Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Trip Planning Forum :: South Arm Knife
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flynn |
If you truly want to be remote (without going to a PMA), look at Adams Lake. I plan to head there at some point. It is probably one of the most remote places in the BWCA based on the amount of time it takes to reach it, excluding any PMAs. There is a lot of multi-species fishing on the way, whether you come from a Moose/Snowbank entry, or if you come from the east side like Saganaga/Seagull or Kawishiwi. I would recommend an 8-10 day loop to get enough time for a relaxed pace for both fishing and travel. |
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shock |
with my group fishing the eddy falls area i have done many trips starting at seagull , the only down size of this way is getting seagull behind you early , after that many short paddles and portages to break up the trip nicely . (ogish is always an hour 10 min paddle) but yes fishing can be spectacular on knife/SAK. |
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huntfun2 |
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flynn |
cyclones30: "South arm isn't exactly remote let alone very remote but supposed to be good fishing. If you need remote (whatever that means is different for everyone) then I'd look elsewhere. SAK is within an easy day from probably the most used entry in the park. " I would not say it's an _easy_ day. It took my friend and I, not weak paddlers but not athletes, 7.5 hours to go from the Sucker-Birch portage to our campsite on the big island in the SAK, double carrying each portage and checking out 3 sites for 5 mins each on the way up there (and that doesn't include time if you chose to paddle from Moose). We didn't have any more than maybe a 3-5mph headwind. If you have anything more than that, it's going to take a while to paddle all the way down to SAK. An easy day would be no more than 4 hours of travel in my mind, with relatively easy portages. Sucker to Knife was 4 hours on the dot for both of my trips last year, again, double carrying each portage. I would call that an easy day, but if you spend another 2 hours paddling on Knife looking for a site, it starts to go beyond what I would call easy (for someone truly looking for an objectively easy route). Heck I think most beginners seem to prefer 1-2 portages in a day, maybe 2 or 3 hours of travel tops. Sucker to SAK (let alone Moose to SAK) doesn't fit into any definition of easy IMO unless you are single carrying and are a fast paddler in good shape. But I digress! |
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Michwall2 |
If you are set on going there, my favorite route there is starting on Seagull Lake and heading west through Alpine, Jasper, and Kingfisher, to Ogishkemuncie. Then continue west through Annie, Jenny, and Eddy to the SAK. This route sets you in the east end of the SAK and in some nice scenic territory. Not a short day, but you could stop on Ogish and fish for one night and then complete the trip to SAK the second day. Or you might consider a motorboat tow to the end of Three Mile Island. I think that would make SAK very doable in one day. As others have been suggesting alternatives, I think one you might consider is Little Saganaga Lake. I think you could reach it in one day through Entry 51 - Missing Link. Again, it would be a long day. There is nice scenery along the way. After arriving on Tuscarora and Owl Lakes, I would head southwest out of Owl Lake to Crooked Lake and Mora Lake and into Little Sag through southeast corner. Since it is a little harder to get to, I think it would provide more solitude than SAK. It has good day trips available. Scenery that may rival SAK (Although not much rivals Thunder Point.). And I think the fishing would rival SAK. My 2 cents. Have a great trip. |
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cyclones30 |
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flynn |
huntfun2: "Were considering taking a tow to Birch Lake. It looks like about two hours to paddle to Birch, but how long does a tow usually take? " About 20-25 minutes from an outfitter on Moose (I used Williams & Hall, great service). |
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TipsyPaddler |
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huntfun2 |
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Colbrew |
Looking for advice on routes to the south arm...headed there in late August with a group of avid fisherman, spent time in BWCA before, looking to be very remote away from the crowds and great fishing ... I have read positive things about the south arm knife having all of that (correct me if I'm wrong). Lets hear what y'all think. |
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DeanL |
I don't have a whole lot more to add than what's already been said but I've been to SAK 4 times and would agree with what the previous post mention. In all 4 trips we've taken the tow to the Birch Lake and made it to the South Arm in about 6 hours. These are just my opinions but after 4 trips with the same result I feel they're somewhat consistent. Solitude and the SAK are like oil and water, you may get lucky but I always feel luck just to find an open site. Fishing can be amazing, and the potential to catch a trophy of any species is always there. However, they are still fish and are still subject to weather and forage changes and slow days are possible. With that being said, the SAK is one of my favorite trips in the BW. You will come across a site, the fish will bite and the scenery is awesome. Take the trip, have a great time and go from there. There are tons of side trip options from this area as well so you'll have plenty of options. |
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Grandma L |
Check out north arm - then head east (south) to Amoeber, Topaz and Cherry. |
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TomP |
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minnmike |
Your post doesn't say how long your trip will be or what fish you are targeting, but there are two routes to SAK. The shorter route, once you get on Ottertrack take the Ester and Hanson lakes route. The longer route is follow The border down around Thunder point of Knife lake to SAK. Both are great routes and would recommend going in one way and coming out the other for a little loop. The fishing can be great all along both routes going in and out so I would recommend not just fishing SAK if you go this way. And all B-dub fish species are present along here. Good luck whatever you decide. |
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flynn |
Grandma L: "Welcome Colbrew - sign up and become a member - no cost,good benefits, great people and tons of information. As for SAK - Remember the Boy Scouts send MANY trips out into that area from their camp on Moose Lake. It can be difficult to find a campsite, I have had them clog portages and have had several groups going up Thunder Point. The end of August - there are fewer people - the Scout staff have to go back home and to college. For what it's worth, I only saw BSA groups in early June, only 2 groups of like 8-10 people each (both around Cattyman and Ashigan, none around Knife/SAK/NAK), and no BSA groups in early September. Seems like luck of the draw? Maybe if you go early enough or late enough you miss most of them. Definitely check out NAK and Cherry though if you can. You won't regret it. Maybe a NAK loop up to Ottertrack, down Gijikiki to Cherry, and back down to SAK either through Amoeber or Hanson. I wanna do that loop some day. |