Boundary Waters, Trip Reports, BWCA, Stories

Entry #43 Bower Trout – 09/9/07 – 09/13/07
by sethrice1

Trip Type: Paddling Canoe
Entry Date: 09/09/2007
Entry Point: Bower Trout Lake (EP 43)
Exit Point: Lizz and Swamp Lakes (EP 47)  
Number of Days: 5
Group Size: 4
Trip Introduction:
Trip Report – Entry #43 Bower Trout – 09/9/07 – 09/13/07 The ultimate trip for us.
Day 1 of 5
Sunday, September 09, 2007

Bower Trout, Marshal, Dugout, Skidway, Swan, Vernon

Eager with anticipation our group of four arises around 5:30 AM and we take our last showers and gear up for our 4 night, 5-day trip into the unknown. Mike Sherfy, of Rockwood Lodge, was loading our canoes and was grabbing our leeches. Ahhhhhh, almost ready! We took the same entry point and similar route last year in July of 2006. We had perfect weather and the fishing was great, so why can’t that happen again this year, right???????

Mike warned us that the water levels are unknown due to the major drought in the area, but they did receive 8 ½ inches rain two days earlier. We didn’t really care about that, as long as the fire ban had been lifted, boy are we naïve! The first two gravel roads to the entry point where closed due to the heavy rains washing them out, but thank God, the third road was open. Mike dropped us off and wished us luck; we would navigate our way back to Rockwood Lodge on Poplar Lake in 5 days.

The portage into Bower Trout was dry and easy, a very nice way to start a trip off. The weather was overcast and in the low 50’s, no rain as of yet. Bower trout usually has a small pier, but it was washed away from the high lake level. “Oh well, I guess we are going have to get our feet wet”. As we worked our way to Swan Lake, the portages would get wetter and deeper. At some points you would think the portage was the creek. As we where paddling Swan Lake, a camper on the northern campsite was yelling to us, “ the portage to Vernon is gone, there is no way to Vernon!! Down trees, high water!” A little nervous, we pushed on to see for ourselves. We did find the portage, a lot of twists and turns of a creek, but we found it. It was passable, wet, but passable. 292 rods later we made it Vernon Lake, my favorite lake on this trip. 

We will stay 2 nights on the lake because the fishing was great last year. We set up camp and fished a little, I caught a decent size Northern, but it broke my line before I could pull it ashore. Oh well, maybe we will have better luck tomorrow