BWCA Tackle Box - What to bring?

Hi Guys.

I am going up to the BWCA and plan on doing some fishing for walleye, northerns, small mouth, and lake Trout. I have been up there before and have a pretty good idea of what to bring but here is the catch.... We are doing a lot of portaging and I will need to go as light as humanly possible.

So... I am only planning on bringing the bare minimum as far as tackle. What would be the essential things to catch the above named fish?

Brian

PS. I probably won't need to go out and buy anything due to fishing for the last 45 years.

different sized jigs with different color twister tails.

Jigs with twister tails, a couple of Rapala and a few spoons should meet your needs.

We were up there the first week in June and #11 Rapalas and motor oil or green punkin tube jigs caught lots of smallmouth and pike. caught walleye on live bait and shadraps. Check out the fishing and everything else at www.bwca.com .

Everything mentioned above and of all things we ended up raiding each other’s tackle boxes for were big gold bladed Mepps.

RAPALAS. If you can't catch fish in the BWCA on a standard Rapala, it's time to do something else. And they are light weight.

I went in in the early 90's, we took all of the above plus 5lbs of leeches all the way to crooked lake.

Yup. Maybe a mepps or two. Make sure you have enoug jigs, 1/8, 1/4, and 3/8 sizes. If you have not been there those lake bottoms are all craggily rock. Shore lines too. Your gonna go thru quite a few because if there not bouncing near or on the bottom their not doing their job. Dress up a jig and all fish will hit it in that country.
There are not a lot of snags to worry about in those types of lakes, but you will be snapping off jigs stuck in the rocks. 8lb mono is a great choice for nearly everything. If your a good fisherman you may prefer 6lb for better feel. Good luck.

Osky

been a while since I was there but jigs in bright colors and worms and leaches

a bright color and a silver rapala with wire leaders and 2 buck tail spinners for northern

always ran 8 pound mono berkly xl and it is still my go to for mono but I have been playing with some 15# spider wire braid same size as 4# mono in diameter so you get a bunch on the reel and they are not kidding about 15 pounds , but also the feel of the light line you can feel a tiny tap tap, just be careful grabbing the line and pulling when you get hung up , it will cut into the hand it is so thin.

Rapalas, lots of rapalas. Floating, suspending, deep divers, jointed and non jointed of all different sizes- natural colors, black/silver, black/gold always worked the best for me in the BW. Take 1 box full of rapalas and a smaller box with a couple packs of jig heads and a pack or 2 each of white and yellow twister tails and you will be catching fish.

I guided in the BWCA for many years.....Over half of my tackle box was various sized jigs and twister tails. Lots of different color jigs as well as sizes and the same with the tails. I also would have a number of different Rapalas but my favorite was a suspending husky jerk. Don't forget some mepps spinners and top water baits for northerns.

I've did great on lindy rigs with leeches up there.

Have at least one Zara Spook with you to fish top water for smallmouth at dusk, or as we used to call it the spooking hour. Walk the dog and have a blast.

Zim

I took a tiny torpedo with for just such action in the evening, first cast a northern rolled up on it and it was gone...lol

Berkley gulp. If you pack light, the Berkley gulp minnows and such can not be beat. I know for a fact that the BWCA Smally's will fall for them.

I'm going up the 1st week of September, I'm gonna keep an eye on this post.