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Boundary Waters

We made our annual trip up to the Boundary Waters again this year. We put in on Gabbro Lake (about a half hour away from Ely, MN.) We put on a Friday morning and came on Tuesday (6/12). We spent our first night on Turtle Lake, second and third night on Gull Lake, and our fourth night on Gabbro Lake.

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This is what our portage was like to get to Turtle Lake (It was a *****)
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Turtle lake just a sunset..
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This was my big guy of the trip! I caught him around 8:30 on the second night in Gull lake. I was sitting in front of the canoe and I made a shorter cast out in front and he hit and started pulling us around a bit. We couldn't really neat him because he was jumping all over the place and was swimming under the canoe. I was afraid my pole was going to break! But the net we had was way, way too small. And you wouldn't believe this, but I landed him only because I grab the leader and I pulled him up into the canoe that way. Talk about nerve racking! I didn't keep him, I let him go. I think we fought for about 5 minutes or so! Man, it was alot of fun!
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We caught mostly northerns. We did have a few walleye and I got in a school of some jumbo perch on Friday night at Turtle lake. Our biggest smallie was about 18 inches. Had a lot of fun. The only real problem we had was our water pump broke, so we had to boil our water. So our water tasted like smoke and ashes. We did have gatorade mix and lemonade mix so it wasn't too bad. But that was the only really downer of the trip! Overall, had a wonderful time! Heard some wolves on the last night we were there.....I couldn't fall asleep for the longest time after that!
 
Amazing trip! I work with a guy who use to be a Boy Scout Leader and they took troops up there every year. He said it is a beautiful place and your pics prove that! I would love to go up there when my boys are a little older. :way:
 
We went there back in 2000 and absolutely loved it! We stayed at Gull Lake, too, I think (it was so long ago). My wife and I talk about a return trip to take our kids. Like you, my purifier crapped out on the first day (use a coffee filter around the cartridge next time) and we had to boil all week. Smokey water was the norm! Nice fish!!
 
Went there on a church outing and we didn't take a purifier with us, but the water in the boundry waters is some of the purest water in the world. We just made sure to pull out water from about 10 feet down. Just dive down and open ur nalgene bottle when you get down there and then close it and swim back up. This avoids all of the microbes that live towards the surface and none of us got sick. Sure is an awesome place.
 
I've been up there twice, both times were in the Saganaga Lake area to do the Man Chain. Awesome awesome time up there! I'm really not much of a fisherman and didn't do a whole lot of it, but it is so relaxing out there. We would see maybe 2 or 3 other groups in the 5 or 6 day trip. Glad you had a good time and that's a dandy Northern!
 
Looks like a great trip. Dang that makes me miss the boundary waters. I went every year from 1984 to 1990. Man those were great times. One of my favorite places in the USA!!
 
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