Beav,
Those class ratings are pretty consistant in terms of difficulty from one river to the next, even tho the rapids have different character.  Compare the rapids you have been on that have class II+ ratings and decide if you would be comfortable running them with your girlfriend.  You can always portage after seeing the rapid.  I can tell you that class III is solid whitewater and in a kayak I am dumped 50% of the time.  Class II is a mandatory scout of the rapid with an open canoe.  I have found rapids to be rated class II because of standing waves or "haystacks" which follow a drop of up to 4 feet.  If you don't have a boulder garden below the drop, you should be fine.  Plan on getting water in the canoe.  Rapids are also considered class II when they are long and continuous. Maneuvering and bracing skills are required at least in the stern. You should have no problem here.  Class II+ is getting marginal for an open canoe without WW experience. June water temps on the Bois Brule should be in the low to mid 60's. I would recommend not taking your tripping canoe.  Iron River, Wis. has at least one big livery that will rent you a durable river canoe.  Have fun.
-YB

I did that river the summer after graduating high school.  I was a counselor at a school sponsored "survival camp".  I was probably the best canoeist there, which wasn't saying much...most of the kids hadn't done anything but flat water canoeing, if at all.  In my canoe I had a girl duffing (never canoed before) and in front was a girl whose distinction of being more knowledgeable than the duffer was based on her having ridden in a canoe once (this was her first time paddling though).

We survived most of the trip until a stretch of water that passed under a neat looking pedestrian bridge, turned hard left (tossing us into a rock wall) then hard right.  When we hit that wall the front girl shrieked and gave up paddling.  Adrift with the current we came broadside to a rock just at the beginning of the hard right turn.  The upstream gunwale tipped under and I gave the order to abandon ship.

The canoe was held there for a while until a teacher and I managed to pry it free without any damage.

If your girlfriend can paddle at all, you will be fine in that stretch of the river.  As YB says, scout before you run.  I remember one rapids that was too rough to run so we portaged.

Hi there --

I have run the Brule, from Stonesbridge to the Lake, a little over a dozen times, and have daytripped Stonesbridge to Hwy. 2 and Pine Tree to Hwy. 13 multiple times.  All of the week-long trips were me and one other person guiding a group of 10 or so high school-age kids, except for one in which I was the camper.  We give all the kids one day of paddling training, and they watch a video, but they're great, and I've never had any trouble and any real safety concerns, other than cold kids who tipped.

The first part of the river, from Stonesbridge to Hwy. 2, is fairly benign except for a couple significant class I rapids that catch people off guard.  One of them, Little Joe, is right before Bois Brule campground.  If you can hear it or see it, make sure you run it on the right -- much easier.

After Hwy 2. until Copper Range Campground, there is very twisty part but very fast  -- no rapids to speak of.  The ledges come after Pine tree landing, but it's hard to see the landing so don't use that as a landmark.  The pull out for scouting the first ledges (Lenroot) is on the right.  Be looking for it -- if you see a swinging walk bridge you're close.  Then after Lenroot in about 5 min. is Mays (the second set of ledges).  These are easier but bigger, and VERY hard to spot from the river.  Be looking for the river to appear to just END.  That sounds scary, but don't worry -- the notches cut in the ledges are pretty obvious.  Scout these too. 

Tipping is to be expected on any of the sections, especially AFTER the ledges.  In my mind, it's the bit after the ledges, until about Hwy. 13, that is the hardest.  You're tired after the ledges, and your adrenaline has gone down, and then you still have a bunch to paddle, so be careful.  After a few bends, there's mini ledge -- be ready for that.  I don't usually scout it, but it of course wouldn't hurt.

I'm afraid I've written too much.  I LOVE paddling the Brule, and you will too, I'm sure.  The short version of all this is:  people unfortunately paddle the Brule while drinking, and they make it down safely.  You will too.  Come prepared, with a dry bag full of new clothes -- June can still be pretty chilly, and if you're wet and cold, it's no fun and possibly dangerous.  Weekends are often busy.

Okay, I'll stop.  Hope this helps, and I hope you have a fun time!

p.s. -- The wall that TwistTieCollector speaks of is on that first stretch.  It's fun, and gear does help, but the key is a GREAT backpaddle.  If the stern can manage a backferry, even better.  I know that backpaddling down a river isn't always considered the most fun, but I tell my kids to backpaddle if in doubt, and to wear close-toed shoes.  That and the training we give them does the trick.

Right-o, Kingfisher.  Anyone else want to talk about the Brule?  I'm in the city these days, and missing the river.