Finally, back on the water today, with Yvan! He was celebrating a birthday and treated himself to another fishing trip with me. He was hoping to catch some smallies on a fly rod and I was sure I could grant that wish!

We headed to an area far away as the winds were supposed to build during the day, making casting more difficult with the fly. I positioned the boat so that he would be able to present the fly to where he needed to be and it didn’t take long. Locked up! He was not only going to get his wish, but he was going to be catching plenty more! We remained in the rea for several hours and he kept picking at one fish after the other. In fact, we both lost count of just how many he landed. Not a bad thing!

Eventually he changed to a different setup and began catching them on a variety of baits too. The fish were everywhere and we weren’t moving! I spent the bulk of the day within a quarter mile of where I began, hopping from spot to spot. Very little time passed between hookups and the action was non stop all day.

With limited time remaining, I thought we’d change it up and make a big move. I stopped on an area and we began dropshotting a big flat. Within seconds, Yvan was tight to a walleye and it just kept getting better. We landed many others and he boated a really good one as well. Both perch and walleye were caught in the last hour and we actually left them biting. We had run out of time!

Today was a great one filled with plenty of good fish on a variety of presentations. From fly fishing to spinning, he had it all. Even with the winds blowing strong, we were able to monopolize on the areas fished and take advantage of the sheer numbers of fish present. Who could ask for a better birthday!!

Shut down by the winds for a couple of days, I was once again cancelling this morning’s trip, due to the weather. Torrential rains and winds greeted us as we idled out, only to return back minutes later, to wait out the storm. After almost an hour, I was forced to send them home instead! After another half hour or so, I pulled the boat out and readied it for travel, back home. The rain eventually stopped and so did the winds. The skies even cleared, bringing nicer weather! I would be be able to salvage the afternoon client.

Stephanie was flying solo today and we headed out just before 11:00 am. By now, the winds had picked up and the lake was once again rough. Go figure! I headed offshore to an area holding good fish but after 4 drifts without even a touch, I decided to try something else. We headed over to find some sturgeon and try for them. It had been incredible the last couple of times out, but today was a different animal. Several days after doing so well and now the fish were gone, due to the weather. I idled around, all over, in search of groups of these dinosaurs, but nada. I was forced to pull the plug and make a really long run in 3 footers to hopefully get on the fish.

After our long, grueling travel to the spot, I was beginning to second guess my move. Despite this, I decided to set up and prepped the rods, in hopes of a miracle. Rod holders were pretty much useless so we were forced to hold them instead, feeling for any light biters.

After about 15 minutes, Stephnie had what seemed like a possible bite and I instructed her on what to do. Seconds later the line was tight and the rod was bent. Fish on! She did battle with her first ever sturgeon and although not giant, it was a decent one. She was thrilled and so was I to see that something actually bit in these conditions. Several pics and a release later and we were back in the game, hoping for more.

Another 20 minutes had passed without anything happening and then it did. I felt a few tugs and reeled into another fish. Stephanie was passed the rod and her second sturgeon was on the line. This one was insane and after swimming directly at the boat, decided to run around the motor, tangling the line. I had to trim it up and even at that, it was tough to untangle the disaster. I don’t even know exactly what I did, but it worked and the fish was free. Or so I thought! Turns out that he had decided to head to the front of the boat and around the electric motor that held us anchored in place. I had to stop the hold and lift the motor out of the water, in order to free this fish once again. This sturgeon had tried all the tricks to get off, but in the end, found its way into the net instead. Talk about an ordeal. This was an insane fish! Stephanie was elated to have caught her second sturgeon and it was a clone of the earlier one. We tried for a little longer after the release, but the winds had gotten even bigger, making it more difficult. Time to roll.

After packing everything away and strapping things down, I headed back in the direction of the boat ramp to finish off the day. The run was nasty to say the least, running with the huge rollers. We did manage to stay dry however, all the way back. The last 30 minutes were spend drifting and dropshotting close by and a couple of walleye and 1 mooneye were caught before we were done.

Today was a very interesting one to say the least. Mother Nature has been showing her teeth lately and I don’t like it. Between cancellations and battling the elements, it has been a grind. I only hope that she calms down some so that I can take advantage of the fall bite, before the boat gets stored. Plenty of days left before the end of the year and I want to be out as much as possible. Hopefully better days ahead!!

Jacob arrived a little late for his morning trip with Jake, his son and his nephew. I had hoped to get out earlier with the forecasted winds to increase, making it almost unfishable. We finally headed out after 8:30 and began fishing for sturgeon. Minutes after the lines were in, we began to hook up! Multiple fish were fought in the time we were out. Unfortunately, their time was cut short when the winds kicked up big and Jacob decided to call it quits. It may have been a short trip, but the results were definitely worth the brief time we were out. Several doubles headers were landed before we were done! Everyone caught fish and had a great time fighting these strong beasts!!

Paul and his wife Catherine wanted to catch sturgeon and that they did! We headed out in a big SE wind, not knowing where we would fish. Although rough at the start, the lake calmed down as we ran, allowing me everywhere to fish. Multiple spots were tried with smaller than expected sturgeon but one area seemed to hold a big one and Paul managed to do battle with a good fish. He had already caught a couple of smaller ones but finally got to fight a big one. Great pics and a release and we were back at it again, looking for more.

Time had lapsed quickly today and with a little over an hour remaining in the trip, I opted for a big move, hoping to find more fish. What I found was a great area that I had done well in the past, and fished it for the balance of the day. It was here that we saw the action I had hoped for and ended with a double header. Some might even have called it a triple, because as I packed up the two rods responsible for the fish, a third one went off and Paul officially ended the day with another.

Today was a great day with many sturgeon landed. The best part was the ending with many fish battled before we were done. Both Catherine and her husband couldn’t have expected what was in store for them, especially how it ended. Overall, an extraordinary day on the water!!

Gaetan and Mario were with me today for another overcast outing. At least the winds weren’t blowing! I began close to the launch and managed to get them into several decent fish before venturing offshore to where I knew the fish were. Here they managed several other bass and walleye, before making a long run to other areas to try. The low overcast wasn’t helping much with visibility, or the bite. They were lethargic! More fish were missed than landed and if you didn’t crawl the retrieve, you just didn’t get bit. The entire day was filled with slow fishing and not just by the fish. Everywhere we went was the same! Although there were numbers of fish landed, they were mostly small and took plenty of time to encourage them into striking. We tried deep water for a bit and managed a few more fish from there, but no numbers.

Although the fishing was slow, the day went fast. Before we knew it, we were done. With water temps dropping, these fish will begin to move shallower and become more active. Hopefully the next couple of weeks will drive them into the shallower water and the bite will become aggressive, unlike today. Plenty more time left in the season to take advantage of the fall bite. I can’t wait!!