the horror

[mww24]

Just have to share this. I went to mille lacs this morning to do some smallie fishing. I fished for 4 hours with no bites. Then I hook a nice one on a crankbait real close to a rocky windblown shoreline. In my battle with the fish i drifted reel close to shore so I didnt want to get off my trolling motor. When I got the biggest smallie I have ever seen in person to the edge of my boat I tried to lift her in and off she came. Was the only bite I had in 6 hours of fishing. Also would have been the biggest smallmouth of my life as stated above. It had to have been pushin five pounds. I almost cried.

[trappingaddiction]

Just keep trying. Smallmouth of that size are pretty common on Mille Lacs and there is a good chance for you to get another of that size. Good luck!

[Friar_Tuck]

i'd rather see it and lose it than lose it without seeing it =)

but ya it can rip your soul out for the day none the less...

[TonkaBass]

I always have a net handy You do get a decent # that size on that lake though. Keep on truckin and get some more!

[bucketmouth64]

Keep trying especially with September coming around. Fall bite and they get bigger. Caught my biggest one late September last year and having a replica done.

[RumRiverRat]

Sounds like tough day all around.

Surprised you did not find fish.

[mww24]

yep. i will conquer the big pond. i think if i stayed till dark i would have got some fish. The wind was kicking up the waves and i had a 12 mile run to where i launched so i got outta there. It wasn't fun in a 17'6" bass boat as is. Goodenews is. After having to stop to put my GPS back on the mount that a good smack into a wave knocked into my lap. I looked down to find a bud light can. I don't even drink bud light. so the previous owner must of stuffed it somewhere and the pounding knocked it loose. Or a seagull Shatt it on me.

[RumRiverRat]

Where did u launch from and where were you fishing that you had a 12 mile run?

The Big Pond is tough to conquer.

When you think you have it figure out........it changes.

Clear your PMs........have a handy map I can send ya with some tried and true spots.

[mww24]

i launched out of cove. turned right out of the bay and ran a long ways. where i don't know. I dont have a lake map. i just set a waypoint where i launch and then go to waypoint when i want to go home. I either ran 12 miles total or 6 miles each way. the gps that came on the boat sucks and doesn't take map cards. I don't know the lake at all. i just found some islands that had a bunch of rocks around them and started fishing. where that was. your guess is as good as mine.

cleared my PMs to rum. thanks

[RumRiverRat]

Hate to say it but you ran right past some of the best spots.

Cove is loaded with Largemouth and Smallmouth.

[mww24]

in all them dead weeds?

[corncob]

I learned my lesson about using a net a couple years ago on the Shell river near Menagha.....Hooked a smallie on a crankbait, got him to the boat, an absolute football, HAD TO BE 5lbs, tried to lip land him!...WRONG!,,,Had my hand on his lips but couldnt get the lower jaw, and, done to the bottom(3 feet) he went, and he was gone!...I was in shock and swolre I would never lip land another bigger bass!...I have seen that fat sucker in my nightmares numerous times since.......USE THE NET!

[Smallie Hunter]

That is fishing for you. I have seen many nice fish swim away before you get them in the boat. Keep at it more will come.

[Mons]

Had a similar experience on Leech a couple days ago. Hooked a MONSTER that was 5lbs easy on a jig in the rice. I cleared him of the rice and thought I had him but when I was kneeling down to lip him I must have given him a bit of slack cuz he shook his head and the jig popped out and almost hit me in the face. Almost cried.

[Juan Grande]

I haven't fished Mille Lacs much in the fall. I know they school up tight as the cools down later in the season. What kinds of lures/tactics work well for fall smallies? Crankbaits?

[SledNeck]

The question begs to be asked.... What were u still doing there if that was your only bite in 6 hours.??

[RK]

i'd rather see it and lose it than lose it without seeing it =)

Amen to that. Nothing bugs me worse than losing a big fish I never see...

[Cecil]

It is better to have loved and lost, then to never have loved at all...

[SledNeck]

Amen to that. Nothing bugs me worse than losing a big fish I never see...

losing a big walleye makes me pretty mad, but if a huge bass gets off, I really dont care...(its like Bill Gates losing 5$)

[mww24]

sledneck. I had the day off of work. I don't give up easily. I didn't fish the same spot for 6 hours. I fished a lot of different stuff I could find with very little knowledge of the lake. 6 hours of peace and quiet is good sometimes as well.

[SledNeck]

sledneck. I had the day off of work. I don't give up easily. I didn't fish the same spot for 6 hours. I fished a lot of different stuff I could find with very little knowledge of the lake. 6 hours of peace and quiet is good sometimes as well.

Ill give bass fishing an hour or so, if Im not catching stuff I switch lakes.

[Basschaser]

Pretty hard to learn Mille Lacs fishing it one hour at a time.

[Juan Grande]

Fish don't see as many Xraps and senkos on the iron range as they do down here.

[SledNeck]

Fish don't see as many Xraps and senkos on the iron range as they do down here.

I actually don't do much fishing on the Iron Range. And I'm all about the J.I.G.!

[fishuhalik]

you guys have to remember, i dont think a word comes out of sleds mouth that isnt laced with sarcasm or some kinda smart a// remark about all the huge bass hes on...

sometimes he forgets that those of us in the southern 2/3 of the state actually need to work to catch fish