This past Fri, Sat and Sun I had the pleasure of fishing with Ted Payseur, Charlie Stevens and Steve Gearhart from Iowa. The bay was basically unfishable on Fri due to high NW winds so it was inland for some muskie fishing. The muskies were active on bucktails and suckers but we could only find small fish willing to commit. Sat we were on the bay at 9 am fishing 11 ft flat next to steep drop-offs and the smallies were on the bite. Started the morning with a great double and the action stayed hot until 1 pm. Had a major wind shift and current change and the bite was tough during the afternoon.
Hot baits were silver CC spoons and gold War Eagle spoons twitched off the bottom. We also Lindy rigged suckers with 3/4 oz NO SNAGG sinkers and #1 VMC hooks. A great rod for this type of fishing is the 7’6" St. Croix Tidemaster with medium moderate action. Sun morning we moved to a 22 ft rock ridge and fish were using the rock area exclusively. As soon as we slid off the ridge we caught fewer fish. Though the smallmouths were biting lightly we managed to catch 25 fish over 18 inches. Again, sucker minnows and silver CC spoons were our top baits. Slow rolling 1 oz Nichols spinnerbaits didnt provoke any strikes but will become a great option with cooler water temps. Attached are a few of the fish we caught over the weekend. The fall smallies are big, fat and sassy so think about a trip up to Chequamegon bay in October. Good Luck and be safe.
Chris Beeksma
Get Bit Guide Service
Chris,
Nice fish! Sure is the season for putting huge smallies in the boat!
Question for you…Are you using the 3″ 3/4oz CC spoon from Cotton Cordell? And more particular how aggressive have you worked the spoon on these deep fish? Do you only fish these vertical, or could a guy pitch them and work the entire water column?
Thanks
DeeZee, hope all is well with you. I rarely use the 3/4 oz. CC spoon as the 2.5″ 3/8 oz version fits the bill nicely. Hard to beat that chrome finish! Seems to outfish silver most of the time. I prefer 1/2 oz spoons but as you know the CC spoon doesnt come in that size. I did find another fantastic spoon recently on the internet. War Eagle lures (known for their spinnerbaits) makes 1/2 oz jigging spoons in gold, silver and white. Has been a smallie catcher and I am sure the walleyes will eat it too. Come on up this fall and we can chase footballs and eyes!! Take care
Chris