Well, not that I'm counting..........but in 11 days and 10 hours, I hook my bass boat up and turn North.................drive 16 hours and prepare for another week of pure fishing insanity!!! I'm pretty much addicted to this Texas Fishing Forum and, honestly................gotta tell all you folks down there in paradise, I kinda hate you all for living in an area full of amazing big bass lakes!!! Well, ok........hate you in a big brother that has everything sorta way!

BUT..... What I'm guessing you guys mostly all miss out on is the pure pleasure I have spent my life experiencing every year or two. A trip up to Canada to chase giant smallmouth and Giant Northern Pike. Holy RIDICULOUS do Pike hit and fight hard! I start forgetting how to sleep about five months before the trip. Unlike bass fishing, I never worry about whether or not they'll bite...........they just simply DO. And, any goofball can catch em. Not NEARLY as finicky as the bass I chase the remaining 358 days of the year and break my heart regularly.

So, yeah, I'm just rambling cuz I'm excited, but I seriously mean it. If you folks down South EVER travel for work or just get the chance to be up North and go out for a day or few days of fishing for Norther Pike, DO IT!!! After a couple 15 pounders hit your bait going 100 mph the other way and about rip the rod out of your hand, you'll become addicted too. My dad passed away 3 years ago, and one of the MANY things I always loved him for and admired about him was the massive number of people he introduced to fishing up North for pike. Every year, on our family vacation there would always be a new guy or two. They'd go home addicted. Now, I carry that torch. And, this year, I'm taking another new guy. He's one of the best tournament bass anglers I know and I CANNOT WAIT to see his face after he gets into 20 or 30 monster pike in one day of throwing a big spinnerbait or spoon. And, man is it fun to have your "pike breaks" be just grabbing the other rod and slaying 20-30 big smallmouth.

Man, I love Canadian Trips. Ok, I'm done. Sorry if I rambled too long. But, if the Lord and your wife allow you to head North............DO IT!!!! And, if you ever want to talk Northern fishin or ask any questions, fire em my way!! I'm no smallmouth expert and I sure don't know how to whack em in the great lakes or other American lakes up there..........but man do I know and love the Boundary Waters, Quitico, and some of the jewels I've found in Ontario. Be glad to shoot the bull with ya. Cuz, my fishing blood pressure is on the rise this week!!

Happy Fishing gang! Yancey's going North!

Enjoy yer trip and take time to post pics in the Bass Fishing Forum since we dont have a forum for Pike, Muskie or Walleye.

Love the Boundary Waters. Hope you have time to paddle 40 miles in as you'll see no other people. Just great fishing (Lake Kanippi), eagles, otters, wolf scat, black bear, woodcock drumming. Have fun and don't drink the fast moving water, only from middle of large lakes or purify.

Done the boundary waters many times..............but this time I'm going to a lake where I can pull my boat and launch and fish. It's just North of Lake of the Woods. I love both ways to approach it. The peace of the boundary waters is awesome. In my younger days, we'd paddle WAY in...........later days, we'd pay to have em fly us a day in and away from the crowds. But, then, lately, I've been doing the remote fly in trophy lakes. Then, I stumbled onto a trophy catch and release lake with a boat ramp. It's insane! Can't wait.

Good luck should be a blast I had a friend that went to a private remote lake in the Arctic shield a few years ago and came back with almost no l lures from Pike that they hooked up and took every bit of a line they had with a locked down Drag lol.

The last 3 years I've been very lucky and get to fish Rainy Lake a couple times a year. You are right about the N. Pike & Smallies, we also get into the Walleyes as a bonus.
Good luck on your trip.

Have a great trip! I fished Lake Champlain many times and there is nothing like fishing in the Finger lakes. Now that is some CLEAR water. Perfect time of year to go as well.

Tightlines and FISH ON!

I go to Maine regularly and next year will go fish New Brunswick. There are no pike there though but I go for the smallies. I do catch big pickerel there up to 6 pounds but don't care for them ... I want brown bass!

MAN!!! I can't wait. I just love them BOTH!! Smallies are amazing. Pike are just crazy big and tough and nothing beats a pike crashing your bait while you're cranking. Thanks gang. Glad to know so many of you have got to experience it. I wish I could afford to take ALL my Missouri bassin buddies up North. Everyone should see the scenery, fish a lake alone that's loaded with trophies, and have their baits crushed like that ONCE!!!

Then.........yes...........we all have to come back South and home and work our butts off for nice Largemouth. And, yea, I'm addicted to that too, but these Northern trips are my therapy!!!

Are you going to the area anywhere near Dryden or Sioux Lookout? Great pike and SM in those areas.

We'll be in the Kenora area on a smaller lake. I'm not familiar with the areas you're referring to. But, Lord knows I'm ALWAYS researching new places to go! It's like the opposite of the U.S.................WAY more lakes and fish than there are people chasing pike and smallies. Walleye are like the bluegill and crappie of the North and everyone would rather spend their fishing days chasing those yummy fish (although not very sporting to catch). So, if you just enjoy the fight.............you can have a BLAST up North!! Of course.........YOU know this!

Sent PM