Boundary waters in Minn. Info

Hey guys, I've been invited on a trip the the boundary waters in Minnesota in September, have any of you ever been? What kind of lures did you take with you? I've got to par down from my usual two tackle bags and a cooler full of musky lures... My main interest will be pike and walleye with smallmouth fishing if the other two aren't biting. We plan on taking night crawlers and leeches for jigging and crawler harness fishing but any other baits or advice you can give would be appreciated. Thanks, Ted

I would love to do that trip! My cousin went last year and had a blast. I believe I would take some spoons, jerkbaits, a good grub/tube selection and some inline spinners. Have fun, man! Make sure to post your results when you return.

I've been on 2 trips to the BWCA in the past 2 years. It is a fishing and camping paradise....BUT it's also hard work and you're quite at the mercy of nature.

Are you going to do a trip where you're traveling and moving camp each day or are you going to basecamp not far from your entry point?

September is probably a great time to go. You'll probably see nights in the high 40's and highs in the high 60's. It also will be less crowded.

As far as tackle, bring several shad raps and original floating rapalas in perch, silver and gold.

Also, bring an assortment of Mepps spinners.

You'll want to throw in a few spoons (Daredevle's) and I've heard that the best all-around bait for the BWCA is a curly-tail grub like a Mr. Twister.

Finally, throw in some slip bobbers and bottom rigs for the live bait.

I actually used my shad raps the most.

Remember that your space is going to be limited and you'll probably only want to bring enough to fit in one of those flat plastic boxes.

I'm going over Labor Day up the Falls Chain.

I've been 2 times a year for the past 3 years, and 8 years prior in JUNE.

The fishing is a little slower in September, but you can definitely whack them.

Make sure you take LOTS of jigs and tubes, and other soft plastics, and some jerkbaits.

Also take some mr, twister type grubs.....

As far as rapalas, spoons, and mepps spinners, I used those the first year and NEVER since.

BTW......checkout my website, as it has TONS of Boundary Waters fishing tips, camping tips, gear tips, etc.

[url]http://www.geofisher.com[/url]

Later,

Geo

By looking at your site, it appears as if you use catfish bait up there....magic bait! :)

The magic bait is a soft jerkbait.......or a jig, or a craw, or a spinnerbait.....It has been one of the above on different trips.

But most of all............Zoom softbaits.

Later,

Geo

How much would a trip to the boundary waters typically run for the whole thing?? My dad and my uncle and I were all talking about taking a trip ..

Thanks for the info guys (and girls). I'm going with a group that's been going for 15 years, they had somebody back out so they already have all of the canoes and camping gear. So I don't know what an outfitted trip would cost.

We are going to base camp and then portage out of there to fish, staying on the US side. I'm already planning my tackle list and ordered a better rain suit last night so I'm getting there.

I'm looking forward to it, the guys that usually go catch from 30-80 fish per day and they only fish 2-3 times per year. Myself and the other new guy fish 2-3 times a week so it will be curious to see what happens. If you can think of anything else let me know. Thanks, Ted

If you take a weeklong trip and basically use complete outfitting from the outfitter - ie canoe, tent, packs, stove, food, etc., it would probably cost about $650 each. This does not include travel cost getting to Ely or the Gunflint Trail.

I have made several trips to BWCA and Quetico on the Canadian side. I have had the best luck with Shad Raps thrown in swift water. I suggest throwing across the current in areas below a beaver dam or in the stream or falls connecting lakes. I like to fish just below a small falls or rapid and throw across the swift water and reel in. You will often get a strike as the lure enters the eddy surrounding the swift water. I think the smallies lie in wait of bait washed out of the lake above.

I assume you are going with someone familiar with wilderness travel. There are no trail signs, this is true wilderness you are on you own and it pretty much looks the same in all directions, water, rocks and trees. Be assured you will come home a changed person. I loved it.

Good Luck,
:-)

Hey, we went into the boundary waters in early June for 8 days. It is tough and you are at the mercy of the weather, but we had an awesome time. Remember to take a good set of rain gear and dont over pack.

For Catching small mouth:

We had the best luck on white grubs on jig heads. Several fish on inline spinners (hard to keep the northerns away). Best areas to fish are any where that you can find current. And you can find current on the bigger waters if you look for it. There are several areas on the basswood river, crooked lake, and general surrounding areas where you can find the best small mouth of your life.

We had three people in a canoe on one particular day, we caught uppwards of four hundred smallmouth in about 7 hours of fishing. We had 3 fish over seven pounds. I have photos if you would like to see them. Just email me at [email][email protected][/email]. The fish on that day were mostly caught on white grubs around broken and chunk rock below an area of white water. The current was strong enough that we had to anchor. Look for gradually tapering areas in the current and eddies with the broken rock and you will find smallies.

Jerk baits (husky jerks) also produced well but once again you will lose some lures to the northerns.

White seemed to be by far the best color. Remember to fish above and below any current. And dont think that any current is too strong. We caught several fish in the 4-5 lb range in current that would drift a 1/2 ounce jig head through white water. As soon as the lure fell behind a current break, wham.

Good luck and Good fishing.

>If you take a weeklong trip and basically use complete
>outfitting from the outfitter - ie canoe, tent, packs,
>stove, food, etc., it would probably cost about $650 each.
>This does not include travel cost getting to Ely or the
>Gunflint Trail.
Hey guys an gals learn how to fish your on waters and keep the money in your state.Hell for that kind of money you could have some great days of your life with dave at ky lake...lol sorry just the way i look at things--great fishing to all