Got out on Graves but didn't light the lake on fire. I have made the pigrimmage a handful of times in the winter and always done well, but my summer trips only turn a handful of fish. Anybody else have this problem? Or does anyone have any tips they want to share for summer fishing? My email is in my profile if you don't want to put them out in the open. I am trophy hunting, CPR only.

The summer fish I've pulled the last few years have been pulling jigs over weed tops in 4-12 feet or so. Marked a lot of fish deeper off the steeper breaks but couldn't get any bites. Tried the narrows and sunken islands, but things just weren't working. The brisk wind wasn't helping any. Wasn't able to find any old nests either, so I'm not sure at what stage the spawn was at....didn't see a lot of hard bottom, but there has to be some good spawning habitat somewhere to keep the population running so well in terms of quality and quantity.

Good luck to anyone else hunting bulls.

3 of us were up there this past Thursday in the evening from about 6:30 to 9:30 pm. We caught about 20, all in the 7-8" range w/ 1 bull at 9.50". We didn't catch anything in 2 of my usual spots, so we hit a different spot. I was thinking the big bulls may have been up very shallow guarding nests and the smaller females were starting to head out to the weedline. I've had my best luck on 1/32 or 1/64 jig heads w/ black mister twister tails. My wife and kid's fish w/ a bobber small jig and a panfish leech. We caught these fish on the edge of the lily pads. The biggest we've caught out of there is a 9.75" last summer. I've heard rumor of 12"ers, but I am skeptical about that. Those could be walleyes you're graphing as there's a decent walleye population in there according to the DNR.

Brian

never had any luck on graves, only punkenseeds. dont know why. anyone ever fish those smith lakes in the area? whats in them, i heard lotz of nords. any sunfish?

I've heard they're pretty good bass lakes and only fished them once in the winter and caught some small crappies. Typical bass/panfish lake like most of them up in that area. I have heard one of the people that lives near there likes to call the sheriff's dept when people use the landing and park on the road. Not exactly sure what that's all about though.

Brian

i have had that happen to me. he would let me fish one lake but not the other. said he owned the property and could let who he wanted to fish there.

As of this year, there are signs on the road stating where you can't park. Unless there is a sign, I think you are free to park.
I've only fished East Smith. It's an average lake for northern panfish and largemouth. Easier before the vegetation grows up.

so, who is this guy that thinks those lakes are his? i may have to take a drive some day when im up there.

I dont know who the guy is but I have been reading in sherifs report that they have responded to parking violations on smith lake road/47. And there are "no parking" signs all along where the two lakes meet at the road. If you park around the corner you should be o.k. YOU CAN PUT YOUR BOAT IN AT THE LAUNCH. You just cant park right there.

have you fished those lakes and what have you found in them? id like to try them one day.

I have fished east smith. We went there when the weather was crapie and all we got was a few snakes and a couple little bass. I have heard there are smallies in smith, but I think both are your typical bass/panfish/northern lakes. If you go on the right day you might have success. Talking about them has made me want to go back and give it another try. East smith is a very pretty lake and smith is more developed but also pretty.( I have been to Smith on the sleds but did not fish it).

I fished both of them a few years back for panfish but everything we got were small. Maybe things have changed but with the hassel of landing a boat there are a lot better lakes in my opinion. I had the map out the other day and was counting how many lakes I fished around Marcell and I was close to 50. Now I only have 950 left and I'll have hit them all in the county. A person has to have goals in life!!

hey merc where have ya been. nice to see ya around. are you going to be up there the weekend of the 26. some fmers are going to have a little gettogether at the moose lake campground sat july 26. come on over! i hear ya, i think i have 951 more lakes before i gottem all covered. have you heard anything or tried little ranier lately. that is on of my priority go to lakes soon. i will be up bear baiting etc end of aug. trying it then i think.

Actually Merc there is a total of 1379 lakes on or within the border of the county. Get Busy.

That means I have 1374 to go!!!

Fished Jessie Saturday in the hurricane

Bassman, thanks a lot I thought I had 5% of the lakes done now I find out I only have 3.6258% fished. I guess I have my work cut out for me now. I better get going as I'm not getting any younger. Glenn, that weekend at Moose might just work out as I have some friends camping at North Star that weekend and I just may swing by and visit. I'll see what happens, it may be a quick visit but I'll try to make it.