After reserving my permit for an early September trip, I’m starting to get the feeling that I won’t be able to wait until then to go canoeing, so I’m debating on taking a second trip, it’d probably be around the 20th of May, a shorter 3 night trip most likely. I’d be focusing on fishing, just curious what lake everyone would recommend for early walleye action, with the possible added bonus of lakers if they would still be shallow at that time.
Thanks

Sea Gull and/or Alpine.

TuscaroraBorealis: "Sea Gull and/or Alpine."

+1

Take a tow on Moose to Birch Lake and hoof it to Knife Lake. If you can single carry you might be able to make it there in about 3 hours from Birch. It took 4 hours double carrying for both of my trips to Knife last year. You'll have an awesome chance at nice walleyes and lakers, though I'd focus primarily on lakers given the cold water leading to them being shallow (and they will be shallow). Walleye might be a little lazy in those temps but I'm not positive. Either way, Knife is a grand slam lake, and a beautiful one at that. It's not nearly as big and open as Seagull so you can get out of bad weather pretty quickly, and waves don't have as much open space to build up on windy days. Take the tow out late on your last day so you can fish a bit in the morning. I've also read that Birch has some pretty good fishing too, so if you wanna get there earlier rather than later to meet your tow, you can tool around a bit on Birch and go for some walleye.

IFG, if you can do without the lakers and be happy with plenty of walleye action, this could be a good option. With your short time frame, this offers one portage and the opportunity to be in camp within a few hours of entry. Maximize the fishing time.

Very good walleye lake, realistic to expect lots of fish in the 12-14 inch range, some 14-18 and a few 20" plus fish. It's a dead end lake with only one permit per day so the chances of solitude are high. Very remote feeling for how close you are to an entry. Good wildlife sighting possibilities. And oh did I mention easy walleye fishing?

The lake is Crocodile Lake, the EP is # 66 for permit purposes although you actually enter at East Bearskin and paddle 35 minutes or so to the one moderate length portage into Crocodile. The second campsite is great, the 4th is good, the other two are ok.

No lakers, no bass, but there are pike and jumbo perch to be had. i can attest to the walleye fishing as will others, it has the reputation of "easy fishing...and catching!"

This trip is simple and easy with little travel time involved. More time to enjoy camp and time on the water fishing. A trip like this is not for everyone but it does allow for the focus to be on fishing.

Thanks for the responses everyone. I have mostly researched the Ely side of the BDub, but have stumbled across some trip reports and threads about Seagull and Alpine. I like the idea of that trip, beings that I would start right on the lake I'm planning on fishing/camping on. It would provide more time fishing. The trip to Knife, I was debating that for my week long trip in September, but chose a different EP. Thinking ahead to 2020, good possibility I could pick this route. Still very tempting for a quick trip in May. Lindy, I recently read a few trip reports on Crocodile, and it also sparked my interests. Lakers are not a must for me, I just thought that if I were to go up that time of year, it would be easier to get a few of them shallow instead of waiting for them to be super deep in September. For a quick trip, I kind of like this as well, not a lot of travel time, which would allow for more fishing, and I like the concept of dead end and probably not a lot of people around.

I guess I still have plenty of time to decide, this trip will ultimately be a last minute decision based on how planting season goes here in NW IA. Sitting in the tractor today and daydreaming of being in the BWCA made me decide that if everything gets done in a timely fashion and I can get away for a few days late May I might as well instead of letting my canoe gear collect dust until September!!

I can highly recommend Seagull Lake, having fished, camped and stayed at the Seagull Outfitters and Sea Island Lodge, on a number of occasions. My grandson worked at the Outfitters, one Summer a few years ago. It is a very large deep lake with good fishing for all species, if you know where and how to fish. There is quite a bit of portage traffic through the Lake, but if you stay off the routes, there will not be a lot of competition. The Lake is divided into three areas: no motor restriction, 10 horse limit and the BWCA. There are quite a few private cabins. We have had success fishing the Lake on our own over the years, but in recent times, with a BWCA guide. You can check this site for my blogs and pictures, some of which show the good success we had for both Walleye and Lake Trout. I recall seeing some large quantities of fish on our locator while cruising the Lake, particularly on the canoe routes. We only fished in the unrestricted area with our guide,slowly back trolling with spinners and live bait in early June. The walleyes were in 7 or 8 feet of water near the shoreline and the Lakers in 45 feet on large mounds. We vertically jigged for the Lakers. The weather was sunny, warm and the best fishing was right in the middle of the day. I didn't know that you could catch fish in such fine conditions.

Where are you from in Iowa? All my relatives were born or lived in Tama and Benton counties. I have taken quite a few genealogy trips to that area, from my home in Northwestern Illinois. The best of luck on your trip.

Bruleman- I am up in the northwest corner of the state, southeast of Sioux Falls about 90 miles. But I am familiar with the city of Tama, we sell cattle to the new packing plant that got started there about 3 years ago!

Seagull looks like a promising lake after doing some more research on it. My concern is, mid May might be a windy time of year, and an open lake like that could get choppy early and easily, which would hinder my ability to get out and fish each day. I would probably have to try and get a good campsite that is located close to good early season fishing structure, that way I would hopefully still be able to get a little fishing done even if it's really windy.

For canoe renting purposes, I would assume that Seagull Outfitters would make most sense, correct? Renting a canoe from an outfitter right there would eliminate an extra stop on the way up, and less hassle travelling with it.

I have never heard many complaints about the wind on Seagull, like they do on Brule. Seagull Outfitters is a full service business. They are run by a couple that has owned it for many years. It is not cheap, but very convenient if you are going to fish Seagull. Take a look at their website. Have you ever considered using a guide, expensive, but very affective for the first time on the lake. If you are an experienced BWCA fisherman, then you will do OK without a guide. You know that Seagull is near the end of the Gunflint Trail, about 45 from the North shore. The drive from Duluth to Grand Marais is considered by some to be one of ten most scenic in the USA. I began going to Brule Lake with my dad in 1957 and have visited the BWCA over fifty times, over the years. I just fish once a year, so am not very accomplished, but am willing to give some tips based on what I have gleaned from the Gunflint guides. The Trail Center, about half way back on the Gunflint is a very good place to eat. I believe that you can still buy bait at the Ugly Baby bait shop close to the Trail Center.

My grandson and I were on the Trail last Summer and fished several of the lakes not in the BWCA with a guide. We had good success catching rainbow trout stocked in the lakes. They have a very bright orange flesh and are good on the grill. We fished in mid-July and used night crawlers exclusively. Live bait , minnows and leeches worked good on Seagull, just slow trolling a few feet offshore. You will be fishing the shoreline in May. You could pickup a lake trout. We fished pretty close to the Outfitters, but it is a large lake. Let me know, if have any questions.

I love travelling to Iowa, it brings back many fond memories of visiting my grandmother, as a youth, in those small railroad and farming communities.