A couple of years ago I built out a Fenwick SP621. It's a sweet little gem that's 5'3" long and originally intended to use on float trips on our Ozark streams. I decided a vintage rod should have a vintage reel, so I paired it with the classic Garcia Mitchell 308 spooled with 6# Trilene XL.
I go on an annual trip to Ontario to fish the Winnipeg River with old friends that all grew up in the Ozarks, hunting, trapping, fishing and even got our Eagle Scout rank together back in the late 60's. So this year I decided to pack the little Fenwick to use for smallmouth and walleye. It's slow action made for good hook sets on both species and very few fish came unsnapped.
One evening my buddy and I were casting for smallmouth in a small rocky bay. (Canadians and Yankees call them bays; we call them coves down here) I was using a very small plastic crawdad on a 1/8 oz slider hook when something grabbed it in shallow water near some rocks. After setting the hook on what I thought would be another bass, the fish jumped clear of the water and to my surprise it was a musky. It got pretty exciting for a couple minutes while the fish made run after run, bending the little Fenwick double and I just knew it would cut the line as I was not using a steel leader. Fortunately I had a good net man and we successfully landed my first musky. Not a big one, about 30", but a musky nonetheless on a vintage ultralight fiberglass rod and classic vintage reel.
This is gorgeous country with abundant fish and wildlife. Bald eagles are a common site as they often catch fish just yards from the boat. As y'all can tell, I don't miss many meals and one of the best is fried walleye and northern pike everyday for shore lunch that is expertly prepared by our Ojibwe guides.
Can't wait to get back up there.
Posted: 06 Aug 2019, 11:12 • 
