Boundary Waters

[bullhead master]

My friends and I would like to take a trip on the BWCA for like 4 days we would like to have a shot at r good walleye fishing and trout if that's possible. Where would be the best place to go for such a trip and any more suggestions?

[delcecchi]

Basswood or Knife?

[DooWap]

Good walleye fishing can be had in just about any lake in the BW. The big, border lakes being the best probably. The really deep lakes on the Eastern side won't hold much for walleye but those will be your really good lake trout lakes. Good lake trout fishing is just as much a matter of when as it is where. If you don't have a trip planned for May or really early June you're missing out on the best lake trout fishing already.

[Stick in Mud]

I love it when people ask this question.

There are fish EVERYWHERE up there. Go on to the DNR's lakefinder HSOforum, check out some lakes, and go from there.

That being said, the border waters are popular--for good reason. So are the non-border waters--for good reason. Even some of the lakes that are only a portage or two in are popular--for good reason.

[chris63]

Bm,try posting on the BWCA/Duluth forum.Saganaga on the boarder is a good Walleye/Trout lake.You will need a BWCA pass to camp and a RBCP(remote boarder crossing permit)if your going into Canada.c63

[TCon17]

Check out www.bwca.com. They have a forum and a lot of resources on there where they can help you with trip planning.

Also, if you call some outfitters up there or go on their websites they have suggested routes for whatever you may be looking for. I like to find their fishing routes and then make my own off of what they suggest when I pick an area Im not familiar with.

And the DNR lakefinder in an awesome tool when trip planning!

Good luck have fun!

[nofishfisherman]

This is a tough question to answer. The easy answer is "it depends".

When are you planning to go? Time of year is a big deal.

Also is this your first BWCA trip? How good of a paddler is everyone in your group? Are you ready to take on big water or would you prefer to stay on smaller lakes?

How far are you willing to portage?

If you want to bounce around between a few lakes and you don't mind a big lake then Brule might be an option for a base camp. Its an easy entry point to get to when you are on a short trip since its a shorter drive.

Brule itself has good walleye and smallmouth fishing. You can also portage into the Temperance Lakes, the Cone Lakes and into Echo lake, all good walleye. For trout you can portage into Vernon on the east side or you can do a longer trip up to Winchell. Winchell isn't exactly easy to get to but its not terrible and even if you don't catch anything its a beautiful lake.

Only problem with Brule is that its big and it likes to have wind. I've had some great flat water trips in that area and i've also had some trips that make you think you're white water rafting. It just depends on the day. Its also a popular lake for base camping and day use so depending on when you go it might be alittle busy. I wouldn't go there expecting 100% solitude thats for sure.

If you can provide more info on what you are looking for we may be able to give you a narrower focus on some different areas.