My friend and I are heading in to Wood Lake in mid July and going to go up to Basswood. This is our second time going (last was 2020). Planning on staying for a week. Any advice would be appreciated.

When we entered at Wood Lake we stayed on the island site on Basswood's Wind Bay (#1656), the site north of there at the mouth of Wind Bay on the western shore (#1637) and a night on Wind Lake at the site by the eastern side of the narrows that looks north over the widest part of the lake (#1665). We enjoyed them all and you can get more in-depth info on these sites from my reviews on each, accessed through the map section of this website.

If enetering through Wood/Hula/Good, you may want to consider a night on Indiana where the water is REALLY clear. We would have but the sites were full. A huge beaver dam can be seen coming out of Indiana on the creek/swamp to Wind Bay and you may also want to check out the sunken steam engine on the south end of Basswood Lake's Hoist Bay, near the creek from Good Lake. Depending on water level, much of it may be exposed above the surface. After seeing this we started canoeing back to our campsite in rhythm to made-up lyrics that we sang--"The Wreck of the Hoist Bay Steam Engine" (to the tune of The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald") :)

Hey Charlie,

I'm going to assume you are looking for Basswood tips and info...I'm no help there. If you are looking for intel on Wood, Good, or Indiana then I'd be happy to share my perspective on those lakes.

If you haven't seen it already? The historic pictograph route is a trip where we exited out of Wood Lake.

A trip into Hoist Bay in Basswood is a must. Not only is the fishing good in the bay, there is a ton "literally" of historical old logging evidence including sunken logs, old railroad artifacts, dock remnants and a sunken steam engine. Plus lots of old evidence down parts of the 4-mile portage. (Bluegills love the old steam engine fish crib).

bottomtothetap: "When we entered at Wood Lake we stayed on the island site on Basswood's Wind Bay (#1656) "

I visited this campsite in July 2018 and was unable to find the latrine. Ironically on a mildly windy day there was no wind that reached the campsite in Wind Bay. Bugs were crazy bad. We stopped for 5 minutes at the landing to eat lunch and then moved on to the sites farther north in Basswood.

Hopefully the ice is out by then!

Any info for the area would be fantastic and appreciated.

Also, I was smart enough to create an account now!

YetiJedi: "Hey Charlie,


I'm going to assume you are looking for Basswood tips and info...I'm no help there. If you are looking for intel on Wood, Good, or Indiana then I'd be happy to share my perspective on those lakes."

I'm not Charlie, but I am going that route in mid-August, so I would welcome your perspective. And anything about Good Creek.

YetiJedi: "Hey Charlie,


I'm going to assume you are looking for Basswood tips and info...I'm no help there. If you are looking for intel on Wood, Good, or Indiana then I'd be happy to share my perspective on those lakes."

I'm not Charlie, but I am going that route in mid-August, so I would welcome your perspective. And anything about Good Creek.

YetiJedi: "Hey Charlie,


I'm going to assume you are looking for Basswood tips and info...I'm no help there. If you are looking for intel on Wood, Good, or Indiana then I'd be happy to share my perspective on those lakes."

I'm not Charlie, but I am going that route in mid-August, so I would welcome your perspective. And anything about Good Creek.

We traveled Good creek in the trip report I referenced above.

Of course it's going to depend on the water level & local beaver activity....but, generally speaking, the weediness was the only semi-serious impediment we encountered.

I soloed and base camp on Wood Lake maybe five or six years ago. I camped at site 1151. It was an okay site but all the traffic entering Wood Lake basically had to paddle by the site, so things got busy.

Site 1151 also offers an absolutely fantastic high point behind the campsite where you can see the southeastern expanse of the lake. On the way to latrine, at the Y, take a left. You will have to scramble up a few rocks, but the view was worth it. I spent many hours enjoying the view and the breeze up there.

For the poster wondering about Good Creek into Hoist Bay: it was passable in a July timeframe. If I recall correctly, there might have been one very minor beginning of a beaver construction project that I was able to paddle over.

Mike

Tuscorara's trip reports are spot on. There are several others as well that give good insights into the area. Good creek was passable but the plants make it a little slower - and it all depends on beaver activity.

We've been there four or five times in the last couple of years. Bass and walleye fishing in Wood is always solid so it's great for fishing with kids. We've seen nesting loons, nesting swans, deer, bears, eagles, giant snapping turtles, grouse, etc. I'm going back for fishing opener this year, ice out pending!

Wood Lake - if the wind is out of the west, drift the narrows for walleye. The island on the western side held good numbers of bass, but nothing giant. As you turn north out of the narrows, great spot for walleye along the rocks. Fishing the western bays from camp 1151 to the northern point before turning west to the portage was always productive. There are lots of sunken logs pointing straight up, I assume from old logging or tourist activities, so you can get snagged up on those from time to time. The eastern most bay is only a foot or two deep - worth seeing, but no fish. There are also some cliffs east of the narrows on the southern side that you can scramble up for beautiful views.

Hula lake has hammer handle pike and is very shallow so we cruise through.

Good has plenty of fishing options. It gets quite deep and jigging has produced a couple of much larger than expected fish. We've done well on crappies in the narrows. The lake also fishes well along the shores. Love the campsite on the rocks in the narrows!

Indiana has stunningly clear water. Good bass options but watch the waters closely...the large northerns look like small gators! It is in a bowl so while you dodge most of the wind, the bugs are thick.

Here is the view from above site 1151 - agree, excellent spot and we enjoy a lunch or two up there whenever we can.

Last July we stayed at the narrows site on Good for a few mid week nights. We did a loop from Good into Indiana-Wind Bay-Squirrel Island- Hoist Bay- Good Creek in a day, with a late start. It made for a great basecamp to explore that particular area and we didn't hear any of the boat traffic from Basswood. Indiana has some good sites as well. Water was low and it made the portage from Indiana to Wind Bay along with Good Creek from Hoist Bay a bit tricky.

Kendis: "

bottomtothetap: "When we entered at Wood Lake we stayed on the island site on Basswood's Wind Bay (#1656) "

I visited this campsite in July 2018 and was unable to find the latrine. Ironically on a mildly windy day there was no wind that reached the campsite in Wind Bay. Bugs were crazy bad. We stopped for 5 minutes at the landing to eat lunch and then moved on to the sites farther north in Basswood.


"

I definately found the latrine! The view is nice and I remember doing some deep thinking while I was, errr..."taking in the view"!

As far as Good Creek in mid August- the one time I went through there on a day trip from Good at that time of year it was full of wild rice towards the Basswood end and nearly impassable. My son and I returned from Basswood to our camp on Good by the portage instead of fighting through the rice again.



I have other info on Wood/Good/Indiana in my trip report from 2019 as well if you want to check it out.

Oops double post

naturboy12: "As far as Good Creek in mid August- the one time I went through there on a day trip from Good at that time of year it was full of wild rice towards the Basswood end and nearly impassable. My son and I returned from Basswood to our camp on Good by the portage instead of fighting through the rice again.



I have other info on Wood/Good/Indiana in my trip report from 2019 as well if you want to check it out. "

Nice report, thanks. I'm planning on staying on Good and making a daytrip up to Hoist Bay. My thought was the creek would be easier than 2 portages, even if it is only a canoe and fishing gear. I think if there is ample rain this summer I will give it a shot. Just have to wait and see. I have a fair idea of the portages and lakes up to Good, thanks to the BWCAwild videos on Utube. Has your son been back up yet ?

Bearpath9: "

naturboy12: "As far as Good Creek in mid August- the one time I went through there on a day trip from Good at that time of year it was full of wild rice towards the Basswood end and nearly impassable. My son and I returned from Basswood to our camp on Good by the portage instead of fighting through the rice again.





I have other info on Wood/Good/Indiana in my trip report from 2019 as well if you want to check it out. "

Nice report, thanks. I'm planning on staying on Good and making a daytrip up to Hoist Bay. My thought was the creek would be easier than 2 portages, even if it is only a canoe and fishing gear. I think if there is ample rain this summer I will give it a shot. Just have to wait and see. I have a fair idea of the portages and lakes up to Good, thanks to the BWCAwild videos on Utube. Has your son been back up yet ?"

He has- we did BW in 2020 and Sylvania in 2021. He'll be back with me to BW again this summer as well. It's crazy how much he's changed since that trip only a few short years ago.

Glad to hear that. I started taking my grandson in 2019, but he stopped going. I think that a drivers license had something to do with that, along with the corrupting influence of "glamping" with his family in their 35 foot trailer. I still ask him though.

YetiJedi: "Hey Charlie,


I'm going to assume you are looking for Basswood tips and info...I'm no help there. If you are looking for intel on Wood, Good, or Indiana then I'd be happy to share my perspective on those lakes."

Yo, I am interested. I am going in with a buddy and his son. We plan on base camping on Wood. We went there for a trip pre-pandemic and they liked how easy the walleye were to catch. My kids and I loved Good Lake but our partners had trouble catching fish there.

So this year, my kids aren't going so the plan is basecamp on Wood. I think I have a good plan for walleye and smallmouth but I will be mainly targeting northerns, hoping to finally catch a big one.