Fantastic Canadian Smallmouth Fishing!

[Dan J.]

I'm back from another FANTASTIC Canadian fishing adventure! (14th consecutive year) The weather was 100% liquid sunshine with high's in the upper 50's for the most part, but the fish didn't seem to mind. (They're always cold and wet! :lol: ) Only one day was a complete washout, yet we still managed to have a great time and caught several fish off the dock at camp between bouts of torrential downpours. We spent a good bit of our time on Lake Minnetaki this trip and slayed the smallmouth with topwaters, jerkbaits and spinnerbaits. We averaged over 50 smallies a day per angler with numerous 20 inchers and a couple over 21!! This was the best smallmouth fishing we've had up there and it only continues to improve with the fantastic fisheries management practiced on the Lac Seul chain. We also caught many big pike and healthy walleye as a byproduct of our smallmouth fishing. We kept a limit of walleye, including a fat 24.5 incher, for table fare providing enough filets for two gigantic fish fries during the week in camp. (The weather eliminated any ideas of a shore lunch this trip and the giant black bear we saw up the Vermillion River was all my partner needed to see to keep him firmly planted in the boat when out of camp! :lol: ) We saw wildlife out on the move with the rain like in no other years as well, including two moose, a huge bear, beavers, eagles, and many, many more. I'm already crossing off days on the calendar until next year's trip! If it's half as good as this year, I'll be thrilled!!! I just had to share some pics and a story and tell you all I'm glad to be home, yet still wishin' I was fishin'!!

One more for the "Toothy Carp" chasers in our crowd :lol: :

http://www.frograpidscamp.ca/

 

[Brian Ingersoll]

A few days with nothing on the to-do list except wacking smallies sounds like a great vacation. I guess even the toothy critters are welcome for lunch.

 

[Carlos Hathcock III]

great pics man!



That feeling and smile is exactly what I feel for the Michigan trip too!!

 

[Bob G.]

Great pics, glad you had an awesome trip!!

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Nice Brownies...sounds like you had a ton of fun...I love fishing Canada but, they're making it alot harder for us U.S. fishermen to cross.

 

[Texas Transplant]

Very nice.



Tex

 

[Mini]

Great job Dan!



Tee, how are they making it harder to cross? Its getting harder to get BACK in.

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Used to be able to go to Pelee Island to get your lisence...not anymore.

 

[Dan J.]

Thanks for the comments fellas!



I was surprized coming across the border on 7/4. There were three cars in line ahead of us at 2:30pm and it took us no time to cross into the U.S. (We all had current passports.) Kinda spooky though when we handed our passports to the border guard. They ask the same questions year to year, but they seem to already know the answers. (The guard new I was retired and from where!?! ) We spent the time talking about the smallmouth fishing on Minnetaki while the passports were scanned and returned. The outside guard and the guard in the box were fishing a T on Rainy Lake the coming weekend and was wondering what we had rigged and worked. Cars were going through the other lanes while we sat there jawing like at the tackle shop. It was a really pleasant crossing as it has always been. I have to give those guys and gals alot of credit for what they do as a first line of defense against what we don't want filtering through those lanes. (Although it does little to deter the unwanted folks from the dozens of other access roads and/or a boat ride to our banks. :wacko: ) ICE and Border Patrol have treated us well these many years and I really believe they have the country in whole as their first priority.

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Great trip!! I went to Canada (Saskatchewan) with my Grandfather to a lake called Lac La Ronge and by far it was a trip of a lifetime. I have been wanting the MVM to pool their lunch money and all get together for a Canuck trip.



TOXIC

 

[Mini]

Tee, check with the ferry captain. A couple of ferry's here have licenses on board. But you have to make the trip.



You can also got your Ontario online in a few places. OMNR and Lakeside Tackle here in Mi both sell them online.



Dan, you wont be praising that if you try to cross here in Mi....Detroit isnt that bad (two crossings, tunnel and bridge under/over the Detroit River), but in Sarnia....man talk about a line to get in!!! Somedays the truckers (seperate line) wait up to 15 hours to get back in.

 

[Dan J.]

Geez Mini!!! I think I'd go postal if I had to wait that long to cross! In '02 we waited 5hrs. or so, but with 9/11 earlier it was understandable. (It sucked, but was agreeably for the best.) Most all crossings we've had at In'l Falls/Fort Frances has been smooth and easy. We've seen a few rigs stripped down and emptied out though. Why folks try things at the borders in this day and age boggles the mind??!! :wacko:

 

[TrepMan]

Great Pics Dan! I haven't been back to Canada in 4 years due to the move to/from China, just hasen't lined up. Need to get Eli up there, but gotta find the $$ for they don't give discounts for half pints on the fly in trips!!

 

[TOMMY RICH]

God I love those Brownfish!

Really special to my heart:wub:

 

[Dan J.]

I hear ya, TEE!! I am very blessed to fish as I do in many places, but my true love in the world of bass are those beautiful, barred, brown fish!! :wub: A freshwater grouper by build, just twice as strong, pound for pound. If they got much bigger or any more aggressive you wouldn't see people swimming in their waters!! :lol:

 

[Mini]

They arent the top of the food chain around here Dan....our top predators have TEETH! lol

 

[Dan J.]

Mini, you can have all of those slimy, smelly, tackle-busting critters. If I never see another pike or musky, I'll live a full life for sure! :lol: It's not that I don't like 'em. I hate 'em!! :angry: I've caught too many "growed" ones (42"+), even a few intentionally when I was very green, and each and every time have been served an a$$ beating, if not broken equipment in the process. I know fellas that pay good money to fish solely for pike/musky and I am completely befuddled as to why. Surely you can have as much fun on an overpass with 80# braid and a 6/0 treble, dropping down into traffic and save gas!!! :lol:

 

[Pierre Voisine]

Mini's right about getting into the US. With the restriction in place now, all of the paperwork needs to be current and in place. Napolitano has really stuck it to us with the new passport rules, and actually stated publicly that these measures were put in place because the 9/11 idiots came in from Canada. I guess she didn't read the 9/11 Commission Final Report -NONE of them came from Canada.



Tox, I would be happy to host the MVM, just remember the season starts a tad later here.



Pierre