With hunting about wrapped up and weather currently unsuited for ice fishing, this is kind of a "dead time" for recreation for me.

Went ahead and just booked a week "guys fishing trip" to Lake Vermillion, northern Minnesota in early June. Will take a group of 8-12 friends and family members.

Have been here before and had a great trip and good fishing. A little less hassle and easier than going to Canada, still pretty good fishing, and always a good time.

You've got some good smallmouth fishing right down the road from you in the Eel right now. Just have to fish real slow in the channels. And the catfish and crappie are probably hitting pretty good right now once you find them.

Yeah, I'm sure you could catch a few smallies right now just like you say.

Spent nearly every summer day in the Eel as a kid, but rarely fish it now. Kind of disgusting the way the water quality has deteriorated in last several decades due to farm siltation.

Used to be gravel bars everywhere and you could catch all the smallmouth and rock bass you ever wanted. Now most of the gravel is covered in mud and nothing can spawn very well. I think the smallmouth are in there largely due to stocking efforts.

I feel your pain about what has happened to the river. Conservation is important and farming practices have such an impact. The whole situation is just overlooked because so few really care about the rivers or use them to get a first hand knowledge and frankly the farmers in Indiana has a huge influence at the Statehouse.

We are planning a trip to the U.P. to go smallmouth fishing in June. I have a friend who has been going up there for 10 years and found a great smallmouth lake just west of Marquette. We go up there for family camps and know the area well.

My friend last year and his friend, caught 70+ a day with many being over 3-4 pounds. He said every year he is astounded that usually they are the only people on the 9 mile long lake.

DIY trip: motel, boat, food and license.

WOW!! That's hard to find nowadays, for sure!

Northern fisherman see smallmouth as a pest. Most fish for walleye, pike, muskie, etc.

When we went to Canada on our last bear hunt the outfitter wanted us to catch/kill all the smallmouth we could. He hated them being in the lake. I caught 3 19"-22" smallmouths on 3 consecutive casts using topwater. Pic snapped and then released.

A lake is located at the camp we go to and I am always the first to bass fish when we go up - in JULY.

I get the same reaction from guys around the Ludington/Traverse City area in regard to the smallmouths. Pretty limited interest. They seem to be even more interested in carp then smallmouths, especially for fly fishing.

That's insane! I guess different areas have their various preferences.

We catch tons of nice smallies at my lake place near traverse city Michigan. Fun to catch but I'm a panfisherman at heart.

Steiny, are you on Long Lake up there? Just curious as I passed near it a couple of weeks ago while in Traverse City.

On the Elk, Skegemog, Torch chain east of Traverse City. House is on Skegemog.

Thanks. The wife and I have been assessing buying a place up there but can't decide between the river vs. a lake.

have you been around Seney Mich. Hemingway used to spend time up there on the Fox River

I will look that up Thro.