Lean'n On Them

When the boys call and say they are looking to "lean on them", I do everything in my power to get around a few and we did exactly that this last week.  The fish are starting to get on a lot of their summer stuff and the weeds are great right now in most of MN largemouth lakes.  This particular day we were able to smash them on jig worms and flipping. 

With the fish starting to get deep into their summer haunts in search of food and cooler water we just had to soak the jigworm on the weed lines and they would eventually swim off with it.  Ken and Joe both caught fish over 5lbs with lots of fish in that 2-4lb range.  When I say lots, they probably boated over 60-70 bass on the day.  My worm supply was hurting by the end of the day.  

After a short jig worm lesson and a "keep your rod tip up" talk the guys were dialed the rest of the day with doubles and hook sets after hook sets.  The go to set up for jig worming is the G.Loomis NRX 852 JWR paired with my go to reel, a Shimano Twin Power 3000.  I spool it with 10lb power pro braid with a 10lb sunline fluoro leader.  

This young man is going to be one to watch for.  Joe is going to continue to hone his skills and before we know it, he will be taking guys lunch money at bass derbies.  He has the drive, passion, and determination to compete at the next level.  Thanks again guys for the great day on the water.  Until next time, Fish On!

Whitefish Will Always Have A Special Place

The Classic Bass Champions Tour season kicked off on the Whitefish Chain in north central MN this past week and it brought back a ton of memories.  I was fortunate enough to get to spend much of my high school summers on the chain with my good friend Matt Rauenhorst, and it was those 25 year old memories that gave me the confidence I needed to close out the first tour event on a lake that has been so good to me over the years.  

It was a stacked field of 50 hammers that left out of moonlight on Thursday morning all with the hopes of hoisting the hardware at the end of the day.  When the dust all settled, I had caught 61lbs of bass over 8 hours and was fortunate enough to win the dang thing.  These events are so hard to win, and I almost gave it away in the afternoon period but late in the day I ran to a dock I grew up fishing with Matty and the bass were pretty well loaded up under it.  I was able to skip that dock for a total of 7 bites, 5 of which were weighable bass for our format.  Those final 5 bass put me out in front of Dean Capra far enough that there wasn't enough time left in the day for him to catch me.  

I did most of my damage in the morning on a specific little weed area.  My go to set up for catching a majority of my bass/weight that day was a G.Loomis NRX 852 JWR rigged with a Shimano 3000 Twin Power spinning reel.  I spool it with 10lb Super Slick V2 power pro, and then run a 5-8' 12lb Sunline FC Sniper leader to my jig worm.  I was fishing a deep weed edge in the first 4hr period that was steep right off the edge of a dock, I was sitting in 21' of water and casting to about 6-8' and working letting the worm soak in the weeds or snapping it occasionally to get them to react to the worm and bite it.  The fish were set up in the weeds just on the flat weeds about 15' from the end or edge of the dock.  

As many of you are aware, I was having to drive a back up boat since I was in an accident with my Vexus, hence the Ranger with an Evinrude in the pictures.  But I should have my Vexus with my 250 Mercury ProXs back up and running soon and be back in the rig I have come to love.  It was a special day I won't soon forget and have to give a shout out to all the companies that have supported me in the past and the present, without you guys I would not be able to do what I do.  Until next time, Fish On!  

They Aren't Gonna Catch Themselves

It's a good thing I have been busying chasing these Mille Lacs Smallmouth around with friends new and old, cause I am postitive they are not gonna catch themselves.  The last few weeks have been amazing chasing these magnificent creatures all over the lake.  From mornings with frost and winter suits to 95+ degree days, light winds to 35 mph gusts, we have seen it all the last few weeks and the fish didn't disappoint.  

I was joined by Joe and his dad Ken for a day of chasing smallmouth and watched these guys light up with every hook set.  Was a day I won't soon forget.  Once again making memories to last a lifetime.   

Wouldn't change any part of what I have experienced the last few weeks.  Until next time, Fish On!  Get outdoors and play.  

Mille Lacs Smallmouth Aren't So Small

Enjoyed another beauty day on Lake Mille Lacs guiding smallmouth for long time friends Andrew, his dad Dick, and his son Sam.  The weather was cold and windy when we put in the morning but later in the day we were able to find a protected area to sight fish for some of the giant smallmouth that call Mille Lacs Lake home.  

With the ever-changing weather the fish are in all phases at this time.  Water temps ranged form 57-63 depending on the area of the lake we were in.  We started the morning on a 6-10' reef throwing 4" keitech swimbaits and they produced some nice smallmouth and walleye action and in the afternoon we pushed up shallow in a protected area after the sun came out and were able to target fish that were moving shallow to spawn.  We did end up with lots of nice doubles throughout the day which made for a memorable day on the water with great folks.  

If you are looking for a Mille Lacs guide trip, there are a few great days still open between now and mid June.  After that I will be traveling for Classic Bass Champions Tour events and will have very few days open.  

Sam(pictured here) is 7 years old and was a tropper and out fished the rest of the boat.  He really loves to fish and did a great job on the water even when conditions at times were not ideal.