Sawbill Lake

Sawbill Lake covers about 834 acres in the Tofte district of the Boundary Waters, in Cook County near the town of Tofte. A public landing sits at its south end, where the Sawbill Trail ends and paddlers put in at one of the entry points into the wilderness.

More than 26 miles of shoreline is packed into that acreage, so the lake folds into long bays and narrow arms rather than sitting as one open sheet. That shape means there's almost always a sheltered spot to duck into when wind builds on the open stretches.

A short run of water near the landing allows small motors, but the no-motor boundary of the wilderness starts just past it and covers the rest of the lake. Sawbill tops out at 45 feet, and about half of that is shallow enough to fish from the surface down, with the rest holding the deeper, colder water.

Walleye and northern pike are what most anglers are after here, and pike numbers have come on strong in recent years. Cisco and burbot hold in the cold water where the lake drops off, while yellow perch and rock bass work the shallower shoreline. Smallmouth bass have been in the lake since the 1970s, though they don't turn up in a livewell often.

Thirteen campsites are spread through Sawbill's bays, giving parties room to spread out and find a sheltered site when the open water gets choppy.

Sawbill Lake sits right where the road ends and the wilderness begins, but it has enough open water and campsites beyond the landing to hold up as more than a launching point.