Spent the last couple of days fishing with the longest standing clients I have! The weather was a bit of an issue on the first day, after cancelling clients the day before. The winds have been insane lately and blowing mostly from the N/E, causing the lake to loo look more like an ocean. We decided to take a road trip, seeking waters that were actually fishable. Jim and Marie managed a bunch of fish here, but nothing big. They had to work for every fish they caught. Winds were pretty bad there too, but at least the waves were fishable. Add to this misery an almost all-day rain and it was picture perfect! Day two was so much better, as the winds layed down almost completely! We were able to fish everywhere I wanted and they managed to catch plenty more fish. Bass and walleye were landed throughout the day and I even got to take a couple of eyes home for dinner. Our last spot probably produced the best fish, with most of the photos taken here. By the time we were ready to roll, the lake was an absolute mirror and the dog pecker knats were out in full force. Hopefully this is a sign of what’s to come! As usual Jim and Marie were subject to some nasty weather but managed to work through and make the best of another great fishing trip. With any luck, next season will be a bit better, but knowing their track record, I doubt it. At least we didn’t have a tornado or monsoon this time around!!

Joel and his wife Amanda were with me for a half day of fishing this morning. We were scheduled to fish from about 10:00 till 2:00 pm. He had requested sturgeon and I was hoping for the best. The early morning bite had been better lately, but we were starting later than usual. All we could do was try!

The winds were still out of the NE, but lighter than usual, allowing me to hold somewhat better. It did take longer than usual to get the first bite, but it finally happened! Too bad it turned out to be an eel! Joel was still happy with this snake though, as he had never seen one before and added it to his list of fish species landed. I quickly unhooked this thing and resumed our quest for the sturgeon.

The bites weren’t happening too fast but eventually we did get the right one. This turned out to be a sturgeon, but it wasn’t big. Joel still enjoyed doing battle with the fish and couldn’t believe how strong it was for its size. Another one ticked off the list!

We stayed in the area for quite a while and eventually got the bite I wanted to see. Although quite light, it was definitely a good one this time. Joel battled this fish for about 5 minutes before I was able to get it in the net, for him to admire. Several pics later, it was returned to fight another day.

In the remainder of the time spent searching for another bite, I was able to hook Amanda up with one more. She too felt the power of these fish as she fought one of her own. This fish was somewhat larger, but didn’t fight as much as the previous one. I was soon able to slide the net under her fish and take several pics before the release.

Today was a successful outing, having landed 3 sturgeon in the short time that we were out. Both Joel and Amanda were able to do battle with the biggest things that swim these waters and happy to have caught a bucket list fish. The eel was just a bonus, in Joel’s eyes! I was just happy to see smaller waves, despite being another day in these hateful NE winds!!

Andre and Gerard were with me today and yes it was another windy day! The big NE blow has been with me for over a week and just won’t go away. It definitely makes fishing a challenge! Instead of making a drift for walleye, I had to slowly go against the current, amongst all the floating weeds. Their die off at this time of year usually goes downstream with the current, but opposing winds are stalling their movement. Just a pain in the butt!

We stuck with the reverse drift for several hours this morning and managed a few walleye, perch, bass and one large northern pike. I eventually made a long run to another location, in hopes of less wind. Apparently, it was the right choice as the waves were considerably smaller and we were able to fish effectively. They casted a dropshot rig over a flat and managed several good smallies. We also tried for sturgeon and had one big bite, landing a nice fish in the process.

I had made another move to an open water spot, but soon found out that it was next to impossible to fish. Our next spot saw a few smallies and one more walleye landed before we pulled the plug here too! Any open water area with current was difficult to fish today as the winds were opposing the flow, creating big waves. I decided to try one last place in hopes of a few more fish before we would be done.

I saw that the waves had subsided some where we had begun and decided to stop and try drifting for the last 30 minutes of the day. I would still have to use the electric motor to pull the boat downstream, but it was doable. Gerard soon proved that with a nice 22-inch walleye and a few pics were taken before their reluctant release. Rules are rules! Soon after he managed another one and this time it made the cut and entered the livewell with the others. Andre also hooked into one as well and their limit was complete. We fished a little longer but never caught anything else, before we called it for the day. Today was quite a challenge, as usual, but we made it work! I covered plenty of water to get the job done and had to bypass lots of good areas, due to the terrible conditions. Regardless, they were taking fish home for dinner and had a great time as usual, catching many other fish. I’m just hoping that this NE wind finally blows itself out and we can get back to normal. There’s still plenty of good fishing left in the season before I store the boat and I want to be out every day that I can. It was definitely a tough, but rewarding outing!!

After a cancellation last Friday, Jiang was finally able to get out with me today. He was in from Shanghai and wanting to catch something big. We were heading to fish for sturgeon and anything else that happened to bite our lines!

Setting up in a NE wind again was getting really old. It definitely wasn’t easy trying to see the bites with the rods in the holders. Eventually, after a few missed strikes, I decided that holding them was the only way to go. This proved to be the right choice as many fish were caught afterwards. Both sturgeon and drum came aboard, along with a few bass as well.

We spent the day on only two places and they were equally as good. A few more sturgeon and bass were also caught in the second area and one really big beast was lost due to an insufficient sized net. I won’t be making that mistake again!

Overall, it was another great outing, even with the crazy NE winds. I don’t think Mother Nature knew what to do! The gusting wind had the boat moving all over, making it next to impossible for the rod holders. In the end, we managed to make it work and made the best of a difficult situation. Just another day in paradise!

Yvan was back with me today and we headed right to an area in the open water. I thought I’d try for walleye before the winds kicked up too big, again! We stayed for almost an hour with only a few fish to show for our efforts, despite seeing all kinds on the sonar. They just didn’t want to eat! I soon decided to pull the plug and try to fish for sturgeon instead.

We weren’t settled in for too long before things started to happen. Yvan did battle with a nice big one soon after arriving and I knew it would only get better. In the next few hours, we had all kinds of fish. Sturgeon, catfish, drum, eel, and bass were all landed. Not wanting to remain here all day, I decided to try another deep-water area in hopes of some good smallies. Apparently, it was the right move as we managed to land all kinds of fish in the remaining time. Most of the bass were quality ones too!

Today was a mix of weather and winds with cloud, rain and sunshine throughout the day. Couple that with a swirling wind from just about every direction at times and you have an example of what we endured. Despite all of this, we still managed to have a great day of fishing!!