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BigBearArlich
senior member (65)senior membersenior member
  
01/16/2020 07:53AM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
Howdy! Looking for advice and suggestions with people familiar with these routes. My group is 6-8 seasoned paddlers, going on our 8th annual BWCA adventure. We are all in our mid 30s, and our trips are basically how far can we go in a day to find a good basecamp for a few days, with a focus on fishing. We have settled in on 9-11 miles being a good target distance. We never go to the same place twice, and like a good variety of fish species.

For Summer 2020, we have narrowed it down to 3 routes:
EP 16 -> LLC Boulder Bay Area
EP 19 -> Iron Lake
EP 37 -> Malberg Lake

Thoughts, suggestions, anything we need to consider?

Thanks!

-Jerod
 
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cyclones30
distinguished member(4163)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberpower member
  
01/16/2020 08:21AM  
I've been to all those end points, but did Iron from EP16. I've never been thru Stuart but it sounds like less traffic and more work compared to 16. You picked all good options, can't go wrong either way.

Malberg trip will have you travel thru a burn area that's regrowing. You likely won't camp there but interesting to experience. Malberg and Boulder Bay have good access to pictographs. Curtain Falls on Iron is a bucket list spot I feel. You could do a day trip from Boulder Bay so two of your trips could get there in reality.

We found good fishing in all three, so no major differences there. All have you close to current/rapids/falls to fall back on for spots.

We travel light and push hard especially on day one and I'd say Boulder Bay and Malberg are similar effort. Iron from either 16 or 19 would be more miles/work. That's not me mapping it out, just seat of the pants.
BigBearArlich
senior member (65)senior membersenior member
  
01/17/2020 04:10PM  
Awesome - thank you for the info - Im excited for any of these trips. Going to knock off some BWCA bucket list lakes regardless.
cyclones30
distinguished member(4163)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberpower member
  
01/17/2020 05:57PM  
What will sway your choice?
BigBearArlich
senior member (65)senior membersenior member
  
01/18/2020 09:31AM  
Thats a good question - Im not really sure. If one had less people that might be more appealing, but not sure we will find isolation at any of these destinations.

LLC has been on my bucket list since I first started helping my dad trip plan as a kid. But Curtain falls is a good draw as well. Malberg would cover some very different territory than other trips we've taken.

All good choices - Probably just end up rolling a dice. Or Ill make one of my trip mates picks so we can blame them if its not amazing. =)

PikeEatPike
senior member (55)senior membersenior member
  
01/18/2020 12:46PM  
We have always like EP 16 into Boulder Bay, over the years it has gotten really popular, even the first week of June camp sites can be hard to come by. For the last six or seven years it has been just me and the wife. We are not run and gun people any more, like to base camp and fish for the week. We can make it to Boulder Bay/Tiger Bay/LLC through EP 16 by early to mid afternoon. Leave the EP at like 6 AM, setting up a camp site no later then 3. We double portage everything. in our 50's. Work to get there, but the fishing has always been amazing.
 
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