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I met up with my great friend
and equally as great fishing buddy, Ryan Daniels (aka RD, aka “Coyote”) at his place after work on Friday. His really good friend and good acquaintance of mine, Mike Beer, was back in town
from a 2 year stint in Alaska and was looking to get back into some trophy trout fishing. We had a few beers while chatting what our plan of attack would be for the next morning. We went to bed knowing that only a short-slumber would be granted to us for the upcoming trip ahead.
2:30 am the next morning,
we were “up and at ‘em” and driving to one of our favorite trophy trout fishing destinations, Crescent Lake. We arrived at 5:30 am to a very nippy 12 degree outside temperature. We loaded the boat up quickly, and we launched the boat at 6:00 am in pursuit of the wary, German Brown.
We flat-lined the shorelines
for about 5 hours. We pounded the shallows with our arsenal of lures and trolling
techniques. Not a single bump. Frustrated
that our efforts were not being rewarded by ol’ Mother Crescent,
we decided to see how we’d fare with the lake trout. Several of our friends
over the last few months have had great success so we figured we might have a good shot at getting into a decent bite. Mother Crescent
did not feel a decent bite was appropriate for us 3.
| Ryan Daniels (aka "Coyote") at the helm |
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| Trolling the Depths of Crescent for Trophy Lake Trout! |
We had been fishing a couple
of great runs that have produced for us in the past but to no avail. Around 12:45,
I decided to change my lure to something I’ve always wanted to try. I decided
to pull out a spoon. I’ve read several articles from various sources that
these are the top producers for browns, lakers, steelhead, and salmon in the Great Lakes. I figured if they work there,
they should work here (in theory). With both RD and Mike using lures that were
very reliable and produced for us in the past, I figured this was a time to experiment.
The lure is called the Rushin’ Wobbler and was made by a local tackle manufacturer in Portland, called
“Critter Gitter” Tackle.
So,
with RD and Mike a little apprehensive but accepting of my choice of lure, down it went on the downrigger to the depths of
Crescent Lake. Within 5 minutes, my rod did a double bounce in the holder. I set the hook. BOOM!!! FISH ON! After a scrappy give-and-take fight, I had landed a “pup” laker of 8lbs and 29 inches in length. After a quick photo op, he was released back to the depths to gain a lot more weight. That was pretty sweet that a new lure produced right off the bat!
| Don't be afraid to try something new.... |
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| ...it just may produce! Brian Wildish with a nice 8lb laker "pup"! |
Well, the next 3 hours
were very slow. We were all cursing ol’ Mother Crescent
as the bone-chilling wind scraped our faces. We were about 200 yards from finishing
our final run before we switched back to flat-lining for browns when Mike Beer’s rod was SLAMMED! I grabbed the rod from the holder (he was standing near the bow at the time) and set the hook. WHOA! THIS WAS A GOOD ONE!
I passed it immediately to Mike and the fight was on. RD and I hurriedly
got the downriggers up as Mike was battling what appeared to be a bigger Laker. I
got the net and the fish was standing it’s ground underneath the boat.
| Mike Beer battling it out with a big Lake Trout |
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I glanced away momentarily
to see if I should stand somewhere else. When I turned back, the big laker was
2 feet from the boat. OH CRAP! Immediately,
I scooped the laker into the net. Mike had just caught and landed his personal
best lake trout, a real healthy, 16 lb, 33 inch male lake trout. Way to go, Mike! We took some photos and let the beefy laker go back to the waters to go be a 20+ lber.
| Mike Beer won the battle with this great Mackinaw! |
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| Taping in at 33 inches and weighing 16lbs. A personal best for Mike! |
After some hi-fives and chest
bumps, we said we really need to get after the browns. We flat-lined until
dark. Unfortunately for us, the same results that the morning had produced ensued.
Absolutely NOTHING! We unloaded the boat, changed in the cabin, and headed over to the bar at the resort for a couple of beers. After chatting with the very friendly staff and some of the other patrons, we went
back to the cabin and went to sleep.
As always, the sound of the
alarm clock was an un-welcomed one. Begrudgingly, RD and I got up as Mike wanted
to sleep in. We hit it hard for browns for about 4 hours with nothing to show
for our efforts but a couple drive-bys. We decided we’d troll back towards
the resort, but downrig for macks. As we approached the resort, RD finally got
a strike. Fish On. After a few minutes,
RD had a nice 7 lb, 28 inch laker in the boat. We took a couple photos and released
the fish to fight another day.
| Ryan Daniels get's on the board! |
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| A nice 7lb, 28 inch laker "pup"! |
We fished for 3 more hours
but to no avail. When we left, we ran into a couple new Trophy Trout Hunters
at the dock, Andy and Brandon of Springfield. They had just lost a real nice
mackinaw right at the boat. Too bad, but it was great to meet some new guys that
look like they have really caught the bug. I hope there luck improves the next
time they go out. Time on the water is so important, and sooner or later, your
efforts and time will be rewarded.
As for lures
that worked, it was a complete mixed bag. The Rushin’ Wobbler Spoon by Critter Gitter, a discontinued BassMaster Lure by Bass Pro Shop, and then the very reliable Assassin by Bettencourt Baits did the trick on the lakers. As always, Crescent Lake Resort was very hospitable. For those of you that have the means to fish during the
week, they have a 50% off mid-week special on cabin rates currently. It appears
it will last until April. A great deal, nonetheless.
Until Next Time,
Brian Wildish (aka B-Wild)
| Despite cold temps, this is what it's all about! |
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| Good Buddies having a Good Time Fishing Together! |
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 at the helm)
