LEGENDARY GUIDES – ORVILLE SMALL

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It is appropriate that we start our yearly series of well known and great Eagle River guides with Orville "Sam the Bassman" Small. He started guiding when the rates were $10.00 per day - so you know how long ago that was!

Orville started his guiding in an old Rhinelander guide boat, of which he was very proud and kept in great shape. He fished primarily for walleye and bass, and was a pioneer in fishing for smallmouth when they seemed to be mostly ignored by everyone else in the area. He loved Butternut lake, especially for its walleye. Other favorites were Hagerman, Franklin, Bond Falls Flowage and Kentuck.

Orville always kept the days catch in a green cooler in the bottom of his boat, and was a master at just sliding fish over the edge of his boat so others wouldn't know he was getting fish. He would then put green ferns over the fish when he returned to the resorts. He could be 50' from you, and you would never know he was catching fish.

He was the first guide in the area to use electronics, when he acquired and old Lowrance Green Box. That was quite revolutionary in those days, and in later periods he also used a MinnKota electric motor in his Lund tri hull. The boat was adorned with a "Sam the Bassman" logo on the side.Orville was also an accomplished musky fisherman, and caught a 41# monster on the Three Lakes Chain. His first love, however, was smallmouth bass.

The most profound memory of Orville was what a gentleman he was. The compliment that he was a great guy is appropriate. If asked, he would always say "Had a nice Day"… regardless of the how the fish cooperated.

One of our Eagle River Guides Association founders, Marv Elliott, regards Orville a his fishing mentor. That was typical of Orville, as he was nice to everyone and one of the Eagle River areas true gentleman guides.

To Orville - Good luck and good fishn'

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