Mille Lacs Lake in north central Minnesota is well known as one of the top walleye fisheries in the world. But this week my family and I took the 6 hour drive north to pursue one of my favorite species, the smallmouth bass. Monday greeted us with perfect conditions for chasing smallmouth on the big pond. The big lake laid down with very light winds and mother nature welcomed us with a high, sunny sky. We couldn’t ask for better conditions to start the week.
My father-in-law, Tim Zoucha and I went with a two-prong approach. He went with the slip-bobber and leech and I chose a variety of artificial baits including tubes, stickworms, inline spinners, and chatter baits. We soon discovered that the smallies much preferred the plastics over anything else, including the leeches. This was a bit of a mixed blessing because I love fishing plastics but I had hoped Tim would be able to kick back and enjoy a casual corking bite on this trip. But the live bait bite never developed for us so Tim got a lesson in pitching plastics on the rocky reefs. As anyone who has fished this presentation can tell you, that is going to result in a number of snags, and it did. After one too many snags I decided to put a green pumpkin chatter bait into Tim’s hands. That did the trick. Tim ended up with his personal best smallie, this 19-inch beauty.
The rest of the week presented us with less than ideal conditions as the winds picked up and storms moved in and out of the area. On this 132,000 acre lake, a little wind can create a big problem, especially when you’re trying to fish small plastics on light line. We did what we could to find calmer waters, moving away from the windblown side of the lake. While this often took us away from our preferred spots, we were still able to find some willing fish. My 6-year-old daughter, Carinsa even got into the act with this 19-inch smallie caught on a chatter bait. She needed a little help from her daddy because that smallie was trying to pull her rod into the lake, but she did all the reeling on her own and was thrilled when she finally landed the great fish after it had jumped out of the water about 4 feet from the boat. She still tickled about that fish and hopefully she’ll get a chance to catch it again when it’s over 20 inches!
As for me, I had one of the best few days of fishing I’ve ever had as far as the size of the fish I caught. The numbers weren’t as high as some previous trips, but the size of the fish made up for it quite easily. I boated two fish over 20 inches with my final fish on Thursday pushing that 21-inch mark! What a way to end the trip! That particular smallie fell victim to a 4-inch, green pumpkin tube. I also had several fish in the 18 and 19-inch range with the majority of fish coming on tubes in natural colors. I did manage a 19-incher on an imitation flappin hog, also in green pumpkin. We primarily fished rocky reefs and rocky points which you can find fairly easily with the use of an electronic lake map and a good Sonar/GPS combo like the Lowrance LMS-520C. When fishing plastics for smallies I like to use a medium power 6’8" St. Croix Legend Elite spinning rod spooled with 8-pound fluorocarbon line. The setup is incredibly sensitive and allows you to feel the bass pickup the bait. That will help you set the hook before the smallie gets the bait too deep which will risk injury to the fish. Mille Lacs has a 21-inch minimum size limit and the best way to ensure the future of our fisheries is a quick photo and a gentle release. Best of luck on the water everyone!
Here are a few more pics of these Mille Lacs bronze beauties. We did manage to get a couple of fish to hit topwater baits, but for the most part plastics were the way to go.
Awesome report and pictures Wade.
Very good report Wade!
What surprises me is that relatively few head to Mille Lacs for smallies. Seldom do we hear anything but walleyes and some perch in the winter.
By the way, this photo says it all.
Great read and report Wade.The pic with Carinsa is one for the ages
Great report Wade!! too bad I was up on LOW all week, would have liked to chased some of them smallies with ya!!!
gota love them bass……..
Great report Wade…… Nice fish..
Nice lookin toads Wade!!!!!
Awesome pic’s Wade. It looks like you had a good time with the family.
Mike
Good to hear that Elite 6’8 mxf….worked out….you sure get good anniverary gifts! Great pics!
Dean, I love the rod! I can’t thank you (and Tamara) enough. I use the Tournament rod as well, but I much prefer the Elite MXF due to the hook-setting power. I never lost a fish that I hooked up and I attribute that to the strength of the rod, yet it is sensitive enough to feel everything that’s happening at the bait. You were dead on correct about this rod. If anyone else out there has questions about which rods to purchase, I highly recommend that you get in touch with Dean Marshall at Everts Resort. The man simply knows rods!
And to clarify the story behind Dean’s comment, the last time I arrived at Everts Resort I was greeted by Dean with a brand new St. Croix that my wife had purchased through Dean as an anniversary gift for me. That was a great way to start my trip! Dean knew I wanted another St. Croix for fishing smallies and I must say he picked the perfect rod. I should also say I have the most wonderful wife in the world, don’t ya think?
Wade,
Great week up on ML for you and your family.
I was watching some storms during the week on radar pass thru there, hoping they were not giving you much trouble.
Great Report and pictures.
Jack..
Awesome fish and pics Wade. The smile says it all!
I keep seeing those big lake fish and it makes me wanna go up and fish the big pond.
Great report Wade and congrats on a successful week of fishing. As you know, I’m a walleye guy on Mille Lacs but your report has got me thinking about giving these huge smallies a try!
Thanks for all the comments everyone. I appreciate it!
Those of you who are interested in giving these Mille Lacs Smallies a try, keep in mind that the IDO Summer Get-Together is quickly approaching and will be held on Lake Mille Lacs at Hunters on August 1st and 2nd. Smallies will be on the chew and the open water walleye bite should be in full swing yet as well. There will be plenty of experienced Mille Lacs regulars to help answer questions and point you in the right direction and anyone who doesn’t want to bring their boat can hop on the IDO launch Saturday night after the BBQ! If you haven’t signed up yet, time’s running short.
>>> Click here for the GTG details! <<<
Great report Bass Specialist!
Great to hear you got the family members on some dandy fish as well. Sorry that we missed each other and did not hook up and fish.
That storm got real nasty on Friday and it was a good thing you left just in time. 
Great report Wade! And I second the praise for this rod! I got one this Spring, and it has quickly become my favorite rod in the arsenal!
great report Wade, saw your boat uncovered last Saturday, figured you were leaving or just getting back from a trip. I’m going to have to get out and chase some of those sumo’s when we are up there in two weeks.
Great report Wade! I’m looking forward to the GTG in a few weeks. I might even have to go chase some smallies for a couple of hours.
Shhhhh!!!!
Nice fish and awesome report Wade!
Great report Wade.
Glad to see your daughter is bass fisherperson
That water looks awsome, how come the best smallie fishing in the world has to be so darned far away, you guys are lucky! Way to go and awsome fishing Wade! Nice picture of you and your daughter to.
Those are some Tank Smallies