Refreshed my screen starting at about 8:55, got into the availability when the clock still said 9:00 and the Little Gabbro EP had no permits available at all for the months of May and June. Do outfitters snatch these up before the sale? Feels like a mirage or that a rug was pulled out. I know it's only 1.5 permits per day but goodness.

Always fill fast, especially now with the reduction to 1.5/day last year.

I looked at 9:18 am and saw that it was filled May 15 - September 15.

I got one for LG at 0903, and noticed there were already a bunch gone. Mine was for July

Those 1.5s and every other day permits go fast!

Yeah you just need to CTR F and search for Gabbro quick. I was able to get one for September.

I got one for Sept 6th. Had to be quick. Just checked and there is one permit for late in the season and some for early May left.

Last year I had to keep watch for cancelations and did get a September permit for Little Gabbro later in the year.

HayRiverDrifter: "I got one for Sept 6th. Had to be quick. Just checked and there is one permit for late in the season and some for early May left.


Last year I had to keep watch for cancelations and did get a September permit for Little Gabbro later in the year."

Yeah people drop permits all the time, I didn't have anything going on this past year for Labor Day weekend and I was able to find a Little Gabbro permit a few weeks before that someone dropped.

You could always just book Snake River or South Kawishiwi. It gets you into the same lakes.

Yeah this EP goes incredibly quickly every year. I got a LG permit for late September for a solo trip and I think that was the only one available for basically the whole year.

For what it is worth- I got one for Ram Lake for Trout opener right at 9:00 am on the dot, and by the time I booked that permit and refreshed just a few minutes, they were sold out for weeks!

The Snake River is a fun way to get into this area. Empties into Bald Eagle then is steps to Gabbro. Tho I would recommend doing the Gull -Pietro- Clearwater-Turtle loop over hanging out on Gabbro. Personal preference. You can also take the Little Isabella River into that area. One year we put in on Little Isabella then took out at Snake, then it’s a short hike back to your car to the Little Isabella EP. No clue if those permits are open tho, I haven’t looked.

Thanks all. Didn't mean to be a whiner but just seemed like a smokescreen. I've got some physical impairments in my group so we want the easiest possible route with the best fishing opportunities. We have another Lake as plan B but we keep dreaming about Gabbro. One day!

If that’s the case then Little Gabbro is the ideal EP. That’s where I started my son at, first trip we base camped on Gabbro. After that we started doing loop trips. The portage into Little Gabbro is relatively easy, it might be a tad long in some people’s mind, 190 rods, but it’s wide, smooth and has a very gentle grade. Hope you can get in there sometime. Other options might be Sawbill or Kawishiwi, which don’t have a portage at all, the EP is at the lake. And there are others with no portage I haven’t tried yet, hopefully you can get one of these. Also, you might want to keep checking on Little Gabbro regularly, as was mentioned people do cancel their permits and a spot opens up.

Good Luck! scat

I tried to get a Little Gabbro for mid August at 9:03 and they were all gone. I had given up hope but one appeared a while later for the end of August and I got it.

One thing to consider with some of these limited and popular entries, when 9am rolls around, there are groups with multiple folks clicking away trying to secure preferred dates. So right away at 9am folks stuff available days into carts, then dial plans in a bit. Some carted permits get rereleased. So checking at 9:20 might be better than 9:03 for some entries.

LBtross: "One thing to consider with some of these limited and popular entries, when 9am rolls around, there are groups with multiple folks clicking away trying to secure preferred dates. So right away at 9am folks stuff available days into carts, then dial plans in a bit. Some carted permits get rereleased. So checking at 9:20 might be better than 9:03 for some entries. "

THIS is a brilliant analysis. Hadn't thought of it that way before.

October is what dreams are made of

PaddleBoi: "October is what dreams are made of"

So true. Last fall I did a spur of the moment trip Halloween weekend. I had it narrowed down to 3 EP and made my final decision on the drive up to Ely

Almost went to Gabbro because it’s so hard to get a permit and it’s been around 15 years since I was there. But in the end I went to Slim because I’d never been there.

I guess it's possible. Scored a Little Gabro permit mid Sept, randomly at 9:08am on Tuedsay Jan 26th.

What's with all they hype on this EP? Is is just spoken about because of the 1 daily limit? Is it exceptionally easy access with decent fishing?

I've been wanting to make a BWCA trip for years. I've fished all over this country and beyond, just haven't made it to BWCA even though its 3 hours away.. funny how that works.

The trip planning obsession begins.

Snowbank EP 27 Memorial day weekend
Little Gabro EP 33 mid Sept

Excited to spend some quality time up in nature with Walter & Bronzeback.
Sept Will be my wife's first trip to BWCA. I'll be going solo in late May.

Any suggestions?!
Good luck all

Cabin fever kicks in a little harder now....

FishingFanatic33:


What's with all they hype on this EP? Is is just spoken about because of the 1 daily limit? Is it exceptionally easy access with decent fishing?


I've been wanting to make a BWCA trip for years. I've fished all over this country and beyond, just haven't made it to BWCA even though its 3 hours away.. funny how that works.


The trip planning obsession begins.


Snowbank EP 27 Memorial day weekend
Little Gabro EP 33 mid Sept




Any suggestions?!
Good luck all


Cabin fever kicks in a little harder now.... "

I think yes and yes to your questions about Little Gabbro. Very limited number of permits for an easy place to get to with a reputation for good fishing. My wife and I went to Little Gabbro about 15 years ago and when we picked up our permit and canoe the outfitter marked our map, he said Gabbro was the Ely food shelf because so many locals go there for daytrips to fish.

Have a great time planning and good luck on your trips.

Ironically, my first 2 trips were to Snowbank and Little Gabbro. Except they were about 15 years apart and you only have to wait 4 months for the 2nd trip. I went with buddies to Snowbank during college and didn't return until the trip to Little Gabbro with my wife. The 2nd trip really hooked me and I haven't missed a year since and have been going multiple times a year for a while now.

Little Gabbro permits filled up fast, but that entry isn't very "exclusive" as entries go. What I mean is, someone can pull South Kawishiwi or the Snake River and basically end up the same place with slightly more work. It's a bummer to not get your first choice, especially if physical ailments or group ages/dynamics make portaging tough. But of all the permits to miss out on, missing Little Gabbro doesn't seem to even keep someone from going to their lakes of choice? There are definitely entry points that, if missed, totally change the route like Brandt, Hog Creek, Kawishiwi Lake, Skipper/Portage, or the Lima Grade. But for most other entries, having to change to a nearby/less popular entry doesn't change the trip a whole lot. Sure it might add a difficult portage (Angleworm/ S Hegman instead of Mudro or Meeds instead of Lizz/Swamp) or it might cause you to have to go through a few extra lakes before reaching your destination (Baker instead of Sawbill, Homer instead of Brule, or the Stuart River instead of Moose River North.) But it sure feels like a high percentage of BWCA entry points have some redundancy allowing people to still get the lakes they want while fulfilling the permits' purpose of spreading groups out. At the end of the day, that's all that full permits mean: that the permit system is at least fairly successfully spreading groups out across the wilderness.

And as for permits going fast, I'm just glad there's no permit raffle anymore. I'll take the race on opening day over a raffle any day. Still feels weird that Moose/Lake One/Fall didn't take much of any permit cuts last year though....

Managed to get an early July Little Gabbro permit right at 9 am. But I knew it was going to be highly sought after to I made sure I was quick on the draw.

Last year my daughter kept at it and found a permit for Gabbro that had been dropped back in the bin. She loved it.

Why not add a couple permits to these points and subtract one or 2 from less popular points.

TreeBear: "Little Gabbro permits filled up fast, but that entry isn't very "exclusive" as entries go. What I mean is, someone can pull South Kawishiwi or the Snake River and basically end up the same place with slightly more work. It's a bummer to not get your first choice, especially if physical ailments or group ages/dynamics make portaging tough. But of all the permits to miss out on, missing Little Gabbro doesn't seem to even keep someone from going to their lakes of choice? There are definitely entry points that, if missed, totally change the route like Brandt, Hog Creek, Kawishiwi Lake, Skipper/Portage, or the Lima Grade. But for most other entries, having to change to a nearby/less popular entry doesn't change the trip a whole lot. Sure it might add a difficult portage (Angleworm/ S Hegman instead of Mudro or Meeds instead of Lizz/Swamp) or it might cause you to have to go through a few extra lakes before reaching your destination (Baker instead of Sawbill, Homer instead of Brule, or the Stuart River instead of Moose River North.) But it sure feels like a high percentage of BWCA entry points have some redundancy allowing people to still get the lakes they want while fulfilling the permits' purpose of spreading groups out. At the end of the day, that's all that full permits mean: that the permit system is at least fairly successfully spreading groups out across the wilderness.

And as for permits going fast, I'm just glad there's no permit raffle anymore. I'll take the race on opening day over a raffle any day. Still feels weird that Moose/Lake One/Fall didn't take much of any permit cuts last year though...."

THIS is a perfect take! Nicely stated.

scat: "The Snake River is a fun way to get into this area. Empties into Bald Eagle then is steps to Gabbro. Tho I would recommend doing the Gull -Pietro- Clearwater-Turtle loop over hanging out on Gabbro. Personal preference. You can also take the Little Isabella River into that area. One year we put in on Little Isabella then took out at Snake, then it’s a short hike back to your car to the Little Isabella EP. No clue if those permits are open tho, I haven’t looked."

That is exactly what I do. Some years the snake may be a little low coming out.

Outfitters have the system down on how to get the permits fast. Also Little gabbro is one of the first to go.

It seems lot more interest in canoeing and younger groups coming back to the sport.

Harv: "Why not add a couple permits to these points and subtract one or 2 from less popular points. "

Further concentrate demand for campsites into smaller areas? Uh, no.

Taking four first timers in mid-June including my young kids thinking Little Gabbro would be an easy way to introduce them all to the BWCA with minimal portaging and avoid the big water. Logged in at 9 am and got Little Gabbro entry for the date we were planning. I go in multiple times a year but never to this area, apparently, I should feel fortunate to have gotten this permit. I know it's only a 1.5 per day entry but didn't realize it was so highly desired. In the past when I used outfitters, I would usually end up with the third choice or other EP I had not requested (which is fine, always fun to explore new areas) but since I began using the permit system myself, I've had no problems.