Good evening brothers.
Let’s talk about Midwest Fishing. Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin… I’ve come to realize that every sub-region has it’s own unique flavor. The trick is figuring it out in your neck of the woods.
Our region is known for it’s harsh winters and scorching summers. At times those seasons will both make an appearance within a 48 hour period. Illinois in particular is known to “outsiders” for gang violence, corrupt governors and terrible drivers. That last one has earned us the nickname “FIBs.” Ask any Wisconsiner what that means next time you visit… chances are you’ll get them to burst into laughter…
Speaking of Wisconsin; what a beautiful state! Rich with natural resources, amazing scenery, warm people, cold beer, delicious diners and enough cheese to clog your arteries 10 times over. A little slice of Heaven on Earth.
When I was a kid I thought that you had to go to Wisconsin to catch smallmouth bass. I was also under the impression that largemouth bass were rare here in Illinois. Pike & muskie? Well, up Nort’ of course! Imagine my surprise a few years ago when a DNR officer mentioned we had pike right here at home. Good pike. In a marsh not far from where I live. “Pike?! In a shallow marsh? Seriously?? You’re messing with me…“
He wasn’t messing with me.
See what I mean? Every sub-region has a unique flavor and hidden gems. So exploring is important, and that’s great news, because for us anglers exploring new areas and new water can be incredibly rewarding. It can also crush your spirit, grind it into a fine powder and light it on fire… but that risk just adds to the excitement every time you load up to go fish.
I might fail today.
If that happens, I’ll feel bad for a while, pick myself up, dust myself off and try again tomorrow.
The results of that tenacity cannot be denied.
So Illinois has given up some genuine chonks these last several years. For that I am so grateful. However, Wisconsin fishing – especially near Minocqua and along the Manitowish Chain ‘o Lakes – has always been a special thing for me and my family. We started fishing this area when my Grandpa Jerry bought a cabin along the channel between Stone Lake and Rest Lake (not far from Greer’s Pier) when I was just a wee lad.
A lot has changed since then, and over the years I’ve figured out the best baits for fishing the Manitowish Chain. Granted the word “best” is subjective, but when you consider the following fish, I think it’s fair to say that everything I’ve included should at least be in the conversation.
We still vacation here every summer, and a few years back we stayed at a cabin on the bank of Wild Rice Lake for the first time. This lake sits at the far southeastern end of the chain, right next to the incoming river. I believe this is called Trout River – but I’m not sure about that. What I am sure about, is that Wild Rice Lake seems to have a fair amount of sediment in the water that I believe has something to do with that incoming river. The visibility isn’t bad, but it’s not as clear as some of the other lakes. It’s somewhat shallow (again, compared to the other lakes on the chain) with lots and lots of weeds, some underwater humps, and pockets that make it look like pike and muskie would absolutely flourish here.
We didn’t catch any notable pike or muskie during our visit – but we did see some locals pull up a few big fish! They’re in there… but we were plenty happy to discover a good handful of smallmouth and largemouth bass.
I’ve been cleaning up old video footage lately. It’s a great way to relive memories and learn even more about different bodies of water, but one thing keeps jumping out at me. My technique, my methods, my commentary – it was all unbelievably bad and cringy. Yikes. Wouldn’t it be better to hide these videos from the world? To delete them??
No.
I didn’t start The Minimalist Fisherman to look cool, I started it to learn more about fishing and share that info with my kids and readers, so we can all catch more & bigger fish. Hopefully along the way I meet a few guys & gals that fish for the same reasons we do. These old videos are actually pretty exciting, because they allow me to really see the genuine growth. They show progress. They show that this entire endeavor isn’t a waste of time – it’s a process, and being able to share that (even the stuff that might look bad) is a blessing.
Cleaning this footage also reminded me of an old project I need to revisit… customizing spoons. Spoon fishing is something that my brother and I have loved for a long, long time. You can see one of my first paint jobs getting tossed around for a bit near the weedy humps on Wild Rice Lake. Here was how I modified them:
Fun stuff.
Cringy, but fun.
I’m going to scroll back up now, and look at the fat fish from the beginning of this article. Consistent hard work pays off. It pays off in fishing of course, but it also pays off in every other aspect of life. Maybe not today, or tomorrow… or for 5 years… but if you set your sights on something and try again, and again, and again… improvement is inevitable.
Let’s keep getting better.
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
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