This is my second attempt at getting this report up. The first one was a victim of “Digital Demise.” It was a loony week to say the least! It started out great with fish the first night of pre-fishing boating 4 fish over 18.5″ in a couple of hours. Pulling crawlers and spinners on Mississippi River 3-way set-ups were putting more fish in the boat than the folks around me fishing bobbers. The next day, we caught only a couple of shortys, and that was it. So Josh Hukriede and I headed for the flats. We threw about everything at them, and caught fish. Most small. Josh did land a nice 19″er on a crawler harness and a 4 ounce in-line crawler rig doing 1.5 MPH while I was pulling boards. The fish were definitely deep, and not interested in coming up.
The next day I fished with Lip Ripper AKA Rob Stenger. (Let me just say that if it was all we needed to catch fish was to have a bikini in the boat, I would gladly have jumped into one!) We fished a small mid-lake flat with some success, until other boats saw the action, and swarmed in like gulls. We would have cashed a check had we kept a few of the fish we threw back! Duh! We WILL have better luck next year! As luck would have it…Same flat….Next day…I pop a 28″er! Would that have been nice in the tourney!
The rest of the week was spent hopping around the lake in the heat, wind, rain and sun! It was grueling some days! Fish were/are everywhere! With all the hatches going on right now, fish are very fat and full! We had perch that would explode when you grabbed them to unhook them. I had walleye of all sizes unloading large volumes of bugs on my carpet. We were greeted with a wind change day 1 of the Hunter’s Tournament, and my spinner/crawler system took a dump. Corking was about the only way we could catch fish consistently. ElRoy, my partner boated a 27.7″er as fish number 3 of the morning. (If that fish would have been another 3/4″ it would have gave us over 14 pounds, and landed us in there with the leaders! Oh well! Shoulda Coulda Woulda never wins a tournament!) So day 2 we opted to go for broke, and troll for big fish at mid-lake. We trolled for 5.5 miles, and threw everything in my arsenal at them. We ended up with 1 19 3/4″ fish for the day.
The smallmouth were giving us fits all week! Same can be said for Team Hukriede/Carlson. We both had problems keeping these rough fish off the lines. (Just joking bass guys…Dont send me any mail! I love these fish. I just wish they were as hard to catch as a walleye, that’s all.)
I do have a couple of weird smallie stories. One day, ElRoy hooked into one on Hawkbill Point while we were fishing eyes, and we watched this 18.5″ smallie leap from the water right next to his bobber, without his bobber even moving. We both said out loud “What the %$#@ was that?” And it did it again. This time, the bobber left the area!
Later that day, fishing the Hunter’s Point area, I hooked onto a fish with a half of a crawler below a slip bobber. I had a good tussle with this fish for a few seconds, and then it released. I pulled in what I thought at firat was an albino perch! Here the fish was hooked right below the jaw, and partially digested! Seconds later, ElRoy hooked a 18.5’er! The fish was probably on my line, puked while being fought, and by doing so, dislodged my hook from her throat, leaving me with her lunch on the end of my line!
Weird!
Anyway, it was a fun week! Thanks again to Hooks and Hookswife and Josh for the hospitality again this week. This week is the highlight of my summer each year! From the numerous fish fries, to sitting in our boxers on the cabin couch in 85 degree heat and humidity at midnight enjoying that “One more beer!” Thanks Hook! Memories like that will last forever! If they gave out awards for smart talking and bull shooting, we would have won $$ for sure!
I would also like to thank George and Linda Nitti at Hunter’s Point Resort for putting together another great tournament! He is sending me the results, and we will post them here soon! They had a dinner after day 1 that was spectacular! Great Job! Hat’s off to all that helped!
Tuck
Here is another of the 18+” smallies we were catching…
Sorry I didn’t make it across the road last weekend as it sounds like you guys had a good time, but we fished until dark each evening.
I thought of you guys Friday morning when my wife caught a 19.5 and I caught a 22, an 18.5 and 2-16″ers within 45 minutes. We could have ended up with all 16’s and the two bigger ones for the day if we would have been in the tourney. Probably not in the money but it will be interesting to see the weights.
BTW, my livewell was full of pink crayfish parts by the end of the weekend. Don’t know if they came from perch or walleyes though. The walleyes I cleaned had empty stomachs so it might have been the perch.
Are you the guys that started the armada on 3 Mile?
No, for 3 mile, but yes for 2 mile!
You’re right, 2 mile. We had to run over there Sat morn just to see what was going on. Counted 28 boats and got the heck out of that mess.
yes bass ARE easy to catch when all you walleye guys are using crawlers, leaches and any other live bait presentaion. try telling any guy that who zeros in a bass tourny that bass are easy to catch and see what they have to say
You are talking to guy who guides for smallies using nothing but plastic. We collectively said we were going to drop in a line on the report to push a few fun buttons. Part of the mystique of smallie fishing is outwitting them with bait other than live. For that matter, have you seen any of our reports of catching walleye on plastic? Not a big live bait fan myself. I use it when I have to.
You win the “First Responder” award!
Just funnin’ around!
Tuck
I here ya on the “loony” part…we saw lots of them this weekend. I brought my folks, belated fathers day for my dad. We had a good bite, lots of 13-15’s, a few 19’s and 4 over 20″. The biggest fish on the weekend went to my dad, a fat 23″, we ran out of crawlers so I gave my dad a 5″ brown lizard to put on the crawler harness. He had 0 faith in that plastic and wanted nothing to do with it…I talked him into using it and 5 mins. later I hear FISH ON, AND IT FEELS LIKE A GOOD ONE!! Wouldn’t ya know it, everyone was fighting over the lizard bag.
We continued to catch fish on plastics, lizards and 5″ purple worms. I was surprised they worked as well as they did! Overall it was a great weekend, got mom and dad on fish and didn’t have to spend alot of time doing it. Mille Lacs ROCKS!! 
BIRDDOG
i know im just giving you crap
Thanks for the report Tuck. Must be why its called fishing and not catching, darn it anyway.
Any day in the boat is fun though. 
Thanks, Bill
Nice report Chris!
It was a good week. The highlight of the week was the campfire saturday night and plumbers crack and thong butt!
Had to be there to get it!
I would add a few pics but left the camera in the boat.
I hope it wasn’t you putting on the show.
[sorry Bud, couldn’t resist] 
Didn’t know Briank was up there Tim. Get those pics up, buddy.
Hooks, dont forget buster, busting a move with gus !!!
g
Thanks a lot!
G,
That was a Kodak moment there man!
Like I said a fun and entertaining night!
Any results to post yet, Tuck?
That smallie looks like a football literally!
I had about an hour left last night on the water before dark and I talked myself into putting the trolling gear away and pitch some tubes around Indian Point before I head in for the night. First cast I stuck a 20-1/2″ beauty on a 1/8th oz Super-Doo head and YUM tube….I should have called it a night then because that was it for me in the smallie department!
I fished lake side just as the boats were leaving for the first day of the hunters point turny but enough with that
we managed to get 3 smallies over 18 inches (funn fighten) 
in the 2 hours we sat there in my friends tan tuffy