Chequamegon Bay Smallies

[palisade1kid]

Here we go.....Hoggie and I leave the house around 1:30a.m..Hoggies say's what kinda music you like.Skynard was ...that smell....I say's this is just fine.so we are rockin down the highway with the volume cranked.3 hours later we hit Ashland,Wi. The 1st stop was Wallmart to get our liscenses and some last minute gear.

6 Bells comes along and we hit the baitshop for a few dozen sucker minnows.

It had been raining the entire day so far....but no wind to speak of.

So we get to the water and put in and head out for the 4 mile trip to the rock flat we would be fishing.

The temp was about 48 and stayed that way all day ,but with the rain spitting lightly we were ready to smack those smallies.

We started off casting with deep diving cranks and dragging suckers lindy rig style in 13-17 fow.

It was a slow day. We depended on a wind for the drifting ,but that was hard to come by since it was so calm out there.

After an hour or so Hoggie gets the 1st fish.

He caught it on the sucker he was dragging and it cost me a buck for the 1st fish.

I have to say fishing was slow....sure as heck I figured it would have been lights out with the overcast and spitting rain ,but that was not to prove out.

So we stayed with it and sure as heck my rod bounces hard.

We caught a few more and lost a few along the way.

They sure do fight and those 8 test schnells just could only hold so much.

Snags ate their share of gear too.

So I'm reeling in and this 5 lb. coho comes up on a follow and drills my sucker.I go to rear and it pops free.I dropped it back again and it hit again stealing my sucker with no hook.

So Hoggie drops his sucker over the back and there that hungry speedy fellar was agian.

Only Hoggie catches him.

He races back and forth and Hoggie lands him.

So after the 1st pic I say let me get 1 more and the fish jumps out of his hands.

It lands on the doghouse and flip off into the water taking my rod into the drink with him.

Without a pause I bellyflop onto the doghouse and go elbow deep to catch my Grandt.

Hoggie say's ...you fast...

About that time I caught another one and so did Hoggie.......

The day drug on with a few hours of sleep ,but the fish were still being caught.

It was a very slow day from what Hoggie was saying ,but I was having a gas.

I've never seen so many quality smallies in a whole season let alone 1 day.

We ate some food off Hoggies grill and dropped back to work the rock wall by the lighthouse.Nothing to show and we were soaked so nearing sun down we bagged it for the day.

Hoggies van became a big dryer for our clothes.They were spread out eveywher.

We had a bit to eat and watched a movie then crashed.

Day 2 proved to be a whole new challange.

20 mph winds,rollers with caps.

We get out to the rock flat and after 4 drifts of nothing we decide to pull back to the rock wall only we get soaked heading back.

You want to talk about getting beat up.Man was that ride back a ride.We took on so much water, the bilge was on non stop.

Well by the time we got to the wall we decided to hed in and dry up.

It was lunch time by then and would you believe the overcast skys cleared.

Here's Hoggies working on a great meal of pancakes with strwberry preserves egg& cheese omlette topped off with spicey hot brauts.

Just look at this guy....look into his eyes....I'm gonna eat!

It was a nice little park and there were hundreds of geese making there home there.

Having a full belly and clear skys are attitude picked up a bit.

There was this ore dock that the big ship would come to .Right in front of it there was

this break that Hoggie said could be good.

So we decide to stay close in liew of driving 4 miles back out to where the fish should have been,but really were not in the kind of numbers we had hoped for.

With no fish caught so far we were in need of a hook up.

On the very 1st drift Hoggie tags one......dang there goes that 1st fish buck again.

There was hardly a drift or two that we did not tag a fish.

We were feeling pretty good.We fished that break right into sunset.

The weather report said 40 mph winds with blowing and drifting snow so we decided to pull the pin.

Hoggie had a long drive come the next morning and he was tuckered out as I was so he spent the night and left this morning to his place.

I'm gonna post the rest of the pics and the videos as I upload them,but before I stop here I just want to say a few more words.You 1/0 hooks...I had size 2 and got spit out more times then I could count.It was Hoggies day ,thats for sure.

Hoggie was a blast to be with.You could not ask for a better fishing partner...besides he's a great cook!

If you've ever wanted to get into an awesome smallie fishery you have to go to Ashland ,Wi.

Chequamegon Bay.......what a hoot!

This guy sure is a fishing machine...

[polarsusd81]

Hey CK, nice report man. There is a limit of 10 pics per post for some reason or another, so take the other pics and post em up in replies and they will all show up. Sounds like a great time up there though. I have yet to make it up there. One of these days though.

[palisade1kid]

ok......

As promised ....some more videos.....

[palisade1kid]

Here's some pics.......

This guy sure is a fishing machine...

[TonkaBass]

Nice fish! I gotta get up there. I have some buddies who have been fishing up there and had a great time from what they tell me.

[palisade1kid]

Everyone you'll catch will be nice,it's a trip that will be an annual for me I'm thinking.

I highly reccomend going!

[Central Bassman]

WOW nice fish!!!

[Matt Johnson]

Mr. Dave Hoggard makes an appearance Looks like a great fishing trip guys! I usually spend some time up there during the winter. Those smallies are a blast!

[palisade1kid]

Dave is a great friend of mine I'm proud to say.

What a fisherman he is!!!

Matt ,you must have a hoot drilling those bass through the ice!