Fish Catching Travel

Fish Catching Travel

Day 12 af our marathon.  Over the years Clyde has people come on this trip and after a week of it they can not believe how much he fishes and they often never come back.  This time will be the all time record.  We fished again from 9 until 8.  My body is aching, my mind is numb, and I can not feel the keys with my fingers.  It is 6 am and of course I am the only one up, so I will get his done and then get them up.  If you ever want to come with us you better man up.  Up at 7, we have been eating a 10 at night, a few hours of sleep and here we go again.

Today we headed to Lake of the Woods.  Shoedog and I started in the Devils arm and we started catching fish.  And catch them we did, for 11 hours.  Today they bit.  I have been waiting for this day, and it was here.  The water temp has gone from 52 to we actually found 76 degree water and the bite was on, big time.

 They are all different, this one was long and skinny.

Today there were no “big” fish caught, though here big is a relative term.  We caught 15 or more in the first place, and it went from there.  Today was one of those days where they were hungry and on the chew.  It was by far our best numbers day.  Though before we left the Devils we heard an elk just scream across the mountains and hollows.  What a truly awesome addition to the trip.

The Shoedog with a nice run of the mill Lake of the Woods smallmouth.

The nextplace we fished was a long bank and it was easily 25 in the boat.  I threw grub some for smallmouth, it worked , but I got tired of the pike biting it off.  I mean those fish were flat out biting.

Love that buzzbait.

Most of the day Shoedog stayed with the Rapala jerkbait.  I threw the works at them.  Before the day was over I caught them on grub, crankbait, jerkbait, spinnerbait, and finally on buzzbait.  Around 6 to get out of the high wind we headed in to this long narrow cove and it was game on.  The bite I have waited for all week happened.  We did not catch the numbers we had caught earlier in the day but let me tell, if you like smashing strikes, I mean toilet flushed, buzzbait was the ticket.

When one smashes a buzzbait you know you had a bite.

While we were in there we heard the wolves howling.  What a day!

This one smoked the buzzbait and we thought he was a giant.  Nice when this size is just a good one.

They just kept coming all day.

With sun headed down the buzzbait bite was awesome.  There is nothing else to say about that.  Just reel it along and they would hit it about 15 feet off the bank and there was no missing them.

My best bite of the day.

Our hands were aching, backs stiff, but we fished on, and on, and on.  Finally about 8 we went to find them, no small feet on a lake with 65,000 miles of shoreline.  They also caught the shot out of them.  They stayed on the grub pattern most of the day and also reported huge numbers.  They also wanted to keep a few pike to take home.  These are perfect slot fish.

These are eaters.  They are perfect slot fish headed back to Arkansas with Clyde and John.

The one in Clyde’s hand was a real fattie, heavy for his length.  I guess when you have a nice smallmouth in your belly you can add a little weight.  It is eat or be eaten here, reminds me of the Gulf.  If you can live long enough you might get big.  With the winters here the fish are old, and with the protective limits they have a chance to grow.  It what’s make this place what it is.

The call of the loons and dead quite of this place.  Awesome.

Turtles, big deal?

So what is the big deal about a couple of turtles?  From Texas to Canada, and most places in between, in early spring this is a sign to get out the rod and hold on.  As the water temp warms when you see the turtles out in mass, the bite is on.  They were up and warming all over, and so were the fish.  We saw a bunch of snappers out yesterday, a sure sign you are about to hurt them.

So here I am, blind tired, feeling like 100 miles of bad road.  The wind is howling and it looks like rain.  Funny how as soon as we hit the water all will be forgotten, the aches will go away, and I will be able to feel my arms again.  It is now 7 and it is time for those panty waists to get their ass up, put on their big boy pants, and get on the water.  This will be our last full day, and it will be a long one and I can not wait.  I am not going to check the editing and spelling today, it is time to hit the road.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

I have to tell today’s story out of order.  What more can I say, the Shoedog is having the trip of a lifetime.  And today was no different.

We rounded this little point, where I caught 3 nice smallies in a minute, when we saw a big beaver about 30 yards from us.  He had a fresh branch with a bunch of big leaves on it that he was swimming to either his feeding station or back to the house.  When he saw us he went under towing his supper and we never thought a thing about it.  Shoedog was throwing a big Rapala DT10 when he screamed I have the biggest muskie in the world.  The fished rolled and it was a huge green thing.

He set the hook – and up came the beaver.  Now he is going what do I do.  The beaver is pulling and Shoedog is trying not to pull, and the struggle is on.  Luckily the crankbait is hooked on the branch so the beaver is pulling, the Shoedog is pulling, and neither one of them can figure out what to do.  Unfortunately I had grabbed the net and not the  camera.  At this point the beaver is probably wondering why, or who, is trying to take my supper.  Finally the bait pulled out and both the Shoedog and the beaver were left with a great story.

In my lifetime I have seen some great things in the outdoors, but that will go down as one of the great stories of all time.  Basically that beaver kicked the Shoedog’s ass.  This trip is building a lifetime of memories.

Why were we throwing crankbait?  Both boats headed to Steven’s Bay on Lake of the Woods to walleye fish.  It was tough and though we caught a few small ones  it was not happening.  The water was real off colored from the rain and I kept saying lets throw crankbait.  It ended up saving our day.  We caught fish, mostly bass and small walleyes until the Shoedog loads back and it was a big pike.

Shoedog with a pretty nice pike.  (Sorry about the glare.)

The fishing while not great, was consistent.  They we hit a shallow weedy bay and here we go again.  He thought he had some grass when the battle was on.  What I am going to do with him?

Like I said, when it is your turn it is your turn.

He has caught big fish when it was raining, sunny, hot, cold, early, late, and probably even in his dreams while we have been here.  And what is really unusual is we have not messed any of them up.  The margin for error is so small when you are catching big ones that any misstep can lead to disaster.  We have handled that part of it well.  When you are throwing crankbait for bass and something like that happens it can go wrong in a flash.

 The Strike King Red Eye Shad catches brownies.

The bass for the day were average fish.  As usual the Strike King Red Eye Shad will catch fish here.  And with the brown water it really helped.  To tell you what kind of day the Shoedog had when I caught a couple back to back he said if you catch another one I am switching.  Not a couple of casts later I lost one and he said I am staying with the crankbait, and it was a good thing he did.

Clyde also had a cool experience.  Before we quit walleye fishing for the day he had a bite on his Berkley Power Minnow and instead of a small walleye it was this one.

An epic battle.  Clyde caught this walleye fishing on his ultralight.

When I say things can go wrong when you are catching big fish, this was a perfect example.  He was using a very light action rod when this one ate that little bait.  It was an epic battle with multiple jumps but she did not get off.  So even though they had a tough day this made it all better.

We are seeing the Eagles on all the lakes we fished.  This nest was big enough to hold a party in.

A great view from his porch.

We have seen eagles, heard grouse, they saw a mink, deer, pelicans, gulls, otters, it is a paradise up here in the woods.  And it is amazing to see big trees growing right out of rocks.

Beautiful – but this granite is really hard as a rock.  Lower unit eating stuff.

So here it is, only 2 2/1 days left to fish.  Where has the time gone?  My body is feeling it.  My hands are so swollen I can barely type.  Getting my body going in the morning is like trying to start an old car.  So why aren’t those guys up yet.  Lets get going, time’s a wastin’.  So what great adventure lies ahead?  Who knows but there will surely be one.  Keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

The lake is coming up fast, the weather was beautiful, and we had a tough day.  We started trolling for walleye with John and Clyde and after an hour we called it quits.  Shoedog and I fished a couple of likely looking smallmouth coves without success.  Then we went to a small cove and what happened next says it all about my last couple of days.  I tossed a swim bait in a small pocket about 1 foot deep and big muskie charged out and smoked it,  I set the hook and it came off.  I reeled in and the hook had stuck in the body and he got off.  Shoedog made a cast and ………

The Shoedog strikes again.

We worked hard the rest of day.  We basically struggled, which means we only caught 30 or so small pike.  To bad none of them were picture fish.  There is no big story on our part.  We finally called it quits at 7:00.

One thing you do need to know, and if you are a hardcore fisherman you already know this, some days you can do no wrong, and some days it just is not happening.  The last couple of days I just can not get the big bite, and it is not for trying.  This is one of the greatest fishing destination on earth for freshwater, but it is no guarantee of success.  So even though we struggled today, our (my) turn will come again.  When we quit we stopped in a big weed bed for one last run and the pike were in there.  I managed to boat one ok fish out of our 6 bites.  We were physically beat.

When we got back John and Clyde had stayed out an hour and half after we did, and to illustrate my point, they caught a couple of the fish.   They also struggled all day, and then it happened.  They we so excited, and when we saw the pictures, so were we.

These are the kind of fish that make the long hours, money spent, and sheer physical effort this type of hardcore fishing trip entails, worth every stinking bit of work.  None of us are getting any younger, or prettier.  I am so tired right now, it is 5:30 am and they are still asleep but I can not sleep due to the anticipation of what the day will bring.  And when you look at these fish you will know why.

John with a huge lake trout.

They ended up running out of trolling motor and so they trolled one of Clyde’s places when John hooked this laker around 20 pounds on a Shad Rap.  He told Clyde it was a big fish and Clyde asked him why do you have so much line out?  He had the usual amount, this big fish was just ripping line off.  What a moose!

As the water temp warmed though out the day I kept throwing that buzzbait.  You all know that is one of my favorite baits, and I love to catch big fish on it.  I knew they would hit it, the water temp is rising fast, but we just did not get in the right place.

Clyde’s Big Brownie.  A massive 21 1/2″.

He tossed that double blade buzzbait in a big tree and this beast flushed it.  Those are the bites we all live for.  In the over 20 years of coming here, and a lifetime of fishing, this is the biggest brownie he has ever caught.  What a stinking fish this is.

But it did not stop there for Clyde  He got another big explosion and it was his biggest pike of the trip.

Clyde’s Biggest Pike Of The Trip.

So even though they struggled all day, they stuck with it, and they got their reward and it could not happen to 2 better friends.  Clyde and I have fished together for over 45 years (Now that is freakin’ scary).  From farm ponds to Belize, fishing has been our bond and this is why we do it.  I have known John for 35 years.  I lived and worked at his boat dock in Arkansas for 10 years.  I guided from the dock, and to live on that hill overlooking the lake was a time in my life when the fishing part of it was all good.  So to see them so excited was a thing of beauty.  All that sappy stuff aside, I intend to beat their a$$ like a yard dog today!

And here is a little practical information for you.  Last time we were here Clyde got a hook in his hand.  And that is easy around here, and I got it out using a method I read about, and boy does it work.  Watch closely, there may come a time when you need it.  Sure beats a trip to the ER or spending your day with a treble stuck in your hand because you just can’t stop fishing.  I am sure if those 2 bozos can make it work so can you

So in spite of the aches and pains, my hands are raw meat, my arms are numb things hanging from my shoulders, here I am awake and wanting those knuckleheads to get the heck up.  We only have 3 1/2 days to fish and time is wasting.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching  Travel

Well today we got lucky, sort of.  Sunday it rained, and I don’t mean a little, it basically poured all day and all night for 2 days.  The temperature dropped and it has been nothing short of ugly.  So why was that lucky?  We did not have the pressure to fish like everyone else who just got here, which is everyone at the resort who started their week.  They had to fish, and most of them did all day, and it was tough.

Finally about 4 I could not take it so I bullied the boys into going out for a few hours.  It was a steady rain, which about 2 hours later really started to pour, then the temp dropped, and it got downright ugly.  Shoedog and I did not have a bite.  The cold front had turned off the smallmouth.  I had a muskie follow right off the bat, then another a little later but neither of them ate.  As the termp dropped and it continued to get uglier we decided to troll back to the resort to try and catch a laker, and that didn’t work, but boy was I glad when we got back at 7.

Troy from Oklahoma is in the cabin next to us and he and Clyde have known each other from prior trips.  They fished in it all day.  His son said they pulled up on the first place yesterday morning and for the first 2 hours it was big smallmouth after big smallmouth, and then it quit.  It got tough, no surprise, and as it was his son’s first trip he got a little down.  We shared everything we knew, marked some places on the map, and filled them in on as much information as we could.

Clyde and John had no smallmouth luck but Clyde did have the big bite.  He tossed his jerkbait into a foot of water and there was a big flush and one of the biggest muskies of his life destroyed it.  He set the hook, and it went nuts, he fought it all the way to the boat and it was looking good.  John said it was the biggest fish he has ever seen.  He went to net her, she headed in, the jerkbait hooked on the net, he tried to scoop her, and she off she came.

John felt terrible but Clyde took it like the gentleman he is.  He told us it was in the moment, an epic strike and huge battle.  When it was all said and done they got a good look at her and she swam off unharmed and no worse for the wear.  He even got his bait back.  Folks that is what it is all about, it is in the doin’ and is the kind of moment that will live in both their memories for a lifetime.

So it is 5:30 in the morning and they are still sleeping.  My anticipation level is at an all time high.  It is clear and sunny and the temp is to hit 75, for the next 4 days.  The fishing is set to take off.  The cold fronts of the last 2 days are gone, and the real warming will begin.  The fish have been up and down, though we have caught some great ones, but this will push it to a near frenzy this week.  Today we are off to Lake of the Woods and the real pike hunt begins today.  Our real runs of action have been in the afternoons from 1 to 6 when the water warms and this is set to turn them on big time.

I figured out a way to download a few off Clyde’s camera and I thought you would like to see them.  I will try to add a few later.

Clyde and a flyrod smallmouth.

I hate it when that happens.  Notice the no fenders?  Had to remove them earlier to get the new tires to fit and now the hub is trashed.

A really nice muskie.  It is amazing how different they all in body size, this one is a hoss.

Clyde’s biggest pike of the trip. 

Now that is a nice lake trout.

Another huge smallmouth.  We have put so many of these in the boat this week that they are starting to look normal.  Hard to believe.

Looking at these pictures gives you a real feel for what this area is all about, a nice variety of good fish.

I hear them moving around so I am going to sign off.  Everyone is up early with the anticipation and this may be the longest day of all.  I can feel it in my heart, we are going to kill em’.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Remember how I told you yesterday was awesome weather.  Well we got over that one.  Today it was cloudy and cold when we got up.  Everybody got up late today.  I was up at 6 and let them sleep until 8, until I finally made some noise.  We took it easy with a good breakfast and finally about 9:30 we headed out.  They decided to go over to Lake of the Woods and we stayed on Crow Lake.

Shoedog wanted to catch a lake trout trolling, he has missed and lost some, and today turned out no different.  We trolled here on Crow Lake from around 10 until 4:00 and only had one bite.  Unfortunately Shoedog lost it right by the boat.  So he still has not boated a trolled laker.  By then I was pretty well sick of it and it was clear it was not happening.  It didn’t help we were trolling in open water, the wind was blowing 25, and the temp was dropping fast.

So it was time to do something different.  We headed to a channel between a couple of islands to catch a bass and on about his fourth cast he got a bite.

These things just get in the way (I am so kidding) of the smallmouth fishing.  No wonder there were not bass in that cove.

At this point the weather was really deteriorating fast.  I had a small bass and another bigger one follow my jerkbait but that was my total for the day.  Now the wind is howling out of the north and it started to rain.  So we decided to fish just a little longer, and then we decided to quit.  And of course…….

There are trips when it is just your turn, and the Shoedog is having his this trip.

After this it started to pour and we called it a day as early as we have all week.  Unfortunately tomorrow is going to deteriorate to the low 50’s and rain all day.  We may finally get rained out.  And again I can not say enough how glad I am that we are here for 2 weeks.  This weather is crazy.  Yesterday 75, today 55, tomorrow 52, and according to the forecast starting Monday it will be in the mid 70’s for days.  The fishing has been good but it should really get better after this cold front passes.

Clyde an John headed over to Lake of the Woods and they had a so so day.  One thing about cold fronts, it hurts the fishing no matter the species you are fishing for or where you are fishing.  Clyde did happen to catch this nice walleye.

This is a nice walleye.

We had a few cool things happen this week.  A few days ago we had a muskie come for a bait and not take it.  It had a bright white plastic crappie twister hanging from his jaw.  Today Clyde and John were fishing  and had the same muskie follow a bait to the boat.   What are the odds?

Now that is cool, but what happened when Jeff caught the big one above tops it all.  Jeff had that fish come out of 1 foot of water and smoke that jerkbait.  When he got to the boat he went nuts like they do and made a big run.  There were a few loons there feeding on bait and when the muskie came back to the boat the loon was following him.  I mean that fish was fighting his butt off and that loon looked just like a penguin as he followed that muskie, under water, a foot or two from his tail as he struggled.  It was truly an outdoor happening we will probably never see again in our lives.

Tonight we will all get a good nights sleep.  If the it does not rain all day, which it is supposed to it will be back to Lake of the Woods for us.  We are happy nothing broke for Clyde today, and other than a few baits Shoedog and I have not had any.  These are big lakes and I think we saw 5 boats on Crow today, Clyde and John only say 2 on Lake of the Woods.  You have to exercise caution at all times, wear your lifejacket, and be prepared.  But that is what makes a trip like this what it is.  I love it.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

(Sorry for the late post – We did not get back to Muskie Bay until almost 10 and it was 11 before we hit the sack.)

The original plan was walleye trolling in the morning, then casting in the afternoon, until we saw the weather report.  It was supposed to be sunny, warm, and calm, and it was, all day.  The nicest day by far.  With that in mind Clyde said this is the day for Bear Bay.

Bear Bay is a small bay (lake) that is 20 miles above Sioux Narrows, I mean way out in the middle of nowhere by boat.  He has been telling us for years about this small isolated lake.  It is about half the size of Fayette county for you Texas folks.  It was supposed to be a 100 fish place, and while we only caught around 50 (not complaining) both boats easily caught 125 plus for the day.  It was one epic smallmouth lake.

Once we got to Sioux Narrows we stopped for gas and then the Clyde saga continued.  He felt a vibration on the trailer on the way, when he looked the new rim on the driver side, which was just put on,  all the lug nuts were spun almost off, the lugs were trashed, and the rim was wallowed out,  It was lucky he made it without the wheel falling off.  So he called Paul, the owner of Muskie Bay, who took the time to bring him a new trailer and take Clyde’s to get it fixed.  He is the salt of the earth and one of the really good guys.  No wonder Clyde has been coming for years.

We stopped at the government office, paid the launch fee, and off we went.

Sioux Narrows is one of the premier muskie fishing destinations in the world, and of course this is the drinking fountain.

We stayed close and fished, an hour later here came Clyde.  While we waited we fished.

My heaviest smallmouth of the trip.  This was a hoss anywhere in the world.

We put in at the government ramp.  We headed out across Whitefish Bay, into Yellow Girl Bay, (they are both huge) through a small channel into a smaller bay, and then through a real shallow channel into Bear Bay, which is a lake smaller than Fayette County.  (A reference for you Texans)  It really is a small lake, and it is astounding how deep it is.  Some of it was over 80 feet deep.

They went to the back and we started in the front and by time we met in the middle they had boated 25 and we were an easy dozen for a little over an hour.  Without some kind of counter it is almost impossible to keep track when you are catching the snot out of them.  It was so interesting how the fish were on the bank.  And I mean on the bank.  You had to put your bait in the first 6 inches to get bites.  It was topwater for them, jerk bait and plastics for us, though we caught some on topwater also.

Notice the bite mark on this girl, we caught several like that.

The Shoedog stayed with the jerkbait and caught them one after the other.  For the next 8 hours we stayed in Bear Bay and caught them.  I threw lots of stuff at them, mainly to give my hands a rest which are just tore to shreds right now.  It was smallmouth fishing at it’s finest.  A truly isolated place, as Shoedog said, it was the quietest place in the world, except for the drumming of the grouse.  The sounded like a low throated diesel engine.

The weather stayed fabulous all day, it actually got hot.

One of my bigger one of the day.  But how can you really tell when 90% of them were really nice big smallmouth.

One of Shoedog’s biggest for the day.  Notice more bite marks on this one.

The water warmed to 67 degrees in there.  I finally could not take it and picked up a buzzbait and caught this pike.

This picture does not do that fish justice.  It was my biggest so far.

When the one above got that buzzbait it was only 10 feet from the boat.  She absolutely blasted it, what a bite.  We tossed buzzbait for a while and caught another 8 or so before we met them.  They stayed with topwater all day and finally brought out their flyrods and they were smacking them on poppers.  As the fish were on the bank they knocked the crap out of them.  And let me tell you when the fish are this size they must have been something.  They fight so hard.

Finally about 7 we decided to make the 50 minute run back to the ramp.  It was awesome, dead calm and beautiful.  We followed the GPS track as we motored through some of the most beautiful country in the world.  Winding our way past hundreds of islands and reefs, the motor humming, hands aching, after one of the better days of smallmouth fishing of my life.  The fish in Bear Bay were not quite the size of Cedar Tree the other day, but they sure were willing.  It was an adventure and well worth the effort to get there.

 As soon as the beaver gets done munching on this it may block the small channel into the bay making it even tougher to get in there.

As soon as you see a big beaver house like this the anticipation rises, these holds lots of fish.  You can never tell whether it will be a muskie, pike, or smallmouth.  And how many years did it take to make this?

This has turned in to a real adventure.  The fishing has been great, and when it is in a place like this how could it get any better.  It is now 6 am Saturday morning as I write this.  The boys are all still snoring and I am surprised there is any paint left on the walls.

Unlike yesterday the weather will be crap today.  It is breezy and cold.  We probably should have been out there now, as it may deteriorate as the day goes on.  So I am not sure what is coming today.  Our best bet will probably be to launch at Muskie Bay and fish Crow Lake in case it gets to ugly.  The old saying in Texas is if you do not like the weather wait 5 minutes, well Texas has nothing on Canada.  The forecast is to not top 60 today, and it is supposed to be in the high 70’s 2 days from now.  But as all of us are experienced cold weather fishermen, we have the gear, and are just crazy enough to be out there in it.

I am still in search of a really big pike, and this week we will start keeping a few fish to take home.  We are halfway done and I am starting to feel the pressure, how can a week have gone by already.  Funny how even after a week when we are beat up and sore I am ready to do it all over again, bad weather or not.  So we shall see, as soon as I start making noise and wake those girls up, no offense to girls.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel.

I get lots of questions but the one I get the most is how hard is it to do a blog.  Well the first answer is it is hard when you have been fishing all day, you are tired and hungry, there is boat and tackle stuff to do, and you just want to hit the chair and do it tomorrow.  Last night was one of those times.  It was late by time we did all that and I just could not finish before I collapsed.

And to add to the confusion on a trip like this, no matter how tired I am, I wake up early.  It was after midnight last night when I finally hit the sack.  So here I am finishing last nights report at 5 am.  If you have read this drivel for a while I wrote a piece about how I must be crazy for this fishing.  Today is a perfect example.

One of the things that makes Canada a fishing paradise, besides the fishing, is the fact that it cracks daylight at 4:45 and stays fishable light until 9:30, awesome for a fishing lunatic like me.  But I have that internal fishing clock that wakes me at daylight.  So here I sit, the other 3 maniacs are snoring the siding of the walls and will be for the next 2 hours until I roust them.

To give you an example, we did not make the trip with John and Clyde last year so they brought another guy with them.  By time they got done with a week of it he said he would never come back with them.  Why?  Because he said he thought this was going to be a leisurely fishing trip.  He could not believe how hard and long they fished.  Well this will be day 7, and it will be another 10 – 12 hour day on the water with 7 more hard days to follow.  Want to come with us?  Put on your big boy pants and suck it up.   This is not your momma’s fishing trip.

So to finish yesterday’s report here are some of what I failed to finish.  When I say it was tough, it was not the fishing but the weather conditions, I mean it was ugly.  When we hit the water it was still raining and wind was blowing 20 – 30 out of the NW.   We could not get at the good fish we caught the day before so we had to explore.

One of the things about Lake of the Woods is with all the islands it is hard to differentiate between a cove and a channel between a couple of islands.  Our track on the GPS was still there from last trip and we headed to an area out of the wind.  It was a huge cove, so big when we put the trolling motor down and went to casting.  We did not pick it back up for 5 hours, and that is one cove.  It was big.

If you are a hard core fisherman you know that one of the toughest times is after a big cold front where it blows off and is clear and cold.  The fishing usually sucks right?  Today that was not what happened.  As it cleared off the sun came out and that actually started to warm the water, and shallow they went.  Both boats found them really shallow and as the afternoon wore on, the bigger fish started showing.  Some really large pike were in 1 foot water around weeds.  All I can say is look out this afternoon, it could be ugly.

Folks that is a good largemouth where ever you are fishing.

We were pretty excited when Shoedog whacked this one.  Then he caught another, and then I lost the big one.  The one I messed up on by lifting it in the boat was a whole lot bigger than this one.  It was like all the bass up here, a flat out toad.  We will be stopping there later today when it really warms up.  Like I told the Shoedog, all this way and here we are catching largemouth.  Crazy.

I did want to show you just a few pictures of what Lake of the Woods looks like.

If you see this, cast that jerkbait in front of it and hold on.

There are beavers here and some of those houses are decades old and really huge, and so are the beavers.  We saw one last night out on the bank and at first we both thought it was a small bear cub.  There things are huge.  And the cover usually extends way out from the house and you can never tell what may lurk in the logs scattering the bottom, we have taken some good fish out of them.

To go along with the beaver houses there are trees in the water everywhere.

You just never know what will come out of the tress like this.  Maybe bass, pike, muskie, and even crappie.  With all these toothy critters it must be tough being a crappie!

A cool water fall, to bad the picture does not due it justice.

There was quite a bit of water running in the lake, which was just a little cooler than the lake.  When I say it poured, trust me it was tough.  But the good thing is later today when it warms it will bring those big pike seriously shallow, and the anticipation is what wakes me up so dam early.

I wanted you to see this, a cove.

Now in some places this would be a small lake.  The reason I wanted you to see this is it was actually one arm of 4, in one cove.  This cove took us 5 hours to fish and we did not get it all done.  So what is the big deal?  This is just a SPECK on the Lake of the Woods map.  This is one big mofo.

The rocky points are beautiful.

The running joke around here is the answer to the question – where did you catch that fish?  And the answer is – that rocky point with trees on it.  One thing that makes Lake of the Woods so spectacular is a point like this may have 3 foot of water on it, or 60+.  This is one deep lake.  You have to be real careful, and the GPS mapping is invaluable.  While it will let you get away with running some, you have to be cautious every second.  There are rock reefs, underwater islands, and points that may or may not be visible.  Countless lower units are trashed here every year.  And that could lead to a long night before anyone finds you.  And even if they did the mosquitoes will have drained you dry of blood.  They can be vicious.  Good thing I brought a couple of buffs, they work great for the sun, and sure do help keeping those little blood sucking beasts from eating you alive.

Here is a perfect example of what I am talking about.

This is a channel marker on what poses as the main channel.  There are a few of these, very few, but they help you get around.  Notice it is siting on a small island or reef.  They are everywhere and here by the thousands.  But with a good GPS and card you can get around.  A word to the wise, after running up the channel if you want to fish a likely looking spot off the channel, idle in.  You never know when there may be a rock reef 3 foot deep, in the middle of 60 foot of water, or near the mouth of a cove, or even in the cove.  The good thing is at times they hold fish.  I would not want to scare you, you just have to be careful.  I would suggest if you ever want to come here have Paul from Muskie Bay Resort guide you for a day in your boat.  Tell him besides catching a few fish you want to make a long run to get a track.  Believe me you do not have to run far, from there you could not fish the water off that track in a decade.  I know I keep saying it but this place is a monster.  You think Falcon, Amistad, Bull Shoals are big?  They would be nothing but a fly speck if you placed them in Lake of the Woods.

So what next?  First I am going to put line on a few reels and organize tackle.  Then I will start some bacon, that will get those panty waists up.  Then the plan is back to Lake of the Woods for a morning of walleye trolling.  We will actually do that until noon, and then it will be another 8 hours of casting till you drop.  Saturday is still up in the air as the weather may be bad.  But since we are on Crow Lake we can always sneak out there if even for a little while and catch some bass or lake trout.  Man I love this place.

Clyde has been telling me about this other smallmouth lake that it even better than the one we went to the other day, which is downright scary.  He brags about catching well over a hundred fish on topwater.  Now you know how fisherman are, sure you did.  Well last year John and his friend followed Clyde there, you actually get to it off Lake of the Woods and pass through 2 more lakes to get there.  John said before the morning was out they just quit counting at 75, and continued to put them in the boat the rest of the day.  This is a fishing paradise.  Hell, the day we do that I will probably wake up at 3 am!

Today I am going to catch that big pike if it kills me. I want one pushing 30, if my arms fall off so be it.  I want a monster.  With 8 days left to fish I should get the job done.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

(I know the editing and spelling on some of these posts is not up to my usual poor standards.  Sorry, but you just have to get over it.)

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

It is 10:30 pm, we just got done with a fresh walleye fish fry, I am tired but I wanted to at least put a few things on here for you.  It is a good thing I brought the Shoedog with me.  He is on a roll with the nice ones.  Of course when he front ends me for a week it is bound to happen.  It really is not that bad, it would be hard to front end someone here to keep them from catching fish here.  It is just his time.  And I am not complaining.

It was windy and cold and raining like a son of a gun so we did not start until 12:20.  We ended up catching around 35 pike and bass.  The Shoedog put the big pike for the day in the boat, of course on a jerkbait.

Not as big as yesterdays but still a great Lake of the Woods Pike.

I caught my biggest of the day and did not take a picture because I was sure I was going to catch a lot bigger one.  Mine smashed a buzzbait, and during the day I had 4 more real hooters chase it or miss it.  The water is reaching the low 60’s so they are just a couple of days away.  Later this happened which surprised us.

(Sorry the bass pic will not load)

He caught another largemouth and then a little later I had one smack a jerkbait and it looked like a good one but he was coming my way so even though the Shoedog said do you need the net I said no.  And of course when I went to lift him in the boat he was over 5, hit the side of the boat and flopped back in the lake.  So no picture of what I am sure will be the biggest largemouth I ever catch here.  Oh well, my fault.

This is the best pike I landed for the day.

Funny how you get used to these and want them bigger.  But boy do they smack it.

We caught on spinnerbait, swim bait, buzzbait, and jerkbait.  But jerkbait is catching the most fish, but it is one of those throw what you like, something will eat it.  Tomorrow it will be a morning troll for walleyes, then back to pike and bass fishing.   The afternoon bite has been by far the best so we are going to maximize our time.  Plus our hands are needing a rest, it is tough to throw big baits for days on ends.  Like I am complaining.

So I need to hit the hay, I am tired and hands and back are hurting.  Real tough life huh?  So when I get up in the morning I will get the rest of today’s pictures (have some lake pictures and another fish or two)  loaded before we hit the road.  So keep stopping and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

It is 5:30 am and the knuckleheads are all still sleeping.  I on the other hand am wide awake.  I have this internal clock that plagues (or helps) me on trips like this.  If it feels like daylight is out there somewhere I am awake.

Yesterday was tough with the rain.  One of those days that you had to fight through it to keep your concentration.  We should have boated several more big fish, but it is hard to concentrate in a driving rainstorm.

This morning the wind is howling at 20+, it is still raining, and here I am wide awake trying to decide what the day will bring.  Luckily the weather is set to clear and Friday is going to be perfect.  Today – hard to tell.  So as soon as these panty waists get up plans will be made and who knows, it may be a put on your big boy pants day, or it may be a little sightseeing.  I vote for fishing and I will bet you the boys will too.

You can not believe the tackle that 4 hardcore fisherman bring on a 2 week trip.  Totes, bags, tackle boxes, it is amazing.  We easily have over 50 rods and reels, it is just plain crazy.  Somebody will say anyone got a blue jerkbait?  Of course we have lots.  Need some plastics, how about 50 bags.  Line?  Spool after spool.  Want braid or mono?  We got it, tons of it.  With the price of baits up here it pays to be prepared.  And it is great to be fishing with guys who will give you their best bait, maybe.

I do want to say a few words about Ontario and their regulations.  I do have a little experience at reading the law, but the fishing regulations are something,  It is great the way they are protecting the resource, and what a resource it is, but there has to be a better way.  Maybe they could simplify the regs.  If you come here to take fish, you can have some.  But this is not a harvest trip, what makes it what it is is the quality of the fish.

If you have never been up here before there are multiple open and closed seasons on the fish depending on species.  Right now muskie is closed.  It is illegal to pursue them.  I understand that, and we are not targeting them.  Same with bass in some areas, wish I could figure that one out. but I have one word for you – jerk bait.  We have caught bass, walleye, pike, muskie, and lake trout on them.  You do not have to pursue anything – just toss it out, jerk it some, and hold on.

And with that comes what happened yesterday.  Though none of them ate, for me the real crux of the deal is watching a huge muskie follow a bait.  What a predator.  I mean  some of them were those real giants you see in the pictures.  While I did catch a big one last time, 3 or 4 of them that followed our baits were monsters.  And the one that rolled on the small pike I was bringing in was an apparition, so big it could not have been real.  Top of the food chain, no enemies, unafraid,  They remind me of the lions of Africa.  Regal, royal, and downright deadly.  Show a little weakness – to bad, you are lunch.  What a fish.  They are a fish that dreams are made of.

Of course we are sending a few pics to friends to harass them.  And on that note thanks to our families for being so understanding.  The 4 of us, who have been fishing together for 30 – 50 years are all afflicted with the disease.  Nothing can cure it so they understand.  Thanks.

Think I will step outside, check the charger, make sure all the stuff we got ready last night is ready to go. maybe bang a couple of doors.  We are about to find out who the big boys are.  You would think with over a week yet to go a day of rest would not hurt any of us.  Not!  Keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

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