I decided to check out local waters this afternoon, in preparation for upcoming clients. Despite the warm air temps, the waters were still way below normal. I covered plenty of area, spot checking for pike & walleye and found temps ranging between 52 & 55 degrees in most. It wasn’t a problem locating fish, but getting them to move required several adjustments. From techniques to bait size & color, I did it all until I found the right combination. I could have stayed on the fish and likely landed plenty more but after only a few large walleye, pulled out to check elsewhere. Later in the afternoon I located the warmest water but at only 59 degrees, it still seemed cold. A number of big pike made mistakes and ended up on the end of the line from here, and were released as well.  Although the active fish weren’t great, their size was impressive! The upcoming warm weather will definitely trigger many more fish into feeding and higher number days will arrive.

I still have plenty of available openings for anyone seeking action in the form of 50 plus fish days. This is a great time to take advantage of size and numbers as both pike & walleye become plentiful. Their spawn period has all but ended and they’ll be on the feed trying to bulk up soon. With the Website overhaul complete, booking a date has never been easier. With the new reservation system in place, there are now multiple ways to contact me. I look forward to getting back on the water, with many new faces this season!

The crappie bite is still in full swing with many giants being caught daily. Most are being returned but some have made it to the BBQ for a tasty meal. Even the cat has enjoyed the meals. Can’t wait to get back soon!

Hassan, David & Joe were with me this morning as I began the day for sturgeon once again. Unfortunately after about two hours of watching paint dry, all we had to show for our efforts were several missed takes and stripped hooks. A quick change had them into walleye & bass in another area despite the zero winds once again. It was a real scorcher by afternoon and thoughts of raising the roof were thrown around. Unfortunately due to the technique they were using, it would only have gotten in the way and we decided against it. I literally had to drive over the fish and mark them in order to get bit! These things weren’t moving at all and the baits had to be right in their faces. By late afternoon they had their fill of smaller fish and wanted to try for something big again. We headed to deeper waters and in about 90 minutes managed to boat a few beasts! Although the early morning hadn’t been kind to us, the afternoon was definitely better and we called it a day not long after. They even managed to take a few walleye home for dinner!

Ironically, I had another Stephan today and he did manage to land the beasts! We headed straight to where they were and within about 5 minutes the first one fell victim to the dead line setup. About 15 minutes after releasing this fish, he was into another and this time it was even bigger! Unfortunately, an hour or so later without another bite, we switched it up and decided to get into some bass for a change. Heavy boat traffic had us bouncing all over despite the zero wind today! It was like being in a washing machine at one point as the rollers were from every direction. I decided to try for sturgeon again in the afternoon and despite the waves and difficult detection of the bites, Stephan landed a few more before calling it a day. All fish released to fight again!

Mike & Corey fished with me today under difficult conditions. Winds were out of the N/E and blowing 10 to 20 knots making any kind of drift next to impossible. To make matters worse, the bass weren’t chasing much down either with this wind direction. We had to refine techniques several times in order to get bit and had a load of light bites and just plain follows! By covering water however, I was able to find some decent ones for them to play with. Might have been a better bite for the sturgeon but we were after the smallies and stuck to the plan all day. No real giant smallies, just decent quality!