Fish Catching Travel

Baits for all your fishing needs

There was a slight change of plans.  The initial plan was to hit Coleto on Tuesday, which I did, and then hit the Gulf today.   Then Shoedog let me know he was headed to Fayette County so I signed on.  We had a chance of rain on the coast still in the forecast, so to Fayette I went.  Tomorrow will be the Gulf.  First to Coleto.

Tuesday I hit the lake.  After getting a few things done I made the lake about 9:45 and fished until 2:00.  The 2 best things that happened were, one – I filled the boat at $1.97 a gallon, two – I quit before the storms hit.  Other than that it was my all time worst trip to Coleto, I think I had a bite.  I fished some favorite places, some old places, some new places, some deep, some shallow, I threw the box at them.  The only thing I did not do was pitch that lizard, guess that might have been the mistake.  The lake has clearly come down, and once you get above the bridge is pretty off colored.  So I fished about as good as I was feeling, like crap.  This stupid cold thing has turned into a week long hassle.  So when you need a bass fishing fix Fayette is the answer.

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We met at Oak Thicket Park at 7:00 and were on the water in nothing flat.  We started on a main lake point and put 3 or 4 in the boat pretty quickly.  1 on cranbait, 1 on swimbait, and 2 on jerkbait, our Fayette staple.

As we call them – A Fayette Fatty.

This was the average size for the day.

As the day went along we never did catch more than 3 in one place, but we finally did figure out a pattern.  It was grass in about 3 foot of water and gold suspending jerk baits.  We caught very few smaller than the one above.  Now don’t get me wrong, it was not a killing by any means, but of the around 15 we caught most were really nice fish.  And we were both a little rusty and missed several.

Shoedog with the big one for the day.  She was around 6 and flat stopped that jerkbait.

During the day I threw crankbait, swim jig, plastics, all without any success.  Once we found some shallow grass they were there, but unless that jerk bait was put right in front of their nose they were not having it.  Though we try other stuff it always comes back to the jerkbait on Fayette.  And almost always a jerk, pause/ jerk-jerk/pause, with most of them hitting it on the pause.

I love that lake.  Lot of good solid fish like this one.

Most of the day we kept the boat in around 6 foot of water, always looking for that deeper grass.  Once we found it we tried to bring the bait right over the top of it, some of them smacking it when it hit the tops and then stopped.   We never did try for any deep fish, but we never do there.  As long was we are catching healthy fish with a shot at a big one or two we are happy.  Fayette is our go to lake, a place to catch fish they way we like.

The only down side of Fayette is how rude folks are.  I do not think there were over 5 boats on the lake this morning when this jerk in a bass tracker aluminum boat cut us off.  I mean drove right in front of us, tried to drop anchor, then started casting away maybe 40 feet in front of us.  It has taken some getting used to since I came to Texas with that kind of stuff.  The old unwritten rule was always if you are on a bank you get to the point in the direction you are going, an easy rule.  So it was ok to pull up on a point and go the other way.  Here it seems to be I have a big bass boat with 2, I mean 2, Power Poles, so I have the right of way.  But it does no good to get pissed, just let it slide off, catching fish is the best revenge.

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Got this report with a couple of pictures from Johnny on his recent trip to Coleto.

Glad you are safely back from your trip.  Hope you also had good luck at Coleto.  Found the fish biting on crank baits and soft plastics in water from 6″ to 10′ around hardwoods.

Please don’t stop blogging as I really enjoy reading your reports.

A nice Coleto bass on crankbait.

Wish I had read your report before I hit Coleto yesterday.  With no grass to speak of the hardwoods may be the place to be, and I will sure give it a go next trip.  So thanks for the good report and I appreciate you keeping in touch.

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As our days begin to shorten many folks thoughts are turning to deer hunting.  I got these from our buddy Terry’s trail cam.

This guy is going to be, “going to be”, this guy is a giant!

They grow them real big in Nebraska, and they have the body to match those massive horns.  Terry’s son put a monster on the ground last year and it looks like one of them may get it done this year.  Good luck boys, that is a moose!

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 Today was good for me.  I needed to get my mojo back working and nothing does that better than catching some good fish.  Tomorrow will be a get well day on the Gulf.  The tide will be high early, falling all day, the perfect set up for fishing drains.  High first thing will be some spinnerbait for redfish, then wading for some trout.  Of course all good plans are subject to change, as I always say, let the fish tell you.  I really appreciate your readership and your comments, keep them coming.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Baits for all your fishing needs

My wife has been seeing several folks with colds in the ER, and she finally managed to get one.  It was a snot slinging, headachen’, muscle hurtin’ doozey.  And as soon as  I posted the other day it was my turn.  The only good thing that I can say about being sick for 4 days is there was tons of football.  So I hunkered down and watched a ton.  My Razorbacks played completely uninspired and got beat by Toledo.  Not sure what happened but they looked like crap.  The Cowboys on the other hand looked bad, and then Romo worked his magic and punched the Giants right in the head.  What a win, if we keep that up even if we play poorly it should be a good year.  Sorry that is completely off subject, but it was the size of my weekend.

Today I finally finished putting all the tackle in the right boxes, line on rods, got all the stuff in the right place so let the fishing begin.  We have a 60% of rain tomorrow with possible winds to 20, perfect bass fishing weather.  The next day light winds with spotty clouds, and it will be spent waist deep in the Gulf.  The tides are not that hot right now but looks like they will get a lot better as the week goes on.  From there it will be fishing, fishing, and more fishing.  With only 9 days until the big trip I am going to have to get some fishing done so I don’t have withdrawal while we are gone.

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I always like getting Aaron from Austin reports.  He fishes both fresh and salt and has been known to sack a few.

I hope the return trip has been uneventful.  I enjoyed keeping up with the blog the last couple weeks.  I’m sure you guys feel whipped but bet you can’t sit at the house for even a couple days before getting back out there.

I’ve been down to POC a couple times in the last few weeks.  In general I’ve found the bite to be slow.  Real good first thing in the morning and basically dying an hour after the sun rises.  Catching more flounder than usual though.

I did manage to have fun with a school of bull black drum in knee deep water.  I landed two in the 35” range as well as a 41” and 43” fish.  I left them biting after four fish because they were tearing me up on my light tackle.  I thought I would pass the update along to you because I get a lot of the same comments about black drum not biting artificial.  Seems the drum don’t agree and like paddletails just fine.

Aaron

Now that is what I am talking about!

They sure are fun, I am actually surprised more fly rodders don’t pursue them.  Your report got me to feeling better and Wednesday morning I will be knee deep in it.  Our experiences were the same as yours, good early bite, and definitely flounder as part of the bag.  So thanks for the report.

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And I got this good report from Joe on some bass fishing.

Glad to hear you made it back to America !!!!!! Any time you want to adopt me to go, I will head up there with you. I’m a little younger @47.

While you were gone I spent a week at Lake Fork 28-4 Sept. Very rough fishing, Caught some shallow 2-8ft, in the slot but didn’t find them deep. No fish over 3lbs. Water is dropping and all the brush, cattails are out of the water. Shallow grass is dead.

I caught more at the 2 Holly Lake Ranch lakes, Lake Hawkins, and Lake Holbrook. Tied into schooling black bass for 3 hours at Holbrook and actually got tired of catching them. Over 40+. All in all, Great Trip

Sounds good to me.  I don’t know anything about Holly Lake Ranch but will look it up as soon as I post this.  Speaking of falling water I am really looking forward to seeing Coleto in the morning.  Nice to see you pulled it out.  Going places for a week or more is no guarantee of success, but it sure helps.  And as far as adopting another fisherman, only if I want to be bludgeoned to death with a fishing rod.  She likes fishermen and all, but she already has one pet who is barely house broke.  Thanks for the report.

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For the first time in a while I feel almost organized and ready to fish again.  No preconceived notions in the morning on Coleto.  When you don’t know anything it is time to let the fish tell you.  A little cloud cover and wind never hurts bass fishing.  And speaking of Coleto my buddy Jeffish caught 10 nice crappies on jigs, when I see him I will get the full scoop.  All this fishing talk has me ready to hit the water.  I might do one of those 4 different places in 4 days thing.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff,

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Baits for all your fishing needs

After a couple of days of rest and almost reorganization, followed by a couple of days in the big city with the CEO of Team Nancy doing a little shopping, it is time to do some catching up.  As far as the shopping I did not know that you had to have different clothes to go out of the country, you think I would know that rule by now, but I digress.  Reels have made it back on rods but the tackle remains a complete mess, which I hope to fix in the next couple of days.  And it is time for a new fishing license, so don’t forget and get caught out there.

As far as our trip went it could have been better, it could have been a lot worse.  Once the fishing got going it was real good.  My muskie success was more a failure to hook up on my part than anything.  In fact, before the last day when we really did not preform like we should have, I think I was 2 fish out of over 10 bites.   But it just makes me more determined.  We learned a lot and it will be another story next year as far as muskie go.  Who knows, may try to stay 3 weeks next time.  The long drive is not getting any easier.

One comment I wanted to make has to do with taking a kid fishing, or introducing others to our sport.  As we talked about all things fishing, and the history we all have together, one thing become quite clear, we are not getting any younger.  As we get a little older we are starting to lose friends, and our group is aging.  There are no younger folks who share our trips and that is sad.  It would be nice to pass on all the knowledge we have to a younger bunch, with over 200 years of hardcore fishing we have lots to share.

I have heard from lots of you and I wanted to share a few of the comments I got in the last couple of weeks.  One thing that has been consistent is folks are catching fish.

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I got a couple of nice Canada pictures from my buddy Clyde.

This is a big smallmouth anywhere.  Look at how thick that thing is.

The biggest lake trout of the trip.  This was a real hoss!

Thanks for the pics Clyde.  I am already thinking about next year, and I have not even recovered from this year yet.  It is always a great time, to bad you out fished the whole bunch of us.  It was bound to happen once!

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Faye and her husband made it down for a quick trip to POC and they had a good trip.

Fish Catching Travel

Baits for all your fishing needs

What says more about our trip than today’s fishing.  Being the final day we hit it early with an early quit to pack up, load the truck, and put on the boat cover.  So in the morning we will be out of here by 5:30 for the long haul to our brother’s house in Arkansas.  That will give us a fairly short, 9 or 10 hour drive, back to Texas.  You know, just knock of a quick 1700 miles towing a boat.  No big whoop.

As to today’s fishing.  The muskies were on the move.  In fact we had a fish make a pass at it on the first bank.  Unfortunately that is the way it went all day.  We had them follow and not take a figure 8, we had them hit it but not get it, we had them nipping at the skirt and not eating, in fact anything that could keep us from catching one happened.  Before we quit at 3:30 we had 8 or 10 do something, anything but eat it.

Why?  Not sure.  Maybe to fast, to slow, wrong color, wrong size, I am just not sure of the answer.  But what ever it was Paul phrased it in only the warm and fuzzy eloquent way he does, it was just a &*%# up.  I have seen a lot of muskies here in the past but this was by far the most we had a shot at in one day.  Usually here if you see or get that many follows you will put a fish or two in the boat.  It was as exciting as it was frustrating.

That was a fitting finish to this trip.  We started off with a bang, then got that cold front which knocked them in the head for a week.  The fishing picked up everyday and then the last couple of days on Lake of the Woods were great.  When you can catch fish all day it is a success.  For a buzzbait lover like me pike smashing that thing is a thing of beauty, not to mention some bit smallmouth.  And when the boys went to the trophy smallmouth lake they caught 200, and folks that is not an exaggeration.  There is so much to do here.  If you are willing to work at it, including some portages into the lakes connecting with Crow Lake, you can have some fantastic fishing.  And this trip we put in at 3 different ramps on LOW, one of the areas we had not fished before.  LOW is huge, and each area of the lake is different.  And this trip like so many others over the years reinforce my rule, go as long and as much as you can swing, the weather  can be your friend or your worst enemy.

For me personally the lack of success on muskies is not a failure, it is motivation.  It really is a learning experience.  For some of the guys it was just to much effort.  I can see how some folks get obsessed with it.  The fishing just motivated me more to learn and grow.  They are a wonderful creature, curious, big, and when they want to be ferocious.  When you reel a bait in and here comes this big predator it is the stuff my dreams are made of.  They bit on the big front right before it got here, and then something happened that is counter intuitive.  The warmer and sunnier it got, the more active they got.  Hot and sunny, with water as clear as bottled water, and they werw active in the middle of the day.  Compared to bass it was exactly the opposite of what I would expect.  Lots to learn about these magnificent fish and I am all about it.

Muskie Bay Resort, what can I say about them.  They go above and beyond to help out.  Marking maps, giving out info, helping with tackle, and anything else they can do.  Paul and Chris are great folks, their son Jake and his wife Ashley are a hoot.  And I am not kidding, Paul makes one of the best pizzas on the face of the earth.  The cabins are awesome and sitting on the porch with a nice breeze and looking out at the lake is calming and restful.  If you ever wanted to just do the short thing, fly in to International Falls MN and take a quick 3 day guided muskie trip, or go over to LOW and catch walleyes, the price is well within reason.  Just give them a holler and they will work it out.

That about covers it.  As we speak it is raining like a mother and the lights are flickering, this is the woods.  Now it is back to real life.  It will be interesting to see how things are shaping up on the coast and at Coleto.  The reports I am getting from Bastrop and Fayette are enough to warm a bass fisherman’s heart.  If you have been out on the Gulf drop me a note and let me in on the scoop.  I figure a couple of days getting my stuff together and I will be itching to get back to it, though my hands will take a little longer than that.  About the time I am back in the swing of things it will be off to Italy.  Then it will be another episode of jet lag and burning the candle at both end.

And last but not least a personal and heartfelt thanks to my lovely wife.  To be able to do this kind of thing takes a wife who is understanding.  So thanks Nancy, I appreciate what you do for me, and let me get away with, and I can not wait to see you.  And the rest of you, your comments are so appreciated.  At times I have thought of giving up the website but then I hear from all of you and it keeps me writing.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.  That is all from Canada, eh.  We have already set next years trip and I can not wait.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Baits for all your fishing needs

I know I keep harping on staying as long as you can, and this trips is a perfect example.  We catch a couple of muskies in less than a full day, and then the big front.  I mean a norther out of Alaska on what Paul says is usually the hottest week of the year.  And it kills the fishing.  But as the time has worn on the fishing has got better and better.  To make a long story short my hands could not take another fish or make another cast.

And it began.

We started throwing buzzbait first thing in the morning and did not make it a half mile from the ramp.  The fish have moved shallow and until the wind started to really blow, and we were giving out, they were absolutely smashing buzzbait.

We caught these all day until my hands were like claws, as is swollen and useless.

It would be hard to describe how ferocious they were.  Obviously making up for lost time after the front and feeding on the one coming Saturday, they were hungry.  It was an easy patter to duplicate, weedy bays.  We would throw to the reed line, reeds were clearly the best, but if it was slow we would drift the bays in the middle and the pike were in 5 – 7 feet.  And when they hit that buzzbait it was a big flush.  I refuse to guess how many, but it was a bunch.  But it was not all pike, we did some smallmouth fishing.

Look at how thick this thing is, awesome fighters.

Before the wind got up we fished grub and jerkbait and caught them almost any point, period.  Hit a point and catch 2 – 6 and move on.  They are such good fighters up here.

We even picked up a largemouth, talk about fat.

The fishing was steady all day and you never knew what might hit next.  You would be hopping that grub along and one would thump and when you set the hook it was gone.  Or maybe it was a nice smallmouth.

Never go anywhere north without a gold 3 hook Rapala Husky Jerk, it catches fish.

And speaking of jerk baits I had on eat one off, 12″ leader and all, that must have been a horse.  Around 3 the wind started blowing and it killed the buzzbait bite and made grub fishing tough so we threw spinnerbait a while.

Pull up on a point and it was bam bam!

So with the wind high and us getting really tired, my hands are swelled about the size of my head, and that is no mean feat.  We decided to make a pass on a stretch where we caught several big smallies the last 2 days and Shoedog put the smack down on a big one.

This picture does not due this fish justice.  This was a flat out moose!

Finally about 5 we decided to head back in with the wind blowing pretty good.  But we stopped and trolled a bank.  If you ever come to Muskie  Bay and Lake of the Woods you can troll and save yourself.

A nice big pike, one of 2 we caught on the way in.

We called it a day about 5 and came back to the resort.  With muskie fishing to finish our last day we could get some of the tackle and rods and reels put up and begin the prep to hit the road Saturday.  Paul’s wife said he guided this morning and they caught 3 muskies and lost one and we out for the evening bite.  So things are looking good for last call.

I can not describe how tired I am.  Words do not due it justice.  I guess it is why I fish so hard, this kind of fishing is a young man’s game.  13  days of up at 5, back at dark, supper at 10 or later, then doing it all over again without a break.  But like all the fishing adventures I take I would not trade them for the world.  And there is no way to count what we caught.  So it is 8:30 and I am headed to bed.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Baits for all your fishing needs

After wearing myself plum out muskie fishing it was time to just go catch some fish.  So the Shoedog and I headed over to Vic and Dots and paid the $15 for the ramp, what a rip off, but oh well.  We have fished the Whitefish Bay area the 3 times we have been here so are pretty familiar.

We started in the first big cove and it was game on.  We probably caught 25 smallmouth and pike in there.  We caught on buzzbait, jerkbait, and grub.  Shoedog had a nice muskie follow it to the boat but could not get the figure 8 done to make him bite.  From then on for the rest of the day we caught fish.

A nice LOW smallmouth.

From there we went to a big shallow weedy bay and caught a bunch of smaller pike on buzzbait.  I had 3 big fish just not hook up, but will changer skirt colors tomorrow on the buzzbait and that should help.  Then we headed to the back of Whitefish Bay and fished several points catching smallmouth and pike everywhere we fished.

While no giant these really smash a buzzbait.

From there we went to a big weedy bay and wacked the pike and a few smallmouth.  Though most of the smallmouth we caught on grub were on rocky points in 10 – 20 feet, there were some good ones in the grass.

This one ate that buzzbait in the grass in 4 foot of water.

And a few casts later here comes his buddy.

I got these 2 on video with a few pike.

It was a fun day.  We caught an easy 75 and plan to back tomorrow for one more day of fun.  I long shot a little video so tomorrow it will be as much as my batteries allow.  We are right on the edge of a big weather change which is coming Friday.  So it will be fun fishing and then our last day will be right on the front for one last run at a muskie.  So as soon as I get home I will get a video or 2 posted.  We are wearing down, hands, back, all of it.  Looks like our motors should give out just right.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Baits for all your fishing needs

The boys hit the road and Shoedog was in no hurry so it was 11 by time we got to the spot I found yesterday where I almost boated a couple of muskie.  Crow Lake is a deep super clear island filled lake.  The place I found yesterday has a deep hole surrounded by saddles between islands that provide perfect ambush points.  There is deep grass in the area, and today we expanded out knowledge and found a couple of places that will be killer in the spring.

We both started with inline spinners and we fished the hot spot first without any bites, but it was dead calm.  As soon as the wind started to blow we re-fished and the Shoedog had one boil it at the boat.  You have to watch your bait at all times with muskie, they are very curious and do lots of following to the boat.

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There is no such thing as a bad muskie.

Muskie fishing is not far you if you can not take hours of boredom broken up by the most fantastic bites.  When it happens it is like a dream.  The rest of them kinda gave up, it is tiring and takes dedication.  For me it is the opposite, the tougher it gets the madder at them I get.  It is work, but I have just begun to fight.  I am already planning next year, those muskies better look out.

We did come in and rest and went out for a couple of hours but no bites.  I think tomorrow we will go catch some walleyes and pike to bring home.  One of the great things about this area is there is plenty to catch, in fact at times to much.  Tough problem to have.

And last but not least here is the comment I received from my grandbaby, Little Wren.

Your reports are hair raising Grandpa!

So that is it for today.  Tomorrow is Wednesday and here we are, only 3 days left to fish.  Hard to believe with how hard we have fished but we are really going to get after it the next 3 days.  We only have so many days on this earth and I intend to finish it out with a fishing rod in my hand.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Baits for all your fishing needs

Today I spent all day keeping after the muskies.  I am still trying to catch a real one, and today the muskies were not to blame.  First it was the bay where 2 made the boat yesterday and it was a sign of things to come. Muskie fishing fishing is not easy.

On my second cast with the Suick, a really old school muskie bait I realized I did not have my sunglasses on and could not see the bait real well.  So at the end of the cast I laid my rod down and put them on.  The bait was laying on the water and a huge boil came up as a big one rolled on it.  Dam good thing it did not get it or a couple of hundred bucks would have gone over the side.  Later I had a small one follow all the way to the boat, did the figure 8 but she would not bite.

Then around noon I did everything right, and it came out all wrong.  I was trolling to give my arm a break and when I crossed a point the bait hit grass in about 12 foot of water, a classic muskie situation in the fall.  As it was blowing pretty good I went up wind and got out the big double bladed inline spinner.  These things are like reeling in a car.  As I got to the end of the point a really good one just smoked it, I mean came up and ate it right in front of me, and with my superior skill managed to F’ it up.

The point flatted out in 10 foot and led into a little channel about 6 foot deep and so I buzzed it and here comes a big girl, bigger than anything I have seen this trip.  She was waking behind it and took a wack at it, missed, I figured 8″d it, thought she had it, missed her and stuck the bait in the side of the rub rail of the boat.  By time I got that sorted out she was gone.  That was it for bites.  And that is the muskie game.  I am still learning but it reminds me of hunting.  Only so many chances and you better not mess it up.  But even though it turned into muskies 4, me zip, those few moments of shear awesomeness keeps me after them.  What a fish.

On the flip side Clyde and Shoedog carried a motor and tackle over to Jesse Lake off of Crow.  A small lake only accessible by portage it is classed as a no keep trophy lake.  Smallmouth and pike are the quarry and to say it was good would be any understatement.

Now that is a smallmouth.

To make a long story short they caught over 200 hundred smallmouth and a couple of pike in about 6 hours.  Some on grub, a few on jerkbait, but the real ticket was buzzbait.  They said the fish were coming out of deep water and blasting it.

No, this is a smallmouth!

The lake also some really nice pike.  And up here they love that Rapala Husky Jerk in gold, we have caught everything that swims on it.

34″ of talk about ferocious!

The boys are gone and it is just Shoedog and I.  It is a lot quieter here as we kind of have a take it easy morning.  We will be back to muskie fishing in a little bit this morning.  Then it will be the last 3 days, and we will hit them hard.  I have not walleye fished yet not concentrated on the smallmouth and some of that will go on.

The last of the boys take home limit.

Paul, his wife Chris, their son Jake and his wife Ashley are so accommodating.  They had us over for Paul’s famous pizza last night and boy was it good.  Jake loaned me a couple of trolling baits.  We all just love coming not only to Ontario but specifically to Muskie Bay.  Time to sign off and head to the lake.  I can not get enough of throwing baits the size of a small beaver until my arms want to fall off and my hands swell up the size of baseballs.  Life is good.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

(I am sure there are some serious editing and spelling mistakes, sorry but it is time to go fishing!)

Fish Catching Travel

Baits for all your fishing needs

The clock is ticking down.  Today was absolutely beautiful, got up to the high 80’s with no wind, not the best day for fishing Crow.  When I say the water is gin clear it is the clearest water I have ever fished.  So to get to the point we only had 2 bites today, but it was my turn.

This one smoked that Suick jerk bait.

The Suick is a big wooden jerk bait with very little action.  You jerk it slow and when this fish hit it he came out of 20 foot of water and absolutely killed it.  It was a thing of beauty.  And I finally got a big one, at least for me.  It hit a trolled Bucher Depth Raider in a sucker color.  We were trolling and area we found with lots of bait and muskies on the locator.

43″ of muskie.  They are beautiful.

We are headed out shortly so I am keeping it short.  We specifically fished for muskies today so I could catch one, and  I did.  This is the only 2 bites I had all day but it did get the muskie out of the way.  Clyde and John caught  the usual run of walleyes on Lake of the Woods.  Jim struck out on the Lake Trout.

Today John is staying in the cabin, Jimmy is going to fish for Lakers again, Jeff and Clyde are going to portage to trophy bass lake, and I am going to muskie fish again.  So it is a short report, time is a wastin’.  I will try to get into a little more detail tomorrow.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Baits for all your fishing needs

It is 5 am and they boys are sleeping and of course I am awake even though I should be sleeping.  The fishing alarm clock which will not shut off wakes me up way before it should, but I just can not help it.  When I tell you I am tired it is not BS.  My wrists and hands feel like, and are, swollen and sore but at least I have kept from sticking myself as much as usual, I probably should not have said that.  I have a few comments I want to share with you all to kind of try to catch up.

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Boys!!!  There are a lot of people looking forward to your fishing trip and all the big ole fish you are to be catching!!  Don’t fail me!!!  Doug, you know those knuckleheads don’t like getting up in the am.  I think they are getting old LOL  Anxiously awaiting some great fishing stories with pictures to prove it.  Maria

Maria is my buddy Clyde’ wife and one of the great people in this world.  Always in good humor she is probably the only woman who can keep him in line.  And that girl can fish and has done her share up here on previous trips.  Hope you like the stories and I have to give that worthless bag of bones that is your husband credit, he had carried the show here this trip, just ask him!  But in all seriousness, he has worked hard and really has them pegged right now, they absolutely put it on them yesterday.  And there is a good chance he might actually come home on time.  Hope you can join us next time.

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I heard from Dan in San Antonia and I believe this is his first comment.  I love hearing from new folks.  I can look at the numbers who visit but they mean nothing.  Kind words and interesting comments let me know there are real folks out there reading this junk.

It sounds like typical Northern Mn fishing to me. I lived in central Mn for nine years and the only thing I miss about Mn is the bass fishing. If the weather stays nasty try for bigger Pike along the deeper weed lines. I’ve caught a ton of big Pike while fishing a jig for Largemouth and Smallies out in 20-25 Feet of water. Crankbaits in Perch color work well too. If it’s an expensive crankbait with no leader you are guaranteed to catch a trophy hahaha. Good luck.

Good to hear from you.  As you saw from yesterday we put some largemouth in the boat.  And the pike are really starting to bite, making it scary to throw anything without a leader.  The 20 foot range is the current ticket for the walleyes and bigger pike, the largemouth came in the 3 – 6 foot range.  I hope these reports brought back some good memories for you, they are sure making some for me.

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Long time reader – Random/Rare that I comment.  I’m usually pretty jealous of your fishing trips.  This is why I keep reading.  I sit in my office and dream about being on the bay fighting a bull red, or sitting in the marsh calling in some fast flying teal (soon!).  I try to live vicariously thru your blog.  Ha! And this post has me lusting to be in Canada right now!  Wow! The hunting – yes please.  The fishing – yes please.  You make it sound like deer camp.  The fact you get to fish and/or hunt is awesome, but spending time with great people is what makes it worth it.  Can’t wait to hear (and see pics) about whatever plan someone comes up with!
-Evan

This is exactly like deer camp.  Lots of stories and memories being shared.  2 nights ago it was all about how we all got started fishing.  With all of us it was at an early age, and I mean 5 or 6, and we were just flat out crazy about it.  And I wish I could really tell you about how they deer hunt up here, it is not anything like how we do it in Texas or Iowa.  This is wild big country and the deer are big to go along with it.  They are pretty successful here and when you see deer up here they are real hooters.  We say a doe yesterday that would go an easy 200+ on the hoof.  And when you add moose, bear , wolf and all the rest of the critters this can only be described as one of the great outdoor places on the face of the earth.  Thanks for commenting I appreciate hearing from you.

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I for this from my buddy Chris down in Victoria TX.  Though he did not say who he was out with I assume it was his buddy Terry.

Floaters trip last couple days.  Trolled up a weed line on the way out and notched my first Mahi.  Finished up the 130 mile trip to Boomvang and drifted/chunked for tuna.   Spotty Blackfin until about 430am when the jigging turned on hard with a couple triple hookups and lots of back to back fish.  Ended up with 4 yellowfin and 14 blackfin.  Trolled a while on the way back this morning without any luck and picked up a single snapper, a short ling, and a few small sharks on a wreck back in state water.  More pics to follow.

To bad they did not airlift some up here, would make a big hit with folks here!

Man what I nice bunch of fish.  Going out to where they caught these is a real undertaking.  Talk about fishing hard, this is basically a fish all night fish all day thing.  Though I have caught blackfin a yellowfin is surely on my list.  Whether it is 130 miles offshore or big spinnerbaits for pike, fishing is fishing and we are all nuts for it.

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The corporate party of 28 that is here at Muskie Bay Resort are fishing pretty hard, and catching their share.  Every night they have a bonfire at the lake and from the sounds of it the boys are having a real good time.  And Paul and Chris are working hard to keep them all fed.  Many folks dream of running a resort but when you see how hard they work you realize it is a lifestyle and not for everyone.

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The boys are moving around so I will wrap this up this morning.  Who knows what the day will bring but I will report no matter how it comes out.  So as soon as we come to some consensus off we go.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines