Perent Lake

Perent Lake covers about 1,598 acres in the Tofte district, close enough to the Hog Creek and Kawishiwi Lake entry points that many groups reach it inside of a day. It sits entirely inside the wilderness boundary, a short run in rather than a lake buried deep in the interior.

The lake breaks into several bays around a scatter of islands, a shift from the narrow, winding creek that most paddlers follow to reach it. Shoreline runs low and forested, typical of this stretch of the Tofte district. Perent stays shallow for its size: it tops out at 38 feet, but roughly 85 percent of the lake is shallow enough to hold weeds, so open deep water is the exception here rather than the rule.

Walleye are the main draw, turning up in real numbers, mostly on the smaller side and a better target for a meal than a trophy hunt. Northern pike run above average here too, with a decent share pushing past 30 inches. Lake whitefish hold in numbers that stand out compared to similar lakes nearby, and yellow perch and white sucker fill out the rest of the fish community.

Nineteen open campsites, with two others currently closed, are spread across the lake's bays and islands, giving groups plenty of room even with entry points this close. Broken up by islands and points, Perent doesn't build the long, open-water chop that a bigger, simpler lake would in a hard wind.

Perent Lake suits a short trip or a base camp more than a long push into the interior. It sits close to entry points, stays mostly shallow, and its islands and bays give a small group plenty to explore without covering much ground.