How carefully patrolled is the fishing on crooked lake and the basswood river? Do you need both MN and ontario licenses to fish both sides or is there some type of reciprocity?

My understanding is you need an Ontario fishing license to fish in Ontario and a Quetico permit to be Quetico. If you want to get out of the canoe and step on Crown land (other than a portage) you will need a RABC permit.

My guess is the most likely official you’d encounter would be a Quetico Park ranger that would ask to see your Quetico permit.

When I do my Spring BWCA trips and my route will take me on Border Lakes within Quetico (eg Crooked) I carry the following three items with me:

Seasonal day use permit

RABC permit

Ontario fishing license

Per the season day use vehicle permit, it’s one per canoe.

I have found Quetico Park Superintendent Trevor Gibb to be pretty responsive to my questions. His email is: Trevor.Gibb@ontario.ca

For additional info see this thread and search other posts on this site.

There is absolutely no reciprocity.

Plander has good info. I’d message/call Trevor to know for sure. Canadians don’t accept ignorance of the rules and give warnings…they write expensive tickets.

Chances of getting caught are very low…patrolling is low…no sympathy if ya get pinched though.

T

No need to fish the CN side without a license... those fish swim to the US side every day.