So our route for late June is pretty much planned heading down from American Point into Knife for some fishing. The plan is to spend two nights somewhere before Knife, then a couple at Knife before working our way back. BUT...we are trying to decide if we should cut down through Ester, Hanson, and SAK, or camp a couple nights on Ottertrack and day trip/fish the loop of Ottertrack, Gijikiki, Rivalry, Lake of the Clouds, Lunar, Cherry, Topaz, and Amoeber. Thoughts?

Tough to beat SAK for fishing. Plus, that forces you to experience The Echanted Forest portage.

FindHim: "So our route for late June is pretty much planned heading down from American Point into Knife for some fishing. The plan is to spend 2 nights somewhere before Knife, then a couple at Knife before working our way back. BUT...we are trying to decide if we should cut down through Ester, Hanson, and SAK, ORRRRR camp a couple nights on Ottertrack and day trip/fish the loop of Ottertrack, Gijikiki, Rivalry, Lake of the Clouds, Lunar, Cherry, Topaz, and Amoeber. Thoughts?"

Your loop that includes Lunar and all those is a heck of a loop to also want to fish.

But you can't really go wrong. Be flexible and see how the weather and things are going on day 1

Cherry lake is an absolute gem and has one of the best campsites in all of the BWCA. Provides good access to lunar and lake of the clouds for trout fishing.

I did that years ago and can’t wait to go back.

cyclones30: "

FindHim: "So our route for late June is pretty much planned heading down from American Point into Knife for some fishing. The plan is to spend 2 nights somewhere before Knife, then a couple at Knife before working our way back. BUT...we are trying to decide if we should cut down through Ester, Hanson, and SAK, ORRRRR camp a couple nights on Ottertrack and day trip/fish the loop of Ottertrack, Gijikiki, Rivalry, Lake of the Clouds, Lunar, Cherry, Topaz, and Amoeber. Thoughts?"

Your loop that includes Lunar and all those is a heck of a loop to also want to fish.


But you can't really go wrong. Be flexible and see how the weather and things are going on day 1 "

Ditto. My dad and I did this loop when I was 13. We still managed to catch some good numbers - including a few walleye. So it's not impossible. But you'll need a good supply of energy. If you happen to fish Gijikiki, I'd love to hear if you hook up with any big rock bass. We waded in about waist deep (from camp - I believe it was a sandy bottom and it was not the island campsite) and had a blast catching big rock bass after big rock bass.

Hammertime: "Cherry lake is an absolute gem and has one of the best campsites in all of the BWCA. Provides good access to lunar and lake of the clouds for trout fishing.


I did that years ago and can’t wait to go back."

Would also recommend Cherry as a must stay at lake and one to fish. I'm looking at a picture in my office right now of my son holding a 32" walleye caught and released on Cherry. Who knows, might still be swimming in there for you to catch!

Thanks for the advice - definitely going to fish in SAK! And it sounds like Cherry is a must see if we are going to be right there. Still not sure if we'll do the day loop with Lunar, or down through Ester and Hanson. How is the fishing usually in Cherry?

FindHim: "Thanks for the advice - definitely going to fish in SAK! And it sounds like Cherry is a must see if we are going to be right there. Still not sure if we'll do the day loop with Lunar, or down through Ester and Hanson. How is the fishing usually in Cherry?"

It was hit or miss when we stayed there for 2 nights. Quality was good but fish were hard to come by at times.

FindHim: "Thanks for the advice - definitely going to fish in SAK! And it sounds like Cherry is a must see if we are going to be right there. Still not sure if we'll do the day loop with Lunar, or down through Ester and Hanson. How is the fishing usually in Cherry?"

Cherry has good quality but lower quantity. Had trouble catching eater size walleye as everything was too big!

FindHim: "Thanks for the advice - definitely going to fish in SAK! And it sounds like Cherry is a must see if we are going to be right there. Still not sure if we'll do the day loop with Lunar, or down through Ester and Hanson. How is the fishing usually in Cherry?"

I am going to express an unpopular opinion here and say that I was slightly disappointed by my first trip to Cherry (maybe because of the hype). Yes, it is a gorgeous lake, but after paddling SAK, Little Knife and Amoeber, it really didn't compare. Yes, we did stay at the 5* campsite at the pinch-point, but I wasn't super impressed with that either. Very small sample size, but we didn't have great fishing there either. Heading through Gigikiki is a great option, too, but be prepared for some brutal portages, which will sap your energy and decrease your fishing time significantly.

I would go through Ester and Hanson myself, as the fishing will likely be better AND you get to experience the Enchanted forest Portage from Hanson to SAK, which is another must-see. Following the border via Ottertrack to Little Knife is a great option, too. I've heard fishing on Ottertrack can be dynamite.

Here's a link to a youtube video from our trip through that area in Sept '20. We had an incredible sunset on Cherry and great Lake Trout fishing on Hanson. Our visit to Cherry is split up between this video and the next in the series:
Amoeber/Topaz Cherry