I posted last week about planning my first ever trip to the boundary waters this coming August. I got a lot of feedback and have revisited this topic to get a better idea of what lake to stay on.

Some things we are looking for:
-Plan to have a layover at an outfitter or hotel and 4 days on the BW
-Fishing is highest on list, swimming and interested in hiking if time allows
-Portaging is fine. We are fit college students, but will be our first time
-Size of lake does not matter
-No motorboats would be better
-Clear lakes
-Mostly Bass or trout fishing would be interested in pike and walleye too
-Our initial plan was to make camp at one or two locations and stay there instead of portaging every day


Right now our options are limited to a few lakes which include:
-Angleworm
-Little Vermilion
-Crab
-Trout
-Big
-Moose
-Fall

Just some general questions we had:
-What are some tips for navigating when on our canoes?
-Good outfitters near whichever lake you recommend?
-Useful tips or things that everyone should know?

Thanks for taking the time to read this and reply. I really appreciate it!

Navigating for me is following maps and simply reading land and keeping track of where I am. Seldom use a compass, no GPS with maps.

Of those choices I'd pick Moose and use Canoe Country Outfitters with a base on Moose - camp sites, bunk house, cabins, and more. There are motors on Moose but they have not bothered me for a maximum 2 hour paddling. Head up Moose and go along border to Knife, and a number of routes back to base or arrange a shuttle from another EP. If you get back to Snowbank there us an easy but long portage back to Moose.

CCO has lodging in Ely if you want to spend last night there, with dinner at Ely Steakhouse.

Gosh, 4 days isn't much. Some random thoughts and ideas:

I don't know Trout or Crab areas very well, they might be good options, not sure. All of those entry points have motors except Angleworm and I wouldn't recommend Angleworm.

For those options, I would suggest getting an early start (by 8am) or maybe a tow and enter on moose lake. It is about a 1:30 to 2 hour paddle to get out of the motorized area. From there I would head to Knife Lake and camp there the first night. I hope you can single portage, that will make it easier. Otherwise look up the 1.5 method. Knife is good for Bass and does have trout and clear water. People on this forum could help you figure out where/how to get trout on Knife. If you are having trouble catching fish, Bonnie can be a sure thing for pike casting just about anywhere on the lake. Hopefully someone in your crew knows how to fillet out Y-bones.

From there you could go on to make a loop if you wanted to or just base camp and do some day trips. 4 days isn't much though. There is an overlook on knife for hiking but you won't be close enough to hike the Kekekabic trail unless you made it into an aggressive paddling trip and looped south through Bonnie to Kekekabic (a great trout lake).

Basswood might also be a good fit, but the lake is a bit bigger, not as clear of water, and can be more unforgiving in rough weather.

For navigation, if you are new to the whole idea the BWCA can be a bit of a steep learning curve. A compass would help if you know how to use one, you can almost ignore declination and generally be fine in BWCA. I have never bothered with gps. Hold the map so it is oriented how you are paddling and with some experience you will be able to pick up the subtle differences among the trees on the horizon and pick out islands and bays and points, etc..

I haven't used outfitters for years but from what I understand most of them are pretty good. I think I used LaTourell's a long time ago (20+ years ago) and had good luck.

I'm not really familiar with the others, but don't discount Crab. It may be somewhat less crowded than some of the others. You could get a tow across Burntside and then you're out of the motor zone. If you get a tow it will minimize the chance of wind issues. The portage is long (over a mile), but relatively easy otherwise - easy landings, good trail, no great elevation changes. One option is to go to Cummings (a couple of short, easy portages), another is a short loop SW of Crab, and some options west of those for day trips or a longer loop.