Itasca county 7-6/7-12

[tennispro]

Trip update!!!

We arrived in Itasca county on Saturday afternoon and did not waste much time before we started fishing.  But the first night was all about the kids.  It was pan fish and small pike from the bridge at our resort.  My 4 year old son caught the first 4 fish of the trip and boy did he let everyone in the resort know .

First morning I fished the bowstring river between rice lake and little sand lake.  I managed one nice bass on a frog but other than that it was all 15"-19" pike.  My dad took his boat out onto little sand and caught alot of little northern and some small bass.  He also found a school of nice perch.  The afternoon brought more pan fishing with my kids.  I loved every min of it

The 2nd morning we headed off for Turtle lake to try for some smallies and it did not disapoint.  I have always avoided this lake because of the amount of boat traffic.  Boy was that a mistake   I caught a smallie on the first two cast, with in casting distance of the boat ramp.  You could see big smallies all over.  I managed a new PB 21" smallie.  My dad boated some nice smallies as well.  That night my dad and I took my boat out on little sand looking for the school of perch but all I could get was pike on swimjigs.

Morning three I went out on the river again untill the rains came.  Then we took the kids to Grand Rapids to mess around.  By the afternoon it started clearing up and I took my daughter with me to one of my favorite lakes.  It was slower then normal but we did catch some nice largemouth on senkos in the pads.  I also caught a 13" rockbass on a beaver   My dad followed in his boat and also managed some nice largemouth.

The fourth morning got crazy.  I could not find the boat ramp for the lake I wanted to fish (it was not were the county map showed it)  so I ended up on a lake with more stunted pike then I have ever seen.  I stoped counting at 30, all between 15"-18".  I found on little bass that was able to get to the bait first.  By 8:00 am I was sick as a dog.  After a trip to the hospital I found out I had an infection in my chest.  So I was given pills and told to take it easy

Day 5 I ignored the dr and headed to the lake I tried to find the day before.  I found the ramp and was rewarded with some nice bass on swimjigs and vibra shocks.  But as the sun got higher in the sky that bass turned to pike.  So the desion was made to go back to Turtle lake.  I picked up right where I left off.  I caught both smallie and largemouth all over the lake.  I also set another PB with a 22: 6.5lb smallie.  That night I took my daughter to Little Jessie and we had some fun with big gills and a few 13"-15" largemouth.

My last full day brought lots of wind.  25mph with gust to 35 out of the south.  We took the kids out on little sand trying to get some more jumbos and to get out of the wind.  Got a few perch before it look like a storm rolling in.  I spent the rest of the day fishing the river trying to dodge the biting flys.

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[CraigP83]

Nice smallies! The water in the background of your 2nd pic looks like some prime smallie territory. Clear, Sandy, Rocks. I'm hoping to tangle with a few fish like that this weekend myself.

[tennispro]

Here as some better pictures

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[tennispro]

and a few more

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[tennispro]

how about some jumbos with the kids

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[CraigP83]

Looks like a great time, and awesome report! Those jumbo perch sure are tasty.

I love that area of the state, have you ever fished Leech Lake? You weren't to far from it

[tennispro]

Never been on leech.  I usually avoid the bigger lakes. So many great bass fishing lakes in that county.