Report from Upnorth

[Upnorth]

I know this is not a FL report and there are no pictures - but a lot of you have fished up this way so I thought I would pass on the report for the last five days. I also know that using a trolling motor to hold the boat in place in the wind is not really paddle fishing either; there is one day of true paddle fishing. I know I should not tell you where I am fishing - but I think it is save.

Oh the biggest problem last night was the waves from all the bass boats going by - I do not know if they got anything. I am happy with what I caught and that is the really important thing.


Neil:

I thought you might like this report from up north. Kevin is my son. I had hooked the bass and handed the pole off to him. The pike was his first fish ever on artificial.

Just for a point of reference a 17 inch bass is a big bass up here. Two of the guys I work with are fisherman and neither of them had ever caught a bass over 15 inches. So three 17 plus in a weekend is not bad.

For the record I am cheating and using a row boat with a trolling motor to hold the boat in place. Not really paddle fishing but not really what you think of as boat fishing either. No gas engine at all.

The row boat was my dad’s so it is 40 plus years old. The trolling motor is new however. The canoe is 35 years old I bought it in college used for $100.00. My paddle is one I found on a canoe trip years ago and I am using the wrong type of rod for lake bass and pike fishing.



August 21, 2007

I took the wife and son to diner and did not get home until 7:30 or so. There was no wind at all so I thought I would give it a try in the canoe. Kevin had a friend over so I just went out alone; made it out around quarter to 8:00 or so. I got my pole, a paddle, a lifejacket, and put some lures and a tape in my pocket.

First cast into a spot that I thought was good; I pulled in a 15” largemouth. A couple of cast later I saw something large make a pass at the lure but it missed – likely a pike – darn.

I headed down the lake a ways past Karen’s and hooked up and lost a small bass (10 to 12 inch range). I was almost to Cal’s when I got a pike. There was no measurement because it shook the hook when I went to belly lift it into the canoe. A couple of docks before Roger’s I boated an 11 inch largemouth.



It was getting dark so I turned around and started heading home. Well you guys know that I always want to get in one more cast so I was casting on the way back. It was tough because it was getting to dark to really see where they were landing. When I got most of the way back to Karen’s pontoon I got the last fish of the night – a 19 inch smallmouth. So for the night it was two largemouths, one pike, one smallmouth and one lost bass.



August 20, 2007

I did not want to get the boat out tonight so I just cast off the dock. Fished for 20 to 30 minutes, and only got one. That was okay because it was a 16 ½ large mouth.

August 19, 2007

Well Kevin said he would try fishing this afternoon so we hit the lake for a couple of hours. Nothing to show for it, we had a small mouth that I had a leader touch on before the snap broke. Having caught a 17 ½ to 18 inch bass yesterday my best estimate on this one was 18 plus most likely 19 or more. I know it bigger than the one from yesterday.

Kevin caught a 29 plus northern. We put it back.

I got one small large mouth, estimate 10 to 12 inches.



Then there was the report from this morning.

I made it out for a couple of hours this morning. I jumped a couple of about keeper size smallies. I had a real nice pike or walleye on but lost it. I got a look at it and it was thick – it looked like a trout or salmon. It was also real dark on the top. I hooked it in about 2 foot of water. My best guess is a pike – but it might have been a walleye.

I did get one 17 inch small mouth in the boat. While it was smaller than yesterdays it hooked up further out so it was a better fight.



August 18, 2007



I started loading up after 7:00 and I was unloaded and back in the house be 9:30. Several misses. One small pike west end of Mary Davis lot. One large mouth did not measure – likely under sized – condo shore. One 17 ¾ to 18 in smallmouth – from right under Karen’s pontoon.

Bait something like this:

Okay I took this out - There has to be a little msytery - I mean I even told whos dock to fish in front of.


August 17, 2007



I made it out from 8;15 ish to 9;30 ish. I stopped and helped Cal with his sailboat.



Managed to get one nice base 14 ¾ + / - 7/8 inch smallmouth. Windy and wavy – dark water

[LivelyBaits]

Dan,
I enjoyed it a great deal. Thanks for sharing your report.

I do need to make a trip up there sometime and try that out sometime.

I like the part where you're using a canoe that you've had for 35 years I wonder what one of my kayaks would look like after 35 years of use down here??

Neil

[Upnorth]

Neil,

Interesting side note on the canoe. When I was in college I stored it next to the house one winter. A block of ice slide off the eves and landed right in the middle of the canoe - which was upside down. The eve was on a two story house and the block of ice was about 3 foot X 1 1/2 foot X 1 foot.

The bottom of the canoe was even with the gunwales. After being told it was a total lost for insurance, we hollowed out a spot in a snow bank and set it upright. Then two of us jumped in the middle and popped it most of the way back.

Try that with your tupperware!!!