Fish Catching Travel
Welcome to Canada and spring. Rain and cooler temperatures, in fact it rained on us all day until we finally called it a day to get ready for the next round. Shoedog and I headed to Lake of the Woods for our first day over there. The plan, we hoped, was to catch some nice pike.
We had no bites the first place so we moved on to a place were we had great luck 2 years ago. We put a couple of small ones in the boat when I had a nice one follow it all the way in, he opened his mouth and ate that inline spinner.
A nice one, not the size I was looking for, but it will do.
I caught this one right before it started raining, and once it started it rained harder and harder as the day wore on. When it poured they they did not seem to want it. Though we caught about 15 during the day, it seemed like it was not real feeding time.
We went to another place were we caught fish 2 years ago and boy were they there. In one small channel between islands we saw around 6 big muskie and pike follow our baits. I actually hooked a small pike and a huge, and I mean huge, muskie tried to eat him. We caught a few small ones in there when Shoedog got “the bite”.
Folks this is a big pike, and it is what you fish Lake of the Woods for.
He was jerking a small KVD gold jerk bait. When we got it in the net there was just a little of the wire leader sticking out of his mouth. If it had been any bigger it would have been tough luck. I noticed that gold jerk bait looks like a little struggling smallmouth as it flashes and darted. If you are a bass fisherman who likes to throw jerk bait these lakes are the place for you. It is just like bass fishing, only you can never tell what may jump on. And when you see a big fish like that eat a bait right in front of you it is a thing of beauty.
We also caught a couple of smallmouth today. I put this one in the boat on buzzbait. We could have stopped and fished for them but pike was on the menu so we kept on going.
These are just flat out fun to catch.
I think the day’s total was around a dozen pike, a couple of smallmouth, and around 6 close encounters with muskies. I saw more big muskies today than I saw the whole week we were here last time. After I caught a smallmouth and a couple of pike on the buzzbait I continued to throw it, and before the day was over at least 4 muskies, a couple of them over 30 lbs, followed it to the boat.
We got a late start, and quit before 5 when the first trolling motor battery died, as it was pouring, we called it a day. So an early venison supper, lots of BS, tackle fixing, bait preps, prop repair on Clyde’s boat, and general drying out of stuff. Tomorrow there will be wind and rain, then clearing late afternoon or Friday. As we get them more patterned the anticipation is rising. Both boats will fish near each other and as we further pattern the fish it will only get better.
For the first 5 days Shoedog is on a roll. He has boated his lifetime biggest pike, biggest muskie, biggest lake trout, and biggest smallmouth. What more could you want from a fishing trip. And still 9 more days to fish. I on the other hand am just muddling along catching a few, but my turn will come. But that is only part of what a trip like this is about. Good fishing, good eats, and good company, all in a beautiful place. So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.
Good Luck and Tight Lines
