Bass Fishing ArticlesBig Time Smallmouth! By Jim Crowley It all started many years ago with my first trip to Lake of the Woods in Ontario. I think I was six or seven years old. My parents could never tell me when we were going on a vacation that involved fishing. If they did, it not only meant a sleepless night for me, it most certainly meant a sleepless night for them! I cannot remember the first small mouth bass that I caught, however, I still remember a lot of the ones we caught on that first trip so long ago. It seems as if the jump of that mighty fish is etched in my memory. The way they can explode on a top water lure or smash a crank bait, or slash at a jerk bait and almost rip the rod from your hands is just part of the excitement. After the initial strike is when the battle really ensues. Then it is the seemly endless battle of you against that fish. Although small in stature compared to other game fish, the small mouth bass makes up for it with its endless tenacity. As the years have went by, numerous stories and adventures with that fish stand out in my mind. Hopefully these next memories of mine will trigger past events for you and bring yet another smile to your face, courtesy of the amazing small mouth bass. If I am not mistaken, it was early June and just out of school for the summer, my dad and I headed to Ontario to fish with a friend of my dads and his son. I still remember going through a couple different Fishing Facts magazines before the trip to see if I could learn any last minute tips. I could never remember anything I read in schoolbooks, but give me Fishing Facts and seriously, it would be read from cover to cover with pages bent over to remember the good points! Can you see an emerging pattern here? Anyway, we would make the drive from Chicago and all the while in the back seat, my friend Steve and I would discuss all the new lures we would use, along with the ones we "borrowed" from our fathers tackle boxes. I can still hear dad saying, "Jimmy you wouldn't happen to know what happen to my red and white Mepps (#3) would you?" I would fish with one of his lures till he caught me using it, then he would pretend to be mad and say, "Hey, stop stealing my stuff!" Then after I caught a fish on it, he would follow up with, "That's a nice small mouth, I told you to use that lure. Glad you listened to me!" From what I remember of that trip, the small mouth action was fantastic. If you could hit the water with your lure of choice, chances were good that a feisty smallie was all over it. On one day we experienced a may fly hatch. The small mouth exploded on just about every dark colored top water lure that we threw. Thinking back now, a #3 mepps Aglia with a sliver blade and brown squirrel tail was also hot. After dinner one night, my friend and I walked down to the pier and just wanted to make a couple more casts for the night. On my buddy's first cast, a big small mouth inhaled his Lindy Foxy Jig. The fish exploded from the water and the drag on his spinning reel screamed from the pressure. The Ugly Stick was bent over double as the fish headed for deeper water. I at the time was fishing a minnow under a bobber and was paying attention to my friend and his battle. Then I happed to look back for my bobber, and it was gone. My line started to tighten and out of reflex I set the hook. By all the screaming, our fathers thought we had broke bones or that we had caused irreplaceable damage to one another. No, it was just two kids having fun, fighting a pair of 3-pound small mouth bass. My first trip to Powerton Lake this year was also a memorable one. I always enjoy going to that lake. I have caught a lot of small mouth on that body of water. When the plant is running, the action can be non-stop and just flat out fun. This past trip, however, there was no power being generated, so I chose windy banks to concentrate on. I started as I often do with an assortment of small crankbaits. After we figured the depth the fish were at, which was about 7-8 feet, we concentrated on windy banks and stayed in that depth range. What a way to start the season. I had several fish over 3 pounds including one over 4 pounds and those bass were even stronger than I remember. I had several bass pull off, and to be honest I was having so much fun that I couldn't have cared less! As the years have passed and quickly I might add, I have been blessed to have some incredible fishing memories. Memories that still flash me back to childhood. A fish has often triggered those memories. The strike of the fish, catching a certain one, or even watching someone else do the catching is and always has been, part of the fun and the lasting memory of that event. As I am writing this, I was sent back in time to one of those beautiful Canadian sunsets. The clear sky with a slight chill in the air, the reflection off the water and seeing the boats moored to the docks. I remember taking a deep breath and walking down the path to my cabin. Tomorrow would be another day with another chance at big time small mouth. |