Best Trip Last Year

[Jim Elam]

NW Ontario Sawbill Bay for Smallies and Pike. First year I haven't caught at least 1 over 5 lbs, but still a good numbers year. Lots of fish 18-19 inches, tons 15-18 inches. 3 pike in the teens, one in the twenties, not fishing for pike, all on light or UL gear.

Back in June God Willin' n the crik don't rise...

[rFisherk]

The smallmouth fishing in the Quetico was great. It might be the best smallmouth fishing in the world. But the pike fishing unbelievable. Caught many of them a yard long every day, and that was with bass equipment and trying to avoid the pike. Lost dozens of lures. Tell you the truth, if I would go again, I'd bring some steel leaders and go after the pike. But I'd also have one of those long landing nets and thongs for handling them. Those things are dangerous.

[rFisherk]

The most memorable, and fun, fishing in the Quetico was one evening in the back of a big shallow bay that was loaded with pike. By then, I had had about all the pike I wanted, lost about half my tackle to them and one of them had put a big treble hook through my hand. I was fishing a small Jitterbug for bass. It was the last one I had. Pike had taken all the others. Every time I'd start retrieving, I'd see this V wake speeding toward my lure. These beasts are more aggressive than sharks. I'd wait until the last second and jerk it away. Sometimes they would turn and come after it two or three times, making big splashes, but missing. I could keep teasing the same fish over and over again. But there were pike in almost every direction I casted. In just a couple of hours, I know I had over 20 savage strikes, maybe 30, and managed to avoid hooking any of them.

[Greasy B]

Hard to beat the Grand Slam of the Quetico Ron!! Need to get back up there soon!! Bailey and I enjoyed the overnighter we did with you last year. Although fishing was slow due to river levels we had a very enjoyable time...Think it was very hot as well!! Had another good trip with Greasy B I think in July?? Fishing was good and had a nice time on gravel bar. For numbers and size it was on my home lake in Hayward. Very late ice-out for second straight year. On my 50th birthday we got into some real pigs. Lake is very clear and that day it was like glass. We caught and released several fish over 20 and one that was pushing 22.

Yeah, that weekend trip stands out as two of the best days on an Ozark river this year.

My most memorable days last year were on a new river in Minnesota. Three buddies and I drove 10 hours with only a hunch of what to expect. I knew where the boat ramps were but had no idea whether the river was navigable or if we could find one of the designated camp sites. When we launched I quickly tied on buzz bait just so I would have something to throw while I was getting settled in. The bass were all over the buzz bait right from the start, we landed one bass after another until it was so dark we were setting the hook to the sound of blow ups. That went on for three days until we moved down state to fish more familiar waters. The two buddies that went with my brother and I were very experienced fishermen, one is a Table Rock veteran, both said they had never seen so many good Smallmouth caught, much less all topwater.