Taking some newbies to bwca this spring may 21. Can either go to insula or the other direction to the Kawishiwi triangle. Mostly interested in the best fishing. I’m used to quetico where the fishing is tremendous. Was wondering if the extra pressure in the bwca translates into less catching. So for those w experience what can we expect spring fishing insula or Kawishiwi and which would u recommend if fishing is our major interest. Thx. We mostly fish smallmouth. Never keep any.

Its been 18 years since I was there but Insula was great for pike and walleye but we did not catch a single smallie! We were there the first week of June and camped at the northeastern end of the lake site 1322 for 5 nights. Caught pike all over and tons of walleye in the northwestern bay that has a lot of islands. Fished the river all the way to Alice lake in hopes of finding some smallmouth but no luck.

twistertail: "Its been 18 years since I was there but Insula was great for pike and walleye but we did not catch a single smallie! We were there the first week of June and camped at the northeastern end of the lake site 1322 for 5 nights. Caught pike all over and tons of walleye in the northwestern bay that has a lot of islands. Fished the river all the way to Alice lake in hopes of finding some smallmouth but no luck. "

I too have never caught smallies on Insula, but I did catch everything else including sunnies and rock bass.....

I can attest that Insula has plenty of smallmouth since Twistertail was last there 18 years ago. Enough so that now they are a bit of a nuisance for hardcore walleye anglers. My group has caught many of them while fishing for walleye when using a jig and leech. Lots in the 12-14 inch range, but have gotten a couple over 20. Any over 18 are fun to catch but they all go back into the lake. A couple guys we go with will specifically target them and do quiet well. Plenty of walleye in Insula to be caught but have never fished it in the spring. Problem with Insula is that it can be pretty intimidating as there is a lot of fishable areas so just trying to focus on island drop offs, reefs and points can be a challenge as there are acres of fishing opportunities. Most of these areas will produce but the biggest mistake I see the casual fisherman make is fishing mid-day when efforts should be focused in the first couple hours and last couple hours of daylight.

Thx guys. Smallies have a way of finding there way to anywhere they can swim to so guess it’s not a surprise they seem to have infiltrated a lake that wasn’t originally stocked by the old resort owners. I expect they will be prespawn when we r there so I’m figuring on fishing the northwest bays. Thx for the info. Also I want try and introduce the kids to lakers. Is it worth a day trip to Thomas lake to try for that species. Doesn’t look like it’s that bad a trip from the north part of insula

I didnt go into Thomas when I was there but did catch some lakers on another trip in Knife lake and Kekekabic and I would highly recommend going after them if you have the chance. Being early spring the lakers will still be shallow and should be easy to catch, we caught them on spoons, cranks, jigs, really did'nt matter what you through they would hit it. Great tasting also.

Over the past 40 years Insula seems to have gone from no smallmouth to lots of smallmouth. 2 summers ago we caught quite a few in July. This past summer, fishing the same areas, we caught very few.

twistertail: "I didnt go into Thomas when I was there but did catch some lakers on another trip in Knife lake and Kekekabic and I would highly recommend going after them if you have the chance. Being early spring the lakers will still be shallow and should be easy to catch, we caught them on spoons, cranks, jigs, really did'nt matter what you through they would hit it. Great tasting also. "

If you want Lakers, Thomas has some dandy’s. I would be happy to share some info with you. Just pop me a e-mail. I had decent luck there a couple years ago. Drifting and trolling 60 to 100 feet depths, with my lure at 30 feet. No monsters, but some in the 24 to 29 inch range.

Was at insult about two months ago. Packed with small to mid sized walleye. Hiding in some secrete spots their are some true trophy smallmouth. Last time we went we caught 3- 20 in smallmouth that were as fat as could be. If you spend some time on insult you will find them.

-Trouthooker

Insula has excellent fishing. Walleye, SMB and northerns are plentiful with good size. My best sucess has been fishing around islands and starting shallow, six feet, and slowly working deeper with a jig and leech. Bass shallow and walleyes deeper at sunrise. Most of trips have been late June to first week of July. Most of fishing is 25 feet or less. I fish with 6 or 8lbs mono and light jigs quarter ounce my heaviest. Will go heavery if windy. It's a big lake so you explore without leaving .

I am still haunted by the smallie that got off next to the canoe in the river between Alice and Fishdance.

Several lakes / waterways E/SE of Insula are worth it. PMA's may be in order- but well worth it. Alice is too big for me. (wind issues unless Spring and camping at right spot) .

We are looking at Insula or Alice next year as well. I hate dealing with the wind, so if the forecast looks windy I'll prob just stay on Insula as it's more protected. First time that way for me. Only been as far as lake 3.