I am new to this group and new to BW/Q. I am planning a first trip, for a week to 10 days, mid July to mid August. I would like to set up a camp and do day trips to fish. Also interested in petrographs or historical interests. Any recommendations or good experiences to share with me?

Welcome to bwca.com!

Look at routes that incorporate the large border lakes (Crooked, Iron, Knife etc.) as they typically provide the best fishing.

Here's one trip that offers what you're lookung for but the Trease-Angleworm portage is brutal. You could access the same area through Mudro Lake entry point - but, those permits disappear fast.

Bowgal: "I am new to this group and new to BW/Q. I am planning a first trip, for a week to 10 days, mid July to mid August. I would like to set up a camp and do day trips to fish. Also interested in petrographs or historical interests. Any recommendations or good experiences to share with me?"

Welcome to the forum! I am sure you will get many suggestions, and I do want to add that if you see one that you like, make sure to check permit availability asap as the time you are looking at is incredibly busy.

You will need to do this at the Recreation.gov site. Best wishes in your planning! Recreation.gov

10 days is a long trip for your 1st time, unless you have done something like this before. Just a thought.

Bowgal - Welcome, indeed!

I'm going to suggest an entry at Moose River North and travel through Lake Agnes and into Boulder Bay and greater Lac La Croix. A marvelous area to explore without any further portaging, a great fishery, and some world class pictographs.

Your major trouble might be nabbing a Moose River permit in 2023. All dates from May 10th - Sept 18th are currently completely booked. You'd need to hope for a cancellation.

Given permit issues, consider EP 37, Kawishiwi Lake. Trip to Malberg can be done in a day but sometimes newcomers take 2 to get used to portaging efficiently. Set up camp there and you can daytrip in many directions. The fishdance lake pictographs can be done in a day trip.

Our first trip was about 10 days. While we were new to canoe camping we were experienced wilderness campers and had done longer trips than that. It was great.

If you are interested in pictographs, here is an old thread with many recommendations. You may find others by using this site's search function. Also, there are outstanding pictographs on Agnes Lake in Quetico.
Pictograph thread from 2017

There's hardly a bad EP out there. Almost all area's have some level of cool feature to explore, lakes that are better for fishing, etc...

I would nail down a potential date and then check availability of permits, as alot are taken already. Once you have a few identified as options, it would be easier to comment on specifics of those areas.

Thanks for your ideas. Seems like available permits will shape the trip!

Basswood Falls region would be another good choice, you have several options for entry points and you could basecamp east of there and make several day trips. Excellent petroglyphs, stunning scenery, etc.

Take the number lakes to Insula. Lots of day trip options and pictographs on fishdance lake. not as good as some other pictographs but if you google pictos on fishdance it will show you what is there. I recommend Furtmans book Magic on the rocks for history and locations of other sites.

tony

Welcome & congrats on planning your first trip!

It sounds like you want to basecamp at one location, perhaps with a 'bridge camp' on the way in & out? How experienced is your group/how far are you anticipating traveling to reach your basecamp?

That time of year, smallmouth & lesser pike will be active - bring some top water lures for a fun show :).

Without knowing more details & running with some assumptions, I'd consider Ashigan Lake or Vera Lake. It won't fulfill your pictographs though it will provide good fishing & day trip access + you can likely reach either in one day without a tow (though you may consider a tow to Splash Portage to save a few hours of paddling). From Vera, Knife Lake is very convenient & you could probably day trip to Thunder Point. Ashigan Lake is fairly easy to get to though many folks going that way either stay on Ensign or continue on past Ashigan & Ashigan has nice smallmouth fishing (~NE campsite has a nice ledge to fish while wading & the middle/north campsite has a neat setup with the main camp high above the water). If you go the Vera route, there is a PMA lake, Explorer's Lake(?) on the south side of the route to Missionary Lake which may be a neat day trip. Ashigan would be conveniently located to day trip some nearby waterfalls. Ensign lake is big & a good fishery, though it is pretty well traveled.