Two friends and I hit Lake Tapps earlyish on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. Gorgeous, summerlike weather, so we only had a couple hours before the speedboaters and jetskiers started tearing up the water. It’s their right, obviously! But we were in people-powered craft (me in a kayak, my friends in a canoe), so the waves they kicked up were tough on us.

Fortunately our best action was in little protected coves anyway, where we hooked into a bunch of smallmouth. Mostly little ones, but two of us had one decent catch each. My pal Sam’s is pictured. Later I landed one that was maybe three pounds and change? I didn’t get a photo. All of them had bright, beautiful coloration.

I had a couple strikes on a crankbait I trolled while we paddled from spot to spot, but most of our action was on a Ned rig or other small crayfish-imitating jigs.

Saw several big muskies lurking near our boats. I hope to target them a little this season, too.

By lunchtime, big fast boats were threatening to capsize my buddies' canoe, so we called it quits.

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