Pretzel admitted that it takes some practice to be able to manipulate a jig through the thick mats of milfoil, and he said he's still mastering the technique as he learns new twists every time he's on the water. But if you want to be successful on the big Lake Washington largemouths, get good at pitching big jigs.

"At first, you get hung up and a bit frustrated, but it won't take long and you'll get a few good bites, catch some big fish and develop some confidence in the technique," Pretzel said.

Pretzel suggested following the 10-foot breakline on Washington and pitching the jig into 6 to 8 feet. That's a lot of 10-foot bottom contour on this 2,600-acre lake, so even a long day of fishing will not allow you to strain all the cover.

For more information, contact Darwin Outpost at (320) 693-0019.

LAKE DEMONTREVILLE
Bass get lunker-sized in many Minnesota lakes because of the natural conditions that exist there in the form of cover and forage. Others like Demontreville near Lake Elmo in Washington County get some help producing big largemouths because of Department of Natural Resources' restrictions. This lake has been catch-and-release-only for largemouth bass for some time now.

"The word is out on Demontreville," said Suggs, who was fishing this lake long before the special regulations were implemented. "There have always been big bass in this lake, but now a lot more anglers know about it. It gets some pressure now, but since all the fish are released, they're only smarter."

When Suggs said the fish are smarter, he is referring to the conditioning factor that comes into play when bass -- or any species for that matter -- become wary of a presentation they've been caught on once.

"You have to keep working with variations of the popular techniques or try some things that are totally different if you want to catch the big bass in Demontreville," Suggs said. "I'll fish a plastic worm on a Carolina rig or use a drop-shot technique to trigger bites. Topwaters are also a great way to fish Demontreville."

To get more information, contact Blue Ribbon Bait in St. Paul at (651) 777-2421.

LAKE CALHOUN
It wasn't long ago that there were bass tournaments on Lake Calhoun, a 400-acre lake just south of downtown Minneapolis. They were part of the city's Aquatennial celebration and consisted of the top tournament anglers who were invited to compete. It was extremely tough competition, and Savik won one of the last tournaments held there. And she did it with a 4-pound average!

"Calhoun is full of big bass, and because of the motor restrictions, there isn't any fishing pressure at all on the lake," said Savik, who is referring to the electric-motor-only restriction. "On a beautiful weekend in July, there may be only one fishing boat on the lake."

Savik used her expertise flipping the milfoil with a jig-and-trailer to catch her bass.