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Colbrew
Guest Paddler
  
02/17/2019 05:49PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
Greetings,

Looking for advice on routes to the south arm...headed there in late August with a group of avid fisherman, spent time in BWCA before, looking to be very remote away from the crowds and great fishing ... I have read positive things about the south arm knife having all of that (correct me if I'm wrong). Lets hear what y'all think.
 
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02/17/2019 06:05PM  
Great area! Very good fishing. Cool things to see like Thunder Point, Eddy Falls and island that Dorothy Molter (The Root Beer Lady) lived on. However, probably not very remote by BWCA standards. You will see people everyday that you are on SAK, especially in August. Enjoyment may depend on your definition of remote. Considering everything, I love the area.
flynn
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02/17/2019 06:19PM  
It's a beautiful area. Crowds will be less than if you hung around popular entry lakes like Mudro or Nina Moose or Lake One. Depending on the amount of time you have, and what type of fish you want to catch, you could go in deeper if you truly want that solitude. I was up in Cherry Lake last September and it was pretty remote, but we saw 2 groups pass through, one at the other campsite, and another one that came and took the campsite while we were there, over 3 days. It was a beautiful area and you can do all of the great fishing Knife has to offer on the way up there.

If you truly want to be remote (without going to a PMA), look at Adams Lake. I plan to head there at some point. It is probably one of the most remote places in the BWCA based on the amount of time it takes to reach it, excluding any PMAs. There is a lot of multi-species fishing on the way, whether you come from a Moose/Snowbank entry, or if you come from the east side like Saganaga/Seagull or Kawishiwi. I would recommend an 8-10 day loop to get enough time for a relaxed pace for both fishing and travel.
cyclones30
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02/17/2019 07:41PM  
South arm isn't exactly remote let alone very remote but supposed to be good fishing. If you need remote (whatever that means is different for everyone) then I'd look elsewhere. SAK is within an easy day from probably the most used entry in the park.
flynn
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02/17/2019 09:10PM  
cyclones30: "South arm isn't exactly remote let alone very remote but supposed to be good fishing. If you need remote (whatever that means is different for everyone) then I'd look elsewhere. SAK is within an easy day from probably the most used entry in the park. "


I would not say it's an _easy_ day. It took my friend and I, not weak paddlers but not athletes, 7.5 hours to go from the Sucker-Birch portage to our campsite on the big island in the SAK, double carrying each portage and checking out 3 sites for 5 mins each on the way up there (and that doesn't include time if you chose to paddle from Moose). We didn't have any more than maybe a 3-5mph headwind. If you have anything more than that, it's going to take a while to paddle all the way down to SAK. An easy day would be no more than 4 hours of travel in my mind, with relatively easy portages. Sucker to Knife was 4 hours on the dot for both of my trips last year, again, double carrying each portage. I would call that an easy day, but if you spend another 2 hours paddling on Knife looking for a site, it starts to go beyond what I would call easy (for someone truly looking for an objectively easy route). Heck I think most beginners seem to prefer 1-2 portages in a day, maybe 2 or 3 hours of travel tops. Sucker to SAK (let alone Moose to SAK) doesn't fit into any definition of easy IMO unless you are single carrying and are a fast paddler in good shape.

But I digress!
Michwall2
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02/17/2019 11:39PM  
I would second (third) the sentiments expressed here that SAK will not provide solitude in late Aug. I would question whether or not you will even find a campsite there at that time of year. SAK is not only a favorite of the everyday visitor to the park, I have never been there without running into at least one (and usually several) Northern Tier (Boy Scout) groups.

If you are set on going there, my favorite route there is starting on Seagull Lake and heading west through Alpine, Jasper, and Kingfisher, to Ogishkemuncie. Then continue west through Annie, Jenny, and Eddy to the SAK. This route sets you in the east end of the SAK and in some nice scenic territory. Not a short day, but you could stop on Ogish and fish for one night and then complete the trip to SAK the second day. Or you might consider a motorboat tow to the end of Three Mile Island. I think that would make SAK very doable in one day.

As others have been suggesting alternatives, I think one you might consider is Little Saganaga Lake. I think you could reach it in one day through Entry 51 - Missing Link. Again, it would be a long day. There is nice scenery along the way. After arriving on Tuscarora and Owl Lakes, I would head southwest out of Owl Lake to Crooked Lake and Mora Lake and into Little Sag through southeast corner. Since it is a little harder to get to, I think it would provide more solitude than SAK. It has good day trips available. Scenery that may rival SAK (Although not much rivals Thunder Point.). And I think the fishing would rival SAK.

My 2 cents. Have a great trip.




02/18/2019 03:03PM  
^^^ YES if heading to eddy falls area, whether you enter via moose-seagull-sag if double portaging it will be an 8 hour day .
with my group fishing the eddy falls area i have done many trips starting at seagull , the only down size of this way is getting seagull behind you early , after that many short paddles and portages to break up the trip nicely . (ogish is always an hour 10 min paddle)
but yes fishing can be spectacular on knife/SAK.
Grandma L
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02/23/2019 09:39PM  
Welcome Colbrew - sign up and become a member - no cost,good benefits, great people and tons of information. As for SAK - Remember the Boy Scouts send MANY trips out into that area from their camp on Moose Lake. It can be difficult to find a campsite, I have had them clog portages and have had several groups going up Thunder Point. The end of August - there are fewer people - the Scout staff have to go back home and to college.
Check out north arm - then head east (south) to Amoeber, Topaz and Cherry.
02/24/2019 09:22AM  
I have camped on and/or paddled through SAK many times. As others have stated this is not the most "remote away from the crowds" spot but the fishing can be great. In all honesty as with any fishing I have been there and the fish were on and I have been there and the fish were completely off. I think the best, most scenic and for fishing way to get there is a Saganaga Lake EP start. Stay at Voyageur Outfitter or Trails End camp ground. I would strongly recommend at tow to American Point if it's a windy day on Sag.

Your post doesn't say how long your trip will be or what fish you are targeting, but there are two routes to SAK. The shorter route, once you get on Ottertrack take the Ester and Hanson lakes route. The longer route is follow The border down around Thunder point of Knife lake to SAK. Both are great routes and would recommend going in one way and coming out the other for a little loop.
The fishing can be great all along both routes going in and out so I would recommend not just fishing SAK if you go this way. And all B-dub fish species are present along here. Good luck whatever you decide.
flynn
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02/24/2019 10:34AM  
Grandma L: "Welcome Colbrew - sign up and become a member - no cost,good benefits, great people and tons of information. As for SAK - Remember the Boy Scouts send MANY trips out into that area from their camp on Moose Lake. It can be difficult to find a campsite, I have had them clog portages and have had several groups going up Thunder Point. The end of August - there are fewer people - the Scout staff have to go back home and to college.
Check out north arm - then head east (south) to Amoeber, Topaz and Cherry."


For what it's worth, I only saw BSA groups in early June, only 2 groups of like 8-10 people each (both around Cattyman and Ashigan, none around Knife/SAK/NAK), and no BSA groups in early September. Seems like luck of the draw? Maybe if you go early enough or late enough you miss most of them.

Definitely check out NAK and Cherry though if you can. You won't regret it. Maybe a NAK loop up to Ottertrack, down Gijikiki to Cherry, and back down to SAK either through Amoeber or Hanson. I wanna do that loop some day.
02/24/2019 10:08PM  
Colbrew, welcome to the site.

I don't have a whole lot more to add than what's already been said but I've been to SAK 4 times and would agree with what the previous post mention. In all 4 trips we've taken the tow to the Birch Lake and made it to the South Arm in about 6 hours.

These are just my opinions but after 4 trips with the same result I feel they're somewhat consistent. Solitude and the SAK are like oil and water, you may get lucky but I always feel luck just to find an open site. Fishing can be amazing, and the potential to catch a trophy of any species is always there. However, they are still fish and are still subject to weather and forage changes and slow days are possible.

With that being said, the SAK is one of my favorite trips in the BW. You will come across a site, the fish will bite and the scenery is awesome. Take the trip, have a great time and go from there. There are tons of side trip options from this area as well so you'll have plenty of options.
huntfun2
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02/26/2019 08:08AM  
Were considering taking a tow to Birch Lake. It looks like about two hours to paddle to Birch, but how long does a tow usually take?
flynn
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02/26/2019 09:09AM  
huntfun2: "Were considering taking a tow to Birch Lake. It looks like about two hours to paddle to Birch, but how long does a tow usually take? "


About 20-25 minutes from an outfitter on Moose (I used Williams & Hall, great service).
TipsyPaddler
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02/26/2019 09:11AM  
Chris at Canadian Border Outfitters told me about 30 minutes from their dock which is near far end of Moose from Birch portage.
huntfun2
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02/26/2019 09:27AM  
Thanks for the info!!
 
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