These days when people think of me small stream trout come to mind automatically. That was not always the case. I caught my first trout at 5 years old but I caught my first northern pike that year earlier. Our house was exactly 33 big steps to the Kickapoo River in Gays Mills. My childhood house got flooded numerous times. My Dad use to joke about the river. He would say: ” I swear a squirrel could pee in that river and we would have a flood because of it.” 
The Kickapoo River was my baby sitter for much of my youth. Any given day you could find me here throwing a red and white daredevil at my first love. There were no tackle shops in the area. The local gas station and grocery store only carried red and white dare devils and 15 pound test line. This is what I threw at the great “Toothy Creatures” for most of my youth. As I got older I migrated to trout. I always picked up my medium heavy rod in fall to chase my second love. I switched to a stouter rod and some 30 pound power pro as my rod of choice. I usually had my Shimano 4000 on the rod. I typically had a giant net with for the occasional alligator I might catch. 
The days of a red and white dare devils have also changed. I usually make a couple trips to the Cabela’s store in Prairie du Chien right after trout season closes and restock my “Pike” box. 
The 35 cent spoon days have long passed and these days I love jointed stick baits with sound chambers with giant bills to bounce those lures off the bottom and wake up the lethargic monsters. Not too many folks try for pike at the dam in Gays Mills these days. A Little Cleo is often the ticket. A lure out of the ordinary is the ticket for get a monster to play and do some serious head shaking and power runs. I still have three or four red and white dare devils in my box. 
These seven lures are the first in my batting order. I have a couple superstitions handed down to me from my father. One pike lost or landed means the end of the outing. No need to be greedy and put too much of a strain on the resource. The other is if I lose three lures it is time to go home. 
Through the years the trout season has been modified. In the old days I could fish for trout from January to the end of September but the catch and release fanatics influenced the powers to be and caused trout season to be shortened to March through September. So from October 01 through February 28th you can find me chasing those toothy critters at the dam in Gays Mills. Ice in your guides are typical in colder weather and the dam keeps the area open to fish. I do make an occasional pilgrimage to the Great Lakes tributaries for steel and lake run browns.
October 22, 2012 at 6:16 pm
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