Jim
Ridling, Ken Upchurch, Bill Coleman, and Wesley Dunn flew into International
Falls on Thursday June 6, dined at Thunderbird and spent the night on the
Chairman. We begin our smallmouth fishing in earnest on this trip. Smallmouth on top water baits really gets the
guys going along with a homemade inline spinner that John Doug Toney made for
years before he passed away.
John
wanted to sell the Dougspins sometime ago. I put an order in with Doug intending
to sell them on our tackle display. Once
I received them I had second thoughts about selling them. Where would I get
more if Doug was not here? I saved them, shared them on this trip, did not lose
any, and hopefully made Doug happy as he watched from above.
I
thought fishing would be challenging this year because of the conditions that
were occurring on Rainy Lake. Ice out was as close to record late as late
gets. That in it self would not be a
problem if warm weather would have came in in normal amounts. So far we had one
warm day. Two other factors are steady southeast, east and northeast winds that
blow warm water into the main lake and a rainfall of five inches while a
portion of the dam between International Falls and Fort Frances inoperable.
Good
guides like a challenge, in reality it makes the job fun, success helps too. I
left the first morning with Wesley and Bill. We started on a point with nothing
happening. On the other side of the point was a spawning area, as we eased in
the water temperature moved up three degrees from 60 to 63 degrees. We had a
nice bass come to a Tiny Torpedo on the first cast. The next was a fat female
full of eggs, there were males following, a great sign. Chef Bernie had a lunch
for the guys so we were fishing about an hour and half. We boated five nice
smallies and left for lunch felling pretty good about things.
Big Bass Full of eggs
During
the afternoon we started fishing and the bass had turned off surface baits. We
switched to Doug spins and a Rapala Husky Jerk. Bill had not fished a jerk bait
in the manner I showed him. I had a new Helsinky Shad color version, and it is a
keeper! Bill learned quick, jerk, jerk pick up the slack line, jerk pick up the
slack etc. The walleyes were smoking the bait, keepers, big ones and of course northern
pike. Wesley used a Tennesee Shad Husky
Jerk it caught walleyes and pike but not as many as the Helsinki Shad.
John
fished with Ken and Jim on Friday. They caught bass in the morning on Tiny
Torpedoes. During the afternoon Ken wanted to fish northern on
buzzer’s. They absolutely decked them in
a black bottom weed bay. Ken’s largest was 37”.
Saturday
morning was a Doug spin and Husky Jerk morning for Ken and Wesley. The Helsinki
nailed the walleyes and Wesley’s Doug spin was catching walleyes, smallmouth
and pike.
John’s
boat with Bill and Jim pounded the
walleyes and smallies with Doug spins.
The smallies were both tight to the point and out in six feet of water
with the walleyes.
Sunday
Jim and Wesley started out with a dandy smallmouth on the first cast. We caught
some absolute pigs on Torpedoes and Doug spins. It did not seem to matter. During
the afternoon we fished a large bay adjacent to the main lake. I fished the east
shore, Jon the northwest shore. A south wind was blowing pretty good. Definite
Doug spin weather. The smallies went nuts at least fifty between the two boats.
On
the last day Jon fished with Jim and Ken, I was with Bill and Wesley. We
started on a spawning area with a a couple points and boulder fields. Wesley
was using the Dougspin, Bill the Helsinki Shad Husky Jerk. Walleyes, nortern,
and smallies were biting at a steady clip. A good fish hit Wesley hard and it
turned out to be a 36” pike. It came bearing a gift. Along with the Dougspin it had a fire tiger
Chug Bug stuck in its upper lip. Wesley
got the bait and the northern went free!
Wild Rice, Pheasant in a sun dried Tomato Cream Sauce!
