Going to post an initial route in the trip & route planning. Thanks for all your input.

I agree with OS, very doable under right conditions first day.
You might see pass thru traffic on Walter, but the lake is worth the minor inconvenience of that.

I have a personal attachment to it. Here are some pics from my May 06 stay there: (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

If the crew is in shape & packed well, Walter is very doable in one day. PM me for campsite & fishing suggestions.

Thank you all- I am learning quite a bit and finding some really great routes.

I am leaning toward a Sturgeon Lake circle, with a Nym Lake put in. There seem to be many options on this route. Is Walter Lake too aggressive for a first day target camp? We'll be leaving Nym at 8-9am. I'm sure once we make it into our 2nd lake past Nym, we'll know how big this circle will be.

Thanks again for all your input.

Jeremy,

I'll have to weigh in with a vote for a northern entry, as well.  I'm good with all the above reasons & have a couple additional.  Re: bugs... what Mad_Mat said about the winds that time of year is right on.  MANY of the camps I know of on Quetico, Cirrus, & Kasakokwog lakes are situated so as to allow adequate "breathing" with those winds.  In other words, they are oriented so enough wind flow will minimize bug issues.  Of course, when the wind fails to blow, you would be SOL anywhere.

Bear in mind that black flies hatch in streams & shallow moving water.  The closer you camp to it, the more likely you are to have issues.  Also, I'll second Prouboy's endorsement of "The Bug Shirt".  I used it for the first time last year & loved it.

One of the very finest trips I've ever made into Quetico was 2-3 days after ice-out in 1996.  Ice-out was really late that year; we went in during the last week of May.   We encountered NO bugs of any sort (except spiders in a Cache River swamp).  Frankly, though it got COLD at night, we got lucky as hell with weather.  NO rain until the very moment I was loading my canoe back on the truck.   BEWARE... that was one lucky roll of the dice!  Nine out of ten trip reports I read re: camping in May feature remarks about cold nasty weather figuring prominently during significant portions of the trip.

One of the nice deals about the northern tier of Quetico lakes on the west side is that you have very FEW portages & those are generally really short.  You can cover a lot of water while regaining your paddling fitness & gradually work your way into portaging shape.  You'll also find all four species of game fish in those waters.  You'll want to focus on the shallower bays, most likely, for fishing because the main bodies of those lakes are very deep & won't have warmed up much.

PJ makes good points about Pickerel Lake plus, if you're lucky, you get some of those nice sandy beaches, to boot.  If you haven't been on the water since your early years, however, I'd be concerned about paddling in the tempests that can blow up on that lake.  Yes, there are spots to get out of the wind BUT you just might be stuck in them for days at a time when the waves of big Pickerel Lake begin to roll.

Thar's my 2 cents....

Jimbo  

Old Salt wrote on Dec 20^th, 2009 at 2:32am:


OK, I'll wait til after Copia this year 

Actually, I think WR begins his 'garlic & onion therapy' before coming to 'Copia each year!   

Can't add much to the advice above. Except for the garlic, it's all good.
That said, pump spray insect repellent, not aersol. And, whatever the repellent, it will only prevent the critters from landing on you (or your wife). It will not rid the woods of them. Went with a chap a few years back who used up the entire camp supply trying to stop the buzzing.

And you are right about the utility of this site. I recommend it all the time. Nice people here.

Tim

Jeremy,

Welcome to QJ.  I will cast a vote for Sturgeon Lake as a first Qtrip based on your initial post.  You can get there in a day and a half from Nym either through Maria/Jesse or Dore (or make it a loop route).  Sturgeon has several side route options to get you away from traffic.  It will be reliable for bass, walleye & pike in June.  Trout can be caught along the route.  I agree with MadMat's comment for June.  The probablility of warmer temps are greatly increased and this will help the fish to cooperate.  Put the odds in your favor.  Depending on your experience, bugs may be more tolerable than an extended May cold front.

Any of the above mentioned trip options will be rewarding.  Once you decide, come back to us with your route.  Many here will be generous with notes and tips regarding fishing locations and campsites.

-YB

Jeremy -- my daughter has that same problem with being very attractive to bugs, or intolerant...  I bought her a "bug shirt" from Midwest Mountaineering in Minneapolis, and she absolutely loves it.  You might check that out too...good Christmas gift??

prouboy