Fay LakeMaking Connections
MapsLinks |
Full image approximately 2 miles square |
Description
Fay is a small, deep lake, under a mile in length, on the Chub River 5½ miles SSW of Gunflint Trail's End and 44¼ miles ENE of Ely. A 25 rod portage out of its northeast end connects with Glee to the north and the route up to JAP. A 90 rod carry out of the southeastern end links up with Flying Lake, providing access to the east/west Round to Gillis route. In this same corner of the lake, a diminutive Chub River drops into Fay, draining both Bingshick to the northeast and Flying to the southeast. The Chub exits Fay at its northwest end, over a short, but rocky, 15 rod portage to Warclub. The Kekekabic Trail, which runs above the north shore of Fay, crosses at the portage here, continuing west on the south side of Warclub.The forests west of Fay along the Chub River date from the great conflagration of 1854. Those along the northern and southern shores burned, perhaps re-burned, ten years later with a few remnant stands along the northern and eastern shores surviving from an earlier 1801 fire.
Campsites
Fay has no established campsites.Planning Considerations
Fay provides the traveler up the Chub the option of dropping south to the popular Round Lake to Gillis route, or turning north through Glee, Elusion, and Glossy into JAP. BEWARE, some editions of the McKenzie map No.7 show the 15 rod portage linking Warclub and Fay as instead linking Warclub and Glee. There is an obvious trail at the portage heading out to the northeast toward Glee. It is the Kekekabic Trail. The Kek eventually crosses the portage from Fay to Glee and so this route would work, but it's much, much longer than 15 rods. It also would mean missing Fay, for which the McKenzie shows no portage from Warclub. But trust me, it's there; on the south side of the stream.Wildlife
Fay supports a small population of native Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush), as well as Golden Shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas), Green Sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus), and White Sucker (Catostomus commersoni). A few Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) may also be found in the lake, probably entering from Bingshick, where they have been stocked.Notes and Comments
Watch your compass on Fay. Not so as to keep from getting lost (and not that it would help). We have found this lake to be an object lesson in how the compass really works, the needle swinging widely in all directions as we paddle across. There is enough magnetic pull under and around Fay to overwhelm any attraction to magnetic north. We have noted this phenomenon on other nearby lakes, and on the Chub River as well. Consider it a "teachable moment" for the kids.
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