When Scott Bunday agreed to be an adult leader for Boy Scout Troop 25’s canoe trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness between Minnesota and Canada, the Plano, Texas, dentist thought he was doing his Boy Scout duty.

Bunday had the satisfaction of helping a scout troop, but he was rewarded with an unexpected bonus. The mid-June canoe trip was one of the best fishing trips Bunday ever has experienced, and that’s saying a lot.

Bunday is an ardent tournament bass fisherman who has competed all the way to the B.A.S.S. level. He’s been fishing 35 years.

The BWCAW sprawls across a million acres on the international border between Minnesota and Ontario, Canada. Included are more than 1,000 pristine lakes, more than 1,500 miles of canoe routes and hundreds of remote campsites.

America’s portion of the BWCAW is part of the Superior National Forest. Wilderness users must apply for a trip permit months in advance. Detailed maps are available for scout troops or other do-it-yourself campers. Numerous outfitters on both sides of the border also provide guide services and equipment rental.

“This trip was unbelievable,” Bunday said. “We had 11 scouts and five adults and everybody caught fish.”

Bunday, his stepson Davis Gregory, and fellow scout Eric Carr caught and released 103 fish in six days. While some of the Plano scouts brought their own fishing gear, many of them were not accomplished anglers. Bunday anticipated what gear might be needed, and he supplied eight complete spinning outfits from his personal tackle arsenal.

Portages from one small lake to the next were common. A portage means carrying your canoe and other equipment overland to the next lake in the chain. Bunday, 45, recommends that sedentary trekkers get in shape before attempting this exercise.

“The hardest part was portaging eight spinning rods without breaking any of them,” he said. “We used bungee cords to secure the rods inside the canoes, then flipped the canoe over and carried them upside down. During the six-day trip, we paddled more than 60 miles and portaged more than 30 times.”

Bunday said the water was crystal clear and many of the smallmouth bass spawning beds were readily visible. It didn’t take him long to figure out that a plastic worm, rigged wacky-style, was the ticket to good fishing. A wacky worm cast near any of the spawning beds resulted in instant action.

“The Boundary Water is a wilderness area, but there are lots of people using it,” Bunday said. “We learned pretty quickly that we needed to find a good campsite by midafternoon. Later than that, the campsites were filled up and it was like driving down the Interstate and finding all the motels with no vacancy signs.”

The BWCAW is a popular destination for adventurous scouts but it’s a potential destination for anyone who enjoys camping, fishing and paddling. To prepare for a trip next summer, check out details on the Internet at www.bwca.com.