Darren, Mark & Dave joined me today for their annual fall smallie fishing trip. This would be their third or fourth year in a row and the competition was on. After several detours for various reasons, we finally hit the water somewhere around 10:00 A.M. The weather would be the biggest problem on this day as high winds and rain would plague us throughout. Boat control would be difficult at best and I was prepared. With an on & off rain and ominous storm clouds all around, a 25 to 40 knot wind would just be perfect! Despite the rock & roll run to our starting location, we arrived virtually dry. Dave wasted no time connecting with the first three fish before either of the others even had a bite. By covering a rock & weed flat with search baits, I was able to determine what the fish were doing. I soon switched everyone to the same bait and the game was on! Now the competition was in full as both Darren & his brother Mark joined in. Although we were in pretty good waves, they still managed to hook up on a regular basis and the numbers were climbing. Ironically, most of these smallies were in the 2 to 3 pound range and I just kept covering water looking for the giants. The weather was a roller coaster as it was jumping back & forth from intermittent rainfalls. Every time Darren would take his jacket off, it would soon start again! There was even talk of breaking the zipper so that he would have to leave it on! At one point in the day it even seemed like the wind died completely, but that was really short lived. I think it was just a pause before the really heavy stuff began! I could see the rain and waves in the distance generating and I knew we were going to get crushed. When it finally arrived, it did with a vengeance and the fishing just died. We went from one foot waves to almost three foot seas and the rain seemed like it was coming at us, sideways. This lasted for almost an hour and the air temps dropped too, adding a little more hate to this day. When the rain finally stopped, the sun came out and it felt like Florida. Too bad the winds didn’t disappear, but at least the fish were feeding once again. Throughout all this hell, Mark never skipped a beat as he just kept casting in all directions. He was rewarded several times as he managed to land a few more decent sized smallies. Eventually, Darren & Dave thawed out and also started catching a few more of their own. The bet today was for the biggest and the most and by days end, nobody could figure it out. I think it was the brothers that came out on top with Mark landing the largest and Darren the numbers. All I know is that the last hour of the day was the most pleasant. The arrival of the sun definitely was a welcomed blessing after all the pain & suffering we had endured throughout this day. I hope tomorrow brings less misery as it’s round two of the competition once again. With a little help from “Mother Nature”, we might just have a more enjoyable day on the water!!

Mark was in from Arizona and looking forward to catching his first smallmouth bass today. We met at the ramp by 7:30 and were on our way soon after. As with yesterday’s weather, today was a carbon copy with high sun and intense winds. They were once again blowing 10 to 20 from the SW with stronger gusts at times. Water temps fell slightly due to the overnight lows when we hit our first location. I had him throwing a spinnerbait to try and find some active fish but after 10 minutes, switched him up to a jig. Nothing seemed to be moving and we needed to slow down. He was having a difficult time with the head winds and missed the first few strikes before he finally connected with a good one. Unfortunately, slack line and a jump had this one long line released! After struggling to get only a few more pick ups, I decided to see what was going on and also made several casts. They were just mouthing the jigs and I missed several myself before adjusting once again. This time I switched him up to a jerkbait and instructed him with a demonstration cast and was instantly crushed. Apparently, they wanted this bait as he too had several shots at fish afterwards. After catching a few of the smaller ones up to 3 pounds he finally landed a real nice one over 4 pounds that was photo worthy. Having caught mostly smaller largemouth before, he was amazed at how strong these smallies actually were. Although he did have plenty of shots at fish in this first area, the winds kept him from landing most of them. I decided to pull out of here and hit another section of the lake when things slowed down. We were pressed for time seeing as how it was to be only a half day outing and I wanted to get the most out of this day. I wasn’t sure what to expect but as we neared the area we were to fish, I realized that we were fully exposed to the wind and this was going to be a challenge for the boat control. I actually had to get well above the area and have him throw from the back of the boat just so he could stay on the spot. It wasn’t the best presentation, but it was the best choice in these winds. Mark managed to get into 3 or 4 fish in the short time there and almost all of them came to the net. This too was a challenge as every time we landed one, it seemed like we were a hundred feet from where we wanted to be. I had to motor back up and reposition each & every time. Eventually, I decided that this was too much trouble and shifted over to another area less windy. Here too we were faced with light hits from the bass and only had a few shots without success. Another move had identical results once again and I was beginning to wonder what was going on. The onset of the full moon may have played a big part in their negative attitude with night time feeding going on. One more attempt at relocating had identical results and we called it a day. It was close to 1:00 and we were done! Although the fishing wasn’t what I had expected, Mark still had a great time and caught more fish than he’s use to back home. Bigger & better is always a good thing! Tough fishing but a great day to be on the lake!!

I had a full boat today with Patrick, Chris and John all looking for a great day on the lake. Unfortunately, everybody else was out there too! With this unbelievable heat wave we’ve been experiencing, everyone with a boat was on the water. The air temps reached into the 70’s once again and the water temps actually went up to 62.5 degrees. High sunshine and a SW wind of 10 to 20 knots were also present as we headed to the first area to fish. We spent a few hours trolling, looking for that Holy Grail. Without any success, we pulled the plug on this and immediately headed to an area in search of smallies. Within the first few casts everyone was hooked up and now they were finally catching fish. Cranks and jigs were responsible for all the action and someone always seemed to be locked up. For several more hours we jumped to different sections of the lake, all the while catching almost immediately after we arrived. Although there weren’t any real giants landed today, there were still plenty of three to four pounders brought to the net. With holiday commitments scheduled, they called the day early. By 4:00 they were on the way to their destinations and I was headed home too. It wasn’t a fast & furious day like I am use too but given the time allotted for bass, they fended very well. It was still a great day for fishing!!

I had the pleasure of fishing with someone today that would put most clients to shame. Rahe brought his son Enzo along and I knew it was going to be a great day. Anytime I have a kid on the boat, things are always great! Today was going to be no different as Rahe informed me that he always comes in second when fishing with his son. We met at the dock by 7:30 and were fishing within minutes. Smallies were what they wanted and smallies were what they were going to catch. With flat calm conditions upon us and a cool morning as well, I knew we would be crushing them today. Water temps were slightly above 61 degrees and the high today was going to reach the upper 70’s. Not much of a fall so far! First up was Enzo on the spinnerbait and it might have even been on his first cast. Although both Rahe & Enzo fish plenty, it’s always limited as they fish from the shore. Today was going to be a real treat with all the open water places I would bring them to. I believe that his son had chances at about 5 or 6 fish before Rahe finally connected with one of his own. By throwing the spinnerbaits, they were finding fish and getting hammered in the process. There’s no mistaking the hit from a smallie on a spinnerbait. It’s about as subtle as a brick upside the head! Now that they had both broken the ice, I figured that I would change up presentations and have them throw some jigs for the non aggressive ones. Apparently it worked as they locked up almost immediately and the numbers were soaring. Rahe was still behind and as luck would have it, that never changed. This little guy was like a machine! I refined some of his techniques and like a sponge; he absorbed all the information immediately. He was so focused on what was going on that the fish never really had a chance. I don’t remember exactly how many fish were landed on our first stop, but it was a lot. After most of them had either been caught or stuck, the balance became nervous and just wouldn’t eat. Along with the flat calm conditions and crystal clear water came the lethargic bass and it was time to relocate. I decided to try another area with some current as dead water never works out well when fishing smallies here. A quick run to another section of the lake had Enzo locked up on his first cast once again. It didn’t seem to matter where we were, he just caught them everywhere! I had them stay with the tube jigs for the remainder of the day, all the while catching some great smallies. As with each & every move, Enzo was right on the money, hooking up immediately after arrival. I even tried a few areas that hadn’t been producing well all year and they managed to hook more than the year combined. It was just one of those days when everything came together and both Rahe & his son Enzo caught fish all day long. Smallies from two to over 4 pounds were caught all day long and even a couple of walleye at the very end. All I can say is that despite his attempts to come back, Rahe still took a back seat to Enzo today. Final count; Enzo 37 & Rahe 31! Definitely not a bad day to be on the lake!!

Lonnie had been trying to hook up with me for a while now and today was the day it would happen. He needed some pics for a magazine and I knew just the place. We met around 8:00 and discussed our game plan. He was hoping for something over 5 pounds and would be thrilled to have some shots of fish over 6, if it was possible. I told him about yesterday’s outing the night before and I don’t think he slept a wink. Talk about a kid in a candy shop! I decided to go straight to the sweet spot and we ran there in flat calm conditions. The morning air was a cold one with temps around 40 but it would soon give way to the 70’s, a little later in the day. Bluebird skies were upon us and I knew it would be a tough sell on these bass. We would actually be doing more hunting than fishing as everything would have to be just perfect in order to get the giants to eat. It began a little slow with mist rising from the water as we tossed jigs along a current break. Although we did catch a few smaller ones, they weren’t what I was after. Once the sun came up a little higher and the mist burned off, I knew we would do better. I switched up baits for Lonnie and he hooked up on the very first cast. When it took to the air, we both saw how big she was and couldn’t wait to get her in the net. It was a little nerve racking at the time but eventually I scooped the fish up and brought her into the boat. I figured it would go over 5 pounds but Lonnie needed an exact weight, so out came the scale. This thing was to top out at 5.48 pounds and the pressure was off! He had exactly what he wanted and although it was a big fish, I wanted more. More, more, more & bigger, bigger, bigger! That’s my motto when it comes to trophy smallies and I wasn’t about to let up. I had him get right back in the game and he just kept hammering them for a while. Fish from 3 to over 4 pounds just kept hitting and he just kept catching. Although we moved around plenty, we just couldn’t get the real giant I was looking for. I wanted a 6 and wouldn’t be satisfied until it happened! Several hours later in another location, Lonnie set into a beast. When she went to the air, his heart just about stopped. I had visions of 7 pounds and actually thought she might be one. What seemed like eternity finally came to an end when I got a shot at the monster and took it. She was officially in the net and he could breathe again. The scale was the next step and we pulled both of them out. I wanted an accurate account of its size and weighed her on both. Lonnie’s went 5.95 pounds and mine registered 6.05. Close enough to make an average that would be 6 pounds. I know for a fact that my scale weighs light from all the tournaments I have fished and believed this one could have weighed even more. Bottom line either way was that she was at least six pounds and now Lonnie definitely had the shot he was looking for. Afterwards, he regained his composure & went back to casting again, looking for another giant smallie. He may not have gotten any more big ones for the remainder of the day but he was absolutely thrilled with the earlier results. He had caught a couple of real big fish and several other quality ones as well in the 5 or so hours of fishing. I may have stayed out longer and gone to other areas had it not been for the spectacular, early day bite. It’s always a lot easier to relax when the pressure is off and it disappeared early enough to capture a second fish even bigger. He had accomplished what he had set out to do and did it in style. I decided to call it a day and he agreed. Back we went to the ramp with a sense of relief, knowing that this day would be one etched in our minds for quite a while. At least until the next outing when we will both be looking for that elusive 7 pounder of course!!