Greg & Rene were with me today for and in for a real treat. We began at 7:30 and wasted no time getting to our first stop. It was going to be a mixed weather day and I wanted to take advantage of every minute on the water. Originally, sunshine was upon us when we hit into numbers of pike and a few walleye but by mid day, it took a turn for the worse. I was once asked, “Do Fish Bite in the Rain” and I replied with, they don’t care. They’re already wet! This theory was about to be put to the test as what felt like a monsoon, soon arrived! We got some of the heaviest rain I’ve seen in a while and it lasted about an hour. I can’t remember how many fish were caught during this time but nobody cared about being wet. Thankfully I had thrown in a couple of extra sets of rain gear and that definitely helped. Throughout this entire ordeal, they reeled in one pike after another and a few walleye too. After the storm passed we ironically received sunshine and everyone dried out. All but their feet that is and soggy shoes would be upon them for the remainder of the day. I on the other hand had removed my sandals and stored them in a dry place. We had more activity afterwards and continued pounding on the fish until we returned back to the dock for a bathroom break. The remainder of the afternoon was spent close to the take out area drop shotting for more walleye. Although not as productive, they still managed to capture several more. By 4:00 we ended the day and headed home as I had a couple of fish to fillet for their dinner. Blackened Cajun Walleye was on the menu and they were excited. They hadn’t caught many walleye in their lives and had eaten even fewer. This would be an experience to remember! A quick stop back at my place and then off to a nearby restaurant where they were treated to their “Catch of the Day”! Needless to say, they loved every mouthful ! The not so perfect day (weather wise) ended in a perfect dinner and good company throughout. It’s always nice to meet new people, become friends & enjoy a great day on the water with dining afterwards. It’s especially rewarding to have them enjoy a fine meal that they just caught even more. I’m pretty sure this fishing trip will be etched in their memory for a while. Hopefully they will be back sometime in the future to experience it once again. If not however, all the pictures taken will ensure a lifetime of memories. Definitely one for the books!

Reda was back with me again this morning for another shot at some pike & eyes. They had tried to get out a few days earlier but the conditions weren’t in their favor causing us to reschedule. Although this morning wasn’t much better, it seemed doable as we headed out on the water. With overcast skies and barely 50 degree air temps the strong north wind felt even colder. I decided to remain on the sheltered side to start but after only a hand full of fish in the first hour, opted for a move. I had waited just long enough for the sun to arrive and the winds to calm. I knew it wouldn’t last as we were expecting a direction change and took advantage before the switch. They were suppose to blow strong from the NW late in the morning but for the moment, they were down. The next area also saw water temps low as I began the troll in an area of 53 degrees. Smaller pike were being taken by everyone as I searched for warmer waters ahead! At best, all I could find was 57 degrees and several more fish were taken. In fact, Reda managed to get a really good walleye right after his father landed a pike, bringing our hopes up for more. Well more was just what we got as a combination of fish were brought to the boat right into the afternoon. By 2:00 we were in the thick of things and the winds were now blowing 15 to 20 knots with gusts up to 35 from the NW. Although we were somewhat sheltered, I knew we would eventually have to return to the ramp. We would be remaining here for the balance of our fishing day! We all wanted to be back by 4:00 so shortly after 3:30 I began getting things ready for the long run. I made sure all lures were returned to their appropriate places and secured everything else. Lock & load! The waves were 3’s & 4’s pretty much the entire way back with an occasional 5 foot rogue thrown in just for laughs. The direction didn’t allow me to head straight back and caused me to tack like a sailboat several times. These things were at a 45 degree angle to the bow and quite uncomfortable to travel in. By running the crests and troughs I was able to keep everyone dry and didn’t get pounded. It definitely felt more like an ocean rather than a lake. Maybe Lake Ontario! After having bass boats for many years, I’d never trade this Ranger in for another. The safety & comfort can’t be beat! Plenty of fish were caught today and nobody got hurt! I consider this a great day!!

I was back out again this morning with Reda and his father. His dad had invited a friend along & I was looking forward to finally running 4 rods. The weather was looking overcast and expected to remain that way for the day. In fact, there was a chance of showers and I think that kept most people from being on the water. I immediately ran to where the pike had grouped up yesterday and thought we’d beat on them for a while before going for walleye. It took about 90 seconds for his dad to hook into the first fish and I really thought they were going to hammer the mother load. To my surprise it was a loner and I had to keep on the move. The water temps were significantly lower than yesterday but I wasn’t surprised. We were here much earlier than usual and the cool nights were responsible for the drop. It would take a while this morning, if at all, for them to climb. The clouds might keep them low and the bite might never get red hot but we had all day. In fact, I had Reda cast from the bow while we trolled over plenty of water just searching for warmer temps. He hooked several pike while we trolled our way into 56 degrees. A few more northerns and decent walleye were landed before I decided to make a big move. I would come back later in the day but for now we were out of here! The next location didn’t put out even one fish and now I was really changing up. I moved to a series of reefs with cooler temps of 52 degrees and Reda’s dad was locked. Another walleye of 22 inches fell victim to a reduced bait and I was finally on to something. A quick pic and a release and we were back in the game. Not too far from the first one, they were into another slightly smaller one and this time it was a keeper. A few adjustments had us into fish and I kept it going with another over moments later. Along with the walleye, there were pike and one pre spawn smallmouth. The water was so cold that this fish hadn’t even began to move shallow to do the deed! We stuck it out for a while, catching more here before I had to leave when another boat moved in on us. He began trolling right in our prop wash line about 100 feet behind. And so it begins!  I thought we’d check out the starting area again but didn’t stay long. I headed in and let them cast for a while as they wanted to try their luck this way. About 15 minutes in, I saw two of them sitting with rods in their hands as the boat moved along on the electric. Looks like they got tired quickly so back to trolling we went! I set them back up and moved along with similar success. A fish here & there had me moving once again in search of the warmer water. I had left something until the last few hours of the day in hopes of sunshine but we never managed to get any. Oh well, time to try it regardless! It didn’t take long before someone hooked up and started the ball rolling. In the last couple of hours there were multiple hookups of keeper walleye as well as quality overs. At least we ended on a high today and they got to take a few fish home for their dinner tonight. By 4:30 we were done and on our way to the ramp. Although a little slower day than I had hoped for, not surprising with the overcast skies and cooler water temps. It will only continue to get better in the weeks to come. Plenty more days open if anyone needs to wet a line and bend a rod!!

Michel & I hit the water at the crack of 10:00 this morning looking for some eyes. No sense starting too early when the nights are as cold as they are. By focusing on the warmest part of the day, we hoped on monopolizing on the bite. It proved to work out pretty well as both pike & walleye were on the feed and the water was on the rise. He hooked into some quality walleye, but not the ones he was hoping on leaving with. There were more overs landed today than keepers and although nice to catch, didn’t put meat on the table. I probably could have gotten him into close to 100 pike as well, but after pounding on them for quite a while, decided to relocate to another area. Each move had its benefits as we got into fresh fish every time we changed spots. Water temps were ranging between 52 degrees in the morning to just over 60 degrees by afternoon. The water temp increase had the fish active and many more came in the boat with the rise. We spent a total of 6 hours on the water and caught plenty of fish throughout the day. Despite Michel’s track record for some of the shittiest days spent weather wise, today more than made up for them. It was picture perfect with no wind, sunshine and a pleasant 70 plus degree air. Even with all the big fish landed, he still managed to leave with a few fish for the dinner table. Hopefully the next time he wets a line, the weather will cooperate once more and the fishing will be equally as good. All I know is better fishing is ahead and I’ll be pounding on them each & every time I’m out!

Today was the 2nd time this week that I had waken early to head fishing. Darren & I were going on a road trip and met up at 4:00 in the morning in hopes of catching a few silver bullets. Niche was on the menu & although I hadn’t fished this lake since last year, I had loads of confidence that it would be a success. By the time we had reached our destination and prepped all the rods, we were 2 hours into the day and itching to get bit! The trees were pollinating pretty good and the surface was covered with all kinds of junk, making it difficult to fish clean. We had to improvise and watch the lines constantly but it paid off. The first reel to fire was a deep line and the skunk was about to leave the boat. I was surprised that the niche didn’t jump but with 47 degree water I guess their metabolism was real low. Once boated we realized that it was of legal size and someone was having fish for dinner tonight! With livewell running and the line back in, I noticed something busting the surface behind the prop wash. As luck would have it, there was another one locked up again. We almost had a double! This one actually made one leap in the air and I saw that it was a little bigger than the first. Our fish was to have company in the tank soon! We reset the line and went back to trolling but success was short lived. After about 2 hours of nada, I was ready for a move. Apparently the other boats around us had the same idea as they were already gone. I hadn’t seen anyone hook up nor a net pulled out so I guess we should have felt lucky for the two we had. I however didn’t feel that way and opted for a long run to an area that usually produced well. Ironically only one small brown was caught here and we shifted to another spot again. I wanted to try a really shallow sandy area and concentrated on finding warmer water and of course, niche! Eventually I stumbled onto 53 degrees exactly where my waypoints and icons were and a reel let go. The scream was unbelievable and I knew this was a larger fish. It went into an aerial display and we hoped to bring it to net. Unfortunately she had other ideas and pulled the hooks a short distance behind the boat, on one of the runs. This was our one & only chance here so I decided to return to the area we had began. It was completely void of boats and we had it all to ourselves. I mentioned that this has happened before & I’ve crushed the salmon because of it. Well, guess what? It was about to happen once again! Afternoon sunshine always heats the water up and activates everything around. The first reel went screaming within minutes of our arrival and it was game on! The third & fourth fish were so close together that it should have been a double. The high line was finally producing and produce it did! We had multiple rips from one area and I just kept at it until it died. Afterwards I went looking for more and came across another of similar results. Again, multiple fish were taken and released followed by even more. This was how I expected it to be today but judging by the water temps, wasn’t surprised. We now had 52 degrees and they were on fire. In the last couple of hours we had landed all kinds of fish and missed many more. What had started slow, ended with a bang as we packed up to be on our way. The weather was sunny all day with a slight breeze from the south and a high of 80 plus degrees. Who could have asked for more. Overall a very successful day for our first nichin’ trip of the year!!!