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August 8th 2018

 

I had a couple of clients from Brazil today. Francisco had just moved from the states a couple of months back and wanted to treat his father in law to a fishing day. He was on vacation visiting the family and welcomed the invitation. They had no idea what was in store for them as we headed on the water!

I had decided to try an area I hadn’t fished much lately and dropped the lines in beginning the troll. They had never seen anything like this before and were amazed at how I was trolling. As usual, I began deep, gradually moving shallower, searching for active fish. Ironically the first fish to hit turned out to be a bass. It may not have been a big one but it was the start of our day and they were thrilled to see it.

I had been trolling for a little while now without any other takes when the long line finally fired. I thought that the weight was due to some of the weeds on the bottom but soon realized that Francisco was locked up with a big dog. He eventually brought it closer and neither of them could believe their eyes. It was a rather large lunge and barely hooked! Several times she surged off as she neared the boat and I knew I was going to have a difficult time landing it. Too bad this wasn’t yesterday as I had brought the big net for sturgeon fishing! Unfortunately one more run by the boat and the hooks just pulled free! It was just not meant to be today, but Francisco still enjoyed the battle.

We resumed trolling for a little longer, hoping for another chance but only managed one more fish. It was an over sized walleye and released after some pics. We had spent over an hour in this area with very little to show for our efforts and now it was time for a change. I wanted to get them some walleye for dinner and headed to another area to drop shot.

Once I was positioned, I hit the anchor button on the electric and held exactly where I needed to be. I gave them a quick demonstration on what to do, showing them what to feel for when they got bit. Ernesto had about 5 hits in a short time, but didn’t manage to hook into any of them. With this method, it’s all about pressure sets and he was having a hard time not setting the hook. Francisco however managed to land a couple of walleye and one really nice smallie that turned out to be his personal best! With three low end keepers in the well, and about an hour later, I decided to move again. I was trying to locate as many fish as possible for them to catch and headed elsewhere.

I was on good fish lately and decided to try and duplicate it in another similar area. Although it took a while to find what I was looking for, when I did, it was on fire! From this moment on, they were catching fish one after the other. Sometimes two at a time too! Big pike and walleye were hitting as fast as I could get the lines in. They had so many double headers that we just lost count! They even had a triple that unfortunately ended in another double. This day was beginning to look like one of the better ones and I was glad to have them experiencing it.

I had put up the top late in the morning due to the high humidity to try and make it a little more comfortable for everyone. Even though we had limited amounts of sunshine, it still helped. With zero wind at least it provided a bit of shade as they battled all their fish!

By mid afternoon I had refined the area we were in pretty good and there was very little down time. In fact at one point it was just insane! I don’t think we went a minute in between rips without hearing at least one of the reels firing. These days don’t occur too often at this time of the year and I told them to just enjoy the fact that it was happening to them!

Sometime around 2:30 a storm system moved into the area and a light rain began to fall. By the looks of the radar, it wouldn’t amount to much and we really didn’t care, being under the roof. I only wish that there had of been a little wind as the air temps were so humid. It didn’t seem to matter to the fish either as they just kept coming! Apparently « Fish do Bite in The Rain »!

Big pike and big walleye were landed by both Francisco and Ernesto today and plenty of them were returned. They even managed to scratch up a good limit of keepers for their family dinner tonight! This was about as perfect a day as anyone could expect. Despite the loss of the lunge earlier this morning of course!

With the day nearly over, I decided to troll right till the end to see if we could catch a few more. I really don’t like leaving fish biting but we had no choice. The last 5 hours were just insane and filled with so much action that one or two more bites really didn’t matter! While storing the top, I think I had to stop 3 or 4 times just to net more fish. In fact, Ernesto reeled in his largest walleye of the day with a real fatty. This thing looked like it had swallowed a softball. It was so fat, that it actually seemed pregnant! We shot several pics and released her to fight again. The bite was on fire as I continued packing up to go. One more fish and we were done! I reeled the other two lines in and almost expected something to hit along the way. Talk about ending with a bang!

Francisco had taken his father in law on a trip of a lifetime, without ever realizing it. Talk about racking up brownie points with the in laws! All I know is that they will be talking about this day for quite some time. I’m also pretty sure that it won’t be the last time I see them this season! Ernesto will be returning back to Brazil sometime in September and talk about getting out again was heard before they left. This will be a tough act to follow but I’m definitely up for the challenge. Who knows, maybe they’ll even tangle with the largest fish of their lives and do battle with a few dinosaurs. Only time will tell, but in the meantime they’ll be remembering this fishing day for a long time! It just doesn’t get much better!!

 

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August 7th 2018

 

I was back on the water again today with the same group as yesterday, less one! Little John decided to sit it out but the others were ready to fish. I only hoped that it would be as good as the day before!

We headed out in a light rain and good chop, so I decided to try areas a little closer to start. As soon as I stopped, I immediately set up the roof, hoping to stay out of the rain. It wouldn’t be easy with the wind but at least it would help while trolling!

I set the 4 lines out and began covering the area and it didn’t take long. Although the reel didn’t fire, it was really bent signaling a fish was on the other end. A keeper walleye was soon brought to net and we resumed the troll once again. After what seemed like forever, another rod was hit and Don fought his first Canadian smallie. Although not big by my standards, it was to him and also his personal best. They said that this was big for the waters they fish back in Kansas!

Eventually the rain stopped and the winds seemed to diminish, so I decided to try something new. We headed to an area to try for sturgeon hoping to do battle with a couple of dinosaurs. I hadn’t fished them yet this season and didn’t know what to expect when I began the search. Although we did see some take to the air, we were never really able to mark any concentrations on the bottom. Regardless, we set the lines where we had seen a few and hoped to get bit.

I was having a little difficulty keeping the anchor holding and after several attempts decided to try something. I not only set the anchor but I also used the anchor mode on the electric for some added assistance. This worked perfectly and we held nicely in the wind & current. I made several moves due to the lack of interest and marked some fish each time, but they just didn’t seem to want to bite. John may have had one that looked like the real deal but unfortunately it was short lived. After an hour or so of washing baits, I decided that we had seen enough and packed everything up. We were headed to catch some fish elsewhere!

 

After a long run, I settled on an area that I knew was holding both walleye & pike. We were back trolling and I would be covering water again, to find the fish! A few minutes later while checking the lines, I felt some weight and handed John the rod. I’m not sure how long the fish was on, but he reeled in a nice over eye that never even made a sound! After a few more hateful bites, I found the water I was looking for and they were finally into fish. From this point on there were fish being landed every couple of minutes and reels were screaming. Both walleye & pike were coming aboard and the action was great! We needed this after the slow morning we had seen and welcomed each and every one! I also had to put the cover back up again, but this time it was for some shade. The sun had become almost unbearable and a little cooler air was needed.

The second half of the day passed by so quickly and before we knew it, the day was over. I don’t know if it was because they had gotten into fish but it just flew by. I packed everything up while the lines were still in the water, hoping for a few more bites, but they never came. We rolled out just about 4:00 and headed back to the dock.

Although today may not have been as good as yesterday, there were still plenty of fish landed. The morning was a little slower than I had hoped for but if only one sturgeon had have cooperated, it would have been all worthwhile! Oh well, at least they got to see some great aerial jumps of our freshwater sharks, but not on their lines! They did however catch enough pike to satisfy them for a lifetime! The walleye were just an added bonus and there were also many of them boated, including some really nice ones too! They had just spent a great two days of fishing for a different species, other than their usual channel cats back home. Who could ask for anything more!!

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August 6th 2018

 

I had a full boat today with Steve, Don, Big John & Little John. In from Kansas with their wives on a convention, they chose to fish. I knew they had made the right decision as we headed out in pursuit of some Canadian fish! Northern pike & walleye were the targeted species and hopefully they would be catching them good!

As usual, I began deeper than I should have as we made our way towards the shallows. All four lines were in as I covered the water, awaiting that first bite. They only managed to get 3 pike in the first 30 minutes and I knew I had a problem. They should have been able to catch many more but for some reason, the fish just weren’t biting. Time to go into full search mode!

I was trolling various depths trying to find where the fish were holding and was quite far from where I began when I finally saw the water I was looking for. Almost on cue I had a rip and this is where it began! For the next several hours they were into fish, one after another. Both walleye and pike were coming aboard and things were finally back to normal. I even managed to livewell a few keeper walleye for dinner tonight! Several of the others were overs and pretty good ones at that!

As the morning passed, it was getting considerably hotter out and I decided to put up the top for a little comfort. We could now troll a little cooler in the intense sun that had been baking us! With the wind and top it actually felt 20 degrees cooler now as we kept the troll going. I was still on fish and reels were firing often with both species. So far, Big John had the largest eye landed but I wasn’t satisfied with its size. I knew there were much bigger in the area and worked hard to locate one of the sows.

Into the afternoon, after the bite had slowed, I decided to venture back into the deeper water to see if anything was active. It didn’t take long to get an answer when 3 reels fired simultaneously! Too bad the first one was short lived but the other two stayed pinned. I netted a nice pike for Little John and immediately tossed it back when I saw what was on Steve’s line. He had what I was searching for and was tight to a big eye! I wasted no time getting her in the boat and quickly photographed his trophy from various angles before the release. It was definitely his largest ever and I was glad to finally see one today.

As the afternoon wound down and after many, many other fish being landed, I noticed a storm in the distance. I wasn’t sure if we were going to get hit or not, but checked the radar just to be sure. It was definitely coming our way but we were going to get lucky. It would be staying north of us and pass us by!

By 3:45, I packed things up and we headed home. Back to the dock we went with another great day of fishing & an unbelievable number of fish landed again! What had began slower than expected, turned completely around when I finally found the fish. They had moved from the usual holding areas and although it took some time, I eventually located them. These guys had experienced the best fishing of their lives and seen Canadian fishing at its finest! Three of them will be back out with me again tomorrow and we might switch it up a bit. If the weather permits, I’ll be taking them for a different species. Crossing my fingers that we have another similar day filled with tons of action once again. Only time will tell but either way, they will be landing more Canadian fish, once again!!

 

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August 5th 2018

 

Nathan was with me today along with two of his sons, Shane & Drew. I decided to try another area that I hadn’t fished in quite a while and headed there to troll. It would be the easiest way to cover water, looking for those big walleye!

With lines in, I began deep and gradually moved shallower. Plenty of water was fished in about an hour, but we only came up with three northerns a and a few short strikes. Definitely time to move!

We changed locations along with techniques for this spot. I now had them all drop shotting and explained how to work this presentation properly. It didn’t take long before both Drew and Shane were landing fish. They both caught bass & walleye and a couple of the eyes made it into the livewell for them to keep. Nathan had a few hits and also managed to land a bass from here before I shifted areas once again. I didn’t go far but I did change to another current break nearby.

It was on Nathan’s first cast that he hooked up and we all know what that means. Tough fishing was about to follow and that was the last hit he received. Drew & Shane both managed to get bit but were never able to hook up. It was time to move on, again!

We had began the day after 8:00 and were now nearing noon. With no wind and intense sun, I decided to go somewhere else and set up the top to troll. It made a huge difference and we were now able to fish more comfortably!

Within the first 3 minutes, one of the reels fired and Drew landed the biggest walleye of the day. Too bad it also turned out to be the last one, but not for lack of trying! We covered all kinds of water in the remaining time but only came up with a bunch of northerns. Lack of wind had these fish pressed to the bottom, not wanting to move. Despite all of this, there were still many fish boated throughout the day by all. By 3:30 they decided to call it quits and I began packing things up for the run. When I dropped the cover we saw just how hot it actually was and realized that we had made the right decision by trolling.

There may not have been any wind today but you wouldn’t know it by the run back on the water. There were waves from every direction from all the boats out and it felt more like being in a washing machine! The only good thing was when I arrived back at the launch, I had a spot to park quickly. A buddy of mine was just pulling out and I pulled right in. In three minutes we were on the trailer and in the parking lot, ready to leave. Two of those minutes were spent getting the trailer! I can never understand the chaos at boat ramps on weekends. People all over the place blocking everyone while spending hours trying to enter or exit the water. Thankfully I didn’t have to wait today and my blood pressure remained calm. We also had a good day of fishing and that’s all that counts!!

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August 3rd 2018

 

Another double booking today had me doing both a morning and an afternoon trip. Gino and his gang hooked up with me at 7:00 and we headed on the water looking for some big fish. What difference a day makes as today the lake was flat calm. I wasn’t sure how the fishing would be without a chop but we were going to find out.

With four people in the boat, I needed to troll and set the lines searching for big fish. It didn’t take long for the first fish to hit and one of the boys was tight to a pike. Soon after the other one also landed a northern and things were beginning to look like the lack of wind wasn’t going to be a problem. Gino was up next and brought in the first walleye of the day that immediately went in the livewell. hopefully it wouldn’t be the last!

I covered lots of water picking a fish here and there before hitting one area that had better action. We went through several rotations with good pike but the walleye were eluding me. Tony was still happy getting these northerns but I wanted some big eyes and kept at it in search of some gold.

As the morning began to wind down we hit several more pike and one other walleye before we had to leave. Half days go by so fast but I needed to be back at 11:30 to pick up the next group and packed it in after a couple more fish.

This morning may not have gone the way I had hoped but there were still plenty of fish caught by everyone. Although mostly pike, they did manage to get a couple of good eater sized walleye that they would be bringing back. Overall a very successful 4 hours of fishing!

Chris and his group were waiting at the dock when I returned and soon after I was back out on the lake again. This time I was going to try an area not too far away that I hadn’t fished in a while. I had hoped that the fish would be here but if not, we wouldn’t be there long.

With lines in, I trolled a section looking for walleye but could only manage a couple of skinny pike in the half hour we fished. I quickly pulled the plug and relocated to a totally different area and for another species. We would now be in search of some smallmouth for the gang to catch.

Ironically the first place produced a northern before several bass were landed. I think they actually lost more than they caught though as these fish weren’t very active. We had zero wind and almost no current making for terrible fishing.

The second place was a little better as it seemed like I had some current and several more fish were taken from here. They even managed a nice walleye on soft plastics that was a surprise. This was a smallmouth area and I’m not use to seeing eyes here! Everyone was hooking their share of fish and about 50% of them were making it to the net. Time to relocate again!

This would be the last place we would have time to fish and thankfully it had more fish. Almost immediately Chris was tight to the first bass and I think the others followed right behind. What started as a triple ended in a double though but it didn’t matter. There were obviously fish to be caught.

They slowly fished the area with soft plastics and picked at many other bass before we were done. Another half day trip had passed by so quickly and it was already 4:00. Time to head back!

Chris and his guys were in for a bachelor party and I think a nap was in their future before heading out on the town tonight. With the high heat & humidity we had, it completely drained us all. I was happy to be off the water for the day and they were glad they got to experience some great smallie action. The conditions could have been a little better, but there were still plenty of fish landed today!!