31 May 2012, 19:46
Evan K.Lac la Croix 2012
I just returned from a weeklong trip in the Boundary Waters a couple days ago and last night I was done wading through the 450+ photos I took, so here's a photobucket album I put together with some of the better shots.http://s120.photobucket.com/al...20la%20Croix%202012/
We set up a base camp on Lac la Croix on the Minnesota-Ontario border and made day trips to surrounding lakes. We paddled through three rivers and two lakes with eight portages to arrive at Lac la Croix. I am very thankful we had a We-no-nah kevlar canoe and I used a carbon fiber bent paddle for the trip- they were a considerable help on the long hauls. It rained six out of seven days and got down in the 30's in the morning but the fishing was the best I've had yet in the BWCA so I had no complaints. It was the 14th (I think?) trip I've made into the Boundary Waters and easily one of the most enjoyable.
Some photos...
The majority of my fishing was done with a #4 Mepps spinner with a yellow-orange blade (it stayed on 3/4 the time), otherwise I caught fish trolling Minnow Raps over rocky points. We brought in leeches for walleye but they disappeared overnight. Paddling and portaging into the less traveled lakes is worth the extra effort... I boated over 40 northern pike in one small lake one day (the one day it didn't rain, thankfully). They were all in the 16-24" range, the biggest being about 4 lbs. so nothing big, but tons of fun. I also caught five nice smallmouth bass, four with the Mepps flicked into rocky, deep pockets along the shore. One walleye took a Minnow Rap while we were trolling. We made a trip to Iron Lake and I caught some smallmouth and lots of pike in there too, and because it's known there are large northern pike in there I was using 14 lb. Fireline and a 12" steel leader for most of the trip. On the heavy side, maybe, but I didn't feel like hooking a good one on light tackle. It didn't stop the fish from biting either.
We had a great campsite in a small bay with a cliff overlooking the bay nearby. I am very glad I had a Gore Tex jacket and pants and enough wool and fleece to stay dry and (mostly) warm even though the rain was a steady downpour at times and totally unpredictable. Case in point we started a 240 rod portage with sunlight at the start and rain at the end one day. Regardless, it was a great week in the bush. I was too distracted by catching fish to be bothered by the rain.
Hope you enjoy the pics!