It is time to start the June Photo Contest, as well as, Trip Report Contest.

Monthly Theme: Fishing in Canoe Country

Show us your fishing themed photos.

The winner receives their choice of a hat, shirt, or other optional prizes available each month.

Trip Report Contest: Any trip report published monthly is in the running for winning the prize.

Photo Contest winners are automatically included in a run-off for the photo of the year and the year-end prize! Thank you to Fishell Paddles for awarding the winner one of their awesome paddles!

Remember 1 entry per person, please. This helps us vote accurately.

Rules:
- You must be signed in as a member with a valid email address in your profile to enter (or win).
- You can only enter one photo per monthly contest. You can enter the same photo if it did not win with it prior.
- Photos don't need to be taken in the month of the photo contest. You can enter any photo you have taken which matches the theme.
- You must be the photographer of the photo and have the right to post it.
- Photos are entered in the contest by making a reply posting to this message and using the "Add a photo to this message" link during composition. This will allow you to upload a photo from your computer to the contest or allow you to select a photo that you have already loaded into your photo gallery on this site. If you want to enter your photo in another way, please contact us.
- Please describe in the message the location of the photo.
- Judging will be done by the www.bwca.com staff and moderators.
- A member may win once per year.
- Photos must be posted to this thread by 11:59pm on June 30th. Photos must be in jpg (jpeg) or png format and uploaded to this site.

Thank you for participating!

May 24, 2025 on Lac La Croix via EP 14
We paddled up to snow bay in 2 parts, with a stop over on loon lake At campsite 21- which was such a gorgeous site with great shore fishing.
We were thrilled to make it to snow bay, campsite 9, on a fairly windy day. Our trip was planned for my husband’s birthday, with that day falling right in the middle.
This was our first time at this entry point, and part of what drew us here was the possibility for spring lake trout.
We fished for 2 days straight, catching 20+ northern pike and 15 small mouth bass. One of the northerns was almost 40 inches.
No lake trout for us in snow bay, except potentially 1 that got off the line just before we got it to the boat.
And then! As we were paddling out to head south again, my husband decided to throw a spoon and troll while we made our way along the MN shore line of Lac La Croix…
And boom!! We catch something.. he reels, and lets line out.. and reels.. and!!
A laker! 26 inches of pure Minnesota beauty. We knew there was no guarantee of getting one, but we were hopeful all week and were so excited to see this amazing fish.
We lovingly released him back into the lake, and can’t wait for another LLC trip next spring!

Reflections on Sawbill Lake. I'm no Jim Brandenburg (RIP)

We were fishing in the ironically named “Never Fail Bay” in Lac Lacroix during the first week of June. My partner felt a small tug and began reeling. Suddenly a second strike, strong enough to turn the canoe sent the drag singing. After a lot of play, we were able to see a trophy Pike had T-boned a hammer handle Pike. It wouldn’t let go of its snack, even after we lifted both into the canoe. We eventually set both free and had a good laugh.

August 10, 2018 - Pipestone Bay - 5 Lb Pike - Spit the Hook and bounced a few times on the gunwale and then bounced into the canoe. Lucky.

Photo was taken early morning on my way out after my trip. Lake Polly, May 2025

Wednesday July, 19th 2017. We'd spent months getting everything ready for my sons' first trip to the BWCA. By the time we finally headed north, everybody was excited to be in the wilderness, enjoy nature, and catch their dinner. Day 1 was the long drive from Hudson, WI to Sawbill Outfitters. We got up early, made the drive, loaded our gear in the boats and set out to find a camp site. By that afternoon we'd paddled halfway up Sawbill, headed east on their first portage (105 rods), and found site 920. It was empty, but wasn't the best for our group. We made lunch and took a swim out to a couple islands that were just south of the site. Eventually we made our way across the lake where we found a much more suitable site 921 was empty and ready to take us in. We setup camp, had our "First Night Feast" meal, and turned in for the night. Fishing started about 6:00 the next morning. Not a ton of keepers, but it was a fun day where nobody went too long between bites. Everybody else had spent the day pulling in fish, mostly smallies and walleye, but my buddy Aiden hadn't even had a nibble. By lunch time, he was about ready to call it a day. He didn't really want to go back out after eating. Reluctantly, with a bit of encouragement from his brothers, he did. By 5:30 everybody was starting to head back to get started on dinner. Aiden's brother (Cohen) asked if we could paddle south of our site to the bay that held the next day's portage and give that shoreline a try. I was happy to oblige. By 6:00, we'd paddled to the end of the bay and were heading back to camp. Aiden decided to troll a little while Cohen and I paddled. 50 yards from camp, he got a bite. You'd have though my 12 year old son had sucked in every last bit of air out The Boundary Waters when he felt that little northern hit. "DAD!... DAD!" was all he was able to get out as he reeled in his first fish of the trip. He'd never caught a northern before, so I warned him about their teeth as he excitedly went to remove the hook. Tightly holding his fish he turned around and said "Take a picture, Dad!" .... "You bet, Bud."

This photo was taken on my son’s first trip to the BWCA this June 2025. We stayed on Duncan lake. His spin rod broke 1 hour into fishing on day 1. He landed this 18” smallie on the 5 wt. fly rod. What a fight! His first bass on the fly. The bass took a chartreuse meat whistle fly. He caught this near the stairway portage where the lake narrows in just a few feet of water. He is excited to go back!

lovely!

BolopueOutdoors: "Wednesday July, 19th 2017. We'd spent months getting everything ready for my sons' first trip to the BWCA. By the time we finally headed north, everybody was excited to be in the wilderness, enjoy nature, and catch their dinner. Day 1 was the long drive from Hudson, WI to Sawbill Outfitters. We got up early, made the drive, loaded our gear in the boats and set out to find a camp site. By that afternoon we'd paddled halfway up Sawbill, headed east on their first portage (105 rods), and found site 920. It was empty, but wasn't the best for our group. We made lunch and took a swim out to a couple islands that were just south of the site. Eventually we made our way across the lake where we found a much more suitable site 921 was empty and ready to take us in. We setup camp, had our "First Night Feast" meal, and turned in for the night. Fishing started about 6:00 the next morning. Not a ton of keepers, but it was a fun day where nobody went too long between bites. Everybody else had spent the day pulling in fish, mostly smallies and walleye, but my buddy Aiden hadn't even had a nibble. By lunch time, he was about ready to call it a day. He didn't really want to go back out after eating. Reluctantly, with a bit of encouragement from his brothers, he did. By 5:30 everybody was starting to head back to get started on dinner. Aiden's brother (Cohen) asked if we could paddle south of our site to the bay that held the next day's portage and give that shoreline a try. I was happy to oblige. By 6:00, we'd paddled to the end of the bay and were heading back to camp. Aiden decided to troll a little while Cohen and I paddled. 50 yards from camp, he got a bite. You'd have though my 12 year old son had sucked in every last bit of air out The Boundary Waters when he felt that little northern hit. "DAD!... DAD!" was all he was able to get out as he reeled in his first fish of the trip. He'd never caught a northern before, so I warned him about their teeth as he excitedly went to remove the hook. Tightly holding his fish he turned around and said "Take a picture, Dad!" .... "You bet, Bud."


"

THIS is why we go to the BWCA! Those stories--these memories, formed with family, friends and loved ones! Congrats!

Smallie caught on crawdad fly jig on 8 wt fly rod. Curtain Falls, Saturday June 7, 2025. EP 19, 5 day trip.

Sons first trip. Last night on Agnes. He wanted to hand me the rod when it did its first run. I said nope...I gotta maneuver this canoe. Towed him around a while. No net....I had to land by hand. Quick Pic along the bank and off she swam. 24 years ago....sigh.

Omnivores-R-Us: we eat anything

West side of Quetico, May 2025

This is my 9 yr olds first trip into the BWCA. I always have a photo of a trip. This is the one for this trip and will long live in my memory of what a great trip we had. Taken at the eastern most site on South Lake.

We had great fishing for 6 days on Ensign. We got to our portage site over an hour early. We took advantage of fishing for 45+ minutes or so on Splash. Ended up being a highly productive opportunity to try a new lake.

Three of us all caught 19"+ smallmouth and largemouth. A dozen fish for me in the 45 minutes spree.

One of my favorite moments I've been able to capture while in the BW. My friend in this photo had no idea I was taking this picture, but did agree that I could post it here to show. SO FOCUSED!

Picture taken in 2019 near the infamous portage below Curtain Falls on Iron Lake.

Picture is of my fiancée with a limit of lakers we caught on Fern on Sunday, 6/8/25.

Still a favorite 10 years later! This was a bass my son caught on a portage off the Kawishiwi River. After helping portage he’d always take a couple casts while we loaded back up.