Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA)
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I’m heading up to BWCA wilderness for a week of (no so) warm water fly fishing in June with my son. Anyone been? Do you have any suggested flies? I listened to a podcast not long ago and the “author” suggested these flies:
swimming frog
clouser minnows
dalberg divers
bunny leach
sculpin
poppers (sneaky pete, Shenandoah chugger)
red faced wobbler
crawfish imitation
adult and larva mayfly imitationI picked up Barry Reynolds book “Pike on the Fly” which was a good read but I’d also like to catch smallmouth and walleye.
Anyhow, if you have any fly suggestions or other local beta, I’d love to hear about it.
Brian: You are sure to have a wonderful time! I fished all around the Boundary Waters, but not technically in them. I did, however do a week-long trip canoeing and surveying lakes in the BWCAW. I was tagging along with a state fisheries biologist who also guided fishing trips, primarily for Walleye. I asked about a million questions while we paddled through a dozen or so lakes that week. Below is a bit of what I learned from him, as well as personal experience fly-fishing in the Northwoods.
Below is my favorite pattern for all “Pikey/Bassy” water. I use heavy dumbell eyes and add quite a bit of wire weight to the hook shank, to get it to dive as quickly as possible. I use the marabou-tailed fly when I expect primarily bass (usually Smallies), and the rabbit tail if I expect more Pike/Musky action. I might do a stinger hook on a longer tail, but with this size tail (about 5 inches long), most Pike engulf the whole thing, anyway.
Chartreuse and Orange Sparkle Grub variationsI use this color combo, along with black, and that is about all you need. I prefer straight 20 – 25 lb. tippet/line for a leader. Usually, about 7-8 feet, if using a floating line, and 2-3 feet on sinking lines. Then I use about 20 inches of fluoro shock tippet around the 40 – 50 lb. range. The straight line allows the fly to sink more quickly and gives you a more direct connection to the fly, so you can feel a take more easily. They will often hit as the fly drops and if you can’t feel it, they can let go before you react.
Cast out, let the fly sink ’till it’s near the bottom, then retrieve with two short, quick pulls and let it sink. Two more pulls, let it sink, etc…. Vary the retrieve if needed, but usually it’s a matter of letting it get deeper, and/or finding a better place to fish.
The biologist I was with on the survey trip, kept pointing to shoals, humps of cobble/boulder that rose from deep water, to within a few or several feet of the surface. He said Walleye and bass really liked those shoals, and he always fished them, from the top – down, letting his lures (flies in our case), bounce down the slopes until he found where they were suspended.
You will likely find Pike in the shallows, where reeds, grass and lilies are, but also bring a thermometer or fish-finder, to find the thermocline. Fish just above the thermocline, and you will be a happy man. That is the main place larger fish often feed. We found the thermocline to be around 12 – 25 feet down, in the lakes we surveyed, depending on dissolved solids, temps. and lake depth.
I generally like to find a point of land where deep water meets a shallower bay, and fish the deep drop off the bay. I almost always find something there — just maybe not the biggest fish, or the most.
The Sparkle Grub pictured above, with a few Clouser Minnows and a floating/popping bug of any sort should be all you need. Have a bright fly and a dark fly, and you should be good to go. Good luck!
Thanks Guys! Very much appreciate the info. Zac – awesome detailed post. I’ll tie up some of your grubs
Brian: last time I was there was over 40 years ago, as a Boy Scout. I can’t be much help but I remember Roger Maves with askaboutflyfishing.com did a podcast on fly fishing the Boundary Waters, his guest was local guide Jim Blauch. This is a link to the podcast, http://www.askaboutflyfishing.com/speakers/jim_blauch/jim_blauch.cfm…. I remember it was a good show, Roger always produces a good podcast. Best of luck!
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