Basswood BWCA ?s

[RJMOEN]

Hey, heading up camping at Canoe Country on the 11, 12th and 13th. Planning on puttzing around Moose the first day but have passes for Basswood on the second two days. How long does it take to motor to Washington Island and then on to Basswood? Will be running a 25hp flatbottom that runs around 28mph loaded. Trying to get my days planned and time managed as I was informed we(the g/f and I) would not be fishing 12 hours a day as I had hoped Any other advice would be awesome. Anything to watch out for? I have a depth finder/gps and just purchased lakemaster chip but still a little worried about running around. I have camped at Wash. Island but never drove the boat so I didnt pay much as much attention to where we were. Thanks again, Robert

Ps anything cool to see in or around Ely would be nice as well!!

[Hula_Grub]

It will take you about an hour to get to Washington island, which is already in the middle of Basswood lake. Depends a little bit on the line-up at the portage.

Buy a paper map from the outfitter and have them mark the hazards and fishing spots. There are plenty of both.

The spillway that enters into Basswood right where the motor portage is a great place to start!

[caseymcq]

How long does it take to motor to Washington Island and then on to Basswood? ...

Ps anything cool to see in or around Ely would be nice as well!!

An hour is a good estimate. Not sure which direction you're planning on going but Washington Island is about as far north east as you're gonig to make it with a motor. If you want to try for some big gators you could hit Wind Bay. I have no idea what the water levels are like so there is the potential for some hidden reefs that could tag your lower unit.

If you haven't been to the Bear or Wolf Centers that may be something to take in. The bear center has the fattest black bear in the world, 900 lbs . If you are looking for some of the best burgers in the world head to Stony Ridge Resort Cafe. Otherwise Rockwood Bar & Grill & the Ely Steakhouse are good places to eat. The Boathouse has a micro brewery and decent food. The Grand Ely Lodge is another good place to eat, some of the best chicken & wildrice soup around.

Good luck fishing.

[Down Deep]

Keep an eye peeled on you depth finder. I'd be more worried about Moose Lake and on to the portage. Be very careful going through the Island narrows on Moose. The are located about 1/2 way down. Then as you approach the portage be careful. As a rule of thumb stay in the middle, take points wide and keep an eye on your depth finder. I second he map idea. Voyagers North (located in Ely just after your pass the downtown headed east) can furnish you a map and mark the well known hazards. It is a good place to buy your bait too.

Don't count on camping on Washington Island because those sites are in high demand. The surrounding area is also a high demand area. Fish the deeper reefs, prominent points with steeper drop offs and windblown rocky shorelines. I have always thought of Basswood as being a morning and evening lake. So you should have time to entertain the GF. Take a trip to Back Bay during the mid-day and fish for bluegills. Bobbers with a piece of crawler fished along the weedy island shorelines. Fish near deadfalls laying in the water if you can.

[RJMOEN]

Thanks for the help guys, much appreciated. I did buy a lakemaster chip too....hoping I get 125$ worth of use out of it!!

[delcecchi]

Also need to be careful about canadian border when fishing, I would think