New Trip Report posted by Beemer01

Trip Name: Fishing on thin ice....Spring 2010.

Entry Point: 60

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Looks like an amazing time. That set up must have cost a small fortune and taken some serious team work to put up. I give it 2 thumbs up!

Going again this year? Maybe Feburary? Good report, it sounds like a lot of fun mixed in with the hard work.

Big Tent - I doubt it. Our Guide and outfitter (Vikinfan) is in a multi year residency so this may have been his last BWCA ice fishing trip for a little while.

And yes - there was a LOT of gear!

Cool trip report. Enjoyed the photos and video you provided. That flag pole was pretty frickin awesome, lol. I also enjoyed the giant fishing hole you created, that would be entertaining to watch the lakers grab your bait like that. Also enjoyed the pics of your group dragging sleds across dry ground. Haha.

You told your story well. Thanks for sharing.

Ps. Where can I get a leather coozie like that? Those are awesome.

One of our talented BWCA.com members Dicecupmaker makes them - and yes they are very customized and very very cool.

Those ice contracting and expanding noises really unnerved me the time I tented on a frozen lake. I don’t think I will ever do it again because of lack of sleep. Thanks for your report.

Yeah - 18" ice cracking directly under your bunk at 3AM is a compelling alternative to coffee in terms of waking you up!

Awesome trip report. I really liked the pictures too. Just curious though, it says you went in at Duncan Lake, is that also where you stayed and fished? I am heading into Duncan in March this year, probably bound for Rose...The way it looks right now, lack of snow is not going to be a problem!

Across Duncan to Bearskin via the portage. Duncan allows motors, so there are occasional sleds and 4x4 vehicles and a LOT more fishing pressure there.

One portage away and you're good.

I'm confused... Duncan is INSIDE the BWCA but motors are allowed? Bearskin is OUTSIDE of the BWCA but there is little fishing pressure? If you stayed on Bearskin why would you portage at all... there is a boat access! I must be misunderstanding something...

Oops - came in on Bearskin and fished on Duncan. (I may have mentioned that I'm directionally challenged - esp if someone else has done the planning)

I think beemer has you confused wetlander because he has his lakes mixed up. There is no access for motorized vehicles on duncan lake but there is at west bearskin lake. The only way to get to duncan, which is in the bwca (ep 60), is to come from west bearskin or from other lakes in the bwca like rose. I imagine west bearskin gets a fair amount of fishing pressure while duncan gets very little. Hope I cleared it up.

quote Beemer01: "Oops - came in on Bearskin and fished on Duncan. (I may have mentioned that I'm directionally challenged - esp if someone else has done the planning)"

...That's what I thought you meant. Glad to see that there are fish to be had! Did you venture into Partridge or Rose at all?

If there was a Walleye caught, it was on Duncan!

You saw that huh? I was trying to edit my mistake before anyone notice. I mixed up a picture of a walleye I saw on a different trip report with yours... guess mix-ups happen to us all.

Did you make it into Rose or Partridge? I was thinking that Walleyes and LT on Rose would be cool or Sunnies and LT on Partridge!

Wetlander - We day tripped over to Rose and walked along side the rapids and open water that way, hiking up on the bluffs to get a view of Canada.... but we didn't auger any holes on Rose.

That was a great report!

Really enjoyed this one Beemer. Nice job. I'm sure it's a trip you will never forget.

That was really interesting. Any other year, you would have had plenty of ice in March, but last year was pretty extreme. Anyway, that's an interesting way to winter (spring) camp. Looks like a fun group, too.

Thanks for the report Beemer.

The amount of gear was immense, thankfully we only had one portage, as 18 trips were req'd to haul everything across. Three to four trips by each person.

Greg - I totally forgot about the number of trips over the portage. MUSH you Huskies!

18 trips on the way in for the group, then I, one with skis, went back to retrieve a few misc. items several times, as well a another 18 trips on the way out.

Needless to say, I have never been so well acquainted with a canoe portage and a lovely portage it is.

quote Ho Ho: "That was really interesting. Any other year, you would have had plenty of ice in March, but last year was pretty extreme. Anyway, that's an interesting way to winter (spring) camp. Looks like a fun group, too.



"

Ho Ho - As you know group chemistry is vital - Vikinfan handpicked the crew and it all worked well. In close confines like that tent poor personality fits would have been obvious quickly.

I've been involved with a number of trips organized from BWCA.com board members and without exception they have gone well.

Great report! I think that if I had a big crack under my bunk, the puddle on the floor would be more than just water!!!

quote Beemer01: "

quote Ho Ho: "That was really interesting. Any other year, you would have had plenty of ice in March, but last year was pretty extreme. Anyway, that's an interesting way to winter (spring) camp. Looks like a fun group, too.



"

Ho Ho - As you know group chemistry is vital - Vikinfan handpicked the crew and it all worked well. In close confines like that tent poor personality fits would have been obvious quickly.


I've been involved with a number of trips organized from BWCA.com board members and without exception they have gone well.


"

After watching Vikinfan haul a tree from the forest and erect a flag pole with it, we knew we had better behave, else he may have zapped our eyes out with his laser pointer. :)

Another trip element I forgot. Vikinfan brought a near industrial strength green laser - he powered it up one snowy evening and the effect was completely magicical - the laser beam arced into the sky, diffused and refracted by the falling snow flakes.

Cameras could not capture those moments.