BWCA First post - Northern and Smallmouth routes? Boundary Waters Fishing Forum
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foxfireniner
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07/31/2018 08:40AM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
This is my first post.

I am planning on taking my near adult kids, 18 girl and 16 boy, on a BWCA trip next year.

The boy wants rugged, the girl wants easier. Either is perfect for me, I can go from 4WD to the couch effortlessly.

My first pass rough plan is EP47. That looks like a smallmouth and walleye route.

My problem is twofold. First, neither of these kids can finesse anything. Tried to teach them how to walk the dog with a Zara Spook and they tied it to the bumper. So I need a good route with aggressive fish like northerns and smallies. We could try to pack in leaches, slip bobber crawdads, etc. but I don't want to rely on bait. I also want to catch big northerns so that is a personal consideration.

The second part is that these kids are picky eaters. My son doesn't understand that rugged camping doesn't typically involve Doritos and PopTarts.

I was deployed for a number of years and I won't begrudge my wife for feeding them without a fight but it is time for me to unpamper them.

I need aggressive sight feeding fish and lots of them. And which months are best in BWCA; June, July, or August?

Thanks!
 
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07/31/2018 02:27PM  
You'll get better fishing in June than in July or August. You'll also get more bugs and, for most people, water not quite warm enough to swim in, so pros and cons.

I haven't been to a lot of lakes near your EP, I'm usually further NW, but I'd have to think all of those lakes near your EP will have a good number of SMB, and most will have northerns as well.

However, I'd strongly recommend taking leeches in with you. They'll easily last a week with minimal care, and all species love them, especially the SMB. Been more than one occasion I can't get a fish interested in an artificial but they attack the leeches. Also don't think you'd have to pack in crayfish, you can catch them in most lakes in the BWCA with little effort. I haven't used them in the BWCA but I've read on this site they're highly effective.

 
foxfireniner
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07/31/2018 06:44PM  
Well, dang it. I have a 3 fold problem. My daughter is apparently delicious to the flying insects. The buggy time of year will be bad for her.

We went camping on the Mississippi River this last weekend. I got one bite, she got dozens. So maybe later in the year will be better.

Well forego some fishing success for her sake. What is it like this time of year?

I was planning on taking leeches. The leech lockers have mixed reviews. I was thinking I will take a nalgene bottle with 2 lids, maybe a couple bottles. 1 to seal tight and one with little holes drilled in it for water exchange...real little.

Around here we buy "Canadian crawlers" so I am guessing we can hunt worms up there? While camping? I used a red lens when I was kid.

So now I'm thinking ep48. I think the 220 rod portage will make it more secluded..
I mean who wants to get in a fistfight over the southern campsite on lake Vista??



 
Bumstead
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07/31/2018 07:23PM  
Welcome to the board. I think you'd find some decent opportunity for pike on entry 47. Some decent pike in Horseshoe, Allen, and Pillsbery. I'd assume Gaskin and Vista too, but not sure.

And, uh, please don't take the trip without PopTarts. They are one of my snack/breakfast favorites. Doritos, on the other hand, could probably still be taken, but you might as well pre-crush them and 'vacuum pack' them in a Ziploc.
 
07/31/2018 08:39PM  
Don’t skip pop tarts- they are a quick breakfast staple or a reasonable mid morning snack.

Also, hunting crawlers up there won’t happen. Earthworms are not native to the area, and you won’t find much beyond leaf worms. If you want them, bring them in, and dispose of them in fish’s bellies only, or pack them back out. They have the potential to cause serious tree damage if they get a population established in those thin soils, so dumping them on ground is a big no-no.

I take my first EP 47 trip in 4 more days. Watch for our fishing/trip report in a couple weeks.
 
The Great Outdoors
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07/31/2018 09:49PM  
foxfireniner:
I was planning on taking leeches. The leech lockers have mixed reviews.
Around here we buy "Canadian crawlers" so I am guessing we can hunt worms up there? While camping? I used a red lens when I was kid.
"

The leech lockers work just fine, forget the trendy Nalgene bottles some use because they save 2 square inches of space.
Many places sell "Canadian Crawlers" because the vast majority of them come from Canada, which is a major industry. A crawler purchased in northern Minnesota or the Twin Cities all come from the same place unless picked locally.
Best buy the Night Crawlers because trying to dig them yourself on your trip is futile.
 
GickFirk22
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08/01/2018 09:20AM  
Fox, I'm excited for you to bring your kids. Mine are too young to go out yet but I'm already dreaming about it. From a fishing standpoint, I'd say either rig your kids up with a slip bobber or get them comfortable with moving baits like Spoons, Mepps Dressed Agila spinners, chatterbaits or a simple to use topwater bait like a whopper plopper. None of those require any technique, just cast and retrieve. Fish usually hook themselves...if the hooks are sharp. Rig it up with a titanium leader so they can switch whenever they want without fussing with knots. Don't overthink the leech locker. It dumps water quickly at the portages and works great.

It stinks that your daughter is a bug magnet, have you tried treating her clothes with Permathrin? I do that every year and its seems to help considerably. I also got a Buff/neck gaiter which helps keep em off my head and neck. We go the first week of June and haven't encountered too many bugs, even this year when it went straight from winter to summer in 4 weeks...

Oh, and bring the poptarts but keep it a secret until the first morning. Building in those kinds of surprises can go a long way. Bring Mio drink mix to help flavor the water and Trail Mix/Beef Jerkey for snacks. I'm with you, everything tastes great out there so I'm never picky.

I'm not familiar with your route so I can't add any value there. Hope you have a blast!


foxfireniner: "This is my first post.

I am planning on taking my near adult kids, 18 girl and 16 boy, on a BWCA trip next year.

The boy wants rugged, the girl wants easier. Either is perfect for me, I can go from 4WD to the couch effortlessly.

My first pass rough plan is EP47. That looks like a smallmouth and walleye route.

My problem is twofold. First, neither of these kids can finesse anything. Tried to teach them how to walk the dog with a Zara Spook and they tied it to the bumper. So I need a good route with aggressive fish like northerns and smallies. We could try to pack in leaches, slip bobber crawdads, etc. but I don't want to rely on bait. I also want to catch big northerns so that is a personal consideration.

The second part is that these kids are picky eaters. My son doesn't understand that rugged camping doesn't typically involve Doritos and PopTarts.

I was deployed for a number of years and I won't begrudge my wife for feeding them without a fight but it is time for me to unpamper them.

I need aggressive sight feeding fish and lots of them. And which months are best in BWCA; June, July, or August?

Thanks!"
 
08/01/2018 10:56AM  
Target the SMB and you'll get enough action to keep everybody interested. Also, in the BWCA, smallmouth are delicious if you're looking for a fish fry. You'll also stand a fair chance of picking up northerns when hunting smallmouth, especially dawn and dusk hours.

I don't want to discourage a June trip either, we've always found the bugs to be manageable, between bug dope, Thermacells, bug-houses, (we bring a NEMO Bugout shelter) and permethrin on clothing.

I also agree on the Leech Locker, I've never had a problem with one. Leeches will last a week easily if you change water frequently during the day, and at night maybe tie to a tree and put the locker in the shallows. Some have had snapping turtle problems doing this, but I never have.
 
inspector13
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08/01/2018 12:00PM  
foxfireniner: "So now I'm thinking ep48. I think the 220 rod portage will make it more secluded..
I mean who wants to get in a fistfight over the southern campsite on lake Vista??"

Trust me, this is not necessarily true; and its more like 290 rods. Meeds Lake is only four short portages away from EP 47, and those 4 portages together are only about half the length of the one from Poplar to Meeds. At the end of last September, we were worried about having to move on. There are only three sites on Meeds, one was already occupied, and another party was right behind us. There are also a couple of slippery boulder fields on that portage, and I know I’m not the only one to fall at one of those. Do yourself a favor by sticking to your original EP and proceed from there.

 
rpike
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08/01/2018 05:11PM  
Don't rule out late August. Bugs should be very tolerable and the fishing can be good. The pike will be on points and reefs but starting to move shallower. A weed bed adjacent to deep water is killer.
 
Andrew100
member (24)member
  
08/03/2018 08:44PM  
Entered June first this last year. Never applied bug spray and had only a couple mosquitos. Fishing was great and saw only a few groups.
 
QueticoMike
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08/04/2018 07:54AM  
Welcome to the messageboard! The latest in August you can go will be the least buggiest time of the year. Yes, take lEeches. If you want to read my article on Grand Slam Lures for the Boundary Waters send me an email - queticomike@yahoo.com
 
Basspro69
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08/05/2018 08:57AM  
foxfireniner: "This is my first post.

I am planning on taking my near adult kids, 18 girl and 16 boy, on a BWCA trip next year.

The boy wants rugged, the girl wants easier. Either is perfect for me, I can go from 4WD to the couch effortlessly.

My first pass rough plan is EP47. That looks like a smallmouth and walleye route.

My problem is twofold. First, neither of these kids can finesse anything. Tried to teach them how to walk the dog with a Zara Spook and they tied it to the bumper. So I need a good route with aggressive fish like northerns and smallies. We could try to pack in leaches, slip bobber crawdads, etc. but I don't want to rely on bait. I also want to catch big northerns so that is a personal consideration.

The second part is that these kids are picky eaters. My son doesn't understand that rugged camping doesn't typically involve Doritos and PopTarts.

I was deployed for a number of years and I won't begrudge my wife for feeding them without a fight but it is time for me to unpamper them.

I need aggressive sight feeding fish and lots of them. And which months are best in BWCA; June, July, or August?

Thanks!"
June would be the best and since you said they can’t finesse , a lead head with a powerbait twister tail would work well for them as well as a mepps spinner
 
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