Once again, the smallmouth fishing on Lake Mille Lacs has been nothing short of incredible this year. With the cold spring and late ice out, anglers have been able to take full advantage of binging pre-spawn bass and now, spawning bass. Impressive numbers of fish and BIG fish are being caught daily.
The Classic Bass Champions Tour is set to begin its 2018 season this Saturday, June 9th out of Izatys Resort. If the weather and wind cooperate, this event should easily see weights north of 100 pounds. Last year, the Champions Tour saw Brian Wood win this tournament with over 90 pounds of smallies. This was on a day with winds that gusted to 30 MPH from the southwest, very tough conditions when most fish were being caught sight fishing.
Champions Tour anglers should encounter a similar bite this year. Mille Lacs smallmouth have moved into spawn mode and big numbers of fish are becoming present up shallow and on beds. We should see fish being caught from beds on Drop Shots, Tubes, Craws and other plastics. Cruising fish will be targeted with hair jigs, swimbaits and other techniques that allow anglers to cover water in between bedding fish. As previously stated, weather and wind will of course be a major factor for the event. As of now, things look favorable but anything can change on the Big Pond.
The tournament will kickoff on Friday night, June 8th with an angler social and rules meeting at Izatys Resort. The guys will be on the water from 7am to 4pm on Saturday with a mid-day halftime break. Be sure to tune in to www.classicbass.com to follow live results and video from the water. Also, check in to the Classic Bass Facebook and Instagram pages for photos and more video from the day on the water.
This year the Classic Bass Champions Tour events have increased to 30 anglers. This year’s field for the Mille Lacs event includes several of the Midwest’s best bass catchers.
Corey Brant
Dustin Byfuglien
Dean Capra
Mark Courts
John Figi
Arnold Helgerson
Tadd Johnson
Daniel Larson
Dave Larson
Brad Leuthner
George Liddle
Rich Lindgren
James Lindner
Trevor Lo
Pat Martin
Jim Merthan
Jim Moynagh
Andy Nitchals
Will Pappa
Bob Perkins
Matt Peters
Shane Raveling
Dave Skallet
Matt Stefan
Connor Summers
Andy Walls
Michael Walters
Nathan Whiting
Joel Willert
Brian Wood
