Hello All,

So I have done a good number of trips and now have my third child, my 12 year old son going in for his 5th trip. We are going to introduce the BWCA to two of his friends and their fathers. I am considering a trip into Takucmich to work it and surrounding lakes. My question is for anyone that has done this trip is, 1) Did you paddle in and if so from which EP? Looks like a long paddle from either EP.

2) With it being a first time trip is taking the water taxi in from Crane Lake a better and smarter option?

3) Do you thinbk this is just not a good trip idea for first timers?

Thanks for any and all help and or information.

If you're wanting to spend a bunch of time on Takumich, definitely get the tow to Snow Bay on LLC - If you're able to afford to do so. Otherwise you're almost certainly committing 2 days to get there & 2 to get back.


Did some thing similar when visiting that area a number of years ago with our 1 year old on this trip. Nor-western waters

Don’t make your trip too easy. A little hardship is what it’s all about. I’d consider entering through LIS. Stay on Loon your first night then get to Takumich day 2 via Slim or LLC. I’ve done numerous trips with youth and they enjoy the challenge.

We went to that area for one of my daughter's first trip but we went up through LISN and took two days to get there. I haven't used the other entry point and tow. It's a haul for kids to get there but it was a good experience for us, all things considered! :)

Look into taking the three boys and dads to the top of Lady Boot Bay for a couple + nights....with your crew, you'd be hard pressed to find a better site than the one with sandy beaches on the north and south landings....

Takukmich is such an overlooked lake because of everyone's interest in LLC. We didn't have much luck fishing there, but everything else about our experience there was phenomenal. The first campsite inside the portage from LLC is spacious. We counted at least 3 tent pads, but we are hangers, and this is a great hanging spot, too. The landing pad is sandy and flat. The only thing I wasn't a huge fan of was how far the fire grate was from the tent pads. However, it was nice that campfire talk didn't seep up to where people were in bed early. The fire grate is right off the water. The tent pads and latrine are up the hill a bit.
Our trip in 2021 took us through takukmich.
Ep 14- Hustler
Hustler- gebe
Gebe- taku (via LLC)
Taku- eugene
Eugene- Loon
loon-ep 14
We made this into an 8 day trip with 2 "layover" days where we picked a fun day activity in case of bad weather. If you decide to canoe the whole way, it will most likely take you 2 days.
The fastest way is probably LLC, but with the weather, that could be a tricky way to go. The wind also picks up on LLC in the evenings, so you will want to be in camp relatively early in the afternoon. All in all, I think we wound up doing about 50 miles.
I prefer more portaging if it means more seclusion. The whole time we were on the "inner" lakes, we didn't really see much more than 1 or 2 other paddlers passing by, which is vastly different than being on a lake where motors are allowed (Loon and LLC).
2 of us had been out before, and 2 of us were newbies. All of us had a great time, and the pacing was fast enough that we didn't have time to be bored, but slow enough that we weren't all dead tired by the end of the day and could enjoy some relaxation at camp.
Good luck and happy planning!

Hey, you helped me out a few years ago with information. Seems every lake I look at getting into you have been to, when i review campsite reviews there you are.. Pretty sure you recommened Trygg to me. May be the only speckled trout lake I have not hit in the BWCA. Thabks for the note back

Het, thanks so much for the note back, what EP do you use for that route?

Thanks for the note I really appreciate it

Thanks for the note I really appreciate the info

Thanks so much for the note back and all the information, I really appreciate it

If you choose to take the tow to 41 island area, I highly recommend Andersons Outfitters.

ScottMacFish: "Hey, you helped me out a few years ago with information. Seems every lake I look at getting into you have been to, when i review campsite reviews there you are.. Pretty sure you recommened Trygg to me. May be the only speckled trout lake I have not hit in the BWCA. Thabks for the note back"

They do have trout in trygg stocked by the DCNR. We didn't fish much through there because of the wind that day, but I've heard it can be killer. And not every lake, just mainly ep 14. My hyperfocus is planning so I have combed through everything to do with EP 14. We've had a few successful trips through there so any questions feel free to ask! I had us go to the next bay over looking for a portage and lost an hour on a very windy day, so make sure you stay in the same bay as that campsite and not around the next bend to get to the tesaker and trygg portages!
We never did make it down to trillium but from my research, if you want to catch bass that's where to do it. Great area to explore, have fun!