My oldest reminded me that he still hasn't completed his summer quest for rainbows so we planned an early morning trip up to the big lake. The plan was to pick up some salmon at first light then go deeper and connect with some rainbows once the salmon bite died down.

We got on the water at first light and hit the same spot I hit last weekend. Fewer boats were out and the weather was a bit windier which made reading my inline planer boards pretty tough. We caught a couple of decent smallies early then dropped the gear a bit deeper and hooked up with a small salmon. I was running flies on my leadcore and metal on the downriggers. I turned a pretty sharp corner (for trolling) and my outside board picked up speed to keep up. I figure it was doing close to 4 mph when it went under in 70 ft of water....BIG FISH! My son had just landed 2 on the leadcore and his arms were pretty spent so I told him I would reel it in to the planer board then it was his to land...but I never got the planerboard even close to the boat. The fish was shaking it's head and bulldogging deep and I was looking line steady on him. He pulled the board all the way across my spread and to the other side of the boat (I don't know how he made it through the spread without causing a major tangle). Now both my inline planers are on the same side of the boat and I am trying to work a lazy circle in an attempt to get some line back while trying to talk Josh into getting the downrigger rods up so I can get her in neutral. Another big run deep and the board goes 5 feet under the water and I start to get nervous that I'm just not making any progress on this fish so I touch the spool with my thumb to stop the line going out. At that, my 6# test snaps and the fish is gone. We never saw the fish but it went deep which is typical of lakers whereas the salmon come to the surface. I was suprised that a laker would come after such a fast moving target. Anyhow, I'll be replaying that one over and over again. I'm guessing this fish had to have been 10 pounds easy to be able to drag that planer board around the way it did....reminded me of the barrels the shark was pulling around in Jaws. Easily the largest fish I've ever had on with my boat while trolling freshwater.

Around 8:30 the bite just turns on. We boat 5 salmon in 15 minutes including doubles and a few more smallies. All the salmon were fat and healthy. I got a picture of a few but then it just got too busy...I was actually breaking a sweat. Just as we enter salmon heaven, a yellow jacket comes out of nowhere and flies right down the back of Joshs neck in the space between his life jacket and his neck and gives him a good stinging. Poor guy...I had no ice and he was in serious pain and asked for me to take him off the water. Oh well, we had a few good hours so we bugged out. We plan to get after them again before the season ends. Too bad though - we were just getting ready to head for the rainbow spot too...oh well - the quest for a 'bow continues...

We did see a beautful eagle come right over the boat then come back a few minutes later with a fish in its talons. Saw Travis out there too just before the big fish hit...he was reeling one in as we passed. First time I've ever seen the Cool Water on the water. Would have shouted out to you Travis but I have no radio and you looked pretty busy so I wanted to give you some room.

Oh you should have gave me a shout. What a great story! I wish it ended better for you but that will keep you chasing the fish! What an awesome late day feed bag thay put on today like you said at 8:30 it was on we ended at 11:30 with a pile of fish!

Next time give me a shout til then tight lines!

Cool Water

thanks Travis...I was in the grey Lund (w/ red stripe) that you passed as you passed the west side of the island. By the time I got done wrestling that fish, you were gone and I didn't see you again. I figured you were off to jig up some lakers. I like to give you guides lots of room...you are doing it for a living - I'm doing it for fun so I don't want to crowd you.

Great report, next time if you have any cigarettes on board, take some tobacco out, wet it and put it on the sting site, Don't ask me why, but my grandpa showed me this and the pain burning is gone within a minute or two.. One of those old fashioned frenchman tricks I guess. Would of loved to of heard you caught that fish, Have had the same thing happen to me on winni, with probably my largest salmon ever on leadcore, Yeah I saw it and lost it 10' from the boat, Still relive that day all the time when on the water LOL Take Care God Bless LOL DAve