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Summertime in the BelgradesContentsfor Printing Article Summaries |
Belgrade Lakes Offer Fishing Smorgasbord
by Mike Guarino You just never know what's going to happen when you go on a fishing trip in the Belgrade Lakes region. That's the joy of fishing here, without a doubt. One day it can be smallmouth bass, followed by white perch or crappie, maybe a little trout trolling to change things up, and don't forget the mighty northern pike to add a little chaos in the boat. The last week has been a perfect example of all the Belgrades have to offer for many local fishermen as reports of big fish in a variety of species have been rolling in. My week was highlighted by three different fishy events starting with, of course, the big one that got away. We were trolling off a rock ledge searching for fish hanging close to the bottom when we caught our first nice trout in the 18" class. This fish hit a copper wobbler. After a couple of small smallmouth bass, the next strike was on the downrigger rod that was running a 5" copper/black Rapala. Well, this fish definitely had shoulders and he caused quite a stir in the boat. After a few minutes the fish came to the boat and we were all surprised to see that it was NOT a pike, rather a big trout. Unfortunately, just as we were getting ready to net the fish, he shook on the water's surface and threw the lure. Little did he know, he was going free anyway. We just wanted to take his picture! The second memory was a gift from the bass gods. We were targeting smallmouth bass, primarily fishing topwater lures and tubes when a beautiful 5.65 lb. largemouth engulfed a teeny torpedo. The bass didn't even crash the water surface, rather made a loud sucking/slurping noise and the torpedo vanished! The last "fishy" memory of the week was a combination of good friends and big fish. Eleven-year-old Tyler Bartlet and his dad John were visiting the Belgrades for a few days to do some fishing. Well, the weather (in case you haven't noticed) has been terrible, but we managed to get out for a little while on Sunday. The wind was whipping the lake into a froth, but we found a leeward cove and started fishing. After a couple of smallmouth, Tyler caught his first ever northern pike on a Rapala. He was pumped up and despite his excitement he showed great poise in bringing that fish to the net. A short time later, his Dad hooked into another pike that tested his angling skills. After watching his father land that big pike, I can see where Tyler learned his expert fishing prowess. Lure of the WeekWhen you go on line and do a search for "Rapala," the catch phrase that comes up is, "Rapala, the world's favorite lure This week's article is all about the fish diversity in the Belgrade Lakes system. If I had to pick one lure that could catch just about every fish species in our lakes and ponds, I would choose an F-11 original floating Rapala in silver/ black. DONE! Some would argue that the 3" version would be a better choice and they might be right, but the 43/8" lure works just fine, too. You can fish this lure in so many different ways, including twitching on the surface, slow cranking with a stop-and-go retrieve to create a wounded baitfish presentation, or troll the lure behind the boat. One of the most effective ways to fish a Rapala is to run the lure behind a fly rod loaded with lead core line. Usually three or four colors of lead core will get you down to the brown trout, salmon and splake that live here. One last bit of information regarding the Rapala: there is a special "Rapala Knot" that the company recommends you use to get the maximum wobble from your lure. It's not a difficult knot to tie, but it is a difficult knot to explain in this forum. There are some excellent examples of how to tie this specific knot on the internet. Just do a search for "Rapala Knot" and you'll be in business. Good luck! Mike Guarino can be reached at | ||
