Brainerd MN Bass Opener

5:30 arrived way too early; I looked out the bedroom window lo and behold the flag layed along the pole completely motionless – something that has not happened in weeks. The smell of blooming lilacs and flowering apple trees substantially filled the air.
Excitement was looming.
Bass opener has finally arrived.
I learned at an early age that some of the signs that Mother Nature would show us gave us clues about fish and their behavior. The first croaking frogs of the year mean the walleyes were starting to spawn. The first lily pads to flower mean that the crappies are ready to spawn. Blossoming lilacs are a sure sign that the bass will be guarding nests with vigor and a reckless abandon.

The lake that I decided to fish is gin clear, with a secchi disk reading of over 8, so sight fishing was in order. I love spending time standing on the front deck, one foot on the trolling motor, scanning the lake bottom for fish and their beds. I would be searching for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass or some monster crappies that this lake is known for.
I started looking in a bay that I have had good luck in years past. I found a bunch of cruising largemouth bass that eventually fell victim to a pearl colored 4 inch paddletail rigged on an un-painted 1/8 ounce jighead. Slow and steady was the key early in the day and that changed as the water warmed up and the fish became much, much more active. Ultimately bass would get caught on crankbaits, spinnerbaits and even one on a buzzbait.
While probing an underwater point I found a school of crappies suspended not too far from a notorious spawning flat. I determined that after finding these crappies I would call my father and see if he would drive my kids out to join me for a few hours on the water. As I waited for Katie and Jon to arrive at the landing, I motored along the shallows and found a few smallmouth bass fanning out their nests. I decided to leave these fish alone and kept moving along. After a half hour or so I heard a horn honk and saw my kids standing on the dock. I pulled up to the dock, the kids put on their lifejackets, and we headed over to where I saw those crappies earlier in the day.

I rigged the kids’ fishing rods with slip bobbers and marabou jigs tipped with a minnow. Katie wanted a sparkly pink jig, Jon wanted a white jig with a pink head, and I chose one that was all black. All three colors have caught a lot of crappies for me. The pink and white is a great starting color while the all black jig is deadly when the spawn is taking place as the males turn a shade darker and can get aggressive toward the color black. Jon’s bobber was the first to plunge into the darkness and being a six year old, his attention was not on fishing but rather what is hidden in the depths of each and every storage compartment of the boat. Katie was the first tell Jon that he has a bite; he immediately snatches his rod and sets the hook like a pro. A short battle ensues and Jon lifts a beautiful crappie into the boat. Katie’s bobber was next. It rose up slightly before heading slowly and steadily downward, a sure fire crappie bite. She reeled in the slack and then gave a long swift hookset and after a short conflict, Katie had her crappie in the boat. As my kids fought crappie after crappie, hooking their own minnows, playing in the minnow bucket, and playing with the fish in the livewell, I realized that I was having more fun watching them than fishing myself. Eventually fishing slowed and with the kids starting to get bored I offered to let them take turns driving the boat, and that lead to screams of excitement that I am sure was heard across the lake. After a short class in safety and with me never a foot from the tiller handle along with the safety kill switch strapped to my wrist, we drove around the lake for what seemed like an hour. The smiles and laughter flourish.

Before we headed in, I wanted to show and share my passion for smallmouth bass with my children so we motored over to where I saw those bedding fish. I grabbed a spinning rod rigged with a white sweet beaver and a 2/0 hook. I told them that I would cast and position the bait and they could set the hook and reel in the fish. Katie being the oldest was first. I found a smallie that was sitting by a small group of boulders and made my cast. The bait hit its mark and the smallie swam swiftly over to take a look at what just entered its lair. Following a short stare down with the bait, the smallie gradually back away from the lure. I told Katie to shake the fishing rod ever so slightly. The subtle movement of the beaver was too much excitement for the fish as he came back with a vengeance. I told Katie to set the hook as soon as she could not see the white lure. She did not hesitate. A battle ensued.
A gitty school girl VS. the pound for pound best fighter in the water.
Katie won easily; she worked that 7 foot St.Croix like an expert. After seeing how well she did I would expect to see a few pictures of her holding some of Lake Mille Lacs monster smallmouth.
Now it was time for Jonathan to try his luck. I eased the boat into position and made my cast. Cast after cast landed in the bed each time the smallie would come over to investigate but would slowly back off. I switched to a 4 inch white stick worm rigged on shaky head. This was just what the doctored ordered. The fish came in hot, gills flared, mouth open and sucked up that worm. I helped Jon set the hook and he took control of the rod. I grabbed his lifejacket as that first powerful run almost pulled him out of the boat. True grit and determination was now showing in his eyes as he did not want to get beat by a fish. He fought bravely but in the end he asked for some help controlling the fishing rod. We together landed his first, but not last, smallmouth bass.
All in all we had a great day and I could not think of a better way to celebrate my birthday.
Get out and make some memories with your kids or grandkids as they grow up way to fast.
Ron