Stags

Spent a few days up at Mills near Clayton last week (Wed–Sat). Fishing overall wasn’t as red hot as past years, but the trip still paid off — I managed two personal bests (northern and smallmouth) thanks to some local advice. Hot tip: running large pike minnows on a drop shot — that’s what put both PBs in the boat. Spots fished: Calumet Island, the Screen Door, the Aquarium, and some trolling passes inside Round Island. Trolling setup: stickbaits at 10’ down over 20’ of water. Best action came after slowing from 2.5 to 1.8 mph. S-turns inside Round lit them up — fish crushed on the kick-out side. Colors: Kept it local/natural. Sunshine days called for dull perch/smelt patterns over anything flashy. Not the fast bite of years past, but the right tweaks and a little patience turned into my best northern and smallie yet. Couldn’t ask for more than that.