George came into town last Saturday so he, Greg, Ken, and I squeezed into Greg’s Alumacraft and hit a lake that Greg has been on, but we other three hadn’t. Since it was forecasted to rain in the afternoon, we got up early and were on the water by 8am. We started at some lily pads not far from the boat launch. It was quiet for quite a while until Ken hooked the first fish of the day, a 14″ bucketmouth. He hooked it on a super fluke in the baby bass color. I’ve had that... (more...)
About two weeks ago, I finally got out on the water for the first time this year (yes, lame, I know). Our weird Spring has caused a delay in the start of the fishing season for me, but the good news is I didn’t have to wait long for bass opener to come around. Not that I was fishing that day. I was able to connect up with Greg who I got out with a few times last year. We decided to try some new water a few clicks North of The Cities. The Minnesota DNR web site showed the lake as a good... (more...)
Later in the evening, Ken, George, and I headed out on the pontoon. One of our usual spots we hadn’t hit yet was the three bays between the Prune Lake and Liz Lake portages. We first started in the bay near Prune Lake. I started with a bubble gum fluke because I was after my species trifecta. Using a fluke allows me to target multiple species at once. A couple of casts in and I was on the board: Species: Smallmouth bass Size: 10″ Lure used: Bubble gum super fluke George also got... (more...)
After our crazy adventure in the afternoon, Ken, George, and I headed to the three bays near Liz Lake portage. We started at the Southern most bay and worked our way North. George opted for a propeller topwater and got a hit on his first cast. It was a little bass that shook itself loose before he could get it to the boat. A few minutes later, Ken landed a 10″ walleye on his pinkish fluke. On my bubble gum fluke, I scored a nice 13″ smallie. The first keeper of the night. Species:... (more...)
Instead of spending our usual week up on the Gunflint Trail, we decided to do two four-day weekends this year. The first was on July 4th and our second was this past weekend. We drove up late Friday night, but I was too tired to get up Saturday morning to go fishing. Because we visited the Fisherman’s Picnic in Grand Marais, I didn’t get to wet a line until 4pm. It’s a crime, I know. While the family was swimming, I decided to trek over to the neighbor’s dock where there... (more...)
After an abysmal first day and second morning, Ken and I headed to Walleye Alley in the evening of day 2 to try our luck. I remembered a small bay with lily pads at the end of the alley that felt promising. We started down Walleye Alley and it was very windy. It was perfect conditions to drift with a lindy rig, but I didn’t have enough foresight to bring that set up. So Ken trolled while I cast with a bubble gum fluke. Casting was very difficult due to the windy conditions. My line was... (more...)
When I started writing the drafts for my posts about my trip, I had intended to do a post for each day. As I was reading over them, I realized they were BOR-ing. They were uninteresting because there was no action. I would be bored reading them, so you’d be snoring before you finished the first paragraphs. Therefore, I’m going to summarize the next 4 days of my trip into one sentence: I caught 5 smallies all under 12″ and a northern at 17″. Exciting, I know. I’ve... (more...)
Date: 8/21/2010 Time: 3:30pm – 5:30pm Body of water: Poplar Lake Location: Gunflint Trail, MN Weather Conditions: sunny We drove up to my in-laws’ cabin late Friday night to avoid traffic. We didn’t get in until 2am Friday night, so Saturday morning, I decided not to get up early to hit the water. Besides, I didn’t know if my father-in-law, Ken, had a boat tied up to the dock and ready. It wasn’t until late afternoon that I would get a chance to get on the water. ... (more...)
Date: 7/31/2010 Time: 7:30am – 11:00am Body of water: Tiger Cat Flowage Location: Hayward, MN Weather Conditions: partly cloudy After my initial success from the night before, I had high hopes the next morning. I woke up at 7:30am and couldn’t go back to sleep, so I decided to get up. My brother repaired my scum frog before we went to bed, so I cast with that for about a half hour with no bite when my brother came down to the dock. We decided to take my dad’s canoe out on the... (more...)
Date: 6/6/2010 Time: 8:00-11:00am Body of water: White Bear Lake Location: White Bear Lake, MN Weather Conditions: overcast, windy My phone rang at 7am Sunday morning. “Hello, ” I said groggily, knowing full well who was on the other end. “Let’s go!” It was Mark. Saturday, after our outing, I asked him if he was going out Sunday. He said to have my phone close by. Frankly, I didn’t think he would go that morning. Saturday night I had gotten all my stuff ready... (more...)
