A small one – but a muskie is a muskie
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Tim,
If you ever find yourself anywhere near Voyquers National Park in Minnesota, don’t hesitate to make a trip to Big Shoepack Lake on the peninsula. It’s unique from a Musky point of view since it holds only the Shoepack strain of Muskie (found nowhere else) and yellow perch. The few times I went, (about 8-10 years ago) the fishing was great because it never gets hammered. The NPS maintains boats on Big Shoepack and Little Shoepack. Its about a two hour + hike in from the big lake or you can fly in. If you make the trip you’ll be the only one on the lake along with 1000s of muskie.
He was part of the re-cutting of the trail last summer but advised planning your trip wisely….alluding to the potentially unsurpassable swamp that can form on the trail with springs like we’re having now and the millions of bugs that are out this time of year!
I’d be interested as to which trail the NPS was working on. Both trips I made into Shoepack were done in late August and early September and via an unauthorized trail. We reserved the NPS Canoe on Little Shoepack. We took our bass boat to the Jordan Lake trailhead at the end of Lost Bay. Its about a 1 mile hike to Jordan Lake on a very good trail. From Jordan Lake you cross the outlet creek on the west end and basically follow a westerly compass heading through the woods to Little Shoepack. Years ago, several resort operators cut an unofficial trail through this area. Its actually less than a mile as the crow flies from Jordan to Little Shoepack. The NPS Canoe is at a campsite on the N. Shore of Little Shoepack. Put the Canoe in Little Shoepack and paddle to the west end of the lake. From the outlet, Big Shoepack is less than a 1000 ft down the creek and it was an easy portage. When I made these trips with my wife in the mid-90s, all I had was a compass. Today with GPS, navigation from Jordan would be a piece of cake. Sure beats trying to hike in the 3 miles plus from the N. shore or god knows how far on the Locator Lakes trail.
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