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clambdin
senior member (78)senior membersenior member
  
06/13/2019 08:24PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
After a two year lull I’m finally going to get back up to the bwca last week of June, thinking about spending some time on Hanson and Ester for smallies and lake trout would anyone be nice enough to share some pointers on these lakes?
 
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06/14/2019 07:43AM  
SMB should be shallow then. LT should be dropping deeper. Cast shallows with tubes, jerk baits or Q Mike's go to rig. Troll the 30' depth for LT. 150' of line out with an 11 deep tail dancer gets you to 30' or you can use snap weights with any crankbait.
 
QueticoMike
distinguished member(5279)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberpower member
  
06/15/2019 07:35AM  
AmarilloJim: "SMB should be shallow then. LT should be dropping deeper. Cast shallows with tubes, jerk baits or Q Mike's go to rig. Troll the 30' depth for LT. 150' of line out with an 11 deep tail dancer gets you to 30' or you can use snap weights with any crankbait."


If you want to read any of my articles on fishing for SMB just send me an email - queticomike@yahoo.com - and request my smallmouth articles. Good luck on your trip!
 
Kalvan
member (40)member
  
06/17/2019 09:10PM  
We stayed at 2008 on Ester last August. No luck fishing from shore but might be better in June. A friend caught and released a monster pike going from camp down to the portage to Hanson. So don't believe the reports that there are no pike in Ester, they exist and there are some big ones. I caught a pike around 28" trolling on the west side of the island we camped on.

I caught a fair amount of bass on Ester, Hanson, Cherry, Rabbit. Even went into the PMA and caught some on Link (overall, the PMA wasn't great on fishing for us). Mostly I was using crank baits casting to rocky shores, especially with drop offs and into the shade where the wind had been blowing. Usually the bass would hit the bait within a few seconds of hitting the water. I tried green pumpkin tubes on and off, but they weren't hitting on those. (I tried Mike! Thanks for sending that article last year. I'll give it another go on our next trip, hopefully find more moving water.)

On Rabbit we trolled for lake trout and caught two eaters. Was an adventure getting there, but worth it.



 
06/18/2019 04:07PM  
So Rabbit got smallmouth now also? I always wonder how they get into some of those lakes?
Love smallmouth,but they don't belong everywhere and will change the ecosystem.
 
Kalvan
member (40)member
  
06/19/2019 02:48PM  
Yep, we didn't catch anything too big, but definitely smallmouth in Rabbit.
 
06/19/2019 03:37PM  
Kalvan: "Yep, we didn't catch anything too big, but definitely smallmouth in Rabbit."


Thanks for the info.
Its amazing how fast and how many lakes smallmouth bass have got into the system.
 
myceliaman
distinguished member(931)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
06/19/2019 04:29PM  
Stayed on Ester a cpl years ago. Smoked smallies using skitter pops. Caught a few Lakers jigging right beyond the portage coming in.
 
06/19/2019 05:06PM  
myceliaman: "Stayed on Ester a cpl years ago. Smoked smallies using skitter pops. Caught a few Lakers jigging right beyond the portage coming in. "


Smallmouth been in Ester-Hanson for at least 20 years. Rabbit is the one that is new to me.
 
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