Quetico and the Boundary Waters Fishing
Getting Started.

The following discussion is intended to be a beginnerís guide to fishing the BWCAW and Quetico area lakes and rivers. Anyone who does not fish on a regular basis but wants to take advantage of the tremendous angling opportunities available during a wilderness canoe trip will find it useful. Please understand that there are as many ways to catch fish as there are fishermen, especially in the BWCA/Q where fish are often eager to bite. The canoe fishing equipment and techniques outlined below emphasize simplicity and ease of use for the beginner or occasional fishermen. My hope is that veteran fisherman may also find a few of my ideas useful.

Please fish responsibly within the rules of the parks, keeping only what you will eat and releasing the rest carefully so they can fight another day.

Rods, Reels and Line:
First, letís talk about equipment. I use all sorts of different rods and reels in my day-to-day fishing but when I am canoe tripping I want to keep it very simple. When I assemble gear for a trip, I do not select my best most expensive rods and reels. Fishing gear on a canoe trip is often subjected to a fair amount of abuse on portages and around camp. It is not unusual to break rods and reels or even to lose them overboard during a careless moment of inattentiveness. The rods and reels I use cost about $70-$80 each and are more than a few years old. I take 2 complete rods/reels for myself and one for each additional person who will be regularly fishing. Spool some of your reels with 15lb. spiderwire (or equivalent) and some of your reels with 8 lb. monofilament (Stren or Trilene are good choices). There are basic spooling instructions that come packaged with new line-make sure you follow them. Some reels come with a spare spool. If you have one, it may be wise to spool it with one of the above lines or choose something different.

Once you have your rods and reels set up, learn and practice the Palomar knot. It will be the only knot you will need to know in order to tie many kinds of line to different kinds of hardware and lures. It's a strong simple knot thatís easy to tie under all sorts of conditions. I'm serious about practicing. Learn to tie it in the comfort of a steady chair, in good light because it will be much more difficult in a canoe thatís bobbing in the waves or current. Test the knots that you tie for strength to make sure you get it right. Practice it with different line on a few different kinds of hooks, lures and sinkers until you get a feel for it.

 

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