New Trip Report posted by ScottL

Trip Name: Hot Summer Nights on Crooked Lake.

Entry Point: 23

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Great write up, been a lot of place in the BWCA but Crooked has got to be near the top for fishing! Oh, and that 21" bass was a beast!

Awesome trip and awesome smallie!! I was up there the same time as you, entered 2 days before, with 3 other guys. We may have run into you while fishing Saturday or on our way back out... we intended to stay on Gun for our final night as well but found everything except a very small secluded site occupied, so we pushed on to Fairy (and found both sites open). That downpour on Sunday was something else though! It just started dumping as we hit Mudro so we got to enjoy the wet carry back to the parking lot. We got pretty lucky not getting caught out in rain for our trip so I didn't really mind too much, all told.

Thanks for sharing!!

That's the second biggest smallmouth photo I've seen posted at bwca.com, surpassed only by analyzer's wife's fish. I've read lots of fishers reporting that they've caught multiple 21" bass, but haven't seen any bass of that length with that girth.

Look at the fat smallmouth! Nice write up!

jdoutdoors: "Awesome trip and awesome smallie!! I was up there the same time as you, entered 2 days before, with 3 other guys. We may have run into you while fishing Saturday or on our way back out... we intended to stay on Gun for our final night as well but found everything except a very small secluded site occupied, so we pushed on to Fairy (and found both sites open). That downpour on Sunday was something else though! It just started dumping as we hit Mudro so we got to enjoy the wet carry back to the parking lot. We got pretty lucky not getting caught out in rain for our trip so I didn't really mind too much, all told.


Thanks for sharing!!"

Was one of your canoes a blue Swift? I think that you guys were following shortly behind us on the portages on our way out. I think you guys were completing your first half of a double portage when we were finishing our second half. Did you guys have a pretty stiff wind to paddle against when you first started on Gun? That was a little discouraging, especially after doing that mile-long portage. I'm glad to hear that there were spots open for you on Fairy. It seems like it is such a roll of the dice these days to find a campsite on the way out, especially as you get closer to the entry point.

missmolly: "That's the second biggest smallmouth photo I've seen posted at bwca.com, surpassed only by analyzer's wife's fish. I've read lots of fishers reporting that they've caught multiple 21" bass, but haven't seen any bass of that length with that girth. "

Thanks Miss Molly. I've caught a lot of average size smallies that gave me a good fight, but that fish was a unique beast and I don't think I'll ever forget that moment from the hook set until I released her back into the lake. For me it was a fish that I will have a hard time beating for length and girth. But I will keep going back with the hope of one day finding another like her. And if I don't I will still have lots of great moments on the water.

ScottL: "

jdoutdoors: "Awesome trip and awesome smallie!! I was up there the same time as you, entered 2 days before, with 3 other guys. We may have run into you while fishing Saturday or on our way back out... we intended to stay on Gun for our final night as well but found everything except a very small secluded site occupied, so we pushed on to Fairy (and found both sites open). That downpour on Sunday was something else though! It just started dumping as we hit Mudro so we got to enjoy the wet carry back to the parking lot. We got pretty lucky not getting caught out in rain for our trip so I didn't really mind too much, all told.



Thanks for sharing!!"

Was one of your canoes a blue Swift? I think that you guys were following shortly behind us on the portages on our way out. I think you guys were completing your first half of a double portage when we were finishing our second half. Did you guys have a pretty stiff wind to paddle against when you first started on Gun? That was a little discouraging, especially after doing that mile-long portage. I'm glad to hear that there were spots open for you on Fairy. It seems like it is such a roll of the dice these days to find a campsite on the way out, especially as you get closer to the entry point."

Yep, that was us!! The Wagosh portage was actually quite pleasant with how dry and flat it was with a nice breeze. The headwind barreling down Gun was STIFF though! We were plenty happy to find a spot on Fairy and actually were thankful we were closer to the exit so it all worked out thankfully.

Great read, thanks for the write up. We have a Mudro permit coming up and are still deciding if we should stick to our Horse River plan. It sure has been a hot one up there this summer. Of 2 trips so far, it has been in the high 80's or low 90's everyday. On my solo I was downing 5 liters of water a day just to stay on top of hydration.