Today was one of those days that no angler ever forgets.  Steve Sullivan and his 10-yr old son James from Illinois fished smallmouth with me this morning and the fish were hungry.   Both anglers were rookie smallmouth anglers but managed to land a dozen or so beautiful fish all over 15 inches long.  James out fished his dad by catching two 20" beauties one of which will be hanging on his wall.  Check out the big grin on the picture below.  Way to go James!

Take a gander at the nice smallmouth John Pini caught while fishing the Mink River with me yesterday.  The fish was released.  It measured close to 19 inches.  Nice going John!

The 4th of July weekend is not shaping up well for boaters in Door County.  Small craft advisories are posted and most boaters are frustrated to say the least.  We made it into the Mink River yesterday which wasn't easy given the wind.  The good news is that bass fishing is quite decent.  Andrew Pini and his two daughters from Grayslake, IL enjoyed the fishing in spite of the wind.  The picture below shows Andy and his daughter Sara holding a nice 19" beauty.  Smiles all around.

Smallmouth have moved into their normal summer spots for sure.  Top water action has slowed as expected but cranks and tubes working.  Winds are a problem today but better conditions in the forecast.   

John Kozyra and his son Chris from Rockford, IL fished with me this morning for smallmouth bass.  At first the bite was slow but once we shifted to top water lures we rocked them.  We boated around 10 nice smallies with the biggest measuring 20 inches (see pic below).  All were released of course.  Good fishing plus blue skies and sunshine made Fathers' Day something special today.  I know I won't forget this morning.

Smallmouth bass action is much improved thanks in large part to better weather conditions.  We caught some nice fat smallies last Sunday in Rowleys Bay as shown in the picture of Talya Mitsiopoulos (Illinois) below.  I tried fishing for walleyes on Monday but fairly strong north winds made fishing difficult.  After  few hours we gave up.  I suspect walleye action will start picking up in the Sister Bay area any day now so I'll keep trying to find some nice weather to give it another try.  My goal is to turn fishing into catching!   But weather is problematic all this week.  It rained close to 24 hrs straight yesterday with more in the forecast tomorrow and through the weekend.  Yuk!  
Keep your net wet!
Denny

The weather over the Memorial Day weekend was ideal for anglers.  The bass played hide and seek but we finally caught some nice smallmouth on leeches Sunday morning.  We did not fish bass guarding nests as they have been hammered enough by anglers all season.  I say, let the bass do their job of guarding nests from predators like Gobies.   The water temperature was unseasonably high for this time of the year.  I suspect bass will be moving into colder water soon.  

 I traveled to Door County this week to start arranging things for the summer season.  I brought my Scout boat and will bring my Ranger boat on the next trip.  My first charter is scheduled for May 29th and I look forward to hitting the water once again in search of the mighty smallmouth bass.  Given the unusually warm spring I expect fishing action to be better than normal.   I was surprised to see that the Lake Michigan water level is down from last year which is not good news.  But lake levels normally rise during the next few months based on historical records so no panic yet.  Time to sharpen hooks!   

We headed home from coastal Texas two weeks ago and never saw a snowflake on our journey home.  I Can't believe this lovely March weather in Wisconsin.  Quite a contrast to most years.  If the warm weather continues water temps will be rising earlier than normal in the Great Lakes area enabling earlier spawning conditions for fish.  I expect very good fishing in June given probable higher water temps and lake levels.  I continue to ready boats and tackle for the summer season.  Hope to see you this summer.

 It sure is a tough winter in Wisconsin so far and I am glad to be heading to the Texas Gulf coast next week for two months.  I'll bring the Scout and chase redfish, trout and flounder.  It is a blast and much like fishing smallmouth bass.  When I return in March I will start gearing up for the 2010 season in Door County.  Thanks to those who fished with me last season and I look forward to seeing you again next summer.  Stay warm and think Spring!