Kayak Combat Smallmouths
“How much further through the woods do we have to portage?” I whined. “Just a little further!” shouted back Jim. The trail was long, and my water sandals sucked for walking through the woods. Thankfully our rigs were mounted atop wheels, for easier pulling. On the half-mile long trek through the woods, I silently prayed to the Fish Gods for a safe, successful adventure. Just getting to the water required more energy and effort than I am used to. And not every fishery exploration like this can pay off. Most of them actually fail to meet expectations. 10 minutes later, we reached the shoreline of our destination. A pristine, secluded, and heavily protected waterbody located in the middle of nowhere in Vilas County, Wisconsin. On our agenda was the pursuit of our favorite sport fish, smallmouth bass. Not much larger than 120 acres, with visibility of 20+ feet down below, and home to a catch and release-only population of trophy smallmouths, this was a special fishery that maybe 1 of every thousand anglers could get into. It’s a public water, but a pain in the ass to get into as I experienced. From my driveway in Minocqua to the access site, it