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Mille Lacs Lake
After a short fog delay David Main my Co angler and I were off to spot number one. This is when I found out no matter how big Mille Lacs is it fishes small. There was a boat right on the spot so I started about 100 yard down. As we were fishing at least 20 to 25 boat came in to work the same general area. Crazy! I did manage to get one four ponder on a Zoom Horny Toad. It got wrapped up in the pencil reeds so thank God for my Calcutta Braid I was able to work it to the net. We worked the area for another hour without any success. I told Dave we need to find some virgin reeds. I had one area across the lake ware I did get a couple of fish pre fishing. We decided to make the run just as the fog cleared. As we rounded the corner I could not believe there was no boats in the area. We started down the stretch of reeds Icould see a lot of small bass crewzing the edge. We got to the end of the first patch when I saw a fish that looked about two pounds that we spooked. Now I new there was fish still in the area. We turned around to rework the spot. This time a three pounder was swimming right with the trolling motor. I swam my jig out, but it spooked the fish into the reeds. I made one pitch with my Shaggy Jig tip with Calcutta’s Salty Craw about ten feet into the reeds. Bang fish on after another short battle through the reeds a three and half pound fish was in the net. This is when my heart started pounding. I know I have two fish for almost eight pounds if I could only get a limit. We started down to the next patch of reeds these were in slightly deeper water. I was telling Dave “this is the area ware it drops off and we caught a couple pre fishing” tick hook set no trailer I can’t tell you how many times that happen. Next pitch tick this time I connected seventeen incher. We worked about twenty more yards when I felt a slight weight on my seven foot heavy action Setyr rod. I set the hook and my rod doubled over. I told Dave this is a horse!! It really got wrapped up in the reeds and seem to take for ever to get it to the boat. Finally the massive four and half pounder was in the boat. I do believe I was shaking uncontrollable a this point. Now we are halfway to our limit with just over four hours left. We worked and reworked this area. I caught a sixteen incher Dave got a thirteen and a fifteen incher. Now we have two hours to catch one more fish. I told Dave we will work it one more time then we have to go. We were just getting to the end when I saw Dave set the hook. A chunky fourteen inch. Dave said he has never seen someone so happy about a fourteen incher. I told him it was a limit and that could go a long way today. I had one more area that I got some nice smallies on the day before. One about twenty inches. They need to be twenty one to keep. It was also close to an area with some largemouth. So we made another long run in the Skeeter. I wasn’t going to give the smallies much time so we worked through the area fast. We did get a couple nice ones but no keepers. Then we got to the largemouth area. Again we saw some nice cruisers but we couldn’t get them to go. We were almost to the end of the area when Dave set the hook again this fish was almost sixteen inches and upgraded the thirteen by over a pound. That fish pretty much ended our day. I asked Dave what he thought we had for weight he a little over twenty maybe that’s what I thought two. At checking the guy asked if we had a limit we were only the second team to have one so far. Now my mind starts racing do we have enough. We were about the sixth team to weigh. There was a nineteen pound bag already up. The team in front of us also had a good bag twenty four plus. I looked at Dave he said “we don’t have that do we”? I have no idea. The guy checking the fish at first said we had around twenty then he lifted the tub and said “we might have a new leader” I still thought no way. We were up on the stage and the MC drug out the suspense before they locked in the weight 25.65 pounds ‘a new leader’! I don’t even remember what I said. Now we wait 40 more team to weigh in will it hold? This was the absolute longest hour of my life. I had to take a few walks when the emotions were getting to me. Finally the last guy to weigh Chad Keller who started in the same area as we did. He’s a good hook, but when I heard three fish I can’t even explain how it felt. After three years fishing the Pro side countless hours and days away from home. It just paid off!!
I’d like to thank my wife first she has supported me from day one. They don’t make em any better then her. I’d also like to thank my sponsors. First Calcutta Bait Co. makers of sum of the best braid and mono line out there. They also have a great line of soft plastics witch have been key to my success this year, Setyr Rods the most sensitive and powerful rods I have ever used, Stub’s Marine best service in the state, Murphy Chev Foley MN, Shaggy jigs, and Woodies Rattlers.
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