After several productive days of fishing walleye alone, I was back out with Daren once again. We hit the water around 8:30 under overcast skies and a howling SW wind, gusting over 25 knots. I knew boat control would be the biggest challenge today but was confident enough to attempt it nonetheless. Upon arrival to our first area, I instructed Darren on technique and let him loose. I’ve always said that I’d rather be lucky than good and what happened next, was reason why! First cast, locked up and he was battling a huge fish. I wasn’t quite sure why he couldn’t bring it up from the bottom, but once I caught a glimpse, I understood. I had started him in a decent walleye zone hoping for a few dinner keepers and wouldn’t you know it, he’s hooked a trophy eye! I eventually netted the beast and thought she might go 10 pounds and placed her on the scale for confirmation. At 9.74 pounds, she was a beauty and Darrens personal best. Several pics later she was released back to the depths from where she came and I thought it might be all downhill from that moment on. We tried holding in this area for a bit but the winds didn’t make it easy to present the offerings. After a few bass and several missed hits, we relocated and I set up somewhere else. I repositioned the boat, utilizing the horrific winds in our favor and it was game on. We were now getting into some real quality bass and they were coming in almost as fast as we could get the lines wet. There were plenty of fish in the four and high four range coming aboard and we were on them big time! For several hours we fished almost comfortably despite the grueling winds and managed to catch plenty of bass in the process. I almost thought that the wind let up at one point and shifted over to try our hand at some more walleye. I was immediately brought back to reality when we made our first casts. It was still howling! A slight adjustment on the angle and we were fishing comfortably once again. Darren managed to get into several biters but they weren’t staying pinned until one finally made it to the net. A beautiful 18 inch walleye was soon swimming in the livewell for his dinner tonight. Several casts later he hooked another giant of a fish but only managed to keep it on briefly. It was very possibly one of similar size to the starter fish he landed on his first cast of the day. Hard head shakes and sheer heaviness left us both disappointed with the end results! We went back to fishing and tried to shake it off but the not knowing was the worst. Another walleye was landed soon after and a second fish of almost equal size joined his buddy in the tank. Several more misses and a couple of smallmouth later, we relocated once again. We were back into jumbo smallies from this new spot almost immediately. We decided to work over this new area, as I was sure there was plenty of bass sulking on the bottom, in the depths below. The remainder of the day saw us just picking at them, but when one was hooked, it was a good fish. Somewhere after 3:00 we pulled the plug and called it for the day. We had highs as well as lows but despite the roller coaster ride, today was just short of phenomenal. Weather of this caliber in November should be welcomed with open arms, as it won’t be long before the hard water fishing will be the only game in town. I don’t know how much longer I will be able to milk this season but I’ll be there to the bitter end, literally! Another great day full of big bass action and a few more surprises!!

Alain & Cindy joined me today for what turned out to be their best fishing this season. We hit the water somewhere after 8:00 and they were hooked up on the first drift. Water temps were almost 48 degrees in some areas and 46 in others. Air temps were a little cool but mid 40’s for this time of year is a welcomed thing! We had on & off sunshine throughout the entire day and light winds from the north. A mix of fishing styles were tried but slow was always the rule as they put a beating on many a smallie. I think it was Cindy that took top fish today with several close to five pounds. Although there weren’t any real big ones landed, there were definitely plenty of fish in the 3 to 4 pound range making this a great numbers outing. They caught fish all day and never really went any length of time without someone hooked up. They even had many double headers along with the pile of single fish landed! By the time it was all over, they had managed to catch so many fish that they lost tract of the count. That’s not a bad thing to have! We fished until about 3:30 and decided to call it a day. They had caught more than their fair share of fish today and were satisfied with leaving a little early. Overall this was definitely a great day to go fishing!!

Scott, Chris & John were back with me again today, looking for a little redemption. Their last couple of outings were great for the smallies, but not so for those mythical creatures. Would this change today? We hit the water around 8:00 and were fishing not long after in flat calm conditions. The sun was starting to warm the air and things looked good for us, but those hateful beasts had other ideas. After about 90 minutes of washing lures, we switched it up and went to catching. Smallies were now the target and they were about to put a hurt on them! I don’t remember who drew first blood but both John & Chris were tight to a fish almost upon arrival. Chris had been back boated after his previous trips, something about favoritism! This apparently didn’t matter as he was about to put a beating on both the bass and the others in the boat. He had found the small hole behind the boat and repeatedly casted into it, hooking up plenty. While the other two did hook into fish up front, Chris didn’t skip a beat from behind. Eventually they were all holding their own and many fish in the 2 to 4 pound range were being boated. I don’t think anyone managed to land a five today but quality fish were the norm. We skipped around a bit but concentrated on certain areas more than others. Water temps were almost 48.5 degrees and these bass weren’t everywhere. When I found a concentration, I held there long enough for everyone to thin them out. The bite lasted all day and despite the other no eating hateful ones, the smallies were more than eager to take the baits. We fished until about 4:00 and called it soon after for the drive home. It would be dark soon and backing into my driveway after the light sets is always a treat. People just have so much courtesy in them when it comes to blocking their path home! This was one of those days when being on the water was a pleasure and most of the fish actually cooperated. Plenty more just like it, I hope!!

We were back this morning and tried to hit another lake without any success. Waves were crashing big on the ramp and I knew we had only one option. We needed some shelter from the wind and had to settle for a body of water that held it for us. The overnight air hadn’t dropped the morning temps below the freezing mark and we were actually expecting them in the 40’s today. Wow, it was going to feel like Florida! It wasn’t a quick start but we eventually got into them as Craig started once again. This time however, Herm wasn’t far behind and picked up several of his own as we slowly moved around. We actually hit an area where Herm got into them pretty good and Craig just picked at them. What a difference a day makes! Most of these fish were big ones of four pounds or better but as with yesterday, fives were scarce. In fact the largest of this day was to be a 4.94 caught later in the afternoon. Along with the numbers of fatty smallies, we also managed to get a few bonus walleye today. Up until recently, the water temps hadn’t been cool enough to bring in these fish to where they were easy pickings. With the temps dipping below the 50 degree mark it will only continue to load up even more in the next couple of weeks. Mixed in with the walleye were a few more 4 pound plus bass and Herm looked like he had the lead today. Every time we looked back, his rod was bent and he was locked up again! He was on fire today and fishing slow enough to have the fish find his offering. Although Craig did manage to catch his share of fish, I think Herm came out on top. He had waited until the last trip of the season to put a beating on the fish and we were all glad. As with yesterday, we called it early due to the lack of light and headed back to the ramp by 3:30. As much as I love the fall for the fishing, I hate it for the short days on the water. I also don’t like the fact that the season is coming to an end for the open water fishing. It won’t be long before the only way to catch a fish will be by drilling holes in the ice. I figure that there’s three weeks or so left before I’ll have to winterize the boat and put it in hibernation. Too bad too because this is a great time to be on the water! There’s no pleasure craft and everyone you see is a fisherman. It’s definitely worth enduring a little cold for the chance at some real big fish. Fall is the time for “Big Heavies” and you never know what the next bite will be. We’re just one cast away from the trophy of a lifetime and I can’t wait to get back out for that chance again!!

Craig & Herm were here again for a couple of days, looking for more of that great smallie action. The weather looked good, despite the strong winds forecasted and I was sure we would do well. Air temps were barely above freezing when we started and only climbed into the upper 30’s by days end. With the added west winds of 15 to 25 knots, it felt a little cooler to say the least! Water temps were just above 49 degrees and the ticket was slow! Craig managed to hook into the first fish of around three pounds and the game was on. Several casts later, another and Herm wanted his! Eventually both were getting into fish, but it was tough. We had to move around plenty in order to find the active ones and it was still one here and one there. Although some of the fish were over 4 pounds, nothing of five was seen for quite a while. Eventually, Craig managed to bring a short, fat fish to the net that I just had to weigh. It may have only been 19.5 inches but the scale showed that it weighed just over 5 pounds. Talk about a football! We found a couple of areas later in the day that actually held numbers of quality fish and managed to get into them pretty good. Unfortunately, there weren’t any more five pounders taken and they had to settle for the fours instead! With the days getting shorter, we pulled the plug early and headed back to the ramp. Another successful outing with numbers of fish in the four pound range but only one five. Hopefully tomorrow will hold several more!!