Smallmouth Bass session.

[limeyangler]

Hey guys and gals,

 

Here is the complete video of my little session the other day, the clip with the hook in hand is in there too.

 

[manitoubass2]

Awesome!!!!

 

Darn good day of NW Ontario phishin'

[Old Ironmaker]

I have always wondered why Bass is open way up there so early. I have been told why but of course can recall. Any thoughts?

[manitoubass2]

I have always wondered why Bass is open way up there so early. I have been told why but of course can recall. Any thoughts?

Most zones are open year round and because there are bassillions of bass, and not many eat them. Populations here are insane

[limeyangler]

Awesome!!!!

 

Darn good day of NW Ontario phishin'

 

Yessir, you must be slamming off your rock on the river now too....no?

 

 

 

 

I have always wondered why Bass is open way up there so early. I have been told why but of course can recall. Any thoughts?

 

 

Maybe what Rick says, I'll eat bass, tastes ok, however, most of the bass Ive caught here are very wormy, they have those grubs in the flesh, not just a few, but LOADS....I don't bother killing any now just to find out its full off worms and not fit for consumption. Unfortunately for my lake the local camp sends all their clients to one of the 'finger' lakes of Wabigoon, and i'm assuming most are American and they keep all the bass....needless to say the bass fishing has declined markedly in the 10 years I've fished it.

[LittleWorm]

Very nice. Wish bass season was open all the time here!

[limeyangler]

Very nice. Wish bass season was open all the time here!

 

 

 

Thanks, yeah, its lucky it is, the 5 weeks between walleye close/open is a lot easier to take this way.

[Old Ironmaker]

I don't want to generalize but in my experience our American friends that take trips to north country will keep anything no matter how small, generally. I guess that is the definition of generalizing!

 

We will keep a few Smallies that we call "Greenies" early in the season before the water gets ridiculously hot here on Erie, I have seen 78F in August. They do taste great early. I don't even know if they are wormy latter on as I have never in 25 years of Bass fishing here cleaned a Bass past the 1st week of July and then they are only 12 to 15 inch Greenies. I now recall cleaning 3 pounders when our local neighbourhood opener tourney we have to raise a bit of charity money and they didn't have worms then at least.

 

I have long been a proponent of catch and release with barbless here on Erie before opener as they do on the US side of Erie. Doesn't seem to effect their numbers of fish that's a for sure. As I have said many times before we watch the Smallies sit on their beds from high above on the deck at our place. In fact I expect to see them start feeding where they make their beds any day now. The time it takes to hook, reel in and release a Bass isn't very long and the odds of a predator taking eggs is highly unlikely.

[Joeytier]

I have always wondered why Bass is open way up there so early. I have been told why but of course can recall. Any thoughts?

To add to what Rick said, they are invasive on pretty much every small lake in northern Ontario as well, and if they are i introduced into brook trout waters, the brookies will be gone in no time. Not to mention they're nowhere near spawning yet. They should be open all winter until May long weekend everywhere in Ontario. Stupid how the provinces most prolific and abundant sportfish is ridiculously overprotected.

[SirCranksalot]

I eat bass that I catch in small lakes in the G Bay area. Haven't seen a worm in one yet. Like everything else, the taste depends on what it's been eating.

[manitoubass2]

I eat bass that I catch in small lakes in the G Bay area. Haven't seen a worm in one yet. Like everything else, the taste depends on what it's been eating.

Yes and no. Here, alot of bass are in shallow warm waters. The flesh is very soft and wormy like Simon said

[Blue Lk]

Pretty a wicked hook set in the hand Simon.

Every year a smallmouth nests under my dock,another week or so & she will show up to attack the dogs when they wade in for a drink.

I haven't kept & ate bass for years but when I did they were worm free & imo very tasty.

Maybe because of the cold deep water in this lake?

[limeyangler]

Pretty a wicked hook set in the hand Simon.

Every year a smallmouth nests under my dock,another week or so & she will show up to attack the dogs when they wade in for a drink.

I haven't kept & ate bass for years but when I did they were worm free & imo very tasty.

Maybe because of the cold deep water in this lake?

 

 

They are not wormy in every lake as you say Rick, but the lake I was on in the video they certainly are and the ones on the Goon are 50/50 in my experience. We ate some last year when we did shore lunch at Lac Seul, worm free and delicious, but when I am at lac Seul there is an ABUNDANCE of walleye...so I don't tend to keep or need to keep any bass.

[manitoubass2]

 

 

They are not wormy in every lake as you say Rick, but the lake I was on in the video they certainly are and the ones on the Goon are 50/50 in my experience. We ate some last year when we did shore lunch at Lac Seul, worm free and delicious, but when I am at lac Seul there is an ABUNDANCE of walleye...so I don't tend to keep or need to keep any bass.

Yep! We do have deeper lakes and the bass are just fine. But with walleye/perch/crappie and pike, it's rare in my experience to keep bass.

 

I've kept maybe 5 in my entire life and probably 4 of those were because of a deep hook.

 

I've kept them on deep trout lakes like the lower/upper Manitou.

 

I kept one on rainy river and I don't even know how they are alive??? The flesh was so mushy I absolutely butchered filleting it as my fingers would easily press through. Fed that one to the dogs

 

The taste to me is just ok. Which is weird, for a species that eat so many crawfish I'd expect them to taste amazing

[Joeytier]

I enjoy smallmouth, and dont hesistate to keep them when I'm looking for a fish fry, but they are notable step down from walleye and panfish.

[spincast]

wow - great outing, other than that little poke . Loved the opening drone shots too.

I have hooked myself almost annually since I got the boat - either like you did or through other mishaps. I have now mastered the art of removing the hook with the fishing line wrapped around the embedded hook. Works like a charm and painless, even if the barb is deep - only issue is you need three hands, at least so far.I have figured a way to do it solo.

 

Had a bass drive the middle treble on a body bait into my thumb once. He was still on the front hook. Every time he moved he drove it deeper. That was fun. Release it first, cut off treble, then try and remove. I was on a back lake solo fishing. After getting him off, I used the same version you did. Although I think my movie would have had some slightly more colourful words during the process. On the drive home my thumb started to turn red. By the time I got to civilisation and into see my doctor it was pretty dicey - top of the thumb was badly swollen and purple.It was so bad my doctor gave me his personal cell # along with a prescription for pills the size of a Smart car. "If it doesn't start to reduce in 24 hours call me." Since then, every time I get stuck by a hook that first bad one reacts a bit. I now carry a much bigger first aid kit and a general antibiotic every summer.

And could you send some of that weather this way....?

[limeyangler]

wow - great outing, other than that little poke . Loved the opening drone shots too.

I have hooked myself almost annually since I got the boat - either like you did or through other mishaps. I have now mastered the art of removing the hook with the fishing line wrapped around the embedded hook. Works like a charm and painless, even if the barb is deep - only issue is you need three hands, at least so far.I have figured a way to do it solo.

 

Had a bass drive the middle treble on a body bait into my thumb once. He was still on the front hook. Every time he moved he drove it deeper. That was fun. Release it first, cut off treble, then try and remove. I was on a back lake solo fishing. After getting him off, I used the same version you did. Although I think my movie would have had some slightly more colourful words during the process. On the drive home my thumb started to turn red. By the time I got to civilisation and into see my doctor it was pretty dicey - top of the thumb was badly swollen and purple.It was so bad my doctor gave me his personal cell # along with a prescription for pills the size of a Smart car. "If it doesn't start to reduce in 24 hours call me." Since then, every time I get stuck by a hook that first bad one reacts a bit. I now carry a much bigger first aid kit and a general antibiotic every summer.

And could you send some of that weather this way....?

 

 

 

I actually find it difficult to believe that that was the FIRST time ever in my life I have had a hook in me! I was watching it closely that day and evening, Ive seen how septicemia can happen quickly and have terrible and/or fatal consequences, luckily it was fine. Someone did tell me you have to be careful ripping them out like that because you can rip tendons or cause nerve damage. LOL, as for the language I I tend to automatically tone it down when I'm filming, but rest assured there were some expletives floating inside my cranium.

 

As for the weather...hmmmmm, it was sunny but still very cold for this time of year, only around 7C, but with the wind felt chillier. Still going below zero some nights here, I was on Wabigoon yesterday and some places were only 44F on the surface, bloody chilly mate!