Back in the mid-80s, I got serious about doing spring ice-out fishing trips in Algonquin Park. I've kept at it pretty much every damn spring since!

We started on Opeongo Lake - the biggest in the park and 12 miles long. Rather than paddle, we towed the canoe behind our cartop motorboat with a 15 HP motor. A 4-hour-at-best paddle was reduced to a pleasant 45-minute ride. I knew the knot to use to join the canoe to the tow rope because I had seen it in my Boy Scouts of Canada handbook from the 70s. We chained the boat, motor and gas tank up at the north end of the lake, and warmed up on a 2200m portage into Happy Isle Lake. Lots of little lake trout in there, very easy to catch starting around a week after ice-out.

We next portaged into Merchant Lake, and were looking for the portage series heading straight north into Lake LaMuir, our destination. We did catch a whack of nice lake trout in Merchant as well.

As it turned out, we got on the WRONG portage - and ended up in Big Trout Lake - sheesh. But I guess back then we were going light and fast - unlike today - and we came into Lake LaMuir via the south-west corner later that day. My dad immediately nailed and missed what appeared to be a big brookie.

I had bought the "Fishing in Algonquin Park" brochure, a publication likely from the 70s, and they had photos of various suggested lures. One of them was an orange and gold spoon called the Flashbait. My dad was from St. Paul, and I had seen this lure in his 50s tackle box, along with such classics as his Bass-O-Reno and of course his "battle-scarred veteran" Pikey Paw-Paw. So I grabbed it, and brought it along to Algonquin.

As we approached a big point, I threw on the Flashbait. Well, holy frig - every time we trolled by, I caught a lake trout on every pass! Nice ones, like 5- and 6- pounders. It was a good thing we came in the wrong way, because we had found the all-time lake trout hotspot in the lake. We used to troll just along the "break point" - in clear water it was just where you couldn't quite see bottom. The next year, on the other side of that point, I caught my biggest-ever Algonquin laker - 16 1/2 lbs I definitely remember, and I think 33" x 18" girth. Caught on a chartreuse Predator spoon, not the Flashbait.

But there was something about that Flashbait - that "thump thump thump" seemed irresistible to the lakers. I don't remember where I lost it, but he was a longtime friend, for sure.

We returned a day later to the bay, and my dad nailed a beautiful 20 5/8" x 3 5/8 lb brook trout, just a beautiful thing - the fish was missing the top half of his tail. We let him go, he was too nice to eat.

Anyway, I wondered if any of you Minnesotans might have a rusty old Flashbait lying around in your tackle box, that you could send my way? Willing to pay, trade, grovel, beg. I would love to give it a try again for the sake of auld lang syne. The Blue Fox ones of the same colour just don't work the same. You can't miss it - orange/gold spoon stamped "Flashbait Minneapolis, MN" on the inside.

I have looked online, but can't find one. Unless any of you could find a link?

Cheers from the Great White North, eh?
Pete

who actually lives south of St. Paul, which my Merrican cousins could never quite wrap their heads around.

I've never seen the flashbait spoon. A lodge owner in Canada told me about a spoon he used for lake trout that was the only thing that worked for him. He took a guy out that had an immitation of this spoon but it wouldn't work. He said there was something about the action of his favorite spoon that really worked. It was called a kamlooper spoon by acme tackle co. He liked the gold and red/white color in 3/8 oz size. They also make a gold and orange.

Well, I'll be buggered. They have it right here at Crappy Tire.

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/acme-kamlooper-spoon-lure-3-4-oz-0782358p.html

At least half the worth of a fishing lure is your persistent and fervent belief that it will catch fish. The converse is also true.

You fish ice out lakers like I do except I have a top secret lure I use. Do you ever fish the Algoma region for lakers and brookies?

ghostrider179: "You fish ice out lakers like I do except I have a top secret lure I use. Do you ever fish the Algoma region for lakers and brookies?"

Never for a moment would I imply, suggest, or otherwise hint that this is precisely what I do.

You know, I might - maybe - possibly - with some arm-twisting - share top secret lure information.

But I would never - ever - even on my death bed - with a gun held to my head - or a fillet knife to my throat - reveal the location of my top secret speckled trout lake!!

Feel free to email me and I'll share my secret lure when I get home from work tonight

Crap. I can't figure out how to email you, sheesh.

Fire one back at me: passthepitonspete@hotmail.com

Cheers, eh?

passthepitonspete: "Crap. I can't figure out how to email you, sheesh.


Fire one back at me: passthepitonspete@hotmail.com


Cheers, eh? "

Just look at the white square where his name is. There is a tiny white envelope there. Click it and it should take you to his email address.

Spoken like a true Minnesotan, and about fifty times in the movie Fargo:

"Oh, geez..."

ghostrider179: "Feel free to email me and I'll share my secret lure when I get home from work tonight"

secret lure for ice out lakers , Hmmm

Old time favorite lures that Dad had bring smiles to my face.

I have a few hanging on the wall now.

R1verrunner: "Old time favorite lures that Dad had bring smiles to my face. I have a few hanging on the wall now."

Dang. Finally. I had almost given up hope.

What would it take, good sir, to send one of those Flashbait spoons my way up here in Canada? I guarantee I will put it to good use this spring, and post photos of it catching fish right here!

passthepitonspete: "
At least half the worth of a fishing lure is your persistent and fervent belief that it will catch fish. The converse is also true."

My surefire lure, when nothing else is working, is a clear zara puppy. That thing has brightened many tough fishing days. But I only pull it out in emergencies...

I have so much confidence in it that, if I pull it out and don't catch something within a handful of casts...I get mad at myself for giving up on the rest of my tacklebox too easily thereby jinxing my surefire lure.

If you can catch lake trout on a Zara Puppy, that would be pretty amazing!

is this what your looking for ?


Nebco

If you’re on a lake trout lake and you have a heddon Zara Gossa second lure down on the left. you have a 99.99999995 chance of catching a lake trout. I would never even think of tying it on if there’s even a remote chance of a pike in a lake. There’s a couple lures pictured here that I will never use again for fear of losing them.

I love the presentation of your old time lures on a leather pad. They are like jewels to us.

Basspro69: " If you’re on a lake trout lake and you have a heddon Zara Gossa second lure down on the left. you have a 99.99999995 chance of catching a lake trout. I would never even think of tying it on if there’s even a remote chance of a pike in a lake. There’s a couple lures pictured here that I will never use again for fear of losing them."

Here's some of my old friends from 60's and 70's

On top I recognize I think a Creek Chub lure, a Bass-O-Reno, a Crazy Crawler and a Beno? Stuff from my dad's old red tackle box from the 50s.

I recognize lots of lures in the lower photos, actually having used them in the 70s.

Conspicuously absent, amongst you Minnesotans, is the orange/gold Flashbait spoon from Minneapolis!

The Lazy Ike was a Crappie/Pan fish killer back then

"The Helin Flatfish catches four times the number of fish than any other lure by simple arithmetic - twice the action and twice the hooks."

Yes, they really did have four treble hooks on a single flatfish!

And where is the Pikey Paw-Paw? That was my dad's Battle-Scarred Veteran, at least until he casted it too high into a tree in the Moon River Basin of Georgian Bay, Lake Huron in the mid- to late-70s.

Other than my Michell reels made in France back then I didn't pay much attention or remember where the lures were made. Many in Sweden and France. Why there I wonder?

A few Flashbait spoons show up on ebay from time to time.
Good luck in your search.