Smallmouth bass are still hitting live bait in area lakes

Now that Mother Nature has turned the furnace off for awhile, we can put the tubes and water skis away for a while and get back to fishing. The mid-July slowdown hit the area this past week but expect fishing to pick up as temperatures moderate and more boats are on the lake trolling for fish instead of pulling screaming kids on tubes. Smallmouth bass continue to hit at a rapid pace, with some nice-sized fish coming in. Leading the way with a 4 lb. 8 oz. 19-inch smallmouth bass caught in Shagawa Lake on a worm was John Esse of Ely. He registered that fish in the contest at the Great Outdoors.Esse had the second largest bass as well, a 4 lb. 17-incher also caught in Shagawa on a worm. The Great Outdoors did double duty on the entries. Two largemouth bass were entered this week. A 2 lb. 9 oz. Bear Island largemouth was hooked on a leech by Georgia Myers of Embarrass. Vermilion Fuel and Food took down the information. Myers also brought in a 2 lb. 3 oz. largemouth to Vermilion Fuel and Food to enter the contest. Top walleye of the week was taken on a leech by David Frederick of Virginia, MN in Fall Lake. The 6 lb. 4 oz., 27-inch walleye was brought to Skube’s Bait and Tackle to be weighed. Burntside Lake gave up a 5 lb. 5 oz. walleye for Dave Rajamaki of Park City, UT who fished with leeches. The Great Outdoors filled out the entry form. A nice northern pike was registered by Phyllis Pohlman of Cincinatti, OH at Vermilion Fuel and Food. The 13 lb. 11 oz. pike was caught in Eagles Nest Lake on a leech. Catch and Release was slow this past week as well. We had a 31-inch northern pike released in Basswood Lake by Sherri Q of Two Harbors. Skube’s registered the fish for the lady who says she has that legal, one-letter last name. Deb Powell of Milan, IL caught and released a 4 lb. smallmouth in Shagawa Lake. The release was reported at Grand Ely Lodge. Jessica Wignes of Marseilles, IL released a 16-inch smallmouth bass in Lake One.“Rocks don’t pull back, grandpa,” said Courtney Plude, age 9, of Duluth, MN after she caught and released a 16-inch smallmouth bass in Burntside Lake on a jig and a leech. Skube’s Bait and Tackle took down the registration info. All of these entries, in fact, every fish entry in the contest is eligible for the grand prize that will be given away at the end of the season.So bring in your fish to one our registration stations and you’ll have a shot at a trip for two to Zup’s Lac la Croix Canadian fishing camp. Entry stations are noted throughout the North Country Angler, just look for the star in the advertisement. The contest is divided into three sections with $25 awards given in certain categories three times during the summer. The second section winners are listed on page 2 of this edition.