Just curious if anyone knows the deepest lake in the BWCA and how deep that is..

Let me go dream over my new full set of Voyageur maps and I'll let you know what I find later on.

My random guesses are Knife, Kek, Thursday Bay of Crooked, Clearwater, ummm that's what I'll with from memory for now. Trout? Never really looked that far SW on the maps yet. I'm sure there's a deep hole on LLC somewhere

I believe Kekekabic is the deepest in the BWCA, but Big Sag is deeper in Canada.

Wow, Kek shows 185' depth on the west end, and close to that deep in other spots also. Looks like Knife shows 127' max. I see 160' in Thursday bay of Crooked.

I found a contour map of Gabimichigami that shows a maximum depth of at least 200'.

Gabi Countour

This site shows Kek at 180'+

Kek Contour

https://bwca.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=forum.thread&threadId=233418&forumID=14&confID=1
It looks like they found that Saganaga was 284 feet deep

My quess is Sag. 200+

In numeric Voyageur maps order...My LLC hunch was right, at least 166 on the US side. Takumich right there might take the early lead for deepest/sq mile or some measure for deepest and smallest at about 150 max it looks. Oyster 130 not bad.


180 Thursday Bay.


My hunch on trout was wrong, it's shallow.


Basswood hits 100 at US point.


A bunch of spots on Knife go past 100, a few 140s and 160s and I see 180 plus in little Knife. 110 seagull, 120 jasper, 209 Gabi with a different hole to 180. Little Sag 140, Kekakabic 180 plus and all over that lake. Kek is tiny and 120, my new leader for small lake that goes straight down. Peter 120, French 130, Bat 100, Gillis 180. Tuscarora is big and deep but not quite triple digits. Cherry and Amoeber 100. Map 6 is loaded....


Snowbank 140, Ima 100


Fraser and Thomas 100. Cherokee 140


Winchell 120, Vernon 100, Swan 100, Duncan 120, South 140. Gunflint isn't in the park but can be paddled on a BW trip and goes 200 plus on the US side.


Clearwater 120 in a few spots, Mountain120 on US side, Pine 100 in a lot of spots, West Pike 100.


I'm sure I could have missed one here or there and Sag contours aren't shown.
But my best guess leaderboard for US depths is Gabi, Gunflint*, Gillis/Knife/Crooked, LLC, Takumich. With small but mighty Kek taking the win for deepest but smallest

"Saganaga Facts
Pronounced Sa-Guh-Nuh-Guh, now say it as fast as you can. Now you’re talking like the locals.

Trophy walleye, northern, smallmouth and lake trout are not uncommon.
Minnesota’s state record walleye (17 lbs. 8 oz.) was caught on Seagull River, which flows into Saganaga.

Part of the historic Voyageur’s Highway

Deepest natural lake in Minnesota (280 feet)"

Link

I know this thread is about the deepest lake in the BWCA but I will say that I have found over 200 foot depths in Agnes and Burt Lakes in Quetico.

I have exact depth notes somewhere in my trip files, but I can attest to the validity of +200 foot depths as I always have my depth finder on when I am trolling for walleye and lakers.

Wally13: "I know this thread is about the deepest lake in the BWCA but I will say that I have found over 200 foot depths in Agnes and Burt Lakes in Quetico.


I have exact depth notes somewhere in my trip files, but I can attest to the validity of +200 foot depths as I always have my depth finder on when I am trolling for walleye and lakers. "

Wow, I am surprised that Burt gets that deep.

I recall reading in several places that Gabi was over 200' deep and therefore the deepest in BWCA. I could be wrong though.

I had a depth map of LLC and I don’t remember the exact depths. 200 ft was roughly what I remember. Gabi and Big Sag too.
I had to laugh, I thought the OP question was deep as in furthest from entry point.

Outside mine pits, Gabi at 209' is deepest inland lake entirely in Minny. At least that's what I've heard in the past.

If you want to impress your kids/grandkids on the trip with how deep the lake is, master the art of letting them watch the depth finder and slowly rotating the sensor to an angle as you paddle further out from shore. Can get some impressive depth readings on the device in an already deep lake when the sensor is pointed more backward than down.

I have always been disappointed that there is no contour map of Big Sag. I’m assuming there was some reasoning with the boarder lakes like along the Granite River route, but Big Sag deserves a depth map way more than a lot of the lakes that have maps available from the DNR.

Canoearoo: ""Saganaga Facts
Pronounced Sa-Guh-Nuh-Guh, now say it as fast as you can. Now you’re talking like the locals.

Trophy walleye, northern, smallmouth and lake trout are not uncommon.
Minnesota’s state record walleye (17 lbs. 8 oz.) was caught on Seagull River, which flows into Saganaga.

Part of the historic Voyageur’s Highway

Deepest natural lake in Minnesota (280 feet)"

Link "

I'm still saying S-ay-guh-naw-guh. Sawrry. And don't tell me I'm a troll. 90% of the people on this site prefer trolling.

cyclones30: "

Mountain120 on US side

"

I could swear i saw 175 on the graph, in the middle of the eastern end of Mountain.

analyzer: "

cyclones30: "


Mountain120 on US side


"

I could swear i saw 175 on the graph, in the middle of the eastern end of Mountain."

DNR lake finder, says deepest spot on Mountain is 210 feet.

Mountain Lake Cook County DNR Lakefinder

gopher2307: "

Canoearoo: ""Saganaga Facts
Pronounced Sa-Guh-Nuh-Guh, now say it as fast as you can. Now you’re talking like the locals.


Trophy walleye, northern, smallmouth and lake trout are not uncommon.
Minnesota’s state record walleye (17 lbs. 8 oz.) was caught on Seagull River, which flows into Saganaga.


Part of the historic Voyageur’s Highway


Deepest natural lake in Minnesota (280 feet)"


Link "

I'm still saying S-ay-guh-naw-guh. Sawrry. And don't tell me I'm a troll. 90% of the people on this site prefer trolling. "

Really? 90% of the people on this site prefer trolling? Great fishing tip. Lures? Had to

gopher2307: "

Canoearoo: ""Saganaga Facts
Pronounced Sa-Guh-Nuh-Guh, now say it as fast as you can. Now you’re talking like the locals.


Trophy walleye, northern, smallmouth and lake trout are not uncommon.
Minnesota’s state record walleye (17 lbs. 8 oz.) was caught on Seagull River, which flows into Saganaga.


Part of the historic Voyageur’s Highway


Deepest natural lake in Minnesota (280 feet)"


Link "

I'm still saying S-ay-guh-naw-guh. Sawrry. And don't tell me I'm a troll. 90% of the people on this site prefer trolling. "

Tome-A-to
To-maut-to

No right or wrong way to say it. I grew up saying it:
Saga-naw-ga

Wally13: "I know this thread is about the deepest lake in the BWCA but I will say that I have found over 200 foot depths in Agnes and Burt Lakes in Quetico.


I have exact depth notes somewhere in my trip files, but I can attest to the validity of +200 foot depths as I always have my depth finder on when I am trolling for walleye and lakers. "

I swear on Agnes I sounded over 300’. It was north of the narrows after you go by Louisa Falls. I don’t why it felt eerie to be in water that deep but it did...you can drown in 10 feet just as easily as 300’. Didn’t catch a thing in that deep water :)

T

T,

North of the narrows past Louisa Falls on Agnes is the exactly the area where I marked a very deep hole too. I will keep my depth finder on when I paddle through that area and maybe I can find your 300 ft deep hole. LOL

oops - double post

Once it is over my head, it doesn't really matter - to us non-fishing people! All in your perspective!

I believe Sag is the 2nd deepest inland lake in Minnesota excluding mine pits.

timatkn: "
I don’t why it felt eerie to be in water that deep but it did...you can drown in 10 feet just as easily as 300’.


T"

It's funny you say that, I don't feel that way crossing sag, but I DID feel that way on Mountain, when I was looking at my graph, and it was like 175 or 180. If you drop your pliers over board, does it really matter if it's 15 or 150?