lakes around deschambalt

[shootsmcgee]

Well gentlemen its getting to that time of year where i've fired up the auger a few times and checked over the equipment. I've also been researching some new (to me) spots to push into this year and have a few on the list.

[AndyJ]

Had to look that up on Google Earth. We paddled Deschambault to Wappaweka 25 years ago but I have no useful info. Sounds like a great wilderness adventure.  Overnight camping?

[Namaycusher]

AndyJ. What route did you take? I'd like to make that a sled trip this winter.

[AndyJ]

381 - We started at the south end of Deschambault, paddled up the west side iinto the West Arm and up the Deschambault River to Oskikibuk Lake, turned west up stream into Wapawekka Lake and the access at the west end. I recall the east-west part of the river as shallow and have a vivid memory of bushwhacking through the alders beside the river carrying two packs while my partner waded and dragged through the shallows pulling the canoe. And rain and mosquitos. And losing a beauty of a Scottish sock knife that was ripped off my belt somewhere in the tangle. The good old days..

 A sled trip, either hand pulled or motorized would take some attention to the details. If the locals use it as an established winter route there will be trails cut around the iffy sections. Don't know your level of experience but it would be prudent to have the gear to comfortably stay out overnight if the shtf.  Sounds like a great time.

Shoots - I modified my earlier post to protect lake virginity.  All the best in your adventures. 

[coldazice]

I'd give Limestone a shot, excellent walleye fishing in the summer.

[JackEye]

I'd like to know more about some of these lakes you are talking about... can you email me AndyJ

[ggpr]

You can check out the sask documented canoe routes which may help for info on getting into some lakes.  I have gone canoeing in la ronge provincial park and try to make sure i do at least one canoe trip a year. I have looked into canoeing up in the north east around Jan, Desch. etc too and it looks really nice.  There are maps for these routes also, i recall finding the link for one and just swapping the route numbers out (google image search helped me find the first i recall) they are decent.  Prior to finding them though i just went off the written descriptions and used the satellite images and my garmin basecamp software with the ibycus canada topo maps to plot my routes.  In fact almost all of the portages (and even more) are on the topo maps so it was nice to confirm what i did via satellite imagery was spot on after i found that out.

At a glance i dont see wappaweka to deschambault as part of any of the routes but i looked into that once myself after reading others had done it.  Would be a neat trip.  I'm all about getting into lakes with no road access.

In the future id love to have a snowmobile and a few buddies with them too, go into some lakes with snowmobile/foot only access and camp along the way.  I have a buddy with a winter tent and we get out as much as we can.

http://canoesaskatchewan.rkc.ca/skroute.htm

edit - route 43 included Wapawekka Lake, Deschambault River, Ballantyne Bay as part of it