Boundry Waters Ice Trip?

[Chad Holst]

Has anyone ever done a trip to their favorite summer boundry waters lake, in the winter?

We have a couple very good, and 1 GREAT walleye lake that has kept me up at night thinking about a winter ice fishing trip.

I know some guys will do a day trip onto lakes in the BWCA, but im talking about going in 2-3-4 lakes deep, camping for 4-5-6 days and hitting some of the less hit, high end walleye lakes. I would love to try Alpine lake in the winter. I have to believe there is a state record still waiting in that water for me. We have caught some great fish every time we have fished there, the state record came out about just a stone throw away and the lake lays out perfect for a winter walleye resort. tons of drops, turns, forage and all packed into a relitively small area to search in. Added to that there is a great lake trout lake just a small walk away.

What would a guy need? A strong friend that doesnt mind hand drilling (no gas augers allowed) through what could be a million feet of ice, a few large pack sleds on ski's (filled to the hilt), a good number of guys so the gear is dristributed to a workable weight, some good winter tents or carpeted hubs, folding cots to sleep off the ice, alot of propane and some good waterproof boots?

A dog sled guide in and out would be nice, but if i shat that kind of money, i would just hire a drop in from heli. (wonder if thats even legal)

[monstermoose78]

No pack super light, Skis or snowshoes, the ice will not be that thick because of the snow this year. Or find a dogsled that could bring you in and out. I would not worry about to much ice seeing all the snow they have slush would be worse than cutting a holes. We also found it was best to camp on shore, because one time a crack formed and flooded our tent.

I did the 4 mile portage in college and camped on Basswood fun yes. Would I do it now yes if I took a dogsled in and out. That way we could be the fish houses and heaters.

[Mike Stark]

Get a Nils hand auger. By far the best hand auger out there. You can cut through 3ft of ice in no time with a Nils. Packing light is key when your dragging your gear behind you. A little here and there can add a lot of weight. You really don't even need a tent in the winter. A nylon tarp will work just fine if you set it up right to keep the wind from blowing in. No bugs in the winter! Leave the cots behind. Get a couple good sleeping pads. Don't mess with propane. Too heavy. Lots of wood fuel out there. Just build a raging fire. Micky Mouse/Bunny Boots are both waterproof and very warm. I would worry more about WARM boots rather than waterproof.

And like monstermoose said there may be a musher that will freight you and your gear up there for a lot less than a guided trip.

Winter camping is a lot of work and a ton of fun.

[Chad Holst]

Im not too worried about the extra weight of large hub portables or the propane, as we made some large wooden "sleds" with downhill/cross county skis as runners. We frequently use this with ALOT of gear/augers/houses on them and they pull like a dream. i would guess that you could pull a 100 lbs worth of gear with two fingers.

If each guy had 1 of these to pull thats alot of gear compaired to what we would take in for a summer trip.

Like you guys are saying the concern is the slush. Just walking in that stuff can wear a guy out fast, let alone pulling a sled behind you. if the sled stays on top of the snow, youd be OK, but if it sank to the slush you would have a LONG day.

Do you think ice being too thin could be an issue? I would have thought there would be a couple feet of ice atleast. But like you said the snow cover they have could cause weak areas couldnt it?

When you guys went, what was the water conditions compaired to summer? clear? Alpine isnt a super stained lake, but i would imagine it would be alot clearer in the winter. Then again, look at how LOW caps some years.