Hello everybody,
The wife and I will be heading up for our first trip to the Boundary Waters in late May. Looking at around a 5-day trip. I just wanted to say how amazing it is at all the information on here on planning your trip and getting everything squared away. Its a wealth of knowledge. I have basically set up the whole trip from information found on this site.

I grew up float tripping on the local rivers around my neck of the woods in the mountains so I will be leaving the Royalex at the house in favor of just renting a canoe when we get to Ely to save on space and also because I don't want to portage that brute around.

I said all that to say this.. with it being our first time up that way, what would be some of the things that we may overlook having only fished and paddled mostly local lakes and rivers? I have my trips nailed down pretty well around here from doing it the last 20 years, but know that once we get on the water, many things that I might overlook or would come in handy will be 17 hours away.

Also, if any of you find yourselves in southwest Virginia near the Appalachian Trail and want some boating or fishing info, maybe I can repay the knowledge favor.

I'm pretty much just going to be bringing my river box with me for fishing. Its just a couple of Plano boxes full of Rapalas, Mepps spinners, Rooster Tails, and 2 and 3 inch curly tails. I bought a few spoons and may get some Lindy Rigs if you guys think it would be worth it.

Would you guys suggest bringing the bug netting that early in the year or would just a few cans of deet or something similar be fine?

We have a huge bear population around here so usually on our trips we will hang our food, but I have read that its pretty hard to find a decent tree to hang your stuff. Should I bring a barrel or just buy a bear bag?

Do most of the camps already have a grill for the fire or is that something that I should consider? As far as my wife, is there anything she might want to bring that is often overlooked?

Weather wise at that time of the year, our snows are long gone and we are sitting in 70 to 80 degree days and lows of at the most in the low 50s. Once we get up that way and on the water, what would the nighttime temps be on average? Im trying to go as light as possible and trying to decide on which sleeping bags to toss in the pack.

This is a trip I have dreamed of taking for years and I'm getting pretty excited to get on the water!

Welcome to BWCA.com! Where do you have your entry permit? Bugs are always around, but not as much in the early season. That said, in any month, it's easy to be equally prepared: permethrin on clothing, picaridan on skin, bug net for the head.

Kevlar is a life saver. You'll be glad you did. Most of the outfitters are around the same rental price.

Snoop around the Fishing and Gear forums for ideas on anchor nets, rod holders, baits that succeed, leeches and jigs vs Rapalas and Mepps, filtering water (or not), BV500 vs barrels vs Ursak vs hanging... and on and on...

Yes, there is a steel fire grate and a fiberglass latrine at every site. If you don't see one, it's not a site. First come, first served. Weather? Expect anything from the upper 20s to the upper 70s. :-)

Thank you for the information. The entry point will be Snowbank. Im glad to hear that about the temps I didn't really know what to look for as far as that goes. I know she will be happy to hear about the latrines!

Things to consider.

Late May water temps are not fit for swimming even if air temps are hot.

Navigation on the lakes will be quite different from river trips. Keep your map in front of you and use a compass to orient the map to the landscape. Keep track of where you are fairly constantly, especially on lakes with lots of islands and bays. It will take a little attention on the first day to get used to the map scale in relation to visual distance.

Fire grates in all campsites. They are course cast iron grates. OK for a steak , but not a hamburger patty. If there is not a grate and latrine it is not an open campsite. Follow trails out the back of the campsite to find latrines. They are sometimes a fair stroll. They get moved periodically, so check all the trails if you don't find it on the first one. I know one wonderful campsite that is rarely used because folks don't find the latrine and think it is closed.

Start slow on the portages. It is really not necessary to go the whole way across in one trip. An old guy like me breaks them up into quarter mile sections, taking one load that far and returning for the second. Kind of gives you a break. Of course, many portages are pretty short.

Take a late evening paddle, its a magical time.

I just posted this a week or so ago on another thread.

Consider taking a Thermacell to help with bugs, fire it up, and put it back by the latrine for 20 minutes before your morning rituals. You'll be glad you're not fighting bugs the whole time, as the latrines are typically 100 yards or more from shore, and surrounded by trees with no breeze, prime bug habitat. Your wife will thank you.

If you want to use live bait, leeches are easy to care for and almost always produce for bass, walleye and the occasional northern.

Don't overpack clothing, you can just wash what you have away from shore and use it again.

Stanford: "...I know she will be happy to hear about the latrines! "

Well, they are efficient. Being out in the open greatly reduces the odors and allows enjoying the view while you're being busy. Here's one of the more modern designs. Most are a smaller oval seat with or without a cover. Those are still very comfy, though I do miss the old cedar "ranger boxes."

People have covered being prepared for bugs, highly variable weather, and cold water. Especially the cold water - search cold water immersion and ditch kits. Just be aware/prepared.

It's good that you have secured your permit. Are you traveling a route or just base camping? Portaging is a new experience for many; it was for me. If just doing a base camp trip with one or two short portages, not a real big deal, but traveling a route with multiple portages each day requires a little organization. If you want more information, just ask.

Reserved your canoe?

I have rented Kevlar canoes from multiple outfitters and none have come with "painters", which are a necessary item. The canoes are so light they need to be tied up so won't drift or fly away (they can become kites). At night you should take it out of the water and tie it securely in the trees.

It's useful to have some BDB's, NiteIze twist ties, or similar for securing painters, paddles, and fishing poles to the thwarts.

A tarp is nice; if it's not on your packing checklist, consider it. You do have a packing checklist, don't you? :)

You'll want to have travel boots/shoes, a pair of camp shoes, and three pair of wool socks - one for travel, one for camp, one for sleep.

Have a good trip.

All great advice so far. I would just add that you will want to get an early start on your entry across Snowbank as it is large lake and prone to get pretty darn rough. Up there the calmest time of day is morning and as the day goes on it gets windier.

Another thing I would suggest if you are going to travel the whole 5 day and not basecamp is to limit the amount of tackle you will be bringing as you have to carry it all. What I mean is you are only fishing for 5 days and really only a fraction of those day, so don't bring 2 weeks worth of tackle. Yes Lindy rigs are a very good choice for trolling.

It would be wise to find a place for every loose item you are carrying for when you hit a portage. Water bottles, fishing poles, tackle, maps, etc. Figure out a way to lash them to the canoe, outside of a pack or in a pack. This will save you much trouble on portages by not having things in your hands, snagging in trees or worse leaving them behind only to realize you are missing something after 2 hours of traveling. Double check you have all your stuff before pushing of at the end of each portage.

Practice up or watch videos on how to use a compass if you don't know now. Look at your map a lot while traveling and I would recommend that both you and your wife each have a map and compass right in front of you while traveling. Both of you should know where you are on the map at all times. At the very least you should have a second map in a pack incase you lose one, and believe me it happens more than you'd think.

The bug situation for late May. Biting flies are a real possibility and they could be in large numbers. Remember that bug spray, permethrin, picaridin or any other kind of bug repellant will not stop them. Only clothing will. You may want to consider long sleeve pants and shirt for this. Mosquitoes can be hit and miss in late May, you could have a few or a lot. Mostly after sundown will be the worst for an hour or two. You may have none on one lake and a lot on the next.

I would rent a blue barrel and harness for your first trip. Keep your camp site clean of food not only for you but the next guy. This will keep visiting animals to a minimum. You can either hang the barrel or do as I do stash it in the woods somewhere out of camp at night tie it to a tree so it can't be carried off easily. It's my last chore before I hit the tent. Oh, and don't use your barrel as a cook prep station. Keep the outside of it free of all food odors.

Have a great trip, planning is half the fun. Keep asking questions if you have them.

Have you seen the movies?

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

I'm in the minority these days but a dedicated hanger, and a "sport" I look forward to. Never not found a tree or trees. Once or twice further from camp than I like but probably a good thing from the bear protection point of view. BTW I've never seen a bear there and I don't leave my camp alone - always within ear and eye shot of food back (except at some portages).

You've gotten a lot of good advice so far.

The only thing I'd add is.......have your water treatment/filter/purification strategies tested out before you go. Also, if you're bringing "a couple plano boxes" depending on the size of them that's a lot of tackle. I have tons of tackle, but force myself to only pick the best of the best options to take and fit them in maybe 2 of the smaller/medium boxes. I wouldn't personally worry about lindy rigs, if all else fails a jig/leech or leech under a slip bobber will do well. Otherwise your usual river lures will do fine.

The dock at the Snowbank landing is a bit of a pain to load your canoe. keep an eye on the wind. I'll be up near Sawbill around the same time as you. Also many portages won't allow you to land you canoe right up to the shore. Plan on wearing at least Knee high water proof boots or wet footing it. I'll wet foot except in late Fall.

Look up basketball net anchor, $2 at walmart for a basketball net. Tie all the loops together on one end, carbiner to hold the other loop ends. Tie a rope to the carebiner, fill with rocks when you want to fish, i mark my rope every 5 feet with a sharpie, now i know the depth as well, i bring 40 feet of rope.

When you mention grill, you aren't thinking of one of those park grills where you add charcoal, right? You do not bring charcoal along, you use firewood. I'm not sure how familiar you are with the BWCA or camping in general, but it is basically like backpacking except you don't have to carry your gear as much and can double portage if necessary. I would recommend looking into it a bit more if you are not 100% sure what to expect. Ask questions to verify what you know and make sure you are not over packing items you won't need.

The main things to consider for your first trip is the weather, sleeping, and food. For the weather you want to be comfortable no matter what. A rain fly (tarp) will give you an outdoor spot that is dry if it rains and shaded if it is hot. It also keeps the dew off your gear overnight. Good rain suits are a must too. Ponchos are a good way to be miserable. Also bring a winter hat and store your clothes in a waterproof sack. If you get dumped in the lake with everything in cold weather, you want to have access to dry clothes and a way to warm up.

For your tent, you want to be sure the seams are waterproof and everything is there and smells decent. I recommend setting it up to air it out and make sure you know you can set it up without hassle. You also need to have some sort of a sleeping pad so you don't lose your body heat to the ground.

For the food, make sure you have enough even if you catch no fish, and don't over pack so that it doesn't all fit in one bag or make that bag too heavy. I recommend hanging your bag, in the woods not in camp, on the first trip unless you already know how to deal with nuisance bears. Know that nothing is ever bear proof. Something are just really bear resistant. Never put yourself in a situation where losing your food to a bear would put your life in danger. Look up the regulations and think about bringing a carabineer to reduce the damage to the tree.

For fishing, keep it light. Little Cleo's and tail dancers for trout, mepps and rooster tails for bass, rapalas for everything, lindy rigs and jigs for walleye, and northerns will bite on anything and everything. Know what you are fishing for and don't bring what you don't need. Light up bobbers are great for fishing at the campsite. I would only bring leeches if you are targeting walleye, but anything will bite on them.

Have fun and stay safe.

That's quite a haul from Virginia. Was in Saltville in December. You have some nice fishing holes in your area I've fished Holstein River, Hungry Mother, Laurel Bed Lake & ridge running on Big Tumbling Creek and a few others. You will enjoy the Boundary Waters, have a good time!

The wife and I enter the BWCA in mid-late May every year. Bugs usually are not bad, haven’t needed a net. Cold, there is always a chance of waking up to a few inches of snow in May (I know from experience). I suggest a warm sleeping bag. Even if it’s a warm sunny day, the water is typically to cold for a swim which leads me to… wear your life jackets; the water is so cold you never know what will happen.

Snowbank – is a BIG lake. Get an early start, this lake can produce large waves. My wife and I prefer to do 2-3 portages and basecamp for a few nights. She is not a fan of packing up camp and moving each day, it is a lot of work. We go up there to relax, not do a 30 mile loop that will have us so exhausted we can’t move.

Fishing – Depends on what you’re fishing for. There are good walleye and bass lakes in the Snowbank area. I always bring rapalas, shallow swimming raps as the fish are typically in the shallows (3-10ft) in May. Leeches, lindy rigs, and a lighted bobber. Highly suggest a lighted bobber as you can fish well into the night, sipping a cocktail, watching your bobber, and taking in all the stars. One Plano box should be all you need. There is nothing better than seeing your lighted bobber go under the water at night.

Fire grate – Every open campsite will have a fire grate. We always bring a pot and pan with a cover to cook over the fire. You will need to collect all your wood (one of my favorite things about the BWCA), highly suggest a cover for your pot/pans to keep the ashes out.

Amenities – Headlamps, bring a headlamp for each of you. Pliers, small and light pliers is all you need (nice for fishing and grabbing anything on the fire that’s hot). Rope and tarp to protect you and your fire from wind/rain. We cook all our meals over the fire, having a dry fire grate and dry firewood is key. Camping chairs, lightweight camping chairs are a must (especially if you have a bad back like me). Blanket, the wife likes to bring a wool blanket to sit on the rock ledges while I fish; they are also nice to lay/relax at camp.

My #1 suggestion would be… Don’t overdo it, keep it simple and enjoy.

Keep raingear at the top of pack for easy access. You don't want to be in the middle of the lake, rain comes up, and you are digging for the raingear!

All good stuff. WARM CLOTHES are a must that time off year. Me and my wife always go the first week of June. We have spent the whole week some years with UA long johns and shirts, fleece and rain gear on. Not to scare you but it easy to see nights in the mid 20's. Some years our thermo gear never leaves the pack, but it would be miserable not having it. Always have a stocking cap. The gear list here on this site is a really good starting point, and don't over pack when it comes to clothes. One extra change is all you need.

https://bwca.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=gear.view

I just want to throw this out there, I've been on 4 trips and been to about 10 sites and never had an issue finding a hanging tree for our food pack. If you're base camping, take it down in the morning, grab bfast and lunch, store lunch in your canoe pack, hang bag back up. Take down for dinner and hang again.

Anyone have experience with bears in camp? I never have, only ever passed someone on a portage who said there was one at the camp we stayed on Gun later that day!

We've seen bears, but not in camp.

I do have a buddy who had a very large bear wander right through the middle of their camp on SAK, then left. Twenty minutes later, they saw it again, hanging out around the edge of their camp.

They broke camp and left, figuring that bear would be a pain in the neck all night. He sent me pictures but I'm having trouble finding them, I'm sure it was all of 350 pounds, maybe more.

I always go in May..... Only 2 things I would add to all the great advice above.... 2 things I'm a real pain in the ass about with my crew:

1. Pinch down barbs.... especially on lures you mentioned like Rapalas.... they're fish catching machines but those trebles have a knack for getting hooked in anything they get close to, including hands, shoulders and heads....

2. Wear your PFD... zipped up and/or buckled.... as my Dad used to remind me, you're dead for a long time.

Adding a light weight down vest or coat that fits under your rain jacket really helps on those cold Spring mornings. I bring a coat with a hood along with a hat to keep me toasty warm. Whether you bring a down coat or a synthetic having it is really nice to wear while you wait for the sun to warm things up in the morning. Just make sure it packs down small and you place it in a waterproof stuff sack along with all your clothes.

Sorry I have not had the chance to respond to all the wonderful advice given on here. I really appreciate the ideas and advice in all the posts.
I will most defiantly be taking a Thermocell with me. Those things are well worth what little weight they add. As far as fishing goes leeches are what I keep hearing so that is what I will bring along. I love to slip bobber fish so it should work out pretty well. Hopefully I can at least land a couple for a good shore lunch or dinner. my tackle pretty much consists of a couple plano boxes that total about the size of a cigar box and about the same thickness. I started to only bring one and keep it super simple but just cant quite take the chance of not taking my trusted Rapala and Curly tail collection along with some spoons and spinners.
I think Im going to just stick to one change of clothes like what was said. We can wash most stuff if it needs it and it will be dry the next morning as long as I stay away from heavy cottons (im a merino wool fan myself if you have never tried any Merino you are most assuredly missing out on a whole new world of warmth and lightness that not only is antimicrobial but easily taken care of in the field with a little water and a short stay on a clothes line)
I showed the photo of the latrine to the wife. I think she didn't want to really say anything before but seeing that was a welcome relief. I married sort of a city girl in some aspects so her first trip to the woods packing some toilet paper was just a few years ago haha.
We plan on portaging and probably only spending maybe one or 2 nights at any one campsite. I think we are both looking forward to trying to get away from people the best we can.
Yes we reserved our canoe a few weeks ago. Its going to be really nice packing one that only weights around 45lbs. We are used to lugging one of our heavier aluminum ones around or our Royalex which is still quite heavier than the Kevlar.
As far as the bear situation goes its a part of life down my way too so I will probably hang my food. I keep one small pack that is only used for food and anything used for food separate and hang it after eating. I tried the bear bags a couple of years ago on a hunt and while gone one day came back to a bag still tied to the tree and unhurt but all my food inside was smashed up and full of holes. We dehydrate most of our camp food so what we will be taking should not weight too much. If we were going to be taking a larger amount of food or possibly bringing some heavier items I would defiantly bring my barrel. I use a small 8 gallon barrel with a screw off lid usually anymore if im going to be base camping somewhere. Its nice to have it all in one spot and also makes a decent seat when not in use. I flip the lid over and use it as a cutting board or small table quite a bit too so its serving more than one purpose.
As far as water treatment goes I have used with pretty good success my Katadyn the last several years. Its lite and easy to use and so far has not killed me with some of the places I have filtered water. I changed the filter last fall so it should be good to go. I always carry a backup when it comes to water filtration so my smaller gravity fed Sawyer will probably be in my pack somewhere. Theres nothing worse than having to filter your water through a old shirt and boil it because you only brought one way to filter water and it pooped the bed on you halfway through a trip. I don't use the tablets anymore bc of the taste and the fact I used enough of those in the Marine Corps to last a lifetime.
As far as footwear I will probably be wet footing it in my Crispis and just keeping my Solomans hiking shoes in the pack for around camp.
That way I can get the boots somewhat dry and aired out a little in the evenings and at night.
Someone mentioned the net anchor on here and I just started laughing. This is one of the things I have done for several years and honestly thought I was one of the few that knew about it! It is a absolute lifesaver on the river when your trying to fish a certain hole slowly. The best thing about it is the rope is still used around camp and for the 524 other things you always need rope for around camp or on the water. But.. until you mentioned it I had not really thought about bringing it but I will be now. I will be nice to anchor near a decent spot and be able to fish without constantly fiddling with a paddle.
If I can get around to it I will post my gear list and let you guys dissect it. I think many of the things I already use will transfer over to this trip so im hoping that I don't have to get too many things before im set.

plexmidwest: "That's quite a haul from Virginia. Was in Saltville in December. You have some nice fishing holes in your area I've fished Holstein River, Hungry Mother, Laurel Bed Lake & ridge running on Big Tumbling Creek and a few others. You will enjoy the Boundary Waters, have a good time!"

Oh yes! some amazing fishing, Sounds like you have fished all around my neck of the woods. The Clinch and the Holstein are two of my favorite places to fish. I still have a canoe somewhere between the weber city public access launch site and the Gulf of Mexico (or somebodies garage) that was accidently not tied off for the night by my little brother.