BWCA IN THE FALL: FANTASTIC FISHING ON BASSWOOD

[@Jason-kj8kb]

Love your channel, best boundary water videos on KZbin. Can't wait for the next one.

[@markpotaczek]

Thank you, Jason. We are lucky to have this piece of heaven on earth so close by. . .

[@Tastewithnewdrinks]

Great video, keep going.😍

[@poodwood]

Great video.

[@davewilliams3514]

Great video Mark! You all wore out the big fish this trip.

[@markpotaczek]

Dave: coming from you, that is a great compliment as I don't know anyone who has caught more canoe country bass than you and your groups. Good luck this year on Mack--can't wait to see your results in the blog.

[@brentandellesoutdooradventures]

Nice video Mark. You guys caught some monster bass. Looks like it was a great trip.

[@rogerkleese2608]

Excellent video Mark, any suggestions(without precise location for walleye/smallmouth grounds on Basswood? Have always entered in the Sawbill area, so this will be a new venture in the coming week. Be well

[@markpotaczek]

Roger, thanks for watching and your comments. I'm leaving in the morning for another two week trip in the NE region of the park. I can help you out with specific spots on Basswood (some are detailed in this video, as you saw), but there are many more that I've found since then. if you reach out to me via email at [e-mail] before the end of the day I can send you that intel.

[@allenfabre7442]

Loved the video Mark. We were at the same campsite a week or so earlier than you. We had lots of wind, but caught some nice fish and had a great time.

[@markpotaczek]

Allen: that is wild! We almost ran into you. If you go back to my spring video, you'll see that after paddling and portaging all day from the Basswood River near where it dumps into Crooked, I paddled through that area ready to crash on any available site. I paddled by more than a dozen before finding a vacant place to camp, and it was barely functional. The lesson here is that if one is hoping to enjoy that area, it's best to go in the off-season as it is very crowded during the spring/summer months.

[@allenfabre7442]

@@markpotaczek We always go in September to miss the crowds and insects. We are going back in September, but are going to the National Park side of the BW. Know any good sites to base camp and fish in that area?

[@markpotaczek]

@@allenfabre7442 Allen: It's funny because during the first months of the border closing, I took a houseboat trip with my wife and another couple. We launched from Crane Lake and went into Namakan and Sand Point Lakes. Each houseboat comes with a motorized skiff, and I also brought a couple canoes that we just latched on top of the houseboat, so I had multiple ways to approach the fishing. I brought night crawlers, leeches, and minnows, and fished those few spots that were marked on my maps by not-too-reliable sources. . . Sorry to say, I had poor results, which I think may be attributable to the heavier pressure that those big, well-travelled lakes receive. Given that you will be in a canoe and probably traversing smaller lakes with less pressure, you should do much better. I'm not familiar with that region, but you may try to contact Stu at Boundary Waters Journal and he can provide that information if you are a subscriber. Check it out on-line--he is very reliable and probably the most knowledgeable person when it comes to advising. Also, if you live in the midwest, there is the big paddle sport exhibition in Madison this weekend (starting tomorrow!) and Stu is usually there along with many other experts who can assist you in this regard.

[@allenfabre7442]

I am way South in Louisiana my friend. It’s a long ways to the Boundary Waters, but I really fell in love with the great north woods on my first trip there in 2000. This fall will mark my 15th trip to the greatest wilderness fishing in the world. I appreciate the tips for my future trip and look forward to some videos from you. Oh, on a side note, we’ve been using Latourrels for our outfitting and tow services for all of our trips. Great people and a great success story.

[@timschwarze4842]

Hi Mark. Nice video. Thanks for sharing. I hope to get back there soon. I currently live in Washington State. With regard to the actual border around the point. You show the border north of those islands, but I haven’t found a map that shows that. Google and Paddle Planner show the border to the south. Would you address that? Thanks!

[@markpotaczek]

Tim: those small islands just to the north of the border marked on your maps have boundary pins drilled into the rock. If you notice that scene at the end, where Doug marches up the rock to touch the border pin, that occurred on one of those islands. So the maps are close but not exact.

[@cordwoodmn]

It was actually a 46 1/4” northern pike in 2021 to take the catch and release state record.

[@markpotaczek]

Cory, the fish you mention was caught on Mill Lacs AFTER the video was posted. Somebody beat the old record by an inch. It's nice to know that MN game fish are growing and proliferating. . . Thanks for keeping us up to date!

[@cordwoodmn]

@@markpotaczek The 46 1/4” that I am referring to was caught in June of 2021 on Basswood Lake.

[@markpotaczek]

I just looked at the state registry again, and now I find that they say there is a "TIE" between two lakes for the state record fish--one caught on Mill Lacs and one on Basswood. The Mill Lacs fish was caught through the ice. Do you know weights as I saw no mention of it. And since you seem sure about this, I hope you may know more details about the Basswood fish, such as where caught on what type of bait or lure. . . We would love to know more details if you can provide. . .

[@brentandellesoutdooradventures]

Are you doing a Spring trip this year? We are heading out today for a couple of weeks from the North East side of the park.

[@markpotaczek]

Yes, I'll be putting in a week from today, Lac La Croix to Prairie Portage. I have three weeks, so going to try to cover alot of the small water south and west of La Croix. Then will concentrate on the lower half of Crooked until I get into the crowded waters of Basswood and then I'll bolt. I got a new "pack canoe" which is a 14' kevlar/carbon beauty that weighs in at 24 pounds. I had to get new packs and really minimize in order to get everything squeezed in. Also switching over to a kayak paddle, so this will be an interesting ground-breaking trip for me as I attempt to minimize and lighten my load, thereby increasing my speed and distance. Loving your videos and it would be great to meet up perhaps this fall somewhere on the border on Basswood. Good luck and safe travels!

[@brentandellesoutdooradventures]

@@markpotaczek with luck we are possible planning to return in September and head down to the Southern end of the park. Have a good trip. Looking forward to seeing some footage.

[@brentandellesoutdooradventures]

Hi Mark. How was your trip this Summer?

[@odelldaniel7868]

Hows the walleye fishing in that area, my son and I will be up in Sept

[@markpotaczek]

It's usually great but for some reason they were really turned off during our visit. The bass saved us.

[@XyZDemise]

My group and I pulled 16 walleye out of this lake in a three day span in 2022. It's about knowing the lake and having the right equipment.

[@golfish8589]

I just started watching your new video Jan15 2022. Posted 8 min ago... I tried commenting . But it wouldn't let me. Then the video disappeared. And I can not find it again. It is not in my history or on your play list.

[@markpotaczek]

Golfish: You above all others are going to love this new video because you were a chief inspiration for what you'll see. Remember about a year or so ago, you commented and tore into me about the stupid canoe paddle and showed me the light. Well, I took your advice and even increased it a step or two. . . I put the video up this morning in order to check the audio levels and have just finished the final edit so it should be up for good some time this afternoon. . . I'm not kidding or exaggerating on this--you were a key element. I wish I could remember which video it was. . . Anyway, everyone appreciates your comments as you spread a lot of knowledge.

[@golfish8589]

@@markpotaczek i only caught a glimpse of your new paddle before I stopped to type a message. Then everything went wrong. I will check it out.

[@jimmythomas5107]

Mark!! Was trying to get a hold of you!! Feel free to email me or call whenever your available. Hope all is well with you

[@markpotaczek]

Hi Jimmy. Do I have your contact info?

[@brentandellesoutdooradventures]

Hi Mark. Hope your doing well. Would love to hear how your new canoe outfit worked. Feel free to contact me over Facebook, I’m still using Fisherman Boyle there.

[@markpotaczek]

@@brentandellesoutdooradventures Boyle, I'm so glad to see you're still out there. I was just looking for your site and it's totally gone from this platform, even your comments made on my videos. I was getting worried. . . The new outfit is fantastic, but this past year was kind of a blowout due to the flood and then some hip issues. I did spend alot of time in the woods, on Basswood, but mostly convalescing and loving every minute of it (it's a unique story). I'll be posting videos from the past year once I start editing after the holidays, which are a very busy time for me. Thanks for reaching out--can't wait to catch up on your videos.

[@brentandellesoutdooradventures]

I was afraid that might happen. After much consideration I changed the name of the KZbin channel to Brent and Elles Outdoor Adventures. Only seemed right considering Elle along with me in all of them. Glad to hear your doing well and looking forward to some Basswood videos. I’d enjoy spending some more time in Basswood next time.

[@markpotaczek]

@@brentandellesoutdooradventures You know Boyle, I'm not jealous of many people but you are one case because of Ellie. My wife used to come but after about 15 trips, she said "that's it". Now she goes to Italy while I roam the Northwoods. Solo trips became a necessity and I grew to love that mode of travel as well. Best video action was when you saved Ellie after she broke her arm. You couldn't write better material. Thanks for all you do and have a great Thanksgiving/Christmas!