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BWCA, May 2020

Joined
Dec 17, 2014
Messages
991
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Location
Pickwick, MN
The BWCA opened last Monday and I took two newbies in for a 5 night trip on Wednesday. We entered at #41 - Brule lake. Neither newbie had ever paddled a canoe much and had never done a portage. We hit the water around noon after a six hour drive avoiding staying anywhere overnight on the way up, didn't even have to stop for a permit because for the time being you can print it out at home. Took about 2.5 hours or so to paddle down the lake and hit our first portage. It was pretty short but rocky, got their first taste of putting a canoe on their shoulders. Found a campsite on South Temperance for the night and set up camp.
Day two saw us packing up, fishing all around the lake ( caught one bass and saw an eagle playing king of the beaver lodge) and then portaged into North Temperance and set up camp on an island that was full of little fox squirrels, great entertainment for the pup. Caught a few bass that night and learned that the pup likes me more than squirrels. I left her stareing up a tree at a squirrel and went out fishing, as soon as she realized I left she ran to the shore and started whinning and then jumped in and started to swim across the lake. Had to go back and get her.
Day 3 we day tripped 2 portage's up to Cherokee lake and caught a nice lake trout and then some pike in Sitka lake on the way out. My newbies got to each carry the canoe across a 100 rod and 165 rod portage during the day. Breaking them in slowly!
On day 4 we fished our way out to a nice island campsite on the west end of Brule. Set up camp, fixed our 3rd fish dinner and then headed out to find some walleyes to complete the grand slam of BWCA fishing. Fishing on Brule was great, also caught a number of bass and a few pike and two walleyes.
Day 5 started with eggs and bacon fried walleye fillets and since we had completed the grand slam we got greedy and headed up to Wench lake because it's a stocked Brooke Trout lake. A pretty rough portage but we managed although we got skunked looking for Brooke Trout. Headed back to Brule, caught our supper there and headed back to camp. After supper one of the guys went out fishing and managed to watch a cow moose swim between two islands with her pretty small twin babies.
Day 6 was packing up and paddleing the 6 miles back to the truck on a glass like lake. I have never seen Brule so calm. I told my newbies that they had six days of no rain, very little wind, warm weather, not too many bugs and great fishing and that almost never happens so don't expect it the next time. A great trip all in all and I now have two 24 year olds who want to go back.

Here's a link to a bunch of pics.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/X1VzuzmExUuEiM8P8


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Nice pics, good to see someone getting out. I notice you are in the "innie" club for tarping the bottom of your tent, ha ha. Do you have any ticks down that way?
 
I recognize that picture of your dog! When you posted it to View from My Canoe, I'm the guy who asked you whether your "dog" was a Black Bear, lol.
 
I liked reading your post and the pics were great. Thanks for posting your trip, especially in the BWCA. I am trying to put a trip together for mid June on the Western end. I am glad you all had such a good trip.

Bob.
 
Great to see young people going to the BWCA, especially with someone to show them the ropes. Great pics, how do you like the True North Maps? Was in from the 18th to the 24th and only saw two other canoes the whole time!
 
Nice pics, good to see someone getting out. I notice you are in the "innie" club for tarping the bottom of your tent, ha ha. Do you have any ticks down that way?

The innie tarp was mainly to protect the floor from my pups paws. I didn't see any ticks on our trip, one of the other guys found 2.
 
Good work. Keeping newbies happy in the BWCA takes some doing. People under estimate how physical those trips can be especially when it is windy and with lots of rain.
I have only been to the BWCA once. We caught walleye every day. After all of that freeze dried food we went to a fish diet. I like eating pike just fine, once I figured out the bones. The best bass I have ever had was around 3 1/2 pounds. I caught it in the morning and cleaned it immediately and hung it in the shade since we had no ice. I am convinced that the fish aged over a few hours, much like hanging a deer for a week. I miss the loons.
 
I recognize that picture of your dog! When you posted it to View from My Canoe, I'm the guy who asked you whether your "dog" was a Black Bear, lol.

She snuck up on one of the guys early one morning from behind a tree and he sure jumped cause he thought she was a bear.
 
Great to see young people going to the BWCA, especially with someone to show them the ropes. Great pics, how do you like the True North Maps? Was in from the 18th to the 24th and only saw two other canoes the whole time!

I really like the North maps, worked great as a shade "collar" on a couple of the really sunny days.
 
We ran into two bears in a week in northern MN. The first one was on a portage trail and the bear was scared to death of people with canoes on their heads. The second was after dark in camp. My cow dog Snuffy chased the bear out of camp for 100 yards.
 
Nice write up, great pics and beautiful Merrimack Canoe! I would call this trip nothing more than a huge success!
 
Nice write up, I loved once again seeing NE Minnesota in May, I thought people would point out the tin canoe but, folks on this site are too nice or like me have fond memories of thousands of miles of paddling and portaging them, they still getting the job done, which is getting folks out in Mother natures back yard. I haven't lived in Minnesota for nearly fifty years but, seems to me the squirrels you were seeing that far North are Pine or as we called them Red Squirrels. They are not as tasty, nor have nearly the amount of meat as the Fox Squirrels that my grandmother had me shoot for her, when I was a little boy, when we visited Southern Minnesota.
Does the dog have a portage pack?
Thanks for taking us along, I could almost smell the bacon and taste the fresh fish. Your newbie appeared to know how to use the Rapala.
 
Nice write up, I loved once again seeing NE Minnesota in May, I thought people would point out the tin canoe but, folks on this site are too nice or like me have fond memories of thousands of miles of paddling and portaging them, they still getting the job done, which is getting folks out in Mother natures back yard. I haven't lived in Minnesota for nearly fifty years but, seems to me the squirrels you were seeing that far North are Pine or as we called them Red Squirrels. They are not as tasty, nor have nearly the amount of meat as the Fox Squirrels that my grandmother had me shoot for her, when I was a little boy, when we visited Southern Minnesota.
Does the dog have a portage pack?
Thanks for taking us along, I could almost smell the bacon and taste the fresh fish. Your newbie appeared to know how to use the Rapala.

The tin canoe is a lightweight alumicraft that weighs 53lbs. Good for newbies and a few friends that I can't trust in a $3k composite canoe
 
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