Posts: 1023
Location: Lafayette, IN | I'll start by saying, "Lake Vermilion 'gave it up' again this year." She provided scenery, weather, and excitement for another wonderful family vacation. My only wish for this particular trip (truthfully) was for my son Jacob, to catch an all-time best fish. I hooked up with Terry "Ace" Sjoberg (a.k.a. Guideman) for a half day musky outing on Mon. Within a half hour I had a white belly roll up on a Suick just to strike it 2 twitches later. I set the hook but couldn't connect. 300ft later, Jake got a jackhammer hit and man, did he ever give it to that fish! When he got it to the boat, Ace netted a beautiful 32" x 10+ lb pike. We were hoopin' and a hollerin'! Jake figure 8ed like a pro all morning and never lost his concentration even on the 2 additional follows he had. I was very happy for him and proud too. To add to the excitement, Ace informed me on another piece we were fishing that the spot I had just laid 2 identical casts in was a "spot on a spot". I did what any reasonable musky fisherman would do and grabbed a different rod with a Bobbie bait on it, laid it in the same spot, 1 twitch and WHAM! Another beautiful 32" x 10+ lb pike! Cool, huh? Both released in great shape. Ace got us on fish and produced additional fish for us by sharing other spots to check out after our morning with him. No biters though. But some real hawgs! All sunbathing. Similar reports received from other Muskyphiles. All told, we caught and released approx 250pike and around 100 bass (both large and smallmouth). New boat was a dream to fish in and the GPS was a GREAT investment. I highly recomend Ace for a day. He knows the lake like he's lived and fished on it most of his life...because he has. A great day and a great guy! Sorry I let all you guys down who have been so helpful in educating me about the finer points of musky fishing. I would've liked to share a photo of my 1st 40+ incher...but not this trip. I'm not about to give up though. To many exciting musky experiences in the last 3 years to quit now. Enjoy a couple of pics...
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 Jake's 32incher.jpg (51KB - 200 downloads)
Steve's 32incher.jpg (76KB - 186 downloads)
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Posts: 1023
Location: Lafayette, IN | Steve, This lake is known for it's smallmouth. I'd say the increasing popularity of Lake Vermilion has taken it's toll on the historic large numbers of "true trophies" but will qualify my opinion by stating that there are still HAWGS IN THAR! I have no doubt that your years of experience could easily produce some real nice numbers of 3# ers with the occasional 5+. Ace could help you in determining the right approach for the season you're in. Here are a few examples of our big fish in the last couple of years....
(Dennis' 3lb smallie.jpg)
(Ben's 5.25 Pound Smallmouth.JPG)
(Steve's 3-Pound Smallie Closeup.jpg)
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Dennis' 3lb smallie.jpg (69KB - 149 downloads)
Steve's smallie.jpg (87KB - 130 downloads)
Ben's 5.25 Pound Smallmouth.JPG (198KB - 190 downloads)
Steve's 3-Pound Smallie Closeup.jpg (112KB - 130 downloads)
Jake's Smallie.jpg (119KB - 132 downloads)
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Posts: 259
Location: Alexandria, MN | Man those pictures are driving me crazy -- I LOVE that lake and all the different fish it has to offer. I have fished with ACE on every trip, he is a great guide, fisherman and friend. I will be up there in October, if not sooner and can't wait to spend some time with Terry.
Glad you and the family had a great trip! That is what's important. Fishing is great, but when it's with the family, it is that much better.
Great pictures!
Steve |
