Some decent Smallies...

[WatterBoy]

Not sure why, but finding the fish was a grind this past weekend. We had some real close friends of ours at our cabin with us, and 4 of the 6 of them like to fish. That meant 3 different outings on both Friday and Saturday and one more on Sunday to get everyone on the water as much as possible. So, as the guide, I was "stuck" fishing most of the weekend.

The best fish of the weekend came about 10 minutes before sunset on Saturday when it took down my Pop-R in my favorite sunset topwater spot for Smallies. It weighed 4lb 4oz and was 18.5" -- my first 4 pound SM of the year.



Earlier in the same outing, in almost the same spot, our friend caught this 3lb 14oz, 18.0" Smallie on a fluke.



The only other photo-worthy fish came the following morning. We had just finished working a shoreline and were going to head to a weedbed before packing it in for the weekend. As I went to stow my rod on the opposite side of the boat from where I'd been fishing, I noticed a dark "object" that I thought was a fish. The light ripple on the water was enough to keep me from being sure it was a fish until I saw it move. I couldn't see it after it headed away from the boat at an angle, but I cast my Zoomie a bit in front of the direction it headed. A few seconds later I was hauling my second-best Smallie of the year into the boat -- another 18.5 incher, but not nearly as fat as the one the night before, and only 3lb 10oz this time.

[WTL]

Hey Watter,

I fished baby and mantrap lake back in June and I thought the mosquitoes were by far the worst I have ever seen in any state or province. Are they are unusually bad this year? how do you guys cope?

[WatterBoy]

Originally Posted by WTL

Hey Watter,

I fished baby and mantrap lake back in June and I thought the mosquitoes were by far the worst I have ever seen in any state or province. Are they are unusually bad this year? how do you guys cope?

Hey Billy, wow that's weird. I have hardly noticed any at all on our lake this year. We usually get off the water once they start to annoy us when it gets dark at night, but that has been rare this year. They are usually a giant PITA, but this year (for me anyway) has been the best I can remember in a long time. The only way we have to deal with it is to either load up on bug spray or head for the indoors.

[Bassboss]

Them are some nice smallies! The big ones are all the more satisfying when the fishing's tough like that!

[WTL]

I was near walker, they picked me apart like fried chicken at mantrap lake and also appeared thick at leech lake. Maybe its a lake by lake deal.

[WatterBoy]

Originally Posted by WTL

I was near walker, they picked me apart like fried chicken at mantrap lake and also appeared thick at leech lake. Maybe its a lake by lake deal.

It is often joked that the mosquito is the MN state bird, so I know how brutal they can be.

We are on Lake Belle Taine, less than 30 minutes south of Walker.

"Lake Belle Taine is the third largest and southernmost lake in the Mantrap Chain of Lakes. More than seventeen lakes in the Mantrap Chain are connected by the Sand River and other small streams, and are known for clean, clear waters, and mostly sandy bottoms."

[joedog]

Originally Posted by WTL

I was near walker, they picked me apart like fried chicken at mantrap lake and also appeared thick at leech lake. Maybe its a lake by lake deal.

Did you swim in Leech?
I remember as a kid an uncle had a cabin there.
Everytime you came out of the water you had numerous leeches, not the vegetarian walleye leeches either.

[keithdog]

Those are beautiful smallies for sure. Fishing may have been tough, but at least you nailed a couple nice ones.