Doing a short 4-5 day jaunt north outta Sawbill. Plan on staying on Wine Lake for a couple then looping around north n west then east to Mesaba. Anyone have any experience in this area? How are the portages into Dent and Louse river?

wine lake is a fine lake. it has stocked lake trout and is remote. the portages out of wine to bug and dent are rugged. they are not used much and are very rocky. it is a very remote area and you are not likely to see anyone else. if you like to fish , I would follow the louse river to trail lake for walleyes and pike. continue down the louse river and turn south at mallberg and follow the lady chain back to sawbill. much nicer country than dent , mesaba and zenith. you can do this loop easy in 6 days . good fishing the whole way. tg.

What's the fishing like in Dent 'n' Mesaba? Is it even worthwhile?

stayed at dent one night because we had never stayed there before. no fish , only minnows. fished mesaba once, no fish. checked DNR report and they stocked it with lake trout in 1977 and they did not take. dent was really nice to stay at , very remote feeling.tg.

I haven't been into Mesaba or spent much time other than passing through on Dent. However, Wine lake is a dandy and you would not be dissapointed for early lakers

I've read that the 400+ portage can be broken into a couple shorter portages? I'm presuming this is contingent on water levels. Wondering if this is even worth considering, or if it's just best to do the full portage all at once?

A route that I like alot is this: Paddle to wine and stay the first night. Take the louse river to Trail lake and stay two nights. Paddle back through Dent and stay a night. Leave out on the fifth day.

I've been across that portage at least 5 times and I've never seen the water high enough to break the portage up. Count on doing the whole thing. The good thing is that once you're across it you should have a lot of solitude. Not many people care to tackle that route.
I soloed it about 5 years ago and don't remember any portages being terrible. It's the getting in and out that were toughest. Rocky, muddy, places where you'll be jumping from rock to rock. It's a good route, work on your footwork.

How long is the portage at the south end of Dent? My Voyageur map shows the portage, but gives no information regarding the length. Can't find any info in the guide book either. Also what condition would that trail normally be in mid May? (soggy? wet? rocky? etc.)

My McKenzie shows it at 45 rods.
I'd say its condition could be any one of your guesses.

Thank you to everyone for the info/input. Much appreciated.

Also wondering.....It looks like there's a creek between Wine and Duck? Is this navigable? Or just best to do the loop around Frederick & Zenith? Not planning on bringing all the gear, just to do some exploring on a day trip.

If you stay on Wine, the campsite just after the portage from Frederick is a nice one, so is the island site. If you day trip, go down the portage to Mug and head west to the waterfall from Wine to Mug. It is a gem.

I can't comment on the creek to Duck...I would think its not navigable.

Also, don't stay on Zenith and Frederick...not the nicest sites or lakes. Stay on Wine, and if you loop around stay on Mesaba...a favorite.

Portages from Poe to Louse and Louse to the Louse River are boulder fields. Watch your step. After you're in the Louse River, watch for the big beaver dam...heading toward Bug, portage left.

After Dent, the portage to Chaser ends with a very steep staircase-like descent to Chaser. Again, watch your footing.

On Mesaba, the southern site is the worst of the 3. Stay at either of the other two.

Also, look for the plane wreckage on Zenith. Its easily seen on the peninsula on the north side of the lake, on the lake side.

The 480 rod portage is not bad, just long. Never been able to break it up.

Have fun. Let me know if you have any other questions about this area.....except that I don't fish...

Hey dadof6,

Thanks for all the great info & advice.

Hadn't heard about the plane wreck on Zenith. Is it tough to get to? Do you know any of the history behind it?

Well, I was getting all excited when I saw the thread name!


hummm?

quote TuscaroraBorealis: "
Hadn't heard about the plane wreck on Zenith. Is it tough to get to? Do you know any of the history behind it?"

From Sawbill's website:

http://www.sawbill.com/www/planning/sug_routes/dent_lake/index.cfm

See if you can find the wrecked airplane on the shore of Zenith Lake. A poacher crashed here just after WW II on Christmas Eve. He reportedly walked all the way to Tofte through knee deep snow wearing only street shoes!



Very easy to find.....as you paddle along shore on the lake side of the peninsula on the north edge of the lake, you'll see it sitting up along the shore. Further back you'll find more of the wings.

quote Winemaker: "
Well, I was getting all excited when I saw the thread name!
hummm?"

Me too. There's no mention of any difference in taste or nose either north or south of Sawbill. "hummm?" indeed.

quote Winemaker: "
Well, I was getting all excited when I saw the thread name!



hummm?"

Sorry to have disappointed you. LOL