How's it goin', eh?

So Debbie and I have done month-long trips into Quetico the last six years running, and we love the place! We have our kit sussed to the ultimate balance of luxury vs weight, we have our favourite campsites marked, new lakes to explore, and man, do we know how to catch fish! We have way more fishing success these days than I ever had in the 90s.

We really hate the burn zones. They are incredibly inhospitable. Any campsite that was torched during the big fires in 2021 remains unusable. The portages through these areas are gross and difficult.

We have heard nothing but good things about Woodland Caribou Provincial Park, way up in the Great White North. Fishing as good as or better than Quetico, short portages, and almost deserted.

What concerns me about going there for a month or so are the burns. Has anyone been there post-2021? How bad is it? Do the remote benefits and [alleged] better fishing of Woodland Caribou outweigh the beauty and convenience of Quetico?

Talk us into going to Woodland Caribou!

Cheers, eh?
"Pass the Pitons" Pete and Debbie Double D's

Edit:

Crap. Is there a WCPP sub forum here somewhere? I can't find it. Maybe I am as stupid as I look? Could some moderator please move this to the correct spot, and tick the box for me to subscribe so I know when someone replies?

Thanks, eh?

there are a bunch of youtube channels that have explored that area. from the ones i have watched (not that many) it seems the park was pretty devastated by fire.

but my vote....yes pls head there. leaves more room for me in Q. :)

Yes WCPP is pretty well burnt up, as is its neighbor in Manitoba Atikaki. It’s sad but it’s going to be some years before they recover.

I would suggest you look into Wabikimi.

We enjoyed Wabakimi much more than Woodland Caribou and had fantastic fishing.

Despite the fires, the Woodland Caribou is still a grand paddle. I've been there every year, save 2, since 1989...sometimes returning for a second summer trip: each bringing a new sense of place for this land. Our most recent paddle/August '25 was full of bright colors/flowers, grasses turning into late summer-early fall browns, a tint of early fall aspen leaves yellow. Yes, it is not the mature jack pine forest of the past, the open portages through long stands of aspen/a tad of birch, then needle covered trails but the map still invites one to the next lakes, fetches down narrow lakes, sand beaches, wild rice beds, and that "...too silent to be real" moment. The fire opened up ridges to climb, exposed glacier erratics that stopped 100s of meters above the lakes, and new paths to reach cliffs that give great geography of Aegean Creek, Wrist/Welking Lakes, the Oiseau River, and that swampy trail that you passed through yesterday. Fishing is still good/lake trout seem to hang close rock walls, follow schools of bait, snatch lures trolled behind the canoe while passing through a lake. Northerns, walleyes still hang out in the usual lake topography...insect hatches spur the fish upward to several days of unreal fishing...but realize that those cold fronts/harsh northerly winds make the lakes seem fishless...Shade is a premium as most shoreline vegetation is gone...the favoriet camps often have burnt, hammock hanging is tough in areas, star watching is enhanced in the fire landscaped, setting the tent up gives challenges but nights of wild winds/thunder/rain like on South Aegean build some confidence as we slept thru the blow up/BUT it was kind of similar to some rain/sleet storms that showed up before the fire landscape. We've had some great fishing in the Quetico, great fishing in the Woodland...we bring a small plastic box of raps/a few spinner/some jigs...our biggest fish have been on the smallest baits/all barbless and now single hooks...Please realize we/wife, our labrador, and myself aren't great at fishing...but enjoy the hours on the lake/the mystery from below us/and the challenge of landing a fish. With the fire, portages get marked with blowdown trees, grasses/with more sunlight will grow higher, hiding the route and alder brush flourishes along some boggy trails. The park staff does a good job of working on the trails/has been honest in telling what is really tough: but the wind blows wild on those shores/expect to saw downfall, slide your canoe over some recent jackpine tip overs. My wife and I have written some past trip reports on this sites WCP section/including our first trip after the fire...ask any questions...enjoy wherever you paddle.

Thanks Old Zip!

Could you please post link[s] here to your most recent post-fire trip report[s]?

Cheers, eh?
PtPP

here is one trip/2021: https://bwca.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=forum.thread&threadId=1269243&forumID=292&confID=1&vt=1635779849

Trip report from previous post.

Pete good to see you are still alive and kicking since your disappearance from FB.

I have not been to THE Woodland Caribou in person, only via Youtube, so I don't have a lot of info to offer.

You should check out this video by Northern Scavenger, as it is fairly recent (1yr) and may give you an idea of what to expect.

Northern Scavenger Video

Noah is a great content creator that can make anything look spectacular and easy. In his most recent video he leads his crew through a portage over a mountain. Might be up your alley. Check that one out too if you have the time, breathtaking!

Hahaha! Thanks for checking in.


FB sent me an email out of the blue saying I had violated community standards, but not saying what or how. There was a link to click to fix it if I thought it was made an error, which I did. Much to my surprise upon clicking, there was still no reason given, let alone being offered the ability to explain.


10 minutes later I got an email from them telling me that my account had been permanently disabled and I had no further recourse. Since this time I have had to figure out what to do with the extra two or three new hours every day in my life!


Thanks for the trip report link and I will check it out for sure

Hello Pete, you crazy Canadian! Hope all is well. I enjoyed the unplanned time we all spent on Wink last year. Tell Debbie hello, I hope she is also doing well. I know Gretchen has talked to you all a bit, she is a lot better than me at staying in touch. What kind of crazy climbing sh-t have you been up to? I hope you all have a great summer. Oh, Wabakimi! And, yes, there is both a Woodland Caribou and a Wabakimi forum. Take care, eh?
Mark

Hey buddy,

Good to hear from you. Thanks again for sharing your campsite, and letting Debbie catch the big walleyes for supper! I think we will be heading in from Stanton Bay on Walleye* Lake around Canada Day, eh?

How's about yous guys?

* Damn autocorrect. I typed Pickerel Lake. Sheesh.

I’m getting old and only turned on to Woodland Caribou late in life so the couple times I’ve been there have been short trips and we only played around the fringes. However we found it to be really refreshing after the BWCA became too crowded to enjoy and Quetico got impossible to access from the south side. I mean a couple years ago we went to probably the busiest entry point in late summer and had a beautiful relaxing week where we saw not a single other canoe. Yes the fire damage is sad but the fishing is easy and the solitude is worth it!

Screw FB, eh?!? Hosers indeed.

I have done 3 WCPP trips including one solo in ‘24.

Was able to plan a trip where I travelled through burn most days but always camped in an unburned area. Great fishing, very few people.

One consideration: my experience was that the bugs were worse in the burn areas. Ticks especially. I was there in early July and had every biting species focused on my desanguination.

You lost Debbie forever with "ticks".

Do you know The Tick Song by Brad Paisley?

passthepitonspete: "You lost Debbie forever with "ticks".

Do you know The Tick Song by Brad Paisley? "

Pete, does that mean you want me to check you for ticks?!

Hahaha!

sns: "Screw FB, eh?!? Hosers indeed.


I have done 3 WCPP trips including one solo in ‘24.


Was able to plan a trip where I travelled through burn most days but always camped in an unburned area. Great fishing, very few people.


One consideration: my experience was that the bugs were worse in the burn areas. Ticks especially. I was there in early July and had every biting species focused on my desanguination."

"Desanguination"

Never heard that one before. Are you a hematologist or are you so learned that you can just pull this big words out of your hat? :) Very perspicacious!

Argo: "

sns: "Screw FB, eh?!? Hosers indeed.



I have done 3 WCPP trips including one solo in ‘24.



Was able to plan a trip where I travelled through burn most days but always camped in an unburned area. Great fishing, very few people.



One consideration: my experience was that the bugs were worse in the burn areas. Ticks especially. I was there in early July and had every biting species focused on my desanguination."

"Desanguination"


Never heard that one before. Are you a hematologist or are you so learned that you can just pull this big words out of your hat? :) Very perspicacious!"

A fine example of a "sesquipedalian".

I can use big words too, like "asbestos" and "marmalade ".

Argo: ""Desanguination"

Never heard that one before. Are you a hematologist or are you so learned that you can just pull this big words out of your hat? :) Very perspicacious!"

I done learnt it from my wife.