Big MN Trip

Discussion in 'Hunting and Fishing' started by Kevo, May 24, 2019.

  1. Kevo

    Kevo Member

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    I gotta vent some excitement here. My buddies and I are gearing up to head north on our yearly fishing trip to the Minnesota Boundary waters. We'll be headed out before the sun on June 8th. I can't wait!! We've been doing a yearly pilgrimage for 11 years now, and it still feels like being a little kid on Christmas eve. I'm losing sleep thinking about thrashing smallmouth and walleye that shoot around like torpedoes.

    This year we'll be based out of White Iron Lake. I've never been to this particular body of water, but I hear good things. I'm most excited about direct water access to the BWCAW. You better believe I'll be bringing my tarp and bed roll up there.
     
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  2. ccwaters

    ccwaters Member

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    Just did my first couple day trips of the year (Monday and Tuesday) to Basswood Lake via Prairie portage . Walleye were a little hard to find, picked them up in 27-30 feet of water, did pretty well, a few small ones, maybe a dozen in the 2-4 pound class, couple around 5 pounds. Pike and smallies were pretty active with a few nice ones caught, Everything went back in the water for others to enjoy.

    Weather was pretty miserable on Monday, high was in lower 40's rain and wind all day, Tuesday was a polar opposite it started out cold with ice in the bottom of the boat, warmed up to mid 70's sunny slight breeze. Tuesday Morning had, most of the Holiday campers heading home early. Water temps were still in lower 50's

    Had a bit of concerning news, 4 reports of Lamprey eels in Basswood. Sadly if they are already starting to show up it is just a matter of time until they are in most of the waters up here, including the White Iron chain.

    I just checked long range forecast for your time frame, not the most accurate predictions but if they stand it may be wet with highs of upper 60's - lower 70's and night time lows in lower 50 range. Make sure to bring rain gear and be prepared for anything weather wise, forecasts change often and even though were going into June it could still get pretty cold. Mosquito population has not exploded just yet, but Black Flys were pretty nasty on Tuesday! Cooler night time temps may keep them down for a bit yet, but don't count on it!

    Made my first visit to the Ely area 30 some years ago including a week long solo trip to the BW, within a year it was permanent!

    Have a safe and fun trip, fishing should be a bit better by the time you get here, White Iron is a solid choice, and great jump-off point!
     
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  3. Kevo

    Kevo Member

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    Thanks much for the report and advice! Every year I head up there I consider staying lol. The Ely area is just so damn beautiful. You hit the nail on the head with the weather too. I've had everything from heat waves in may to snow on the 4th of July up there. I'm ok with wet, as long as the wind and lightning stays away. Fingers crossed on that one!
     
  4. Kevo

    Kevo Member

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    @ccwaters do you have any recs on bait or structure? It's always a puzzle for me headed up that way haha.
     
  5. ccwaters

    ccwaters Member

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    Sorry for the late reply, got a little busy again.. The walleye right now are liking the edges of humps (bit deeper then normal), small mouth, bigger ones seem to be on the 20 ish deep humps, though they'll probably be moving a bit shallower soon. Pike are pretty much everywhere though the larger ones still seem to be deeper near the rock piles, especially ones in the middle of larger flats.
    Basically structure edges especially ones with multiple breaks should hold fish, walleye and big pike seem to hang a bit deeper, smaller stuff and bass a little shallower. But all can change with water temp. We've had a few more cold nights so the water temps are still a little below normal.

    Shallower sheltered bays especially if they have any plant cover should hold the panfish, and likely a fair number of pike cruising for a meal.

    I'd probably troll a spinner rig with a night crawler while paddling, if you find a spot they seem to be, Jig tipped with minnows, leeches, or a piece of crawler.

    I'm pretty much exclusively targeting walleye but always end up with pike and bass in the progress. For the most part 99% of my fishing is a jig and twister tail tipped with about a third if a night crawler. Spinners, Rapala both jointed and straight are good choices for trolling while paddling.

    Most lake charts were done decades ago with hand lines, so the accuracy is not great, but they can still be helpful. Of course a decent fish finder can help tremendously locating them.

    Best wishes on your trip!

    Always an OK idea to visit one or the other local baitshop and ask them for tips on where the fish seem to be holding.
     
    Last edited: Jun 3, 2019
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  6. Kevo

    Kevo Member

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    This is absolutely clutch information! Thanks again for taking the time out to give me some insight on what's happening in the area.
     
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  7. Kevo

    Kevo Member

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    D Day is tomorrow at 0330. I am freaking stoked. I'm sure there will be little to no sleep for me tonight lol. Seeing as I already have this thread going, I'll update periodically through the week on our misadventures.
     
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  8. Kevo

    Kevo Member

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    Just realized I didn't update this after the trip! Fishing was tough but we were able to sneak a few good ones onto the boat. The weather was surprisingly warm for june. Here's a couple of pics!
    Resized_20190610_104024.jpg Resized_20190610_203006(1).jpg 20190613_122132.jpg
     
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  9. MooseInTheWilderness

    MooseInTheWilderness Member

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    Awesome trip Kevo! Booting up for my September trip to South Arm Knife Lake.
    Last Year was Ashigan and Ensign. Love my Junglas JUNGLAS ESEE Knife AshiganLake.jpg EnsignLake.JPG
     
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  10. Kevo

    Kevo Member

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    What a view!
     

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