Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Fishing Forum :: First post - Northern and Smallmouth routes?
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foxfireniner |
I am planning on taking my near adult kids, 18 girl and 16 boy, on a BWCA trip next year. The boy wants rugged, the girl wants easier. Either is perfect for me, I can go from 4WD to the couch effortlessly. My first pass rough plan is EP47. That looks like a smallmouth and walleye route. My problem is twofold. First, neither of these kids can finesse anything. Tried to teach them how to walk the dog with a Zara Spook and they tied it to the bumper. So I need a good route with aggressive fish like northerns and smallies. We could try to pack in leaches, slip bobber crawdads, etc. but I don't want to rely on bait. I also want to catch big northerns so that is a personal consideration. The second part is that these kids are picky eaters. My son doesn't understand that rugged camping doesn't typically involve Doritos and PopTarts. I was deployed for a number of years and I won't begrudge my wife for feeding them without a fight but it is time for me to unpamper them. I need aggressive sight feeding fish and lots of them. And which months are best in BWCA; June, July, or August? Thanks! |
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johndku |
I haven't been to a lot of lakes near your EP, I'm usually further NW, but I'd have to think all of those lakes near your EP will have a good number of SMB, and most will have northerns as well. However, I'd strongly recommend taking leeches in with you. They'll easily last a week with minimal care, and all species love them, especially the SMB. Been more than one occasion I can't get a fish interested in an artificial but they attack the leeches. Also don't think you'd have to pack in crayfish, you can catch them in most lakes in the BWCA with little effort. I haven't used them in the BWCA but I've read on this site they're highly effective. |
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Bumstead |
And, uh, please don't take the trip without PopTarts. They are one of my snack/breakfast favorites. Doritos, on the other hand, could probably still be taken, but you might as well pre-crush them and 'vacuum pack' them in a Ziploc. |
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The Great Outdoors |
foxfireniner: The leech lockers work just fine, forget the trendy Nalgene bottles some use because they save 2 square inches of space. Many places sell "Canadian Crawlers" because the vast majority of them come from Canada, which is a major industry. A crawler purchased in northern Minnesota or the Twin Cities all come from the same place unless picked locally. Best buy the Night Crawlers because trying to dig them yourself on your trip is futile. |
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johndku |
I don't want to discourage a June trip either, we've always found the bugs to be manageable, between bug dope, Thermacells, bug-houses, (we bring a NEMO Bugout shelter) and permethrin on clothing. I also agree on the Leech Locker, I've never had a problem with one. Leeches will last a week easily if you change water frequently during the day, and at night maybe tie to a tree and put the locker in the shallows. Some have had snapping turtle problems doing this, but I never have. |
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Basspro69 |
foxfireniner: "This is my first post.June would be the best and since you said they can’t finesse , a lead head with a powerbait twister tail would work well for them as well as a mepps spinner |
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Andrew100 |
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QueticoMike |
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foxfireniner |
We went camping on the Mississippi River this last weekend. I got one bite, she got dozens. So maybe later in the year will be better. Well forego some fishing success for her sake. What is it like this time of year? I was planning on taking leeches. The leech lockers have mixed reviews. I was thinking I will take a nalgene bottle with 2 lids, maybe a couple bottles. 1 to seal tight and one with little holes drilled in it for water exchange...real little. Around here we buy "Canadian crawlers" so I am guessing we can hunt worms up there? While camping? I used a red lens when I was kid. So now I'm thinking ep48. I think the 220 rod portage will make it more secluded.. I mean who wants to get in a fistfight over the southern campsite on lake Vista?? |
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naturboy12 |
Also, hunting crawlers up there won’t happen. Earthworms are not native to the area, and you won’t find much beyond leaf worms. If you want them, bring them in, and dispose of them in fish’s bellies only, or pack them back out. They have the potential to cause serious tree damage if they get a population established in those thin soils, so dumping them on ground is a big no-no. I take my first EP 47 trip in 4 more days. Watch for our fishing/trip report in a couple weeks. |
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GickFirk22 |
It stinks that your daughter is a bug magnet, have you tried treating her clothes with Permathrin? I do that every year and its seems to help considerably. I also got a Buff/neck gaiter which helps keep em off my head and neck. We go the first week of June and haven't encountered too many bugs, even this year when it went straight from winter to summer in 4 weeks... Oh, and bring the poptarts but keep it a secret until the first morning. Building in those kinds of surprises can go a long way. Bring Mio drink mix to help flavor the water and Trail Mix/Beef Jerkey for snacks. I'm with you, everything tastes great out there so I'm never picky. I'm not familiar with your route so I can't add any value there. Hope you have a blast! foxfireniner: "This is my first post. |
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inspector13 |
foxfireniner: "So now I'm thinking ep48. I think the 220 rod portage will make it more secluded.. Trust me, this is not necessarily true; and its more like 290 rods. Meeds Lake is only four short portages away from EP 47, and those 4 portages together are only about half the length of the one from Poplar to Meeds. At the end of last September, we were worried about having to move on. There are only three sites on Meeds, one was already occupied, and another party was right behind us. There are also a couple of slippery boulder fields on that portage, and I know I’m not the only one to fall at one of those. Do yourself a favor by sticking to your original EP and proceed from there. |
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rpike |
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