Since the Cardinals are done playing baseball for the year, it must be time to plan next years trip. We are a group of four guys, all in our 60's and in good shape for our age. We are considering two routes for the first week in August. Our preferences are solitude, fishing and smaller lakes. We like to fish for walleye and small mouth bass. I know we will catch pike no matter where we are. This trip I would like to fish for lake trout as well and intend to take my depth finder with us to aid in that endeavor. One route we are considering is entering at French Lake and going down to Buckingham through Pickerel and Rawn Lakes. The second route would be entering at Stanton Bay and going down to Sturgeon and Olifaunt via Pine Portage, Dore, Twin Lakes in one direction and Pickerel River, Fern, Bud, Bed and Bisk Lakes in the other direction. We would like to make it a one week trip and have a couple of layover days. If we do the trip to Sturgeon, is it best to do it in a clockwise or counter clockwise direction in early August? Last year we did the Geezer's Passage (in at Beaverhouse, out at Stanton Bay via Quetico, Jesse and Maria and it was the perfect amount of canoeing, portaging and fishing for our group. Any input would be appreciated.

Bill

If you're looking for excellent smallie, walleye, and laker fishing, I'd use Stanton Bay and head for Antoine via Pine Portage. Spend two nights there and you'll catch the grand slam, even in August....then make your return through the B Chain....

If doing B lakes remember the flow is "downhill" from Pickerel towards Olifaunt. (Pickerel is elevation 407m, Olifaunt is 379m.) Fish below each run in. I've had better luck on the Bs than Rawn/Buckingham. Lots of undersized SMB on B'ham were fun tho. Love the B lakes as much as any part of Q. --Goose

I have done the B chain route just this year with my wife in late August. The portage from Fern to Olifaunt is hard no matter which way you do it as it is up hill from either end you start at and then you're on top of the hill and then going down the hill. Yes it is a long portage at 990 yards. Most of the other portages are nothing compared to this one. As for Deuxs Rivieres that was another fun portage on the one beaver dam as there is not much of a dam to stand on to get the canoe up an over it. I had my wife stand on a large floating log and use a couple of long sticks as hiking poles to steady herself on it. Plus the river is very low in the lower 1/3 of it so we bottomed out several times. Most of the time in that section we had to scull with our paddles as the water was so shallow.

I did the Stanton Bay to B chain to Sturgeon route this past July. Scenic water falls, good fishing and solitude, maybe because that Fern to Olifaunt portage is a long one. It was a great trip and a route I'd do again. If you use that Olifaunt portage, look for the set of maps in a ziplock that we dropped somewhere on the trail!

Thanks for the replies. It looks like we will be going into Sturgeon and Olifaunt and will definitely hit Antoine. Are there any good campsites on Antoine? The McKenzie maps don't show any. - Bill

The portage from Sturgeon over to Olifaunt is an easy one. Flat with just a couple of muddy spots to it.

quote Sylbill: "Are there any good campsites on Antoine? The McKenzie maps don't show any. - Bill"

There are at least two. Both 3/4 star ratings. May be others that are not rated. Source: "p@dl pl@nr" website/map tool.)
--Goose

yup....one each on the two smaller east islands

yup....one each on the two smaller east islands

Three times on Rawn... I love the lake for Walleye and Bass and supposedly there are trout but we have yet to catch one there! Did get a Quetico slam this year on Art in about 3 hours of fishing, but no size to any of them.