First time poster here. I haven't been to the BWCA since I was a teen in Scouts. I live in Kansas and I'm planning on doing a 7-day solo base camp on Crocodile Lake. I will be going in thru East Bearskin on the 28th this month. Looking for any advice on this adventure as I mostly want to fish and relax. Any advice is welcome.

Dusty,
I am a frequent poster about Crocodile, it's a cool place. 7 days is a long time since you have to stay on Crocodile the whole time with the right permit (#66). But its definitely a good place to spend some time.

If you read my trip report it will detail a potential daytrip for you; there is a waterfall between Crocodile and E. Bearskin that is a pretty neat place, especially when it is flowing good which I suspect it will be this year. What the trip report doesn't talk about is another pretty cool daytrip down the Crocodile River. You will have to pull over a beaver dam or two and eventually come to a dead end and in that area there is a portage up to a remote lake. Not even sure what it is called but we went there.

Fishing is excellent for walleyes, lots of smallish ones but occasional good ones too(18-22 inches) and probably some bigger ones too. Also Pike and big perch in the lake. It is a quiet place and doesn't see a lot of traffic, much of what you see there might be locals in for a day of fishing, but then they leave. The second site heading east is the best. The last site to the east is the second best.

It has good wildlife potential too and feels very remote for how close you actually are to the entry point. Hope you enjoy it, let me know if you have any questions.


Crocodile Lake

Thank you for the awsome info! Should I take leeches or night crawlers?

I would say leeches for sure, no reason not to bring a dozen crawlers too, just keep them out of the sun and as cool as possible.

Hello, dustygood. Be aware, there's new signage at E. Bearskin Lake entry point that reads: Entry Point 64/ E. Bearskin Lake.
I don't wish to put a damper in your trip plans but I don't believe you can access Crocodile from E. Bearskin Lake landing anymore. You don't want to chance a potential steep fine due to approaching Crocodile from wrong entry point. (You did mention access from E. Bearskin in your post.)
#66/ Crocodile Lake permit and access from that entry point only.
Happy trails.

Clarification needed here - this is a strange quirk of the BWCA regulations. The correct permit is #66 but that has been changed to Crocodile Lake from Crocodile River. You actually enter the BWCA at the start of the portage from E. Bearskin to Crocodile Lake and can use the E. Bearskin entry point to get there. East Bearskin is not BWCA until almost to the eastern end of the lake.

You may not, however, go to Crocodile lake with a #64 permit, and if you go with a #66 permit you must stay on Crocodile the entire time. Visiting any other lakes from a Crocodile basecamp would entail leaving the BWCA and re-entering without a permit and that is against the regs. Hope that clears it up.

lindylair: "Clarification needed here - this is a strange quirk of the BWCA regulations. The correct permit is #66 but that has been changed to Crocodile Lake from Crocodile River. You actually enter the BWCA at the start of the portage from E. Bearskin to Crocodile Lake and can use the E. Bearskin entry point to get there. East Bearskin is not BWCA until almost to the eastern end of the lake.
"

Good to know. Thanks for the clarification of quirky situation.

lindylair: "
You may not, however, go to Crocodile lake with a #64 permit, and if you go with a #66 permit you must stay on Crocodile the entire time. Visiting any other lakes from a Crocodile basecamp would entail leaving the BWCA and re-entering without a permit and that is against the regs. Hope that clears it up. "

This is incorrect. Leaving and reentering the boundaries as part of a logical canoe trip does not constitute "leaving the wilderness." Otherwise you couldn't make it from Clearwater to E Bearskin legally (for example).

Unless it's specific to #66, you can absolutely take a portage outside of the boundaries that ends back up in the BWCA. You just can't go to town, visit your car, etc.

But day trips through a maintained portage by the USFS is not "leaving the wilderness."

Perhaps you are right. There have been numerous opinions on this question posted, including some by those in "authority". Answers are all over the board. The word of the regulations state that you cannot leave the BWCA and reenter without a permit. I will go with that. Others may choose to do as they please.

In this case however, the more important point is that with an EP 66 permit, you must spend all your time on Crocodile Lake and cannot visit other lakes, regardless of the other discussion. That at least, is quite clear.

Curious though, why else would they have the rule about not leaving Crocodile Lake or visiting any other lakes if it was not because of the regulation about leaving and re-entering?

Here's the pic of the SNF sign at the East Bearskin landing that is specific to Crocodile (66) and East Bearskin (64) entries.




My 11 yo daughter and I found eater size walleye to be easy to catch with leeches.

I like the farthest east site on the north bank.