November 1st 2018

A last minute outing had Darren & I fishing locally for bass & walleye. We were doing a half day and meeting around 10:00. Flat calm conditions greeted us for the ride as we headed across the lake to fish.

I had hoped to be the only one in the area but with weather like this, wasn’t surprised to see other boats out. It wasn’t raining and the lake was a mirror causing many others to take advantage of the tiny window we had been having lately.

We began by slow trolling an area that had been producing, but weren’t fortunate enough to have any hits. After almost an hour of washing lures, I moved slightly shallower and immediately got into a few smallies. They weren’t walleye but they were good fish!

I kept searching for gold and eventually Darren locked up on a nice one in the same area. As soon s he released the over, two other boats started to get closer. They eventually were trolling so close that I just pulled the plug and left the spot all together. I can’t believe this shit is still happening!

We made a long run and settled on a deep rock pile that should have produced more. My first cast had me locked up with a nice smallie on a drop shot and I thought we were going to just hammer them. Darren’s first cast in the same area did exactly the same, but unfortunately his fish came off soon after. It seemed like they were here but that was all she wrote! We tried for about 30 minutes longer without even another bite. Time to relocate once again!

I hadn’t moved far but was searching the area, looking for bait and fish. With water temps still around 47 degrees, there wasn’t much. Eventually I came across an old waypoint that had held fish in the past and we made a few casts to it. Almost immediately I was locked up on a walleye and it turned out to be nice keeper too. Once again though, we never saw another fish and decided to move!

I ran back to the area I had left because of the other two boats and was marking some good fish. It wasn’t long before we were into another really nice smallie from this flat. If I could have remained here earlier I know that we would have done very well. Too bad we had to leave so as not to educate the other two boats!

After making a few passes, I decided to try drop shotting the same place and hooked another walleye on the third cast. These fish were here but not really biting well in the flat calm conditions we had. We covered a good amount of water afterwards but never really had another bite. I thought we would try one last troll and managed another smallie before just pulling out all together. We would attempt to hit one last open water weed flat to see if anything was there.

When I arrived I kind of knew what we were going to see but idled over the area regardless. It was pretty bare with only small amounts of vegetation remaining and not much sign of life. Flat water always does this and I wasn’t surprised to see it looking like a ghost town! We tried regardless but not for more than about 5 minutes before we were done.

Although we did manage to boat some nice fish, the flat calm conditions weren’t really helpful. One day earlier I would have been happy to see this as I could have fished sturgeon. Today, not so much! Despite everything, it still was great to be able to get out on the water without a hurricane or monsoon. Lately that’s all I have seen and some days, both at the same time! I know the weather will be back to its old tricks again tomorrow and I will have both wind and rain to enjoy. I guess I should just be grateful for having at least one day without being tortured. I know there will be plenty more not so pleasant ones ahead in the remaining weeks to come!!

October 31st 2018

Last day of October and a scheduled day with Dan to fish for sturgeon. Unfortunately “Mother Nature” Has a way of getting in the final word and today she did just that. All day rain wouldn’t have been a problem but the 25 knot winds predicted would be an issue for anchoring. We opted for plan B and headed elsewhere for smallies instead!

We hit the water about 8:30 just as it started raining and I knew we were in for a real treat. Neither of us cared about the wet weather, as long as the fish cooperated!

I arrived on the first spot and it didn’t take Dan long to hook a good bass on a jig. It also didn’t take him long to hook his second and third fish too! Feeling rather confident, he missed the next two and then it began! I switched up and immediately started landing fish as well. In fact I boated 5 in a row and let the games begin! It didn’t really matter as today was a fun day of fishing for both of us and we were just hoping to catch as many big fish as we could.

After covering plenty of water with these baits, I moved out a little deeper and decided to try some drop shotting. Almost immediately I was locked up again and this time it was a really big one. Several casts later I had another one and it was almost as big! Dan immediately switched up and was now tossing the same rig, hoping for another fish. Unfortunately he wasn’t as fortunate and went several hours without even a bite! Despite changing several times to different baits, all he could do was watch me catching. I didn’t kill em but did manage to hook many more each time we moved spots! I was locked on one style of soft plastic and the fish were too! Despite trying to get Dan to change, he kept switching to various other baits without any luck. Eventually he just cracked and gave in!

After several hours without a bite, his first cast had him finally hooked up! Not only was he into a good bass but it turned out to be one of the biggest of the day and his personal best. I was just glad that he was back in the game and had a real good one in the net. Once weighed, we realized that it was definitely bigger than his previous best and worthy of several pics.

We resumed fishing afterwards and continued catching more bass on drop shot rigs. Although none were as big as Dan’s last one, there were several pretty close. I even managed to bring a nice walleye into the boat in the last few minutes we fished. Shortly after 3:30 we both had enough with the all day rain and just packed it in.

Although the weather could have been better, we were still glad to have been on the water. The fishing wasn’t fast & furious but the bites we did have were good ones. One fish in particular really made the day for Dan! He had hoped to catch a bigger one today and that he did! Overall, we wouldn’t have changed it for anything!!

October 29th 2018

First day with no wind in a while and I headed to fish sturgeon with Michael & his two sons, Shawn & Brandon. They had fished plenty, but never for these beasts. I was sure we would get them today!

After idling around for a while, I finally settled on an area that showed some signs of life. With the anchor easily in place, the rods were rigged and the wait began. Unfortunately we were in a weed drifting area and after 15 minutes were forced to move to another spot. It was next to impossible to keep the lines clean!

Our second stop looked promising and weed free enough to produce fish. I don’t think we were here for 5 minutes before I set into some weight. Brandon was up first but needed a little help from his brother to hold the rod. This fish was heavy and it was a struggle for him to fight the fish! It surely didn’t feel like any bass they had ever hooked into before! This was the real deal and I was glad they were experiencing it firsthand today!

After close to ten minutes the combined pair finally brought the fish to net and everyone was in awe at its size. It was definitely bigger than anything they had ever caught Brandon had reeled in a fish about half his size in body weight, with a little help from his bro of course! We shot a bunch of pics quickly before the release and reset the lines looking for more.

Shawn was up next and a short while later I loaded the rod again. Now it was his turn to feel the power of the beast! This fish took plenty of line, several times! Although it never jumped, the fight was still great. This fish was powerful and the runs were amazing. After 5 minutes or so he finally brought it to net and the battle was over. The first part anyway as now he had to hold it for the pics! Moments later it was returned unharmed and she swam off perfectly.

We reset all the lines again and now it was their father’s turn next. I really wanted everyone to feel the power of these fish and hoped for another bite. As luck would have it in these conditions, it wasn’t a problem. We may have waited longer than I had hoped but we eventually got bit. Michael was now tight to one of his own and loving it. His fish even gave us a great jump close to the boat and although not as big as the previous two, still a good fish. He brought it to net in a little under 5 minutes and we shot several more pics. Now they had all landed one, but I still wanted more!

After remaining in one area for a while with nothing to show for our efforts but drive byes and one carp, I made another move. We reset the lines in a new section, awaiting another bite. The winds had started to pick up around 1:30 and now it wasn’t as easy to see the bites. We did manage to see one however and I reared back on more weight. Shawn got the rod as his brother was the one who landed the carp earlier. This fish acted small in the beginning but soon grew! As it neared the boat it became much heavier and at one point went around the anchor line. I literally had to pass the rod under the rope and it wasn’t easy! The fish had done a 180 and was 100 feet behind the boat as well. We were lucky to still have it on! At one point it went ballistic, rolling and twisting under the water and the line popped. Although it still remained hooked, it felt more like dead weight now. I knew that his fish had rolled in the line, tying itself up in a knot. He was now fighting the weight of the fish and the current at the same time. He was actually pulling it backwards! In fact when I finally netted the beast, it had been re hooked in the body. That must have happened when the line popped during the crazy rolls earlier! He was lucky to have landed it under these circumstances! We quickly shot several pics and returned her to where she belonged.

Time was getting on now and the winds were creating two footers where we were, making it impossible to see the bites. I instructed them on how to hold the rods and minutes later I felt a bite. This time when I set into the fish, I passed the rod to Brandon hoping that he would land his last fish of the day. I also hoped that the fight would warm him up as he had been cold for most of the day. The misty rain and now windy conditions didn’t help but the battle might! His brother helped him less this time and he eventually had the fish to the boat. Unfortunately it sounded and ran out at least 50 feet of line, extending his time on the rod. He was definitely warming up now and minutes later, glad it was finally in the net. We had also drifted considerably while he was fighting the fish and the anchor wasn’t holding anymore. Unanimously they decided to end on a high. We packed everything up after the pics and returned to the ramp.

Today couldn’t have worked out any better with everyone landing their first sturgeon ever. We could have switched up anytime to bass & walleye but they chose to remain with a fish that they may never target again. In the end it was definitely a good choice with 5 good fish being caught. They also saw the largest fish that swim in the St. Lawrence & caught the biggest fish of their lives in the process. We had ended on a high before the winds picked up too bad and exited the lake just in time. This was a perfect ending to a great day on the water and nobody got hurt. It was a win, win all around!!

October 27th 2018

Ed & Dan booked today for sturgeon, a couple of months back, but it wasn’t looking good. The winds were out of the NE, supposedly and they were giant! To make matters even worse, they were wrong again! These winds were straight east and three to four footers were on the lake. It was just ugly out there! Add to that a below freezing temperature and most would have bailed. We on the other hand, were heading out regardless. We might not be able to anchor up for the beasts but we were going fishing!

The run across the lake was just insane with the wind and I had to really pay attention to the waves. Fortunately the Ranger made it without spearing any of the rollers, but sturgeon was definitely out. There was no way we were going to be able to hold in these conditions. Plan B was our only choice! We were going to try trolling for bass & walleye!

Dan didn’t take long to hook up and we soon had the first keeper eye in the livewell. Hopefully there would be more! Ed was next to hook up but his was over the slot and only worth a quick pic. They were even having a hard time standing, while trolling in the roller coaster like waves! I had picked an area that should have been protected in a NE, but we weren’t. Straight east it was! Dumbass weathermen!

We had fished one particular area for a while now and they had caught several fish, including another keeper eye. I decided to try a little shallower and instantly they were doubled. Two big smallies were what they were into and it looked like the fish were surfing when they fought them to the boat. A few shots later we were making the same pass and instantly Dan was locked up again! This one small area had a good number of fish by the looks of it and I planned on catching every one we could! For the next half dozen or so passes, someone was always hooked up. When it slowed down, I went back to the first spot and we battled more hell like conditions again.

Sometime around mid day they started getting into more fish, or at least Ed did! It took me three or four fish to realize that he had the color of lure the fish wanted more. Dan had watched his uncle land a bunch of walleye & bass without even getting a strike. As soon as Ed switched rods with Dan, he was tight to a fish of his own. I immediately changed the non catching lure to the same one that was producing. From this point on, they were both into fish. Although not fast and furious, we had to work hard for each and every bite. By trolling a break line carefully, I took advantage of the, sort of active fish in the area. As much as I would have liked to stop and have them drop shot, it wasn’t in the cards. There was no way we would have been able to hold our position, even with the electric motor in anchor mode. Trolling was all we could do!

I jumped back & forth from one shallow area to the deeper water close by and grinded out a few bites here & there. We were all surprised that we had lasted as long as we had with the afternoon winds predicted to get worse. We were still fishing and that was a good thing! In fact, the next fish made it even more worthwhile when Ed stuck what we thought was a good walleye. As it turned out, it was a good lunge instead! After a lengthy battle, I slid the beast into the musky net that I had brought for sturgeon. It was really nice to have a big net for this fish. It definitely made it a whole lot easier to land!

After the pics and release, we resumed fishing for about another hour or so managing a few more fish. They had a limit of walleye in the livewell now and had released a whole lot of smallies too. Considering the conditions, they had fended quite well, but now the winds were intensifying and it was time to go! I packed everything up and readied for the long ride back to the ramp. Luckily I had left a set of keys with Don this morning when he dropped us in and texted him that we were on our way. He immediately texted back and I knew he would be waiting.

In the time we had stopped fishing and began heading back, the winds had increased and switched more to E/SE. There was almost no easy path to take but I headed closer to the shore across the open ocean, hoping for smaller rollers. It was insane out in the middle of the lake and I was happy to be near the mainland! Once I got going into the wind, I was able to run on top of the waves better and in no time we were back at ramp. I could see the waves crashing on the shore and was glad Don had the trailer ready and waiting. The only water we took in the boat was when we were pulling out and the waves rolled over the back deck, swamping us with gallons of the lakes finest. I was just happy to be on land by this point and didn’t really care! We had endured probably the worst conditions I have ever fished in and succeeded! Hats off to people crazier than me as I had offered them to cancel before we ever hit the water. In the end though, I was glad that they hadn’t and really happy with the outcome. Almost as glad as having the Valet service from Don! He definitely made it a whole lot easier!!

October 26th 2018

I had a boatload today with Sam, Steph, Phillip and Gaurav, all looking for big smallies. Another road trip had us meeting at the location with a slightly later than usual start. It didn’t matter though as the air temps were below freezing anyway. Hopefully everything would heat up soon!

I started them shallow in hopes of a few quick fish but soon found that we needed to go a little deeper to get bit. Sam locked up on a couple of nice ones on a jig that had everyone excited. We were even seeing some fish swimming in the area as well, adding to their confidence!

I had set up the rods with various baits, hoping to figure out a pattern and it didn’t take long. Although Gaurav did manage to get a couple of strikes on soft plastics, it was the jigs that produced more. Phillip hooked into a real giant that unfortunately got off on the very first jump. Time to make another adjustment and try something even slower.

I slid out to even deeper water and tried a drop shot rod to see if this would help. First cast, locked up and confirmation was made! I set up another rod and had two of them work the area and several other quality bass were landed. Between the drop shot and the jigs, they were definitely seeing better action than earlier this morning!

The air temps were feeling pretty good now with the sun and lack of wind, regardless that it was barely above freezing. I even think the sun helped with the fish activity! Bites weren’t everywhere but by slowing down and concentrating, they were able to hook some fish. I had only spot fished and managed plenty of hookups, telling me that the fish were definitely there. A little concentration and focus was all that was needed for the fish!

We had fished a bunch of different places and caught bass in almost every one of them by fishing slow. With the water temps barely over 50 degrees, this was required if you wanted to get bit. I decided to try one last area before we were to leave and within 15 minutes they had another half dozen or so fish, closing out the day.

Although a short one, it was still one of the more productive outings for numbers as well as size today. I’m sure that if we had gotten out a little earlier, they would have landed even more fish. I was unable to fish all the places I wanted, being limited to time and just remained on the ones that were producing best. The fishing may have been slow at times but the bites were definitely good ones when they hooked up. At least the conditions were nice, for a change!!