boundary waters

[darren]

this will be my first trip to the boundary waters above MN. what is a must for me to bring as far as tackle. i am planning on bringing one spinning reel and one baitcaster. we will have to carry all we bring for a mile so we are limiting ourselves on what to bring. i have largemouth bass fished for about 5 yrs but live in MO. and have never went smallmouth fishing and am gettin real excited. any help? thanx darren....oh yeah, the trip is in june if that helps...

[bigfruits]

post your question on this forum:

http://www.bwca.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=forum.conference&confid=1

i went in sept and i hear there can be alot of mosquitos earlier in the yr. 100% deet is a must have.

dont forget dry bags for your sleeping bag and clothes. when your buddy stands up to pee and flips the canoe you'll be happy you did.

as far as tackle id bring small jigs with small trailers, small worms, senkos, jerkbaits, crankbaits.

want to catch northern pike? steel leaders and rapalas!

many people fish with live leeches out there. too messy for me.

i assume you will be on a canoe and not have a depth finder. alot of the lakes are pretty clear and you should be able to see rock piles.

youre gonna love it out there. i did 4 nights and had a blast.

where are you putting in?

[crappiekid24]

Inline spinners are great to bring along with some rapalas, grubs, topwater and road runners. Try to bring stuff so you can cover the different depths. When I went last year we caught mostly pike but the smallies are there.

There are lots of mosquitoes up there and I found the best way to keep the mosquitoes from getting to you is long sleeves like a light hooded sweatshirt and a hat that covers your ears. Definitely bring bug spray as it might work for you.

[kms399]

I always go early june. I am going in on the 10th this year. the mosquitoes can be bad but I find that it is way worse in july. the black flies are the worst though. get your self some ultrathon bug spray. as for lures. I use alot of senkos, tubes, craw tubes are killer, x rap xr-10's, manns baby -1's, spinnerbaits and get a bunch of top water stuff the fish up there aren't shy so the topwater bite can be amazing.

[geckoes]

My first post--

I've been to the BW/Quetico area six times, all in July.

If you're in a lake deep enough, lake trout can be added to your quest by trolling deep diving plugs. Live bait is NOT necessary; I've caught smb till my arms ached using Rapala DT series crankbaits, X-raps, spinnerbaits,  flukes and my favorite, topwater! Forget about going small; I throw magnum torpedoes and buzzbaits all day long. My biggest smb(5#) came on a white saltwater x-rap.

Pike will be everywhere and you will lose baits to them; I've never used leaders and land more pike (up to 17#) than I lose.  A portable depth finder will be a big asset in locating reefs--target these. In June you should find smb in relatively (<20ft) shallow water. Consider a 20"er(~4#) a great catch as these guys grow much slower than down south. When paddling to your destination, be sure to throw out a crankbait and firmly anchor your rod--strikes are violent.

Water temps are very cold and air temps fluctuate dramatically; dress accordingly...mainly for the biting flies and mosquitoes. Its a tag-team effect--the flies get you during the day (right through socks) and the skeeters come out in mass at dusk.

Wind will be your biggest enemy so be careful crossing large bodies of water.

You will be amazed at the solitude of the area--often going days w/o seeing another canoist.

Regards,

Scott

[NBR]

If you are earlier in the year black flies are worse than the mosquitos. Lots of deet and camping on windswept points can be helpful. Follow advice on getting your food out of bears reach.

I warned a friend about this and his party decided they were only out of Ely one day so they spent day two paddling back to Ely to resupply their food.

I'd also take an extra spool of 8 or 10 # mono.

[Chris W]

Make sure and take a few topwater plugs too, I have been going in early june for 15 years and some years topwater is fantastic. Take some torpedos and some zara spooks. Tubes are always good too you can fish them fast like a spinnerbait or slow them down to fish on beds, Flukes or senkos are a must too. I like the senkos better because they can be fished with a weight on the bottom or weightless on top. But for sure take extra line you always need it.

[darren]

thanks for the info. as i will surely need it...dont know exactly where we will be putting in as my brother is taking care of the details throught an outfit he knows has been good to one of his friends.. just tryin to figure out how to pack all the tackle, clothes, sleepin bag into one pack.. does anyone know where i would get a backpack big enough to fit all u would need for 4 days

[kms399]

look up duluth pack they are a bit pricey but they are tuff as nails. if you plan to make this a yearly trip it is well worth it.

[GregLOTW]

What Lake are you fishing? Maybe I can help?

Greg ><>

[GregLOTW]

It should also be noted that June for the most part is spawn time for smallmouth up here. From June to sometimes even in July. Depends how far north u come.

Greg ><>

[geckoes]

.. just tryin to figure out how to pack all the tackle, clothes, sleepin bag into one pack.. does anyone know where i would get a backpack big enough to fit all u would need for 4 days

If you go through an outfitter, most will provide a pack for a small fee. If you choose to purchase one yourself, consider waterproof bags such as Sealine. Also consider whether you'll be camping at one site and daytripping out from there or setting up camp at a different site each night. If basecamping, just plan to get your gear there; if not, remember that you'll be carrying(portaging) all your gear yourself.

As to tackle, don't overpack. If you don't plan to use alot of plastic, you should be able to fit all you need in one double-sided utility box. Fish are aggressive in June and using subtle, finesse baits aren't necessary. Each year I go, I bring less tackle, and my PRIMARY reason for going is  fishing.

A good rainsuit will be your best friend. Hope you've been in a canoe before as you'll be in it all day. I've never rolled one, but it can spoil a trip fast. A well-padded seat w/ backrest can add hours of comfort; again, your outfitter can provide these items.   

[Blade-Runner]

Portable depth finder is worth the hassle, particularly if this is more of a "set up base camp and fish" mission as opposed to a large circumnavigation w/ lots of portaging. Make sure someone has a small folding camp table - big difference maker and often overlooked.

[Jim Miller]

I haven't been there since 1992, but whatever you do don't go there without these two lures:

#1 -Charlie Brewer Black 4" Finese worm with Charlie Brewer slider head 1/8oz -smallmouth love them.

#2 -Rattlin Rap lure by Rapala - troll with it by paddling canoe - deadly for walleye and smallmouth.

The other hot lure was a 3" grub in Smoke with lots of Red glitter.

Good luck.  Love that place.  We paddled in from Moose Lake 44 miles to Lake Kanippi and didn't see another person in 8 days.