Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Quetico Forum :: depth maps of lakes in Quetico?
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arnesr |
There does exist some lake depth mapping for Quetico, but it is spotty at best. Purists look away now. gpsnauticalcharts has perhaps the best coverage I have found with some of the bigger lakes mapped. I have not paid for their app, but simply viewed the data online. I think it is useful resource for pre-trip planning if your area/lake is mapped. Navionics + also has some lake depth data that has been provided as "community edits" or uploaded data from users. I do see one deep hole mapped in Kawnipi, however useful that is. As mentioned you can create your own lake depth maps if you have a Modern GPS fish finder. Lowrance, Humminbird and Garmin all have units that can accomplish this. I prefer Lowrance as they do not require a protected SD card for recording your depth/GPS readings, any 32GB or smaller card will do. I use a Lowrance Hook 4 Unit. Realistically one will not map an entire lake this way in one trip, but perhaps over time, area by area, the data voids can be filled in to provide a comprehensive map. Lowrance also has a "Social Map", similar to Navionics "Community Edits", on their CMAP website, free login required. I did not see any uploads for Quetico. I uploaded my data recordings from my June Cirrus Lake trip last week. It looks like they are still processing the data and will hopefully update the map later this month. There are also some really old scanned maps of some of the lakes. These maps are not very detailed, but will give you an idea of the deep vs shallow areas. You will need to download a large zip file which contains many lakes over a large area. Maps package 10 covers most of Quetico. historic-bathymetry-maps |
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bobbernumber3 |
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Argo |
Most of Cirrus is a beast too. Thanks Arnesr. Very interesting. |
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arnesr |
Here is the area of upper Cirrus lake that I recorded data for last June. I think you might need to register for a free account to see this online yourself. My son and I spent a bit of time one day trying to locate this sunken point/reef that appears to come up to around 6 feet, surrounded by deep water. It seemed like a likely spot to find fish especially since it is exposed to the prevailing Westerly wind at a narrowing pinch point in the lake. We zig zagged over the area several times, to no avail. The data is wrong! This feature does not exist in real life. Here is a screen shot from my Hook 4 showing the updated accurate map from CMAP. It is a bit busy with all of the depth numbers as it shows 1 foot contours, but you can see the layout of the lake bottom. Finally here is a CMAP website screenshot of the area. It is a bit cleaner looking, but less detailed. Note that the contour depths are displayed in Meters. I have my login preferences set to feet, but it still displays in Meters, go figure. |
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cburton103 |
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OutdoorEnthusiast79 |
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Pinetree |
But the more I think about it, at least in Quetico, it is nice not having them. It adds mysticism or unknowingness to the area and gives it much more of a wilderness feeling. Over the years of camping and fishing, exploring the unknown was a big part of the trip. Yes, I to search this site for where to go, but just going and finding out is very rewarding. The accuracy of many Mn DNR lake maps especially, especially those made before 1970, are amazingly good because all those made before 1970 are amazingly good for before then equipment was very primitive, and locators were just coming on the scene even for them. |
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campnfish |
fishing outpost |
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deancal20 |
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deancal20 |
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campnfish |
Argo: "Little Jean Lake over 250' deep! Which map # was Little Jean, did you see Jean or kawnipi in there as well, i did not. Nevermind, i see you were looking at nauticalcharts, i was not. |
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Argo |
campnfish: "Argo: "Little Jean Lake over 250' deep! Go to the first site he referenced. All the lakes are listed down the right column in alpha order. Not many Quetico lakes - Jean, Cirrus, Bentpine, Poobah and several more. |
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sns |
But I bet there's partial GPS/fishfinder data from a few folks who have visited with that equipment. |