Getting a tow to American Point and have a month to get to Meeds/Caribou for resupply. What route would you take to get there?

I’m thinking 4-5 base camps with about a week at each to thoroughly explore and fish many areas I’ve only been able to pass through so far.

Leave May 25 and plan to fish lake trout hard until the smallies move shallow, then top water time.

First stop will be area between the arms of Knife Lake as I’ve never been through there. After that, I have options.

so, you are taking enough supplies for a month? i' guessing you don't want to do a lot of portaging then right off the bat? you are traveling through some beautiful country, it seems a shame to miss hanson, ester, cherry, amoeber.... those are some hilly portages but good scenery and fishing.

You are going to get about 2 weeks of lake trout fishing. By then the smallies will be coming shallow. For lake trout you want to consider:
Kekakabic
Gabimichigami
Tuscarora

Looking at east/west corridors, I think all your routes have to go through Gabimichigami somehow. Going south out of Kekakabic leaves you too far from Caribou for your fishing schedule. Going southwest out of LIttle Sag has some options, but I think that again you would give up fishing for traveling time. You might be able to consider going southeast out of Little Sag and take the Frost River west to east. But I think you would miss some important fishing waters.

Here are a couple of potential routes.
Week 1 - In the Ester/Hanson/Cherry location
Week 2 - In the Gabimichigami or Tuscarora Location (You could split your time here. A few days on Gabi and a few on Tuscarora.
Week 3 - In the Long Island Lake Location
Week 4 - In the South Temperance/Brule/Cone Lakes area (Go to Cherokee and turn east.)
Week 5 - In the Winchell/Ogema/Gaskin area nearby for resupply. (You can easily day trip to Caribou from any of these for a resupply.)
From here it is easy to loop back to Long Island and then south through Cherokee toward Sawbill or head west again over the Frost River toward Little Sag

Another option
E.g. Week 1 Ester/Hanson/Cherry.
Week 2 Kekakabic. (Take the Kek Ponds to Eddy Lake when you leave.)
Week 3 Gabimichigami/Little Sag/Tuscarora
Week 4 Long Island (long trip here maybe 2 days).
Week 5 Gaskin/Winchell.

After resupply, I would head southwest to the Cone Lakes/Brule/South Temperance area. From there you have the choice to go south toward Kelly Lake and then west Sawbill or west to Cherokee and south to Sawbill. (You could also opt for the Frost river to head back north toward Little Sag and then south toward Malberg.)

Lots to think about.

Hope this helps.

This is exactly what I’m asking for
Thank you

Michwall2: "You are going to get about 2 weeks of lake trout fishing. By then the smallies will be coming shallow. For lake trout you want to consider:
Kekakabic
Gabimichigami
Tuscarora


Looking at east/west corridors, I think all your routes have to go through Gabimichigami somehow. Going south out of Kekakabic leaves you too far from Caribou for your fishing schedule. Going southwest out of LIttle Sag has some options, but I think that again you would give up fishing for traveling time. You might be able to consider going southeast out of Little Sag and take the Frost River west to east. But I think you would miss some important fishing waters.


Here are a couple of potential routes.
Week 1 - In the Ester/Hanson/Cherry location
Week 2 - In the Gabimichigami or Tuscarora Location (You could split your time here. A few days on Gabi and a few on Tuscarora.
Week 3 - In the Long Island Lake Location
Week 4 - In the South Temperance/Brule/Cone Lakes area (Go to Cherokee and turn east.)
Week 5 - In the Winchell/Ogema/Gaskin area nearby for resupply. (You can easily day trip to Caribou from any of these for a resupply.)
From here it is easy to loop back to Long Island and then south through Cherokee toward Sawbill or head west again over the Frost River toward Little Sag


Another option
E.g. Week 1 Ester/Hanson/Cherry.
Week 2 Kekakabic. (Take the Kek Ponds to Eddy Lake when you leave.)
Week 3 Gabimichigami/Little Sag/Tuscarora
Week 4 Long Island (long trip here maybe 2 days).
Week 5 Gaskin/Winchell.


After resupply, I would head southwest to the Cone Lakes/Brule/South Temperance area. From there you have the choice to go south toward Kelly Lake and then west Sawbill or west to Cherokee and south to Sawbill. (You could also opt for the Frost river to head back north toward Little Sag and then south toward Malberg.)


Lots to think about.


Hope this helps.

"

Excellent options with this points and I do not have much to add...just really love the possibilities with that much time. I'll second time on Kekekabic. Make sure you hit Kek Lake just off of Kekekabic. Lots of lakers!

If you go from Knife down through Bonnie, Spoon, and Pickle...fish Spoon. I have it on good authority (aka personal experience) there are large northerns lurking in the waters here. Of course it is hard to leave smallie fishing on Knife or Laker/walleye fishing on Kekekabic...too many choices!

Sounds like a great trip! Jealous of all that time you'll have to hang out and explore, too often on long trips I've been too concerned about getting where I'm going and don't have time figured in for smelling the flowers. I'm planning a solo trip to much of the same area, but I'll be doing it clockwise so I can travel with the current on the Frost and Louse rivers before heading north through Kek to SAK.

In the land between the arms I'd explore every lake in the area and visit Eddy Falls. I've never been to this area before and would love to have a whole week to poke around and pull LT out of the smaller lakes. I am not motivated by LT size and prefer to fish for them in smaller lakes, which there are plenty of all through the area.

I'd probably skip camping on Kek because I really hate having exposed sites when solo, especially when you end up sitting in camp staring at whitecaps. For me it doesn't take much wind to make fishing solo an exercise in futility. #1424 would be OK as there will probably still be LT in the little bay in front of camp, but I don't like the day tripping options from there other than little Kek. It's a PITA heading east from Kek and all of the fish (and people) are on the eastern end of Ogish that time of year anyway. Perhaps I'm partial because I did spend a entire late-may week in this area, at #1424 in 2016. Instead I'd head down towards Boulder or Adams, making sure to fish Raven at least one day and also looking for early shallow Bass on the Kawishiwi to the south (River Lake). You might get lucky with a PMA permit for camping on Raven but it's probably all booked up already.

The next camp would be the hardest decision for me as I really want to spend time on Little Sag (never been there) and fish Peter Lake for LT, but I also want to paddle the Louse river and spend time in the Wine lake area, making sure to check out the falls on Mug Lake. If the bass have moved shallow in the Kawishiwi and I was tired of eating LT I'd lean more towards taking the Louse, but if the bass are still holding deep I'd go for more LT in the Little Sag/Gabi area. The logical next step from the Louse River is the Frost River, but again you'd be going against the current.

So many options, but you have the time! Enjoy your trip.