Boundary Waters Fishing: Walleye, Lake Trout, and Smallmouth

Few places in the country offer fishing as wild and uncrowded as the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. With more than a thousand lakes and no motors across most of the interior, you can paddle to a quiet bay, drop a line, and pull dinner straight out of cold, clean water. Here is how to make the most of a Boundary Waters fishing trip, whether you are chasing walleye, lake trout, northern pike, or smallmouth bass.

What you can catch

The BWCAW holds four headline species, and most trips target a mix depending on the lake:

• Walleye are the prize for many anglers, holding on rocky points and reefs and feeding hard at dawn and dusk.
• Lake trout live in the deep, cold border lakes and are easiest to reach right after ice-out or by trolling deep in summer.
• Smallmouth bass are the most reliable and aggressive fighters, common in clear interior lakes and great fun on light tackle.
• Northern pike ambush from weed edges and will hit almost anything flashy, including topwater near reeds.

Best lakes for each species

Location matters as much as technique. Basswood Lake, reached from the Moose Lake entry near Ely, is legendary for walleye and smallmouth. Saganaga Lake and Seagull Lake off the Gunflint Trail are top lake-trout water thanks to their depth and structure. For nonstop smallmouth action with short portages, the Kawishiwi chain near Lake One and the lakes around Sawbill deliver. Pike show up almost everywhere there are weedy bays, so keep a steel leader handy.

Licenses and regulations

Everyone aged 16 and older needs a valid Minnesota fishing license, available online from the Department of Natural Resources or at outfitters in Ely, Tofte, and Grand Marais. A few rules to respect:

• The Minnesota walleye and northern pike season generally opens the mid-May fishing opener and runs into winter; lake trout and bass have their own season dates, so check current DNR regulations before you go.
• Live bait restrictions apply in parts of the wilderness, and felt-soled wading boots are discouraged to limit invasive species.
• Pack out all line and tackle; the BWCAW is a leave-no-trace wilderness.

Gear and tackle that works

You are paddling and portaging, so keep it light. A medium-action spinning rod that breaks down, a small box of jigs in quarter-ounce and eighth-ounce sizes, a few crankbaits, soft plastics, and a couple of spoons for trout and pike will cover most situations. Tip jigs with a leech or nightcrawler for walleye, work tube jigs along rock for smallmouth, and troll a spoon deep for lake trout in summer heat. A collapsible net and a stringer or mesh bag round out the kit.

When to go for the best bite

The classic Boundary Waters fishing window opens with the mid-May opener, when walleye are shallow and hungry and lake trout are still near the surface. June offers warm days and strong smallmouth action. By midsummer the trout drop deep and the walleye bite concentrates around dawn and dusk. September brings cooling water, fewer bugs, and some of the best fishing of the year as fish feed up for winter.

Build fishing into a canoe route

The beauty of the BWCAW is that fishing and travel go hand in hand. Plan your campsites near productive structure and you can fish each evening from a base camp. For a ready-made loop that puts you on good water and walks through permits and packing, see our 4-day Boundary Waters canoe itinerary, then adjust your entry point toward Basswood or Saganaga depending on whether you are after walleye or lake trout.