Flood Water Fishing

Our day began with a long run in 20 knot NE winds and big waves. I wasn’t sure how we would make out as it was my first outing for pike, this season. Flood waters surrounding Montreal had the lake much higher than any springtime level I’ve ever experienced. I was literally fishing areas that were usually land! To make matters worse, the water temps were only 48 degrees! I don’t even like fishing for trout and salmon in these temps! We remained shallow for a while slow trolling the lures and were eventually rewarded. John & Pascal had brought a couple of coworkers that had never caught pike before. They both managed to get their first fish, almost minutes apart! I covered water hoping to find some warmer areas but the best we could locate was 48.7 degrees. These fish were post spawn and should have been feeding heavily, but every hit was a grind. Bites were few & far between until I ventured slightly deeper. It was here, later in the afternoon that the action picked up. Everyone managed to fight fish multiple times in the last couple of hours. Several drive byes were also had throughout this afternoon trip. The short 5 hour day produced a decent number of fish and was still better than golf. These guys had the option of doing one or the other today and were just happy to be on the water. Catching fish was a bonus! I’m sure there were many more pike in the area but with the conditions we were faced with, they just didn’t want to move. Water temps can only get warmer in the coming weeks and the fish can only get more active. I will be back out plenty and hope to have more of those banner days I am so accustomed to at this time of the year. Bring on the heat!