Stephan & his girlfriend Sylvie were with me this morning for a mixed day on the water. First cool start to the season since May had me layering up for the run and loving it. Hopefully all the boat traffic will be pulling out soon as it’s been a real zoo out there this year! After Stephan’s last trip, he wanted to try for sturgeon again and I headed to the hole hoping for a quick bite. It was a little rougher than I like with winds from the SW at 10 knots or better, but I’d give it a try. Well the quick bite didn’t happen and we had to wait well over an hour until he finally hooked up. I could tell by the battle that it was larger than the one he had landed on a previous trip and waited for the visual sighting. Several minutes later we got a glimpse and I was right, it was big! I netted her and hoisted it into the boat only to have her blow a hole through the mesh when she started kicking. When that pointed nose pushed through it kept going and now she was making it even bigger. Somehow I managed to pull her back and save them both, with only a little repair needed on the net. Stephan struggled to get a hold of the fish for the pics and she crapped all over the carpet in the process. What a nice mess as it resembled something a baby would have done! In the end he almost bear hugged her just to stop the struggle and allow me to snap a few quick shots. Once done she was returned and swam off none the worse for wear. We resumed fishing and waited quite a while again. The next bite was instant power followed by nothing on the end of the line. Damn I hate when that happens! Sometime later, another bite and after about three minutes, gone again. As the winds were getting stronger, I decided to pull the plug on these fish and try for another species. Musky were the next target and we made a long run to where we were to set the lines and troll. With these creatures there’s never a guarantee that you’ll get bit but they were wanting to give it a shot nonetheless. I soon found out why when after 15 minutes, they were both fast asleep! It was so quiet that even a bird decided to join us on the boat. I guess her little wings were tired being all the way out in the middle of the lake. We officially had a mascot on board and that could only be good luck, right? I continued the troll and the bird rested for almost 20 minutes before flying off. Another 20 later, so did we! I pulled the plug here and switched it up again elsewhere and for a different species once more. I was going trolling for walleye and pike and three minutes in, the first reel fired. While landing the pike, another one went off and we had a double. I think we can call it a triple as a third one fired as well before I could get the second one in the net! Wow, talk about quick bits! I figured we were just going to crush them after this, but I was wrong. Although we picked at them for the next hour, that was all we did. Eventually it seemed like the winds had calmed down a bit and we agreed to go back and try for more sturgeon again. Although a little lighter, they were still pretty bad and it made detecting the subtle bites quite difficult. In the next couple of hours we had four more bites with two of them staying on for several minutes. Unfortunately the outcome was all bad as every one of them came unpinned. Fishing for these giants is like a disease as the more you catch, the more you want. We called it here and made one last stop in an area along the way back to see if we could hook a couple of walleye. Not long after I set the lines a reel fired and I knew Stephan had the targeted species. When I netted it, another reel fired and he had his own double as Sylvie was on the phone. In less than a minute there were two walleye swimming in the well and they had dinner for tonight. We pulled the plug about 5 minutes later when I just got fed up of two other boats that saw the net come out. Again I had leeches that just had to fish on top of me! Our take out was extended a bit when we arrived back at the launch, as we had to rescue two overturned kayaks nearby. A family of three were enjoying a leisure afternoon on the water when the father & his son flipped out of their two boats. After a little struggle, we were finally able to get them both on board as well as the smaller kayak. The father’s kayak had to be towed, but it all ended well. At least they had PFD’s on and at 73 degrees, the water wasn’t too cold. I returned them to the dock, pulled out and we were on our way. Stephan & his girlfriend had a decent day on the lake catching a bunch of different species and were taking home dinner too. Who could ask for anything more? Great ending to the day as well!!

With a terrible wind forecast scheduled for today, I had mixed thoughts about where to go. Danial, Saaid and James were fishing today and I really wanted to make the most of a possible short day. I eventually settled on a local lake in hopes of several hours of wind free fishing when I saw the conditions. We would start out for sturgeon and hopefully get a couple before the hurricane arrived. Reports of 20 to 25 knot winds with higher gusts were expected from the SW and I knew if they came, I would be scrambling to find areas to fish. As luck would have it, the start had us in flat calm conditions and it was a pleasure. I set the lines and awaited the first bite from these prehistoric beasts! They were jumping all around us and I was pretty sure we would get bit. First rod to go was Danial’s and he battled the fish in record time. When we saw it, I knew why too as it was the smallest one I had caught from this place so far. A couple of pics later we were back in and a lengthy wait was finally ended when Saaid got his turn. This time I could tell that it was considerably larger and coached him through the battle. As he had never fished before, this would definitely be his personal best. What a fish to start with! When everyone finally got a glimpse of it they couldn’t believe it’s overall mass. Once in the net and aboard they didn’t know what to do for the pics. I had to give him a hand just to hold it and quickly returned her to the depths from where she came. We actually saw her heading back to the bottom on the sonar! By now we were late morning and unfortunately the weather was starting to turn. The winds had begun, making it next to impossible to fish here any longer. We pulled the lines and opted for a smallmouth bite nearby. In the next hour or so we attempted to fish over shallow rocks in hopes of a few smallies. They managed to get about 10 or so small ones on plastics. Trying to control the electric motor was becoming a challenge in 2 to 3 footers and I finally pulled the plug here to try something new. I made a long run to another area in hopes of trolling northerns and walleye, as this was our best option. At least I would have some control with four lines in the water all the time. Floating weeds were our only problem and there were plenty. I had to check the lines frequently and clean the carpets from the rods! We did manage to catch a pile of fish from the area with most being northerns. Several walleye were taken as well and ironically they were all big. It didn’t matter though as nobody wanted to take any home to eat and the big ones were better for the pics anyway. It was so hot here that I decided to put the bimini top up just to get a reprieve from the sun. As luck would have it, the sun became blocked by heavy clouds soon after and it came down just as quickly. Waves were pretty big even where we were and boat control became an issue in the 3 footers. A downwind troll was definitely much easier as everyone found out. For whatever reason, the winds eventually laid down some making me rethink returning to where we began the day. I had a backup plan should it be impossible but to our surprise it was almost as calm. I set the lines and within a few minutes Danial was into the first fish. This one was much larger than the one he had landed this morning and he thought that one was big. Boy was he in for a surprise as I knew the battle would be a lengthy one. It seemed like every time he brought it up, it sounded back down again. This went on for four or five times before I finally was able to get it in the net. His arms were quite sore and I know he was glad to have it ended as well. It was probably three times the size of the one from the morning and made for some great pics before returning to the water. Saaid had the next one and although he did battle it for a while, it eventually came unpinned. We resumed the fishing and quite long after, Danial hooked up again. This time he decided to give the rod to James as he was the only one that hadn’t landed a fish. He had a couple of chances earlier but they both ended in disappointment. This one wouldn’t though and about 10 minutes later I scooped his fish up in the net. He was exhausted from the fight and also glad it was over. This would end it with a bang and after several pics, we were on our way. I had definitely made the best of this day with many different changes for fishing. Mother Nature hadn’t killed us today and we adjusted locations and species accordingly. It was one of plenty and everyone had slammed from all the changes. No wonder everyone went home completely fulfilled! Great day for fishing!!

Max, Matt & Chip fished with me today on a local lake for a variety of different species. We began around 7:30 and headed to an area to do a little trolling. Walleye & pike were what we were after and I hoped it would be as good as it was just a couple of days earlier. The sky was loaded with clouds but the weather called for sunshine for the entire day. Go figure! It took a little while to get the first reel to fire but when it did, it was exactly what we were looking for. Matt brought in a nice high slot walleye and into the livewell it went for dinner that night. As I continued, I noticed that I was marking fish but nothing was moving. I changed up lures multiple times and had a few more reels barely go off signifying that they weren’t active. Compared to just a couple of days ago when they were making reels scream, it was definitely slow. In fact, several of them barely made a sound and I was back to hitting the throttle to lock them up once again! The water temps were over 72 degrees and should have been perfect, but apparently not to them. We covered a lot of area and might have caught about 10 or so northerns when Max finally hooked another walleye. This one was just about the same size as the previous one Matt had landed and joined his twin in the tank. Several pike later I decided to switch it up and relocate for another species. Sturgeon was what we were going for and I don’t think any of the guys were ready for what was going to happen next. We pulled the lines and made a long run in hopes of a few bites. As today was much nicer than yesterday, it was no surprise that there were so many boats on the water. Thankfully this is the last long weekend of the summer and hopefully traffic will be much better in the coming weeks! As I slid into the zone where the dinosaurs lived, I began marking them and knew someone would be fighting a beast pretty quick. Well, Chip was the first to tangle with one and although a big guy, this fish just trashed him. After a little while of playing tug of war, his arms were just burning. I love it when this happens! Eventually he got the better of the fish and I was able to slide the net under it for a few pics. Although not one of the largest that I had seen this season, it was giant to them and made for a bunch of great photos. A quick release had us back in the game and a little while later, it was Matt’s turn to tangle with one. I could tell by the way it was fighting that this one was much larger and knew he too would soon be in pain. I hadn’t realized that his elbow was already hurting from a previous tendonitis issue and this wasn’t going to help matters either. The fight was a long one and this fish didn’t come in easy. It seemed like every time he started to gain, the fish sounded again. Eventually he started bringing it higher up and we saw bubbles. Always a good sign as it signifies nearing the end! When we caught a glimpse of this monster, they couldn’t believe their eyes. It was almost twice the size of the one Chip had landed earlier and Matt was just relieved that the fight was almost over. I tried to get her in the net but had a hard time turning the head to put the entire fish in the bowl. I really need to get a bigger net! When I hoisted it aboard, I realized just how heavy it was and knew Matt would need help to hold her for the pics. He was physically exhausted and could barely hold a pencil with his bad arm. Max got the thick part and Matt took the tail as they attempted to raise it for the pictures. Although it wasn’t easy, they managed to hang on to her long enough for me to snap a few before the release. After this was all over and before we were to get the lines back in again, I offered to fix Matt’s elbow. Reluctant at what I was going to do, I think he knew anything would be better than the pain he was in and agreed. A pressure point in the forearm was what was causing the inflammation and it had to be released. After about 30 seconds of severe pain, he was temporarily cured. He would have to continue this process on his own if he stood any chance of getting rid of the problem. For the moment though, he was cured! Good thing too because he landed two more sturgeon in the next hour that would have put him in the hospital if I hadn’t done what I had done. Chip also got to tangle with another one of his own again but the hook pulled out after a few minutes of fight. Max was the only one not on the board and really wanted one of his own and then it happened. We had remained here for longer than I wanted but hooking Max up was the reason why. His was the smallest one I had encountered and it tore him up as well. Although not as lengthy a battle, it did have the strength to make his arms burn too! Several pics later, it was released and we were done. It was time to change up and try for something a little smaller. We packed it in for here and attempted to try a few areas for smallmouth and walleye. As there were so many boats on the water, it wasn’t easy at all to find areas to fish. Between all the traffic and many, many fishermen, I had to pick & chose areas where we would be able to cast. I finally settled on a couple of places out of the main highway and they managed to land several smallies. We fished till about 5:00 and called it a day. I knew I had my work cut out for me just getting back to the launch. It felt like rush hour on any major autoroute! After running the gauntlet I was happy to see the ramp was free and pulled out in no time. These guys had experienced an amazing day of fishing and all had a "slam" with multiple species of fish landed. I think the ones they will remember the most will be the monsters from the deep as they experienced it in spades today. So much so that they all left with sore muscles from the lengthy battles they had. Nothing a few beer and a massage can’t fix! Great day for fishing!!

Carl was with his family today, in hopes of getting his kids into some fish. With this many people on the boat, it was going to be a trolling type of day! A later than usual start of 8:30 had us wasting no time getting the lines wet. Winds were blowing 10 to 20 knots from the SW causing a slightly bigger chop than I would have liked but we managed nonetheless. It wasn’t going as well as I would have liked and I really had to cover plenty of water just to hook up. Although I was marking fish, they didn’t seem to want the offerings and plenty of lure changes were made just trying to get their attention. After only a handful of fish, we eventually pulled the plug on the troll and went for a little drop shotting nearby. This wasn’t much better though as missed fish were more common than landed ones! Etienne, Simon & Kevin were having a hard time with the presentation and losing fish on the hook sets. With all the running around in search of fish this morning and the late start, I decided to run back to the ramp so they could all take a bathroom break. As it was almost lunch time, it seemed like a good idea anyway! To my surprise, five people left but only three returned. Carl informed me that his oldest son Kevin and his wife really weren’t into fishing and had spent enough time on the water for the year. His other two sons, Simon & Etienne were eager to get back out and catch some fish though, so we headed to a new area. I had thought that with all the boat traffic in some of the places I had been fishing, I needed to get as far away as possible. We made a long run in hopes of more fish and less people. Apparently it was the right move as it didn’t take long for the first reel to fire. I had just set it into the rod holder and was preparing the second one when I heard it start screaming. Wow, less than 30 seconds and we were hooked up! It was a totally different scenario here as reels were firing every couple of minutes. For over 2 hours we had nonstop action and the kids were having a blast. They even had a couple of doubles due to the high number of fish in the area. Mostly pike were being caught but three nice slot walleye were also taken that were going to be on their menu for tonight. We even managed to catch a pretty big perch that got added to the livewell. The fishing eventually slowed down enough to cause me to look elsewhere and change up presentations. I made another long run and prepared the lines for drop shotting, in hopes of a few bass to finish the day. With all kinds of boats on the water, I was forced to hit an area that I hadn’t fished all season. We made drifts over the rock shoals and picked up a few bass and one more walleye for their dinner. Several more smallies were lost when they took to the air as well. When Carl got the call from his wife, wondering how much longer we would be, we packed up & headed back to the dock. It may not have been a great morning bite but as golfers would say, "the back 9 was much better"! They had plenty of action this afternoon and landed many fish as well. They were even taking home enough walleye to have a great dinner for all to enjoy. Nothing better than fresh fish, except maybe eating your own "Catch of The Day"!!

Today was quite an interesting one to say the least! I had an appointment to fix a broken brake line on the trailer and needed to off load the boat before driving to the garage. As luck would have it, an old friend/co worker from many moons ago had called me the day before wanting to fish. Perfect timing, as I required a boat baby sitter! I dropped the boat at a local ramp and headed to the trailer place to get what I thought was a quick fix. Unfortunately things usually don’t work out that way and a 30 minute job turned into a 2 hour one with what they found. Fortunately however, they did fix all the problems and I made it back to fish for the remainder of the day. We set out as soon as I arrived and headed to an area to drop shot. On Vern’s first cast, he was locked up on a fish and it was exactly what we were after. I also hooked into a fish but decided to boat flip the smallie and net his walleye immediately after my release. After a couple more bass we moved to another place not far away and boated 3 more eyes and several more bass before switching it up completely. I knew he wanted to try for sturgeon and moved to the area that had produced pretty much every time out. We had a terrible wind out of the NW today that was going to make boat positioning complicated but I thought I’d give it a try nonetheless. After what seemed like forever, he finally got a shot at one and battled it for quite some time before we caught a glimpse. Although not a real giant, it was still a good one and I was able to slide the net under it for him to admire. Several shots were taken and an immediate release afterwards. Back to fishing and once again it took a while but we eventually hooked up on what seemed like a much bigger fish. Unfortunately it was short lived and came unpinned after about a minute or so. We reset the lines and hit another one pretty quickly and this time it stayed on. This battle was a lengthy one and when he finally brought it up and saw its size, I thought he was going to die. He had one of those five footers on the line and really wanted a picture. A few more minutes of fight time and I managed to net the beast. My job was complete but his was about to begin! After the long fight he would have to lift this monster for the pictures and he didn’t have much strength left. He somehow managed to dig deep and was able to wrap his arms around the fish for a couple of quick pics. He could barely lean over the boat though for the release and I had to help. Totally exhausted, we pulled the plug and called it a day. The winds had the boat sideways and it was really difficult to set up, but we somehow found a way. He had landed two of the biggest fish of his life and was elated. On top of that, he was coming back to my place for a walleye dinner and looking forward to just chilling. This day could not have gone better and I’m pretty sure it won’t be the last time I hear from him again! Great day for fishing!!