Last weekend (October 1st) I had the pleasure of heading up to the upper parts of the Mighty Mississippi to experience my greatest all time smallmouth fishing trip. But, first of all I have to give credit where credit is due, and that is to Steve Dezurik. Folks we are blessed with one of the top smallmouth fishing “Artists” I believe in the world and if it weren’t for a guided trip I took with him last year and reading his recent posts, none of this would have happened, so thank you Steve.
I started out fishing topwater rebel pop-r’s for about an hour and a half to no avail, but they were jumping everywhere, just not on my line. On one spot I got one to finally hit it, and then chased it as I sped it up, but nothing, I followed with a senko, and it hit it, but didn’t take it, after several tries with tubes, senko’s and the topwater again, I threw in the towel to the huge sucker minnow, and in about 15 seconds wham, fish on, a nice 18″ smallmouth.
My next spot, I just stayed with the sucker minnow and pulled an 18″, and a 19 and 3/4″ brute in about 20 mins of battling the wind. I then proceeded to the honey hole of all honey holes. It was there that I proceeded to pull out some HUGE fish. I was by myself this day, but when I pulled up to this spot after 15 minutes of catching a couple 18″ ers and I believe one just under 19″, A dad hunting with his son walked out by me and watched me fish from land. It was then that I hooked into what happened to be the big hawg shown here (I am wearing a stocking hat) that ended up being 21″ and as fat as she could be, she fought for a good few minutes with a couple of high flying leaps for the onlookers, and me saying she might go 22″, whatever she was going to go, I knew this was a once in a lifetime beauty. After landing her, I beached my boat and the hunters were kind enough to snap a few photos of her so I could hold her in a picture instead of laying her on the measuring board. The hunters decided to clean up their blind and come back and watch, and stated we’ll see if you can catch a bigger one. Just after they left I caught another 19 and 3/4″ fatty, and then about 10 mins after the first 21″ er I had my minnow coming back to the boat and another big fish followed it up and nailed it and proceeded to take off for the deep water and I played it for a fun time and it ended up being 21″ also, what a 1/2 hour, 2 21″ inchers and one just under 20″. It didn’t stop there either, I managed to pull about 10 bass in all in an hour and a half, 2 were 17″ and all the rest were 18″ to the 2 at 21″. I couldn’t believe it. I also caught the other one that was just over 20″ at this spot that I will try to post the picture of (it is the one where I have a baseball hat on).
It was windy all day, and minnows were definitely the ticket and you had to stay at a spot for 1/2 to 1 hours to find exact depths or areas on the ledges that they were. I was also fortunate enough to watch Ken MNFish land that 49″ muskie and take his pictures for him, and see how if you weren’t fishing live bait, you weren’t going to catch smallies, especially in this wind, but I guess spinnerbaits for muskies was working, right Ken?
Here were my days totals:
21-22 bass total, no other fish caught.
6-7 at 17″
6 at 18″
2 at 19″
3 at 19 and 3/4″
1 at 20″ and 1 at 20 1/4″
and 2 at 21″ 
, I never get tired of smallie stories. 
Nice fish..again…wish I could have made it back up last weekend. And maybe caght a bigger muskie? Would be hard to top the one I caguth. I just want to get into those smallies. Again Nice fish.