in late May me and three buddies are taking the first tow across most of seagull and trying for ogish the first night or two then making our way to SAK or maybe Kekk time and weather permiting. With that being said our main focus is walleye and lakers, but we are not above pike and smallies either. We will be in for seven days and are pretty focused on fishing hard all day every day, am i right to believe in late May that we should mostly focus on twenty feet or shallower for eyes and lakers? We will be bringing mostly cranks, spoons, jigs with plastics and leeches, and bobber rigging stuff. Also considering the Lindy rigging gear unless it would be effective enough that time of year in which case i will be happy to save the tackle box space for other stuff. This is my third trip in the BWCA, but my first to this area. Any advice, warnings, or insight is much appreciated!

If you’re getting the tow, head straight to SAK day 1. This is very doable. Set up shop and make day trips, including to Kek. 7 days is a lot of time but there is a lot to see in this area as well.
LT are shallower in May but don’t stick to the thought of 20ft or less. There can be some lunkers suspended over deep water and other spots, even during early spring. Your lure choices are good. Troll cranks and spoons, find em and then post up with jigs and mister twisters...

^^^ +1 done this route many times to SAK , the big key is getting seagull behind you ASAP , another words being in the water at day break , if your tow is not set up for day break i would op out of the tow , it's only to the end of 3-mile , our average time going in from seagull to SAK is about 8 hours(double portaging)
taking the north side of 3-mile might give you more of a break from the wind , maybe , and yes sometimes trolling open water(not shoreline) will produce lake trout.

we are taking taking the first tow and we dont plan on fishing seagull. were just going to hop in the canoes and paddle straight to the alpine portage. The only reason we might try for SAK the second day is that ive read that walleye can be found on alpine and ogish so it might be pretty hard to resist stopping and fishing.

It's a long way from Seagull to SAK if the wind is blowing against you. I would rather spend my time on SAK/Kek then Seagull/Alpine. Whenever I paddle out of the burn area, I experience a wave of peaceful relaxation...

If you are after Walleyes, I don't think Alpine will disappoint you at all. It can be busy though, since its a pretty short travel day from anywhere on Seagull, so keep that in mind. SAK is also amazing and has lake trout, and you have plenty of time to do both. Or stop on Alpine for a day or two on the way back out. I've only fished Ogish for part of one day, so I can't say much about that lake, but reports in general are strong for there too. You really can't go wrong on any of those lakes.

Alpine does hold walleyes, you can also take a quick right, (north) into Red Rock, that's always been a productive lake for us.

Any thoughts on getting a tow to American Point (Big Sag) and going through Ester and Hanson to get to SAK? Only 4 portages, I believe. This is tough if the wind is strong from the west.

we did consider going that route, and from what i read the fishing can be pretty good in some of those lake as well. but with the high possibility of pretty bad weather that time of year we like the alpine/ogish route a bit more with less big water and more campsites to choose from. also the reading ive done makes me want to try for walleyes on alpine and ogish on the way in. all of the thoughts are much appreciated.

I have been to this area a couple times but it has always been in mid June. We have had some really good fishing. Alpine and Ogish are definitely worth taking some time to fish!

TomP: "Any thoughts on getting a tow to American Point (Big Sag) and going through Ester and Hanson to get to SAK? Only 4 portages, I believe. This is tough if the wind is strong from the west. "

I'm going in on American Point 14 June with a tow. After some research and conversations, the wind can be an issue - but it's a coin toss. Even if it is, it really is only a challenge until the first portage. After that you're on smaller lakes. 45 minutes.
If the weather report says otherwise, we'll take a tow to Red Rock.

Is it better to take the longer portage directly from Seagull to Alpine, or the shorter 2 through Rog?

Wables: "Is it better to take the longer portage directly from Seagull to Alpine, or the shorter 2 through Rog?"

Longer rather than the two...

Bdubr: "

Wables: "Is it better to take the longer portage directly from Seagull to Alpine, or the shorter 2 through Rog?"

Longer rather than the two..."

Agreed, why loan/unload twice.

Also, I'm not sure about the portages through Rog, but the Seagull/Alpine portage is fairly flat and easy, just a little elevation change at both ends.

Also, if you decide to stay on Alpine, the first campsite after the portage, on the island, is a nice site.

Yes take the 105rd , the 1 into ROG is short but up from the lake level and a bit rocky a good place to twist an ankle,

TomP: "Any thoughts on getting a tow to American Point (Big Sag) and going through Ester and Hanson to get to SAK? Only 4 portages, I believe. This is tough if the wind is strong from the west. "

The Ottertrack to Ester portage, and the Hanson to SAK portage, are pretty brutal.