U.P. Report…7-22-04…Chicaugon Lake Smallies

I have been very busy between guide trips and my other "hobbie", competitive 3D archery(but thats another forum)

I had an opportunity to take a couple of keen anglers from the Chicago,Ill area out yesterday on Chicaugon Lake, located in Iron County, Michigan, about 45 miles northeast of Eagle River, Wisconsin.

Rich is an experienced angler and opted to pitch some Chunky Butt Tube jigs(BFishN Tackle) while I rigged Sue up with a slip bobber, #4 barbless Gamakatsu hook and a fat nightcrawler. It was a georgeous 77 degree sunny day with a good SW wind blowing. Chicaugon is a very deep(130′) crystal clear, Canadian Shield variety. The topography is mostly rock and gravel. I positioned the boat for a drift that would take us over 15 to 20′ depths. It didn’t take long for Sue’s bobber to disappear!

This started three hours of solid action, mostly on the live bait rig(to Sue’s delight!), but with plenty of action on tubes and plastics. We marked a mid lake rock bar and on the first cast a nice bass inhaled Rich’s tube and put a serious bend in the 6′ St. Croix spinning rod.

They pulled several bass off the bar and decided that it was time to head in for dinner. I had been getting some "good natured" teasing about being outfished so I asked for "one last cast".

I dug my baitcaster out of the rod locker and tied on one of my favorite topwaters, a Zara Puppy. I laid out a long cast along the edge of some large boulders and started "walking the dog". Zig…Zag…Zig…Zag..WOOOSH!!

A beautiful Smallmouth tailwalked across the surface, putting a fitting end to a great afternoon on the water.

Get out fishing and take someone with you! You won’t regret it!