Morson to Kenora

I am planning a trip from Morson area up through Turtle portage to Kenora. We would like to fish in the Whitefish area for a day and come back via Tug channel. Any one done the trip and can give some advice?

[old fisherman]

The last time I was at the portage it was a roller system and would only take smaller boats with ease. This was last June. I fish that part of White Fish Bay a lot and it is one of the more pristine areas of LOTW. I really think if I was going to boat from Morrison to Kenora I would go more North up by Mills Bay etc. It would be a great trip. Wish I could go.

[Shorelunch]

Whitefish area is beautiful and has very good Lake Trout fishing (open January - September) and OK northern and walleye fishing. I'd call a resort, maybe Buena Vista or Mylie's before you go to make sure the lift is up and running. I'm sure there's an "official" number you could call - not sure what it is.

I heard the lift broke toward the end of last season and they weren't going to repair it until this spring. It was in and out of service last year. That would be a great trip.

[bellbuoy]

I'll be in this area in July and I'm a bit confused. I've been to LOTW several times but not this specific area. You're talking about about a lift at Turtle Portage, yet the FHS map for the area and 6214 show the Turtle Portage Channel as navigable. Could someone please clarify?

Bellbuoy

[Shorelunch]

There is indeed a cement "hill" that your boat trollys over. It is there to keep the clear Whitefish water seprerated from normal LOW water. Don't fret, it's not a big deal, although the bigger the boat, the more work to get it over.

[mps]

About 10 years ago there was a channel. They filled it in with concrete and made a roller system to get boats across. I am not sure about the current status of the system but about 5 years ago it was a lot of work to get my 17' boat across and I broke off my transducer.

I can't think of any good reason that they needed to fill in the channel in the first place, except maybee the resorts on the Whitefish side complained enough about the traffic coming from the south.

[Shorelunch]

They filled in the channel because boaters weren't shutting the channel doors when leaving, therefore letting the "normal" LOW water cloud up Whitefish water.

They used to have a roller system, which worked very well if you took it slow on the ride down into the water. Now there's a trolly system which works OK.

[bellbuoy]

Thanks for the information!

One more question:

Will my 20 ft Alaskan fit on this "roller system"?

Bellbuoy

The main reason for reestablishing the block between Sabaskong and Whitefish was that the murkier Sabaskong water appearently caused a very thin deposit to settle on the Whitefish Bay lake trout eggs, hampering successful hatching of the eggs.

This issue was vemenently argued prior to the digging of the channel in the early 1950's. A case of who has juristiction over the waterway - provincial or federal govt.

Prior to the channel being dug, that area was a frog swamp, a pond in the middle and beaches on each lake side. In high water years, a small stream would sometimes run between the two bodies of water, but it was at the NE end of Turtle, where the cabins are. This was not enough, I guess, to harm the trout eggs. I do know that Whitefish is still not anywhere near as clear as it was in the 1940's, before channelization.

Good luck