BWCA Sawbill What direction? Boundary Waters Group Forum: Solo Tripping
Chat Rooms (0 Chatting)  |  Search  |   Login/Join
* For the benefit of the community, commercial posting is not allowed.
Boundary Waters Quetico Forum
   Group Forum: Solo Tripping
      Sawbill What direction?     

Author

Text

campnfish
distinguished member (487)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
07/26/2019 05:54PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
I picked up a last minute permit for next weekend at EP38, i've never been in this area and have read a lot about the lady lakes to the west, which sound great, but not sure if maybe i should head north towards wine or even cherokee. Put in would be friday, i will drive up early AM to sawbill entry, most likely i will stay 4 nights maybe 5. I would like to fish most the time, but do not have to base camp, as long as i get some hours to fish each day. Any thoughts or recommendations on direction, im pretty open to anything, i would prefer easy travel days so a loop is probably out of the picture.
 
      Print Top Bottom Previous Next
07/26/2019 11:54PM  
A loop is very much in the picture. Either go north to Cherokee or east to smoke. Travel the route which includes the "fire" lakes, the Temperance River system and Cherokee system. If you get an early start you can go either way. If a later start, go east. The reason is that it you go north the first campsites aren't until Cherokee.

Cherokee has many great campsites, but I have only caught northern there. The fire lakes and Temperance River system has a good mix of fish species - northerns, bass, and walleyes.
 
campnfish
distinguished member (487)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
07/27/2019 12:16AM  
That looks like a nice route, and if i get a late start the lakes seem small enough to the east where wind might not be so much a factor. Any of the fire lakes or lakes on the southeast portion of that loop i should try to stay at? Also, the temperance river, is that ever an option to paddle, or is a portage always needed.
 
Minnesotian
distinguished member(2309)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
07/27/2019 09:12AM  
campnfish: "That looks like a nice route, and if i get a late start the lakes seem small enough to the east where wind might not be so much a factor. Any of the fire lakes or lakes on the southeast portion of that loop i should try to stay at? Also, the temperance river, is that ever an option to paddle, or is a portage always needed."


The "fire" lakes are real nice. If you can get it, there is a nice island campsite on Burnt Lake. I also caught a huge small mouth on Burnt once. Lots of smallie there, especially around that island campsite.

Kelly Lake is really pretty and there is a campsite on a tip of a peninsula there that I would recommend, again, if it is open.

The Temperance River is more like a narrow lake, except this time a year you might encounter a field or two of lily pads, which will slow you down. But again, that river is a real nice paddle.

Looking at your timeline, I think you could probably do a layover at some point on the trip, especially if you are doing 5 days, 4 nights. And a loop I think is still possible with the layover day.
 
09/07/2019 11:03AM  
My $0.02, if easy travel days are a priority, I'm not sure heading toward Wine would be work given the Big L portage right off the bat. If a long portage is not an issue, then Wine would be great for nice lakers. If fishing is a priority, I'd also not urge you toward Cherokee either, which is a lovely lake but from all I've heard is sub-par fishing (please correct me if I'm wrong, but a few mid-sized northers are about all I've every heard coming out of there).

That leaves either doing the Fire Lakes would work for fishing, but I'd guess slightly busier because its pretty easy access. I'd probably suggest the Lady Chain which has nice paddling, fairly moderate portages but with a few challenges, and decent walleye lakes.
 
      Print Top Bottom Previous Next