ive been bringing my baitcaster each of the 5 years i've been going up to the Q. i find it an important piece of equipment because b-casters are much better for trolling than their spinning counterparts. i use a 6' one piece rod and i haven't had any issues on portages. i use the rod for everything from trolling plugs for lakers to casting spinners for pike to putting a little bit larger jig and using it to find bottom structure when im searching for walleyes. whenever i jig for walleyes i use the baitcaster with a tube jig to quickly give myself a good view of whats below. most of the time i only get a small view of the bottom per cast because the walleyes grab on ;)