BWCA Typical Early Ice Concerns Boundary Waters Winter Camping and Activities
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schwartyman
senior member (72)senior membersenior member
  
11/01/2019 11:57AM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
Hi all, I currently have a winter basecamp trip planned on Seagull Lake around 1/1-1/5. I'm an experienced ice fisherman on most MN lakes except BWCA area. From my experience on lakes ive fished there has always been walkable ice by this time of the year.

I understand this is a huge lake with lots of moving water points throughout. I also understand that every year is different weather/temps and no ice is safe ice. All that set aside, on a TYPICAL year Seagull should have walkable ice by then right?

Who is the best person to contact when the time is closer and im looking for up to date ice reports? Tuscarora outfitters? Maybe Voyageur canoe outfitter?

Any personal accounts from years past, or additional resources for ice reports in that area would be great.

Thanks for your time.
 
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Tuscarora Outfitters
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11/02/2019 09:29AM  
Seagull should be good to go for those dates, be careful in between some of the islands that are east-southeast of the palisades on the north side of the lake. There can be some bad ice. The rest of the lake should be fine apart from the obvious moving water by the Seagull River and the Alpine portage.

Also keep In mind that trout season doesn't open on Seagull until 1/18/20 this year.

Feel free to give us a call closer to your trip for the latest conditions, we're always glad to help out.

Andy
schwartyman
senior member (72)senior membersenior member
  
11/04/2019 09:32AM  
Oops, thanks for mentioning that. I was being ignorant and missed "outside or partly outside the BWCA" opening on the 18th. My trip is solely lake trout focused and with my non-rollover PTO resetting on 1/7, my dates are set firmly at 1/1-1/5. My plan is now shifted to Paulson or Tuscarora. This is a hot-tent, basecamp, chasing lake trout trip. Anyone with input on which one of these are better worth me setting up on for a few days?
Minnesotian
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11/05/2019 08:09AM  
schwartyman: "Oops, thanks for mentioning that. I was being ignorant and missed "outside or partly outside the BWCA" opening on the 18th. My trip is solely lake trout focused and with my non-rollover PTO resetting on 1/7, my dates are set firmly at 1/1-1/5. My plan is now shifted to Paulson or Tuscarora. This is a hot-tent, basecamp, chasing lake trout trip. Anyone with input on which one of these are better worth me setting up on for a few days?"


Tuscarora is good for lake trout, but having done that portage from Missing Link into Tuscarora, it is a pain in the butt. If people have come before you and broken trail, it goes a lot better, but if you are breaking trail it sucks. Lots of ups, lots of downs and fairly steep, if pulling a sled, in certain sections.

But, having said that, I would do it again. Tuscarora in the winter is special.
Gadfly
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11/05/2019 11:25AM  
Although I have not taken it from reading other posts I believe the portage to Paulson would be more difficult than the one to Tuscarora.
Tuscarora Outfitters
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11/07/2019 01:46PM  
Gadfly: "Although I have not taken it from reading other posts I believe the portage to Paulson would be more difficult than the one to Tuscarora. "


For sure. The distance from Round Lake to Tuscarora is roughly the same as from the Seagull landing to the start of the portage into Paulson, and it's a heck of a portage.

It's far easier to get to Tuscarora.

Andy
 
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