dahlgren River. The portage is a beautiful little hike.
All good campsites on Stuart, too!

Ok. Thanks for the info. Now I better get my butt into shape so I can actually do this.

If anyone has any suggestions on where/how to fish late May let me know

Thanks.

Stuart Lake is well worth your time. There are lots of walleyes in the lake. Most are in the 12-14 inch slot. You should have no trouble catching fish.

I caught them from the island campsite with ease. I second the Dahlgren Portage, awesome old growth pines. I have a trip report from last June you could read if you wanted to see some pics and video. We spent a night on Stuart. Left the EP at 7:30 am, and we had camp setup by noon. Lots of fun, pretty river, multiple waterfalls, and abundant wildlife. We are talking about doing EP 19 again this year, in June. I’d love to hear how you do on your trip. If you want my fishing hotspots for this lake, email me and I’ll let you know the three spots that never fail me.

Thanks. That would be great! I couldn't find you email on the site. You can send me an email at Arkman7@gmail.com.

Stu is a legit fun trip. I would go back in a second. You will love it.

Hey Tony, I know this is an old thread, but I would love to know those spots. I've been on Stuart, but I am taking my boys on their first trip and would love any help!

Out in front of where the water drains into the Stuart from the Stuart river is where we caught tons of walleyes. And don’t be fooled- while most are nice eater size…. There are absolute tanks in there too! Biggest walleye I’ve captained (my buddy in the bow caught it) in my 37 years of life was pulled out of that spot and gently released. Pushing 12 pounds.

Sounds good, thanks for the reply!!

We've caught them trolling along the rock wall towards the island camp site...and the north side. But the trickle never disappoints. We were just there, but rolled through to Iron on day one. That's a fun lake too.

Stuart Lake is definitely worth the trek if you're okay with a bit of a grind getting in. That long portage keeps a lot of people out, so you’ll likely see fewer crowds, especially over a busy weekend like Memorial Day. The fishing can be really solid-walleye, smallies, and pike are all there, and people do report good numbers (especially walleye) early in the season. Just go in knowing the portage is a haul, but it pays off in solitude and bites.

Last time I stayed on Stu in 2020 is was packed--Memorial Day.

A month ago I traveled through Stu on a one day hike to Iron and saw no one on the lake at all.