On our trip in August we’re going to paddle from Broken Arrow Lake in the west to Red Lake in the east. We’re going to be 27 days so we’re obviously in no rush. But I would like to get some feedback if anyone has it to offer. Once we get to Royd Lake we have two possibilities for getting over to Indian House. Either go via Constellation Lake and hook up with the Minjim route or dip down into Gammon and east through Upper Gammon and Prairie Lake. Looking at the map I can see advantages and disadvantages for both routes. I suspect the Minjim route is less frequented but I’m also guessing that in low water there could be some serious dragging and slogging. Also, it appears that there’s no Walleye along the Minjim corridor though I have no idea what’s swimming around in Lightning Lake. Most of our route starting in Broken Arrow is Lake Trout waters so we’d like to snag some Walleye where possible. The Gammon Lake route I’m guessing will have lodge traffic which is kind of a drag and I’d like to avoid it but at the same time, until Upper Gammon it looks to be clear sailing and there are Walleye. It looks like there could also be low water issues east of Upper Gammon Lake. Has anyone done these routes who could tell me which, in mid August is the more realistic? Naturally I’ll check with Harlan but other feedback is most welcome.
Only two more weeks!

quote KerryG: "On our trip in August we’re going to paddle from Broken Arrow Lake in the west to Red Lake in the east. We’re going to be 27 days so we’re obviously in no rush. But I would like to get some feedback if anyone has it to offer. Once we get to Royd Lake we have two possibilities for getting over to Indian House. Either go via Constellation Lake and hook up with the Minjim route or dip down into Gammon and east through Upper Gammon and Prairie Lake. Looking at the map I can see advantages and disadvantages for both routes. I suspect the Minjim route is less frequented but I’m also guessing that in low water there could be some serious dragging and slogging. Also, it appears that there’s no Walleye along the Minjim corridor though I have no idea what’s swimming around in Lightning Lake. Most of our route starting in Broken Arrow is Lake Trout waters so we’d like to snag some Walleye where possible. The Gammon Lake route I’m guessing will have lodge traffic which is kind of a drag and I’d like to avoid it but at the same time, until Upper Gammon it looks to be clear sailing and there are Walleye. It looks like there could also be low water issues east of Upper Gammon Lake. Has anyone done these routes who could tell me which, in mid August is the more realistic? Naturally I’ll check with Harlan but other feedback is most welcome.
Only two more weeks!
"

I might be able to give you some information when I get back from my trip. I will hopefully meet up with nctry and MP around Poodle or Lightning and head to Indian House via North Prairie and back out Lund. There are a lot of "ifs" in there for my trip but I know that my paddle partners will definitely be going through there.

As a corollary to the discussion, is there an information source on lake surveys for WCPP? I was hoping for lakers but don't want to hijack the discussion.

Your trip sounds great though and I'm certainly envious.

I'm not sure what you mean by a lake survey exactly but there is this if it helps:
Lakes 'n Fins
Have a fantastic trip and, yes, I'd be really interested in what you find if you end up heading via MinJim to Indian House.

As far as lodges and motor boats go I paddled part of the Gammon a couple years ago as I came in through Onnie and traveled to the Hansen/Glenn area. There were small lodges on the larger lakes with some people fishing in motor boats.

While it would have been nicer if they hadn't been there I didn't find it to be all that intrusive. They're just little 15 and 16' aluminum fishing boats with small outboards. There weren't many of them and most were only seen at a distance. Everyone seemed to be polite.

Alan

My intel says there are walleye on Poodle Lake, just north of the Minjim route, and Joey Lake, on Minjim just east of Lightening.

Yeah, I was looking at an old trip report of Marten's from 2011 when he went through there and he said Joey was teeming with Walleye. After looking over that trip report I'm feeling inclined to try the MinJim route. We're getting all our dehydrated food laid out on the dining room table. It won't be long now!

Be prepared to drag your canoe on the MinJim route if the water is low or the beavers have been busy.

Scot

quote KerryG: "Yeah, I was looking at an old trip report of Marten's from 2011 when he went through there and he said Joey was teeming with Walleye. After looking over that trip report I'm feeling inclined to try the MinJim route. We're getting all our dehydrated food laid out on the dining room table. It won't be long now!"

This evening, I'm finally in a location where I have decent internet access. For the past week, I've only been able to get internet access through my cell phone ... not wifi, so I've been somewhat limited in terms of what I could respond to. I'll be back at home station by tomorrow evening to jump, full swing, into my final trip prep.

I too have read Martin's 2011 trip report of teaming walleye on Joey. This evening, I was re-reading his 2010 trip report where he went in Minjim solo to meet a group and then come back out the same way. On that trip he mentions a camping stop west of "High Camp" Lake and a 300 meter portage into Joey. The only lake that seems to fit this description is the lake NNE of Joey Lake. Martin had walleye during his stay there. This gives at least partial confirmation that walleye exist in waters surrounding Joey Lake. I guess the real question is "Does Lightning Lake have walleye." I find no information on that, but I think the possibilities are promising. It lies between Joey and Poodle, both of which have walleye. There are also two closely spaced campsites on Lightning, further indication that there might be a reason for stopping there ... maybe its fishing.

BTW: I also read other trip reports that confirm Lake Trout on Constellation Lake, but no indication of walleye.

Any rough estimate as to when you might reach Royd Lake? I'll keep an eye out for you if you're around in the Aug 12-13 window.

dd

Knowing a little about both routes, and seeing that you are looking for a good walleye feed, I would be inclined to tackle the Minjim route. It has been reestablished after much scouting from Marten. Make sure you get the most updated information from the park office.
We recently had a party get lost at the east end of the Minjim attempting to reach North Prairie Lake. Portages were cut to bypass some shallows in this area and if you don't know where they are located, you may be joining the lost party. The current park map does not show the portage details and a map hand out can be obtained from the office.
Keep in mind that this route is not well traveled and foot path not well established yet. You will need to rely on blazes in the trees to follow the trail in some places.
Great trout fishing in Constellation, walleye in Joey and Lightening.
We just recently received substantial rainfalls which will help the water levels in the smaller systems at this time of the season... and hopefully still plenty of water when August rolls in.

quote Que: "We recently had a party get lost at the east end of the Minjim attempting to reach North Prairie Lake. Portages were cut to bypass some shallows in this area and if you don't know where they are located, you may be joining the lost party. The current park map does not show the portage details and a map hand out can be obtained from the office. "

Claire -

Thanks for the confirmation about Walleye on Lightning Lake. I thought that very likely. That's good news about recent rainfall. Still, I think doing the Minjim will be an "of-the-moment" call based on water levels in mid-August.

Would this new portage be about 600 meters and lie south of the creek joining North Prairie Lake to a small no-name lake to the southwest? And does it join another creek that ultimately reaches Prairie Lake? I have bio-degradable flagging tape. Do I need to bring it along and put out a few streamers for others to follow?

Any chance you'll be in the office on Saturday, August 8th?

dd

BTW: Nice new facebook profile pic.

Thanks DD and Claire for your valuable feedback. As did you, DD, I suspected that Lightning would be part of the same lake system as Joey and have Walleye - now confirmed by Claire. I do have Martin's GPS tracking right through that route so hopefully we won't be joining "the lost tribe of MinJim." If you don't already have Martin's Garmin tracks i'm sure he wouldn't mind if I passed them on to you D.D. Let me know if you want me to send them on to you.
Meanwhile, I've been keeping an eye on the rainfall up Red Lake way and it seemed like late July was getting more precipitation. Again Claire confirms that water levels are looking good right now and hopefully by the time we're heading through there it will still be passable. I really want to do the MinJim!
DD - we may very well be in or around Royd on the 12th or 13th. Keep an eye out for a black Bell with two folks who look lost but still smiling.

Kerry

OK. I'll keep an eye peeled while I'm in the Royd area. Of course, I'll be in a solo Wenonah Prism ... skin colored. As previously mentioned, I'll be flying a Pink Flamingo beach party banner from my campsite ... if the wind is moving it, should be easy to spot.

I got the updated GPS files from Martin a little over a month ago, just to make sure I had the most recent version he had available. I believe it did include the alternate approach portage toward North Prairie.

Of course, I'll check when I get to Red Lake, but since Magicpaddler (and nctry) have a copy of my maps for the trip and will probably be trekking the Minjim back to Lund, I was just wanting to make sure they could successfully navigate that stretch.

dd

Hey folks,

Just thought I'd update you on my trip -- I'm out early--- couldn't get through the southern portage out of Murdoch. Portage was completely gone (matchstick blowdowns, obscured trail by thickets, etc.)

Had an interesting conversation with Harlan when I got out.

We scratched our heads looking at the map and talked through my attempts to wade the creek/bog trot into the bushes, scramble over the blowdowns, etc. but finally we got the definitive word from a pilot (Viking air) who wondered into the shop. The park had just sent out a crew that was cutting the 575m portage out of Murdoch that day (Tuesday).

I actually passed this tandem on the Bloodvein between Murdoch and Knox on my way back out.

While I'm thinking of it, the Knox portage is one to be avoided. The bog/mud pits that make up the first 1/3 of the trail are lined on both sides by thick forest impenetrable undergrowth and stunted pine. It's a back-breaking, ankle-twisting canoe-drag at the moment. Taking a portage pack across it is an ankle-breaking hop or knee-deep posthole that is exhausting. I think that stretch took me 2 hours to get through while the rest of the 1500m trail (about 1000m) took me 15 minutes to finish each carry.

I was throwing branches down and dragging cut logs out of the forest just to have some semblance of corduroy stepping logs for foot placement.

Anyway, everyone was probably already of this but just thought I'd let you all know...I have pics :)

So so sorry that you had to experience this. I just returned today from clearing that portage SW of Murdock. It was nasty... took 2 whole days to re-locate and clear.
The crew you met between Murdock and Knox was supposed to lay corduroy on the nasty mud trail south of Knox. I did not get a debrief from them yet but I know they encountered some challenges. I expect this fix would take a crew a couple of days of labor intensive back breaking labor... as they would have to cut logs where available and haul to and lay over the mud hole where it is needed.
We tried to look at other options for this trail end but swamp surrounds this area and all we can come up with is the need to spend a few days to create good corduroy. It is especially bad when the water levels are high as they are at now.

quote Que: "So so sorry that you had to experience this. I just returned today from clearing that portage SW of Murdock. It was nasty... took 2 whole days to re-locate and clear.
The crew you met between Murdock and Knox was supposed to lay corduroy on the nasty mud trail south of Knox. I did not get a debrief from them yet but I know they encountered some challenges. I expect this fix would take a crew a couple of days of labor intensive back breaking labor... as they would have to cut logs where available and haul to and lay over the mud hole where it is needed.
We tried to look at other options for this trail end but swamp surrounds this area and all we can come up with is the need to spend a few days to create good corduroy. It is especially bad when the water levels are high as they are at now. "

Que, No worries! Thanks for the information though and it's great to read that there's a plan to lay cordoruy in that lower Knox portage. It's a beautiful lake and that carry is not bad overall--quite a nice trail actually if you leave off the end part :) Anyway, I can appreciate the effort that one will take to sort it out. Glad to hear tha the Murdoch trail is now open and sorry to hear of the hard work it took to re-open! I thought I was just the victim of my own poor navigation skills at the time :) Wish I could have stayed in to lend a hand as well! Misery loves company as they say. Had a lovely time overall on both Murdoch and Knox and look forward to returning at some point. Cheers, HighnDry

quote Que: "So so sorry that you had to experience this. I just returned today from clearing that portage SW of Murdock. It was nasty... took 2 whole days to re-locate and clear.
The crew you met between Murdock and Knox was supposed to lay corduroy on the nasty mud trail south of Knox. I did not get a debrief from them yet but I know they encountered some challenges. I expect this fix would take a crew a couple of days of labor intensive back breaking labor... as they would have to cut logs where available and haul to and lay over the mud hole where it is needed.
We tried to look at other options for this trail end but swamp surrounds this area and all we can come up with is the need to spend a few days to create good corduroy. It is especially bad when the water levels are high as they are at now. "

Hi Claire,
Is there anything you can tell me about the current condition of the MinJim route between Constellation and North Prairie?

Sorry Kerry,
I have not received any paddlers reports... we rely so much on those to be able to pass on information. Perhaps Harlan has updates from his clients.
We are down to only 2 crews this year and we have a huge huge park to cover ... and it's been a slow trudge.
Water levels are nice.

KerryG,

Sorry for hijacking the thread. MP is out today with nctry so you may get an update from MP by the end of the weekend? I started a new thread for the two portages I reported on.

quote HighnDry: "KerryG,


Sorry for hijacking the thread. MP is out today with nctry so you may get an update from MP by the end of the weekend? I started a new thread for the two portages I reported on."

No problem and thanks for the heads up. I reckon that by the time I get to Red Lake (a week tomorrow!!) Harlan will have somebody's recent report to pass on. Hopefully anyone else who has been through there, and it sounds like there may be a few, will report in before I leave.

This was my third time on the minjim route in the last five years. Dispite the parks efforts this was the toughest I'd seen it. It is a good challenge, but there are parts that were problematic. The nile section was a little tougher to navigate with my 17 foot encounter than in the past. The nile portage is now longer, I don't know why. Joey lived up to the walleyes. Never caught walleye and Marten confirmed that there wasn't any in Poodle. The east side short portage out of high camp is followed by a slog through some swamp grass. The portage to the creek that flows to north prairie was rerouted on the end which males you have to contend with downfall we didn't have to before. Then the creek was tougher with three or four beaver dams and in some spots the alders' were completely grown in making it tough to navigate. Not a route for someone wanting to keep their feet dry. The portage going into high camp from the west has a creek to cross mid calf deep, but flowing good. I've seen it higher as the other two times were after rains in June. Campsite options are ok, but more than two tents would be tough in my opinion. I'm glad mp is a hammock guy. The route was worth it to me, but I might be a little crazy. :) One thing, in that area, if you find a campsite that will work... Take it. The park has done and is doing an incredibly good job out there. They have worked their tails off making it is as good as it is. I applaud their efforts. We had storms almost every day. Everything is / was wet. This wasn't meant to discourage you but to make you aware it's not a walk in the park. Campsites I'd stayed at such as on Irvine in the past got hammered with blow down. A good saw is a must. But boy them walleye were good.

thanks for the report, nctry. It sounds like it might be too much for my wife, which makes me wonder about going east via Gammon. It's an older, more established route, which I assume means less secluded and more motor boat traffic, at least on Gammon. Then too, heading east out of Upper Gammon looks like it could be a challenge as well. I mean if they actually mark "seasonally shallow" right on the map then I'm guessing it's going to be a slog. Boy, not sure what would be the best way to go.