New PB Smallmouth

[jennypike]

I got the chance to head to the cottage for 3 days from August 19-21 for some fishing on Lake Kashagawigamog. The weather was calling for thunderstorms on Wednesday and Thursday, so I was unsure how the fishing would be. The goal was to hit my usual go to walleye spots with the hopes of netting a few big eyes. On Tuesday the weather was warm and partly clouding with minimal wind, so I stuck to a couple mid lake humps in the 30' foot range. I found a couple big marks on the windward side of the hump that forms a saddle with a big point. I drop a perch coloured reef runner down behind a bottom bouncer and get the boat up to speed. The rod doubles over and I set the hook into what feels like a dump truck. A couple strong head shakes later and I realize this isn't a big walleye. After 5 minutes a dark brown Muskie starts to surface and makes a quick pass by the boat. I estimate it at 50" and in the 30 pound range. I had 10 pound braid on the main line and a 12 pound fluorocarbon leader and still was struggling to get it in. It played possum until the second pass by the boat. At this point it gave a couple leaps and head shakes. On its third pass by, I swear it gave me a little wink and smile before it went into a tail dance capped off with a violent head shake. This beast was a pro and popped the hook for me on that acrobatic move. It left a good burn in my arms. I stayed here for a few more drifts and then moved on.

Later on that afternoon I went to a weed edge that drops from 10' into 20' of water and tossed a Gulp Leech at the weed line. A solid bump was felt on the rod and I set the hook into what felt like a big largemouth. It stayed deep until the end. After a good battle I netted a smallmouth that measured 22" and I estimate at over 6. I pulled a couple more bass from this bay and weed edge, but it didn't cough up any walleye. Here is a link to a video of the smallmouth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7r8_W7esnjM

Wednesday brought rain and a slower bite. Again the deep humps and weed edges produced some good smallmouth fishing, but no walleye. The sky was overcast with some wind so the fish had moved higher on the hump into 15'. I tried some reef runners, x-raps and jigging with some large minnows and was consistently getting smallmouth. When the bite slowed down on Wednesday I went to a large flat was protected from the wind knowing perch and largemouth are always there. The perch were up shallow in 3-4 feet of water in the cabbage. I did see another Muskie swimming in the shallows through the cabbage, I guess feeding on all the perch. A good sized largemouth caught me day dreaming when I was using a hula popper and missed getting a good hook set, "Son of a b....". On this day the smallies were 15' deep and the largemouth were in about a foot of water. I could see the smallmouth nudging through the shallows looking for what I assume were crayfish.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qrMTjdQK8E

As a confidence booster it seemed like each location I was at a loon was feeding near which I have found is always a sign of a productive spot.

Thursday I woke up to a slight drizzle and a heavy fog. The bite had had completely shut down at this point and 3 hours of fishing didn't produce any action. I went shallower than the previous days and was marking fishing near bottom on the high side of a drop off, but couldn't get anything to bite. I called it a day around 12 and packed my gear to head home. I was a little let down that I didn't get any walleye on this trip, but was happy with the action on Tuesday and Wednesday. This time exploring new areas and trying some new tactics paid off.

[bucky]

very nice fish but not likely 6 lbs. looks like a great couple days fishing.

[jimmer]

I noticed that you don't talk to yourself! Nice fish.

[jennypike]

The smallmouth wasn't exactly a football in that classic sense. I had to keep a filter on my commentary because a young family was out on the dock in the bay I spent most of my time on.

[Avid Angler]

maybe a 4

[JoePa]

Every fisherman knows that when you tell about the fish you caught you gonna add a little - cause the other fishermen know that and will take off a little to get at the real size - it's called a fisherman's adjustment - this adjustment has been around for a very long time - there are a few exceptions - for instance I for one never add anything to the size of the fish I catch - honest -

[Rugger]

Nice couple of video.
Those fish get dark in that stained water.

Here's a great link to help guesstimate weight from length, always better if you can get a girth measurement as well.
http://www.ontarioanglerawards.com/info/weight.cfm

Congrats on the PB!

[jennypike]

Thanks for passing that website along.

[GoldenLakePete]

Congratulations on the bass! Great videos.

[blasted_saber]

Great fish, but I agree with the other that 6 is being a little generous.