Trout Lake (EP1) Gear Checklist
Trout Lake is a canoe entry that starts with a crossing of Lake Vermilion, a short portage over a creek and waterfall, and then big, windy water that also allows motors. The people we read packed for a fishing base camp: shallow-water walleye tackle, a drift sock, rain hoods, and a food setup that follows the bear order. The regrets are about loads that are too big for the long carry toward Pine Lake, a forgotten anchor bag, and a fish stringer left unwatched.
What shapes your gear on Trout Lake
- Getting onto Trout Lake
- The Forest Service lists a 60-rod canoe portage from Vermilion Lake, or a 180-rod portage that allows portage wheels. Wheels are allowed on this Vermilion to Trout carry and on only a handful of others in the wilderness. Trip reports describe a mechanical carry run by a guide with a four-wheeler for an extra fee, and a shorter carry of about 40 rods that one group walked themselves.
From Superior National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Entry Points, Superior National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Rules and Regulations and BWCA.com: Pine Lake base camping, Aug. 2016
- Crossing Lake Vermilion
- One forum poster put the paddle from Moccasin Point to the shorter Trout portage at about 3.5 miles and said many parties skip the tow. A 2016 group paid $225 for a tow of four boats, and another poster was first quoted $75 per canoe. Posters call Vermilion a big lake, and one says he always takes a tow on big water.
From BWCA.com Trip Planning Forum and BWCA.com: Pine Lake base camping, Aug. 2016
- Wind and boats
- Trout allows motors up to 25 horsepower. A route guide calls it big water with long open stretches and big waves, and says it is a poor pick for inexperienced paddlers. A 2009 family group had brisk wind on the water and a north crosswind on the paddle out.
From Superior National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Rules and Regulations, Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness and BWCA.com: Yearly Family Mens trip (Pine Lake fishing)
- Beyond Trout
- The Pine Lake carry from Trout is about 260 rods. A northern alternative uses Pine Creek and a 40-rod muddy portage. The route guide calls the 185-rod carry to Merritt Lake lightly used and prone to being overgrown.
From BWCA.com: Yearly Family Mens trip (Pine Lake fishing), BWCA.com: Pine Lake base camping, Aug. 2016 and Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness
What the agency requires on Trout Lake
Drinks and food in reusable containers, with no cans or glass bottles
Carrying any can or glass bottle breaks the rules, with three exceptions: fuel, bug repellent and medicine. Everything else goes in containers built for repeated use.
A bear-resistant container or rope to hang food
Food may never be left unattended on portage trails or in camp, and scented items may not stay in the tent. Visitors are told to carry a bear-resistant container or rope for hanging their food packs.
A camp stove
Fires are allowed only in the steel grates at designated campsites, and a fire restriction can require a stove. The Forest Service calls a small stove a good idea for speed and for rainy weather.
Trash bags and a way to pack out leftover food
All trash is packed out and latrines are not garbage cans. Items such as wipes, bandages and plastic baggies are packed out, and so are leftover meals.
A bait bucket you can empty at every portage
Empty the bait bucket's water before each portage and refill it at the far end. Leftover live bait goes out with you, never onto the ground.
What hikers carry on Trout Lake
Walleye and smallmouth tackle for shallow, tea-colored water
The base-camping groups on Pine Lake fished jigs, bottom rigs with minnows and leeches, swimmer baits and spinnerbait. One group caught walleye in 4 to 14 feet, and the other found them in about 4 feet.
The 2016 group found Trout itself hard to fish from a canoe because the lake is large, deep and rocky.
From BWCA.com: Yearly Family Mens trip (Pine Lake fishing) and BWCA.com: Pine Lake base camping, Aug. 2016
A drift sock or water bucket for drifting
In breezy conditions a family group used its water bucket as a drift sock, then said it will ride in the canoe on every fishing trip from now on.
An anchor bag
Two anglers who had forgotten their anchor bag at camp quit fishing a windy hump, while the others anchored over it and caught fish after fish.
A rain jacket with a hood
A July report had heavy rain overnight and scattered showers all day. The group put hoods up about every hour for roughly 15 minutes of rain and kept fishing.
A food hang kit or a bear-resistant canister
A paddling writer says good hanging trees are scarce across the wilderness. He packs two throw bags, line winders and a pulley, and uses a canister more and more with his family. Another option is to hang food for the first days and switch to a canister as the food runs down.
He describes the reissued order as running April 1 to November 30 and requiring food 12 feet up and 6 feet from the trunk, or a certified container.
From PaddlingLight and Superior National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Rules and Regulations
A first aid kit with gauze, wound cleaner and tape
One angler cut a finger nearly to the bone while opening a fuel canister, and the group dressed it with wound cleaner, gauze, ointment and tape, plus a cut-off glove finger to keep it dry.
Tents that fit small pads
The island sites on Pine Lake can be short of level ground. One group had to pitch a tent slightly sloped, and a forum reply warned that a camp on Buck Lake could be tight for seven people.
From BWCA.com: Yearly Family Mens trip (Pine Lake fishing) and BWCA.com Trip Planning Forum
A phone for the shuttle call
Both reports used a shuttle service for pickup. One group had signal an hour early at the meeting spot, and the other turned a phone on at the end and was met sooner than planned.
From BWCA.com: Yearly Family Mens trip (Pine Lake fishing) and BWCA.com: Pine Lake base camping, Aug. 2016
9 people can go on one permit. Split this list between them so nobody carries two stoves.
Plan a trip hereWhat hikers regret or leave behind on Trout Lake
A load too big for one trip over the Pine Lake carry
A group that brings a lot of food and fishing gear had to carry everything over the 260-rod portage in two loads, and one member made 2.25 trips. The author called the carry easy except for its length.
A knife blade used to puncture an empty fuel canister
The same trip's cut started when a can opener on a multitool slipped while crushing an empty canister. Cans are banned in the wilderness except for fuel, so plan a safe way to flatten and carry empties.
From BWCA.com: Yearly Family Mens trip (Pine Lake fishing) and Superior National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Rules and Regulations
A fish stringer tied to a rock and left alone
One angler left a full stringer in the water at camp and returned to find a snapping turtle had taken the fish. After that the group built a rock live well for the stringer.
Big canopy tents and heavy grills
A group that camped for a night on Trout noted the campsites there suit 25-horsepower motor parties, with large canopy tents and heavy grills. A canoe party that carries everything over portages has no use for that weight.
Gear questions for Trout Lake
Do you need portage wheels for Trout Lake?
Not required. The Forest Service allows wheels on the 180-rod Vermilion to Trout portage, and a guide hauls gear over a mechanical carry for a fee. A group in 2016 skipped the haul and carried canoes and gear over the shorter portage themselves.
From Superior National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Entry Points, Superior National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Rules and Regulations and BWCA.com: Pine Lake base camping, Aug. 2016
Do you need a bear canister on Trout Lake?
A canister is one of two options. The Forest Service tells visitors to carry a bear-resistant container or rope to hang food packs, and never to leave food alone on portages or in camp.
From Superior National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Rules and Regulations and PaddlingLight
Can you bring canned drinks or glass bottles on Trout Lake?
No. Cans and glass bottles are illegal in the wilderness, with exceptions for fuel, insect repellent and medicine. Carry drinks and food in reusable containers.
Is a tow across Lake Vermilion worth it for Trout Lake?
Opinions split. One poster said many parties paddle the 3.5 miles themselves, while others advised a tow because Vermilion is big and rough in wind. One group paid $225 for four boats in 2016 and called it worth the easy start.
From BWCA.com Trip Planning Forum and BWCA.com: Pine Lake base camping, Aug. 2016
Sources
- Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Rules and Regulations · Superior National Forest (USDA Forest Service) · Agency
- Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Entry Points · Superior National Forest (USDA Forest Service) · Agency
- Yearly Family Mens trip (Pine Lake fishing) · BWCA.com, wb4syth · Trip report
- Pine Lake base camping, Aug. 2016 · BWCA.com, deadriver · Trip report
- EP1 Trout Lake - general info · BWCA.com Trip Planning Forum · Forum thread
- Exploration of Trout Lake and its neighbors · Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness · Blog
- How to Bear Hang Your Food When the Trees Suck · PaddlingLight, Bryan Hansel · Blog