This was the third & final day of the trip for John & Gerry and I wanted it to be their best. We hooked up around the same time and were on the water shortly after, looking for those angry fish. Overcast skies plagued us once again as they made their first casts. Winds were a little lighter today but from the same hateful NE direction and air temps were in the 60’s. I had them throw jigs to start, instead of the usual blades as I felt they were not the preferred choice this morning. Apparently, I was right as both were locked up within their first few casts! This was to go on for quite a while with some fish being landed and others lost on the jumps. When things slowed to just a crawl, I headed out and hit a different location further away. Gerry was on fire this morning and every time I looked over, his rod was bent! Although they weren’t all bass, he was getting fish. At one point he locked up three casts in a row and landed a bass and two sturgeon. He added another sturgeon a little later and John also landed his first. These fish are definitely all over the lake this year as I don’t think I’ve had a single day this season, without one. We hung in for a while longer as the bass weren’t finished eating jigs yet! Just when I thought it was all over, John hooked into a nice walleye that was having a bad day. It fell into the slot and was going to be on the menu as an appetizer this evening. Off we went again and they kept picking at the bass for the remainder of the day. Although there weren’t any real giants landed today, there were still plenty of threes and fours coming aboard. I don’t want to even estimate how many fish were hooked in the time they were here but it was lots! I jumped to several other smaller areas looking for quick bites before pulling the plug on this trip and calling it a day. We had endured three consecutive days of not so perfect weather, to say the least and they came out on top. Fall smallies were on the menu and they dined first class! I just hope they weren’t too spoiled while here and able to adjust to their pressured waters back home. It was definitely a three day trip well worth the distance travelled!!

The second morning looked like a carbon copy of the first as I rolled out to meet John & Gerry at the hotel. We were going to have similar conditions for at least part of the day and I hoped to see a little sunshine by afternoon. The winds had diminished slightly but were still blowing from the wrong direction and N/E at 10 to 15 was what we had. I decided to head to the same area that had given up quality bites the day before and wasn’t disappointed. Almost immediately, John had four shots at smallies in as many casts. Unfortunately only one of them was an honest hit and the other three were pushes. By throwing a spinnerbait at them we were able to get a feel for what they were doing and I made a decision to switch up lures instantly. When bass start pushing the baits like they did it’s usually an indication that they don’t want the blades at all. By adjusting to tubes they were now hooking some good bass and the game was on! In a couple of hours they had many chances as both of them received numerous hits. Although they only landed about 50%, they were still elated with the size & strength of these bronzebacks. When the hits stopped coming, we made a shift to another area a little further up the lake. It was here that I realized that not all the fish were in deep water and a shallow bite was in play. As with before though, I had them tossing jigs and crawling the baits ever so slowly. Although most of the bass were a little smaller, there were still some in the 3 to 4 pound range mixed in. Gerry even managed to hook into his very first sturgeon ever and landed it soon after. Being from the south, he was accustomed to fishing huge channel cats and this prehistoric beast fought just like one of them. Eventually the sun did show and we were able to see just what we were throwing at, making every cast directly at specific targets. Many more fish were hooked and most of them were actually landed bringing the numbers way up, unlike the day before. Even a couple more sturgeon were hooked into but unfortunately not landed. I think they were being foul hooked just by the way they reacted! It was definitely nice to see the sunshine and clothing was being shed for the first time in a long while. I had found some fish in water as shallow as one foot, but the larger ones were still in 4 to 8 feet along rocks & weeds. Even as shallow as they were, we still couldn’t manage to get bit on anything other than the tubes. I tried spinnerbaits and jerkbaits several times and never moved a thing. Since the introduction of Goby Minnows, the bottom bite has been the ticket to getting bigger and more bites! I had one other area I wanted to try before we headed off the water and made a long run to see if the fish were active and on, over there. Somewhere along the way, we lost the sunshine and were back in the clouds once again making visibility a thing of the past. Fortunately, the fish didn’t seem to mind and I was able to put them on more acrobatic smallies, once again. We fished the area for about an hour or so and then called it a day. This was a little more comfortable fishing day than the previous one and similar results had been made. Overall it was a great one and they can’t wait to get back out again tomorrow!!

John & Gerry were in for a few days of fishing and I was looking forward to having them beat on giant smallies. We met up shortly after 7:30 and headed to the lake in anticipation of what was ahead. Contrary to yesterday’s late sunshine arrival, today we had overcast skies and rain was eminent. The winds were blowing pretty good from the NE and we had 2 to 3 footers from the wrong direction. Air temps were in the 60’s and the water temps were almost 70 degrees where we began. I knew today’s conditions were going to be tough but figured they were up to the challenge. We headed straight to an area that held fish and hoped for the best. Both guys were throwing spinnerbaits, searching for their first encounter with the smallie. I warned them that they better be ready as we neared the sweet spot. Almost on cue, John got crushed and was barely able to react with the hook set. First smallie gone! The next cast he was ready and hammered the hooks to an arm jolting strike, only to lose the fish as she took to the air. Plenty more disappointment to follow on this miserable day! Eventually he did manage to hang onto one and got the skunk officially off of his back. All the while, Gerry was getting into them as well and put a few of his own in the boat for some quick pics. I let them play with the aggressive ones for a little while and then switched them up to a slower presentation with tubes. It wasn’t easy to feel the pickups in this strong wind but they managed to get plenty of bites nonetheless. Unfortunately, they had more disappointing results with fish throwing the jigs again. Just when we thought it couldn’t get any worse, it began to rain and we could barely see a thing. Now more than ever they were forced to react by feel and remarkably fended better than before. I think they were onto something as most fish were now being boated. Retention time was the ticket and by holding out on the hookset, they were able to bump up the numbers. Several of the larger fish were caught and made for some great shots despite the dull, low light day. At one point there was talk of flashlights as it got even darker! Eventually the rain let up and the light grew, allowing us to regain our bearings and get back on the fish once again. When the fish finally slowed down to a crawl, I pulled the plug & headed to another area of the lake. The waves were really a pain to run in and the further we went, the more they grew. When I finally arrived, I realized quickly that it was a mistake. We were faced with 3 to 4 footers and being blown up current. I had to literally hold the bow into the wind just to allow them to cast the area holding the fish. After 3 or 4 smaller bass by John, I decided to run again. This time I was going to try and eliminate the wind completely by trying some shallower shoreline. Although I really didn’t have much confidence, we needed a break. It was here that we spent the remainder of the day and fished comfortably, for a change! Plenty of bass in the 2 to 3 pound range were hooked in the last few hours of the day before we called it and headed back to the ramp. To say the run was rough would be putting it mildly. Thank god we were in the Ranger! Despite the hell we had today, these guys came through with flying colors. Let’s hope for better days ahead!!

Hassan & his father in law Christopher joined me once again this morning on what looked to be an ominous day with strange weather. We managed to get in the water just after 8:00 and were into fish almost immediately. The skies were showing signs of threatening storms brewing and I knew it was just a matter of time. Winds were out of the NE and light when we started. Water temps were above 73 degrees and the air was even warmer. Although the humidity was present, it felt really damp and extra clothing had to be worn in order to stay comfortable. The first fish of the day turned out to be a sturgeon as it attacked the slowly dragged tube and took to the air. I could see the bait hanging from its fat lips and too much pressure caused it to tear out when she went to the air. Several bass were taken afterwards and one walleye before thunder was heard in the distance. Once the lightening appeared, it was a mad dash back to the ramp and the shelter of our vehicles. Clouds were moving in two different directions and I had déjà vu from a previous trip. It didn’t take long before the skies let loose and the storm was upon us in full force. We had to stay in the trucks for over a half hour before it was safe enough to get back on the water. I wasn’t sure what if any impact this had on the fish but went right back to where we began, just to see. Apparently, it had none as Hassan locked up almost immediately. The winds were now blowing from the SW and with the aid of the current, allowed us to present the baits perfectly. With the aid of a drift, the jigs were remaining in the fish’s strike zone longer and they were eating them pretty good. A bunch more bass were taken along with another decent walleye before we switched to another area a little further up the lake. I knew we could have had more success by staying but needed a change of scenery. Once again, the drift & drag allowed us to cover water effectively and a couple of fish were taken quickly. I slid out a little deeper to see if we could improve on the size and it was here that Hassan locked up on a bruiser. We never got to see the fish and based on the bent rod, it was big! Somehow the jig just pulled out and he was left in disappointment. He shook it off and got right back in the game and minutes later was battling another big fish that also ended badly. Way back in the distance we all saw the monster bass take to the air and the tube jig sail back to the boat. Judging by its mass, I estimated her to be in the five pound range. Shortly after we called it a day and headed back to the ramp somewhat satisfied with the results of the day. It could have been worse if we weren’t able to return to the lake this morning but Mother Nature cut us some slack. All in all a pretty good day!!

Will & Kristin met up with me once again this morning and we hit the water shortly after 7:30. The previous weather forecast called for rain showers and cloudy skies but we were in sunshine and beautiful conditions. Air temps were already in the mid 70’s and it had the makings of another great day! I began in an area looking for a few more walleye to take home and was surprised to come up empty. We all had several hits and a few hooked up but nothing came to the boat. A quick change had us concentrating on bass afterwards and it didn’t take long before Kristin had her first fish on the line. l came back soon after with a few of his own and it was on! We caught fish in every area we stopped and although it wasn’t fast & furious, it was still great. The sunshine and lack of wind made fishing enjoyable, even with all the boat traffic. The morning fishing was good but not what I expected so by afternoon I was looking for another area in hopes of bigger and more smallies. I found such a spot after lunch and the action began. We had several doubles and plenty of bass were coming aboard now, along with a few walleye. We had wanted a couple for an appetizer and we had them! I could tell that Kristin was starting to feel the lack of sleep catch up to her and decided to spend the last hour or so trolling. This would enable her to relax more and I was sure we would get into several fish as well. As luck would have it, the first reel to fire had a feisty smallie attached and she was back to fighting another bass. A nice fish of almost 4 pounds was landed but it wasn’t the largest of the day. She had managed to top 4 earlier and several close to that size as well. Will grabbed the next reel to scream and he was into a big fish by the looks of it. I expected him to have an over slot walleye by the way it was fighting but soon realized that it was a northern of almost 8 pounds. Strangely enough, it stayed down through the battle and acted like a walleye the entire fight. He was happy to have added another species of fish to this trip and after a few pics, we released it back to the lake. I reset the lines and in the next 15 minutes of trolling, had just a couple of drive byes to show for our efforts. It was now getting on and somewhere around 4:30, we pulled the plug and headed back to the dock for the day. They had expected to be fishing in the rain on this trip but instead, had a day and a half of absolutely beautiful weather. Plenty of fish were caught including a first the previous day and all was good. They still had another day in the city but would remember these last couple the most. Walleye, bass, sturgeon and even a northern had satiated Will & Kristin enough to hold them over until their next outing back home. Overall a surprisingly great couple of days despite the expected weather forecast!!