Cast away: Nibbles and bites and swipes on Rainy Lake

Switching to casting, my biggest smallmouth, about 15 inches.

It's that time of year again where I recap a fishing excursion from our annual "road trip." You know, Karen takes off about a week before me in the Crosstrek then I fly out and meet her someplace out west.

This year we decided to head into Canada. I have been to Canada before but have never actually set foot in the country. Of course, those prior trips were fishing in Canada-U.S. border waters, so I didn't even need a passport.

I really wanted to fish in a Canadian lake that didn't straddle the U.S. border but struggled to find a guide. Using the usual searches on fishingbooker.com and even Google, there didn't seem to be anyone who guided in Canada other than on The Great Lakes. Which in most cases meant "charter" fishing with six-plus people. I've done that before, and it really doesn't appeal to me.

We could have just stayed at a "resort" at a Canadian lake and rented a boat, but then we would have had to haul our fishing gear. And of course we would have to guess where the fish were.

Karen suggested going back to Rainy Lake with Rainydaze Guide Service like we did last year, 2021 and 2019. It's like hitting the easy button, so I booked a trip for Aug. 4.

Like last year, we ended up with Jeff Plath as our guide. He has his own guiding business but lives in the same neighborhood as Chris Granrud, who owns Rainydaze, and will fill in from time to time.

Once again we stayed at The Thunderbird Lodge, so like an Uber fishing service, Jeff met us at their dock Sunday morning.

You will notice a pattern if you've read my previous Rainy Lake fishing blogs. We start off finding walleye and other fish mingling in about 30 feet of water and drop minnows and/or leeches on jigheads to hover off the bottom. According to the modern combination depth finders and live scopes that show fish, we are ALWAYS on top of fish. But sometimes they don't cooperate.

As usual, we again found fish sitting on the lake floor, but they weren't in much mood to snack on tasty minnows or leaches. Karen and I landed a few fish -- walleye, a tiny sauger and even some dink smallmouth bass -- but we only had a couple eater-sized walleye to show for it after a few hours.

The Garmin thingie showed fish, but it was another thing to get them to bite.

When talking with Jeff over the phone a few days prior, I mentioned wanting to target smallmouth bass. Around 11 a.m., we moved from 30 feet of open water to hugging the rocky shoreline to try and catch them ol' brown fish.

Talking with Jeff throughout the morning about other clients, I think he might have been reluctant to change gears and fish for smallmouth. A lot of his clients just want to catch walleye, and some really aren't that good of fishermen -- they can't actually cast lures. They are more comfortable dropping lines over the side of the boat.

While Karen and I can't drop a lure in a postage-stamp-sized spot with consistent precision, we aren't slouches!

Jeff rigged a rubber swimbait on my line and a spinner that looked like a Rooster Tail on Karen's line, and we peppered she shore in a small cove. Almost instantly, we had action. 

Nibbles and bites and swipes.

We had some excitement with smallmouth bass and a few northern pike. They weren't huge, but it was better than sitting floating in the water watching walleye on the scope ignore our baits.

Karen caught her first northern pike!

Karen caught her first northern pike. 

From my time stationed in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, these are one of my favorite fish to catch. They have teeth! And they are actually good eating but get a bad reputation because of their "Y" bones in the meaty part of filets.

Karen snagged the little spinner in a tree, and then Jeff rigged her fishing rod up for swimbaits, too.

Always a good sign of fish activity is to end up with battered, useless swimbaits.

I tussled with a few smallmouth and hooked a couple small pike but didn't land them.

Thanks to that change of plans, Karen and I boated 20-25 fish between us.

Here are some bonus pics:

Like the little walleye I caught last year, I caught a matching sauger.

After fishing, we crossed the border the next day and entered Canada at Fort Frances and got on the Trans Canada Highway. We drove from there to camp in Thunder Bay on the western side of Lake Superior. Then we drove some more and had overnight camping stays in Sault Ste. Marie, Mobert, Massey and Severn before finally crossing the border in Buffalo, N.Y. 

We camped at some provincial parks that were on lakes, but they had limited access to shore fishing. I threw a line here and there anyway but didn't catch anything.

After we got back into the U.S., we camped at a KOA near Houghton, N.Y., that had a small fishing pond. I fished that night and enticed a few fish to take a run at a white Zara Puppy before finally hooking this crappie:

Bonus crappie caught in the KOA/Houghton pond.

Thinking of what we can do next year. Snake River in Idaho/Washington? Maybe Maine? Look harder for guide service on a Canadian lake? Really throw a change-up and fly fish for trout somewhere? Rainy Lake is beautiful, walleye are tasty, but I'm not sure if I'm up to the monotony of fishing for them.

For more pictures from the road trip, click here for my Flickr album.

Sweaty smallmouth: Beating the heat on the Potomac

This rocky area was teeming with life. Crayfish, clams and toe-nibbling baitfish.

On a rare two-night camping trip along the Potomac River over the weekend, I caught five smallmouth bass on a Zoom Swimmin Super Fluke Jr., and one on a Z-Man Finesse TRD worm. I did not land a single fish on a topwater lure despite it seeming like ideal topwater conditions.

So what am I absolutely tying on a rod on my next river fishing adventure?

A topwater lure!

Despite the miserably hot weather, Karen and I camped over the weekend along the Potomac River at one of the Chesapeake and Ohio National Historical Park sites. I fished for eight to nine hours over that time, and Karen even tossed a line in the river for a few hours.

The first fish of the weekend caught on a Z-Man worm.

There was about an hour on Saturday morning where the smallmouth bass were in a frenzy over the ol' Heddon Zara Puppy. Two fish hooked and at least eight blowups.

But I didn't land a single fish. Billy Westmoreland titled his book on smallmouth bass "Them Ol' Brown Fish." I've called them the Roy Jones Jr. of fish. I've also called them the Houdini fish because they can magically escape tough situations.

It's frustrating to a point but still topwater action is still heart stopping and adrenaline pumping all at the same time!

The best stretch of actually catching fish was Saturday afternoon. I figured the fish might feel like I felt and wanted to hang out in the shade. So I waded near the bank and cast toward the edge of the shadows of the trees. The Super Fluke Jr. was the ticket -- landing four fish, albeit only one was in the 12-inch range.

First fish from Saturday after the morning topwater frenzy.

Sunday morning, hoping to duplicate the feeling from the morning before, only one fish sniffed the Zara Puppy, and I managed to land one leaping 10-incher on the Zoom swimbait.

It's weird how that works. The topwater lure brings the most excitement, and the other fish I actually caught are almost forgettable.

It was mostly sunny all weekend with a few patches of puffy clouds. Temps were 95-plus, and water was a tick over 80 degrees.

Next up is likely fishing again with Rainydaze Guide Service. I might sneak in something locally between now and then. But the sister site will have more updates with autocrosses over the next three weekends, punctuated by the UMI Autocross Challenge July 25 to 27.

Sunset on the Potomac River.

The campfire looked like the eyes of a monster trying to rise from the ground.

Karen's first fish from the weekend, caught on a Whopper Plopper.

This was clinging to my hat on Saturday morning -- a grapevine beetle. I named it Paul. It clung to the hat after I put it on and then fled somewhere along the line.

This however wasn't allowed to flee. It's an invasive spotted lantern fly, and we killed a dozen or so this weekend.

Smallmouth bass free their oppressor (me) on the 4th of July

Sunrise on the Potomac River.

The Potomac River smallmouth bass declared their freedom today in the pursuit of life, liberty and crayfish!

Or something like that. 

Karen and I camped overnight at 15 Mile Creek Campground on the historic C&O Canal, and I hit the river around 6:15 a.m. this morning hoping to escape the oppressive humidity.

The sun was still trying to peak over the hills, and clouds would keep it mostly at bay for awhile.

First cast with a Heddon Super Spook (the middle brother between the Zara Puppy and Zara Spook) was greeted with a typical topwater blowup! That left the lure floating on the surface. I tried a couple more casts and couldn't get the fish -- any fish -- to bite.

I switched to my other rod with a Reaction Innovations Little Dipper and was zeroing in on "slick" water behind some barely protruding rocks. After five or so casts, there was ever-so-slight resistance on the other end. Either the lure bumped a rock or it was fish. I pulled back on the rod, and the resistance stayed there as I kept reeling.

Sometimes smallmouth hit subtly, and I don't think they realize they are hooked. They swim in the direction you're reeling (sometimes this could also be a stick!).

Until they realize the trickery. In this instance, I cast upstream, got the hit, this fish got a bit downstream from me then started fighting. It swam back upstream, made a couple jumps -- and looked to be about a 12-inch smallmouth -- before freeing itself from the hook.

This same scenario happened three more times over the next 90 minutes. Hook a fish after a light bite, reel frantically until the fish suspected something was up, a couple jumps, and then the fish was gone.

FOUR TIMES I had fish on, could identify the species and roughly the size after they breeched the water, and FOUR TIMES they declared their freedom. I couldn't even oppress them for a few seconds for a picture.

Bonus content: The trouble with trebles

I'll make this a two-parter going back a couple weeks ago just so I can post a picture of an actual fish. This was from the Little Patuxent and was the only fish I caught on a Sunday morning the day after autocrossing my Camaro.

The trouble with trebles. Even with removing the trailing treble hook
on a topwater lure, releasing a tiny smallmouth bass was a challenge.

I've mentioned removing the trailing trebles on "stick" lures because smallmouth bass always seem to get part of the leading treble hooked in the corner of their mouths. 

Not this little one. All three hooks from the front treble were in its tiny mouth. I struggled for about 45 seconds trying to get the treble free -- pushing the hooks further in its mouth, but it was so small there wasn't any room. 

I dropped the fish back in the water, and let it swim for a few seconds. Pulled it back up, and the part of the treble that was in its bottom lip was free! The other two parts of the treble were in its upper lip, but they were easy to remove now.

What's the time? It's time to catch fish!

My Casio "fish watch" had two fish icons lit,
indicating it was time to catch smallmouth.

Whether by dumb luck or actually utilizing experience, I stumbled across smallmouth bass in a frenzy this morning where I induced seven fish to bite lures in about 30 minutes after Karen and I camped along the Potomac River.

Air temp was brisk after I rolled out the tent -- around 55 and climbing -- and water temp was 65 degrees. Overcast skies. 

After starting off the morning wading a secret spot on the river where I caught a 20-inch smallmouth last year (only caught one dink at the same location this morning), I moved down off a point that created a seam between fast and slow water. I cast a Reaction Innovations Little Dipper a couple feet into the faster water and slowly reeled as the swimbait drifted into the slower section. And nabbed a smallmouth (another dink) just as it crossed the seam.

I switched rods to one with a Heddon Zara Puppy tied on, cast to about the same area, and the lure disappeared in a small whirlpool of disturbance! Another hungry smallmouth, but this one seemed a little bigger. The fish submitted and sure enough, it was about about 14 inches.

The 14-inch smallmouth that nailed the Zara Puppy.
And my blood on my thumb after the fish weaponized the
treble hook to stab me.

While holding the fish and fumbling for my camera, four or five baitfish jumped within a couple feet of me. The spooked baitfish, I think, were trying to evade another smallmouth that was trailing the one I caught (fairly common for them to chase a hooked fish either to snatch whatever "food" is in their mouth or to say, "Hey man, don't worry, everything is going to be alright.").

Figuring there was at least one more smallmouth bass on the prowl, I snapped a picture of my fish, released it and cast the topwater lure again. Another fish attacked but used the Zara Puppy like an orca uses a beach ball at Sea World. The fish nosed the lure through the air a couple times but didn't actually chomp it.

The action went off and on for about 10 minutes with swimbaits (nothing else with the topwater lure), and I landed two more fish -- the tally was up to five at that point.

Then there was a lull for a little while, but it picked up again about 10 minutes later after shuffling a few feet downriver along that seam of fast/slow water. Again casting barely into the fast water and "drifting" the lure across to the sluggish water, I caught three more smallmouth bass -- one was in the 13-inch range, and the other two were dinks. I had another fish on that felt really good, but it freed itself before I could get a look at it.

The Reaction Innovations Little Dippers are really lively and oscillate wildly even drifting through current.

Then the frenzy was officially over -- no more fish were enticed after that.

I wandered back down the C&O tow path to our campsite, and Karen and I had a breakfast of eggs and sausage.

Itching to try again, I waded in the river behind our campsite. I caught a 12-inch smallmouth last night on a Little Dipper, and this area usually yields fish anyway. Peppering the water with casts even up past the last site on the campground, nothing was interested. I returned to the area directly behind our site, cast a Little Dipper and got smallmouth No. 9 for the day. This one was about 12 inches, and I pulled it out of the water just as Karen was coming down the bank with her fishing rods.

Karen gets a picture of me just
after landing a 12-inch smallmouth
behind our camp site.

A few casts later, No. 10 found its way to the end of my line. Nothing else after that, and Karen didn't catch anything (although she caught four smallmouth yesterday). I'm pretty sure it was my best day on the Potomac since 2016 when trying "Ned Rig" Z-Man Finesse TRD worms for the first time. 

That made it ten this morning plus one last night. 

The casualties of war: The tattered Little Dippers.
Notice two that are missing tails.

The spoils of war: A knife, a rod holder and
a hammer. No doubt from catfishers because
they leave EVERYTHING behind.

Also, for others fishing for smallmouth on the Potomac, don't forget to fill out the Maryland DNR survey specific to the river and smallmouth bass. DNR also has a general fisheries survey.

The only fish from yesterday -- a smallmouth bass
about 12 inches -- just before being released.
Picture taken with my Olympus Tough TG-6
submerged.

Karen had spotted these dragon flies emerging
like cicadas from their shells.