First trip of the year planned.

[Duffman]

Gonna be chasing lakers and brookies in the BW in a few weeks.

Maybe a big pike or two, get those fish while the waters still cold and they are still shallow.

After this past winter I'm so looking forward to getting out paddling and spending some time fire side yucking it up with a few guys.

Anybody else have anything lined up?

[CHM]

Sounds good! Where are you going in? I have my first ever BW trip coming in July. It's a simple base camp trip with an older guy.

I'm going back up in August with one of my sons.

[Duffman]

Base camping is all I do these days up there. I just find it a much easier way for me to appreciate what's around and enjoy my time.

I'm headed off of the Gunflint Trail somewhere.

I'll be in a solo, but traveling with two other tandem canoes.

Planning is in the beginning stages, but I already started getting my gear ready, not much else to do on a rainy weekend.

You will have a great time up there Chuck!

But the timing of your trips sounds buggy.

[CHM]

I didn't pick the date - it was dictated by a guy's retirement date. I'm going to treat my clothes with Permethrin and bring a headnet and bug spray.

Now there are 4 of us going. The focus is on fishing.

[Stick in Mud]

I've got four permits!!

1) Quetico trip in early June.

2) BWCA trip in late June/early July.

3) Quetico trip in late July.

4) BWCA trip in August.

I figure I need time in a canoe more than I need money.

[CHM]

Nice! Some day I hope we go to the Q!

[Graybuck]

Duffman, did you do your trip yet? If so how did you do? I spent last weekend at the Scout canoe base camp on Moose lake east of Ely. No time on the water but a great weekend anyway.

[Duffman]

Graybuck.........nope, but very very soon.

But first I'll be up in your neck of the woods this weekend.

[Graybuck]

Are planning on chasing any legless sallymanders? I have not been out for them in way too long.

[Stick in Mud]

Is that what the kids are calling 'em these days?!?

[Graybuck]

Hey Duff, did you go on our Bdub trip yet?

[Duffman]

Yes I did, will post a little trip report in the next couple of days.

I thought about hitting moonshine up for some rainbows in the canoe one evening but talked myself out of it. Wished I would have gone because the skeets came out in force two days later and made outdoor stuff a little less tolerable.

[Stick in Mud]

I just got back from my first "real" canoe trip of the year. Spent 8 days in the northerly parts of Quetico. Caught a ton of fish, but man oh man those long east-west lakes really do funnel the wind.

Biggest pike was 39''. Biggest walleye was 25''. And 200 or so smallies with none over 20''.

[Duffman]

Finally getting around to posting this little trip report. After spending some days at the in-laws lake over Memorial wkd, I headed to the BW to meet up with four other guys. We had great weather, except it poured on me on the last day as I spent about two hours on a mile portage. But the wind was not around, made the gnats a little unbearable at times but the mosquitoes had yet to emerge.

A lot of critters on this trip, reptiles and amphibians to be exact. The rocky shore out in front of camp was loaded with frogs, toads, snakes and newts. I saw more newts than I ever have in all of my life combined. Had a Martin cross in front of me on the portage and then climb a tree and check me out. The suckers were spawning, so that was interesting. Had one actually hit a 6" scatter rap.

Fishing was okay, we got into a few brookies and lakers, and I found a spot where the smallies were stacked (catching minnows that were eating sucker spawn), after about 30 of them on forty casts, I went back to chasing lakers.

It was awesome to be back out in the woods with all the sights, sounds, and smells of springtime in the BW. I'll be back again this fall.