Personal Best Brown with #15 Panther Martin

[Scudly]

I started fishing at 5:00 am Saturday morning. I thought I'd try the color black today. I got rid of the 30 lb line BTW. I found that although it works, it is rather stiff and too much coil for my liking. 10lb Power Pro back on. Today I thought I'd try black. In particular, #15 black body yellow dotted Panther Martin. The #15 is new for me this year. Most times I have thought it was too big, more for northern pike fishing or maybe steelhead fishing perhaps. This is 1/2 oz. Walking to my pool with my #15 tied on already, the blade would revolve around making a rather loud metal clinking. Something I have not noticed to this degree with smaller Panther Martins. I thought to myself "dinner bell" to a a gigantic trout.

Turns out I was right. First cast at 5am to the top of the pool with swift current, I let the spinner drop for two seconds and start my retrieve. Not less than three revolutions of my reel a trout hits. With the hook set the fish felt instantly small for some reason. Then I realized the fish was running right at me downstream and I reeled like mad. Then I felt the fish. We had quite the battle. I did not want to lose this one. Lots of standstill fighting with the beast hunkered down in the middle of the pool for a while. I had learned my previous mistakes of how too much pressure you can lose one of these good fish if there is not a solid connection with the hook.

Turns out I DID have a good hook set. The treble on the #15 is enormous. Plus this is a fresh spinner. 24" female brown with a 14" girth. This is a new personal best!

Also got a 19" and a 15." Probably made less than a dozen casts. After that fish I just stopped at a couple pools heading back to the car. The tall weeds and low light disoriented me a bit. All three hit the black/yellow silver bladed #15. Guess I will be using #15s more often!!!

[youngie22]

Early trout gets the spinner! Gotta love that river, good work, beautiful fish!

[ilikefood]

Wow! That is a beautiful trout! I can only dream of catching one that large. Keep up the good work and great pictures. I enjoy fishing vicariously through you.

[reinhard1]

you are doing great Scudly!!!!awesome. good luck.

[Scudly]

Quote:

you are doing great Scudly!!!!awesome. good luck.

Hey thanks reinhard1. You are a super duper nice guy. I love the fact you are the active poster on this trout board. I first bumped into you here on HSO after I shared a post on the North Shore section after my post of brookies, bows, and walleye caught in the Grand Marais area.

Been in Houston since Sunday. Leaving tomorrow 7pm, back in the TCs tomorrow 10pm. Late night of packing then we are going up to Grand Marais for the 4th again! Fourth year in a row. So look forward to them brookeis and bows and walleye and smallies. I just LOVE the area. Should be some good reports coming after the holiday.

Making it up that way anytime soon? Need any tips you let me know! I've got some great spots dialed in. This time though I'm thinking of lower Devil's Track one of the mornings. Just need to refer to my Humphrey Shogren book, figure out that hiking trail on the NE side how to get into the lower DT. Only other way seems to be by the mouth. We did the trail with the family however did not see any OBVIOUS trail down to the DT, at least not one that looked safe for wife and 4 year old kid (at the time, he is 5 now)...

Send me PM if you have ideas... Or post here...

[reinhard1]

you are the one who has brought back my spirit to go back to years ago when the streams is where i fished for trout but took it as just the normal thing to do. it is beyond that now. when i see your pics [all of them, including the north shore] it brought back memories that i could not let go. when i moved to the cities, the streams outside for loopers and steelhead just meant that. above the first natural boundary was just that, a stop sign for me.

i remember that picture of the walleys you had {just scaled like the old days] and frying in the cast iron pan in butter. i'm just one guy, but you cant believe the joy this picture gave me. this is how we ate walleys when i was a kid. i dont have any spots on the gunflint as far as streams that i wish i could tell you about. i think you will do well on your own.

i have fished the upper poplar river and still have memories of the brookies. small but they took the bait like a hungry sunnie. my experience was more there and down toward duluth and inward. i just want to thank you and your family for the joy you have brought me with your pic's that gave me my commitment to go back to the rivers and creeks that i loved in the past. thank you and keep the pics comming. good luck.

[Scudly]

I can taste 'dem walleyes already reinhard1...

CANNOT WAIT! Never fished upper Poplar but will try it sometime. We stayed at Bluefin a few times in the fall. Was trying for pinks but got blown out by rain. A fly fisher told me he was heading upstream for those brookies. Should have followed him...

Happy 4th to you and your family!

[deets22]

awesome fish.

[reinhard1]

thanks again for the pics. the area of the poplar i fished was a walk down the power lines leading to the river. it was off the caribou trail. smoked in them days and i remember the brookies taking the filter as i flicked it in the stream. have a great weekend with your family and great weather up in the gunflint. good luck.

[DARK30]

Nice fish Scudly! My pb is also a 24" caught many years ago on the root. Haven't been down for a few weeks now.

Great color on the Lupine!