A Tale of Two Fish: Lake Manitou Smallmouth
The waters of Lake Manitou on Manitoulin Island are crystal clear like those of Lake Simcoe. From the moment I stepped onto the dock at my friend's cottage on Saturday morning, I knew there were big smallmouth to be found. A few days earlier, I spent some time using the Navionics Webapp to study the contours of the lake. Lots of offshore structure. Reefs and shoals. As it turns out, I was right: Lake Manitou holds trophy-sized smallmouth. They may be hard to find during the summer, but they're there.
Over two and a half days of fishing, I only hooked into two smallmouth. But they were BIG! The water temperature on the August long weekend hovered around 68-69 degrees Fahrenheit. Within ten minutes of launching my kayak, I had a fish on the end of my line. In 14 feet of water, it smashed the Berkley Flicker Shad I received in one of my Mystery Tackle Box shipments. My Quantum baitcast reel with a 5.3:1 gear ratio, spooled with 12 lb. fluorocarbon, handled beautifully. The fish jumped and threw the lure, but luckily, one of the treble hooks caught the fish just under the mouth and I managed to get it into my net. It was caught in one of the spots I highlighted on my Navionics map. Preparation pays off.
I thought it'd be easy after that, but the total opposite was true. The wind started wreaking havoc, I couldn't control my kayak, and there was a big thunderstorm on Sunday to boot. Fortunately, on Monday, one of my friend's neighbours, Randy, graciously took my buddy Mike and me out on the lake on his boat. The bite was really tough after the storm. We worked some shoals in an area much further than I could go in my kayak.
We only got one bite. But it was a heavy one. This time I was using an older spinning outfit, dragging a magic goby tube on a tube jighead. I thought I snagged my line on a rock. It was actually a HUGE smallmouth. My old reel, however, let me down big time. The drag on that reel sometimes gets sticky and tight on its own. After a big jump my line broke and my heart sank. I wish I hadn't seen it jump. I wish I didn't know how big it really was. No matter how many times it happens, losing a fish, especially one that size, always hurts. Should've taken KVD's advice. Maybe it's time to invest in one of those smooth Shimano spinning reels used by guide Rod Hennig.
I hope to return to Lake Manitou one day - not only for the great company, but to redeem myself. The image of that fish jumping and my line breaking has played over and over in my head. But I should remind myself that I could've lost the first one just as easily. Focus on the positives. What a wonderful experience, when you can feel just how far you've come as an angler, and how far you can still go. This sport is awesome.
I thought it'd be easy after that, but the total opposite was true. The wind started wreaking havoc, I couldn't control my kayak, and there was a big thunderstorm on Sunday to boot. Fortunately, on Monday, one of my friend's neighbours, Randy, graciously took my buddy Mike and me out on the lake on his boat. The bite was really tough after the storm. We worked some shoals in an area much further than I could go in my kayak.
Greg Cholkan is a lawyer, fisherman and Hemingway impersonator. He works in Huntsville and Haliburton with Barriston LLP and his practice focuses on real estate, wills and estates, and business matters. Follow him on Twitter: @gregcholkan
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