October Mille Lacs Smallies

With all the great walleye fishing that is going on right now on Mille Lacs, we sometimes can forget that the other fish are putting on the feedbag also. It has been a long time since I have had my boat wet but with the move and unpacking finally done it was time to get back on the water. I wanted to chase some smallmouth before hunting season gets into full swing.

I called Dan, AKA Bigfife, and asked if he want to join me. I told him that it has been almost two months since I have been to the pond and really have no clue as to were these fish would be. Dan said that he was trolling the same evening with Jon J, but he wanted to go bassin also. We meet at the ramp around 11 am and decided that the ramp way way to shallow to unload the boat so we drove to another access and dropped the boat in. We come around the channel and see 15-20 boats lined up and fishing, the perch bite must also be going. We jump from spot to spot and do not find or see one smallmouth. Off to the next spot nothing again. We move again still nothing. Well about this time I am starting to think that we should change our thinking and start fishing walleyes but I still have a few more spots to try. I stop at the area and do not even pick up a rod, I set the trolling motor on high and start looking for fish. Nothing.

My mind is spinning as to where these fish can be.

Shallow rock-check

Deep rock- check

Big boulder-check

Small rubble- check

About this time Dan says how about the reeds over there and I am thinking NO WAY as they are way to shallow, these fish want to be by a deep drop-off with the storm that came through the night before. With that said though if Dan would of said "How about on that Island?" I probably would have gone, parked the boat and went for a stroll on that Island because I was out of ideas.

As we slowly pulled up to the reeds, I see movement in the water. Then I see a splash and another then another. I get close enough and fire a cast over but come up just short of the splashing. A few turns of the handle and FISH ON. It was a nice 19 inch smallie followed by two or three others. We are on fish Soon Dan hooks one also, plump fat 18 incher. I fish these smallies a lot and I really do not ever think that I have seen fish this fat or thick as the Mille Lacs smallies that we caught yesterday. We were throwing crankbaits to search as much water as possible, I also throw plastics, topwater, rattletraps and the kitchen sink. We saw quite a few fish after that but really could not get them to commit. The one thing pattern that I did see was after the bait got to its dive depth the old stop and go retrieve work best.

Thanks Dan and I hope we can get together for some phesant hunting.

Good Luck and remember Smallmouth season in Minnesota as of Sept. 11 is all catch and release.

Ron