Trophy Smallmouth + the North Woods Experience = Sylvania Wilderness Area
By Mike Wise
In the Upper Peninsula of Michigan just east of the Wisconsin border lies the Sylvania Wilderness Area. This 21,000 acre tract of forested lands has 36 lakes and 19 ponds teaming with smallmouth - 30% of them are 16" or larger. Approximately 625 miles (10-11 hour drive) from St. Louis, it is a truly great and inexpensive getaway.
The area is catch and release only for smallmouth (barbless hooks, no live or scented bait). Except for one lake where electric motors are allowed, the area is accessible only by canoe and portage. Individual lakes are reached by canoe portage or hiked in and fished with belly boats. The strict regs appeal to the purist and the conservation-minded. They are very tough on poachers up there.
There are two main lakes, Crooked and Clark, that have walleye, lake trout, pike, rock bass and other varieties. The lakes are each about two miles long. Most smallmouth anglers use these lakes to travel to the other, more remote lakes. You can portage and canoe or belly boat. While belly boats are a great way to fish, they don’t allow you to sight fish or skip over bad water. The longest portage is only _ miles long, so they won’t kill you.
Because Sylvania is so far north, it starts to get light abut 4:30 a.m. in the summer and doesn’t get pitch dark until 10 p.m.
About cost. The first weekend in June is a free fishing weekend in Michigan, as it is in many other states. On this weekend a fishing license is not required. Camping is available in the park for about $8 a night. While there is no electric, there is running water and toilets with showers at the beach. Remote, primitive camping is also available. An $8 use permit is required while in the park.
For those not wanting to camp, there are plenty of resorts and a small motel in Watersmeet and a large casino with a new hotel. There are a number of small diners in town as well as in Land O Lakes, Wisconsin, 20 minutes away.
There is one outfitter outside the park who rents lightweight aluminum and Old Town canoes.
From special regs of catch and release only, to no cans and bottles allowed on these lakes, it is probably as close to Boundary Waters and Quetico as one can get without going to Canada. The fishing, along with abundant wild life and beautiful scenery make this an inexpensive trip that is well worth the drive.