East Pike Lake

East Pike Lake covers about 554 acres in the Gunflint district of Cook County, tucked into the wilderness near the Canadian border. Nothing reaches it easily: every portage connecting to a neighboring lake runs long, from around 190 rods off West Pike Lake to more than 250 rods from McFarland Lake, and most of them are rated difficult. That keeps traffic here light even by BWCA standards.

The lake runs deep for its size, dropping to 40 feet, and only about a fifth of it is shallow enough to fish from the surface down, so most of the basin is open, deep water rather than weedy shallows. The water is notably clear, with visibility running 15 to 20 feet depending on the year.

Smallmouth bass are the standout here, abundant and running larger than average for the area. Northern pike have thrived since establishing themselves in the lake around the turn of the century, with fish caught up to 44 inches. Muskellunge turn up occasionally too, a small population that's kept itself going through natural reproduction for decades since the last stocking. Cisco and lake whitefish hold in the cold, deep water as forage, with yellow perch and white sucker filling out the rest of the fishery.

Three campsites sit on the lake, spread out enough that finding an open one isn't usually a problem given how few groups make the carry in.

East Pike Lake suits anglers willing to put in a hard portage for big pike and smallmouth rather than paddlers looking for an easy lake to pass through.