Scott & his son Tristan joined me this morning for another multi species fishing day. Scott has been a long time client from almost as long as his son is old and wanted Tristan to experience a great day of fishing. They came to the right place as they were about to find out! Although the air temps were cool at 60 degrees this morning, it was expected to warm up a little later. Unfortunately the water temps had fallen overnight and went to a chilly 65 degrees where we began. I knew a slow troll was going to be necessary and dropped it down to under 2mph in order to get bit. A bunch of pike were landed in the first hour along with a couple of walleye and one rather heavy fish left with a lure. I knew exactly what that was as I had been encountering several large toothy critters lately! In fact a little later Tristan was handed the rod from his dad and had the pleasure of fighting his first ever lunge. It wasn’t a giant, just a perfect size for him to catch. Several pics were taken before the release and right back to trolling we went. Although we began with flat water, the winds had now started blowing from the NW creating a pretty good chop on the lake. We just can’t seem to get away from the cold blowing air lately! I wanted to give them a variety of fish today and later in the morning decided to switch to smallies and another technique. I opted for a semi sheltered section of the lake in order for them to be able to cast. Once again however, the water temps were cold and the fish were like ghosts. Tristan managed to hook & land a few smaller bass while his dad struggled to even get a hit. We could see a bunch of quality ones swimming in certain areas but they didn’t want to know anything about us. I hit a few spots along the way and they finally picked up several decent bass. Although not what I had expected, at least there were enough fish to keep us interested. I had one other place I wanted to fish before resuming the trolling and made the long run to the spot. We were now out in the open water and the winds were blowing pretty good making presentation difficult. After about an hour and only a few fish I pulled the plug and headed elsewhere! Scott had never been successful with the drop shot so we decided to give it a try in deeper water. I instructed them on what to do and told both of them not to set the hook when they got bit. Almost immediately Scott got bit and hammered the fish with a solid hook set. He came up completely empty when the fish bit him off. I reinstructed him again on just reeling to load the rod and raise it high with pressure. It’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks! After this, Tristan managed to get a couple of smallies and we boated a few walleye as well. Scott was coming up a little short as he missed several bites from setting hooks too quick. Once he figured out the technique properly, he finally hooked a couple of bass himself and his skunk was gone! I’s all about technique & confidence! Hopefully now he’ll be able to apply this to areas back home where he fishes, successfully. As the time was getting on we decided to get a couple more fish and pull the plug. Scott had a long drive home and at 12 years old, Tristan would only be sleeping. I couldn’t believe the boat ramp when I got back. Middle of the week and a freaking zoo! I really wish people would be a little more courteous and learn that 20 or more minutes to take a boat out isn’t normal. Blocking docks for extended periods of time while you screw around isn’t great either. I waited over 20 minutes while one person occupied the ramp and three other boats waited to launch. Unbelievable! By the time it was all over I had been at the dock for almost 30 minutes but it only took me 1 minute to get out. It’s really hard to be patient when shit like this is going on. I guess « You Can’t Fix Stupid »! Almost a perfect end to a perfect day!!

Brian & his daughter Lauren were with me this morning on a sketchy kind of day. The weather forecast had changed so much lately that we didn’t know what to expect. What was originally 20 to 30mm of rain, somehow turned into nada. I expected the worst and hoped for the best as we launched the boat and headed on the water. Lauren had over 30 IGFA records for the female junior division and hoped to add a few more today. We would be searching for several line class records in both fly and conventional. She began on the fly rod and Brian conventional tackle just to keep the fish honest. As always, lady luck shined on her and she drew first blood with a small pike. I told them that there would be much larger today and after a quick pic, she released the little guy. As she had never caught northerns before it was a thrill nonetheless. She quickly hooked into another one not long after right about the same size and was loving it on the fly. Her dad however wasn’t doing as well and I continued changing up lures until he finally connected. His however was a walleye and right in the slot. If we were keeping anything today, this would have made it into the livewell. It was the fish’s lucky day as a pic was all that they wanted! We played around this area for several hours picking at them but I wasn’t impressed with the numbers or even the size. Time for a relocation and hopefully better results. I moved around a lot and had them casting flies shallow but to no avail. Time to shift again and this time it was a good choice. I had gone deeper and found a really good concentration of fish off shore. Lauren was locking up every few minutes on the fly and several of the fish were good pike and walleye. They managed to get quite a few fish that would qualify and we livewelled all the good ones for later registration. Her dad was also into fish on the fly now and they were both having a blast. The weather had held off all day with only overcast skies but little to no wind. I knew we would eventually have some rain but hoped it wouldn’t arrive until we were off the water. Both Brian & Lauren were running flies, so I decided to get a third rod out and use the rod holder for them. This extra line also managed several fish and conventional tackle was adding even more fish to the livewell to be qualified later. Lauren got the shock of her life on the next fly hook up. Shortly after the pike leaped out of the water, the fish got much heavier. The rod loaded even more and line was now going out. Whatever she was into was big and I was second guessing the fish that I had seen jump. Well, after a few minutes I knew what had happened and she was officially into her very first ever musky. Yuup, the musky ate the pike that ate the fly! I had no idea how this was to end and hoped for a shot at the beast with a deep walleye net. I knew that if I could just get the front half in the net, I could grab the back end and haul it into the boat. When Lauren finally brought the fish up high enough for us to see, she was in shock. This thing was giant and had her pike crossways in its mouth. At any time all the fish had to do was open its mouth and let it go. Fortunately for us, it had no intentions of releasing its grip on dinner. A few times she almost had it close enough for a shot with the net but not close enough for my liking. I knew I would only get one chance and wanted to make it count. Well as bad luck would have it, the damn fly pulled out and the musky left with its meal. Although heartbreaking, there was really nothing we could have done differently. She said that this was the biggest fish she had ever hooked into and although a little disappointed, happy to have done battle with it. We regrouped and got the lines back in the water and managed several more fish in the remainder of the day. One last hookup and we called it a day. It was right around 4:00 and we had fish to register on shore. The rules state that you have to be on land for all the weight, measurements and pics so off we went. By the time it was all said and done, they had 7 more line class records to send in. Bass, walleye & pike with an almost musky! They had come to Montreal to check out a possible University for her to go to next year. With any luck she’ll chose McGill and have more chances at redemption. Today was almost as much fun for me as it was for them. I always love a challenge and going after records was it! We were even lucky with the weather and never even got a drop all day. Basically this turned out to be a great day on the water and the only thing that could have made it better  was « The One That Got Away »!

Today was a real treat for David and his father Paul as they experienced their best day of fishing, ever! We launched shortly after 7:30 and with no wind were able to get to our first location effortlessly. Bluebird skies and warm temps were forecasted so there would be plenty of other boats on the water soon. I knew I had to get into fish and fast! With miserable weather scheduled for tomorrow the fleet of cruisers would be taking advantage of this weather too. After 10:00 it would become a living hell on the water! Fortunately the fishing was to be phenomenal and it took only a couple of minutes to hook into their first fish. David reeled in a decent northern and we were on our way. His father was up next and not long after was into something really big. I cleared the other lines and gave him room to battle what turned out to be a musky. On walleye tackle, it’s always a challenge and Paul was ready for the fight. Eventually the fish came to the boat and I locked the Boga Grip on his prize. He had always wanted to land one and at 64 years of age, finally accomplished it. A few quick picks later, it was released and swam off unharmed. We reset the lines and started pounding on fish after fish. Walleye & pike were coming in hand over fist with plenty of doubles and several triples. Whenever we hooked into one you could almost bet another reel would fire within seconds. They landed high numbers and many were photo worthy. They weren’t interested in taking anything home with them, so all fish were released. As the morning went on I was right in my prediction and the cruisers started. Most were courteous, but not all. Paul was fighting yet another large walleye when a giant cruiser drove by less than 20 feet away and threw 4 footers our way. I had to steer the boat sideways in order not to eat the waves. Paul even had to sit down for fear of falling. This guy was a real idiot! It got so bad after a while that I had to relocate to another area for fear of being run over. They were also muddying up the water pretty bad and I was losing my bite. We slid over to a secondary spot not far away and it started all over once again. Doubles and triple headers were the norm and plenty more fish were coming to net. David even landed a small musky and although not as big as his dad’s, he was thrilled with his prize. Eventually this area got muddy too and I had to make a longer run to find cleaner water. With the sun high and the temps hot, it sure was nice to be under the comfort of the bimini. I don’t know if we could have taken the heat for as long without it! There was already talk of cutting the day short just because of all the fish they had caught until we dropped the lines in again. This area was also on fire and the fish just kept coming. There’s no way to tell exactly how many the landed but the action was nonstop. David’s father even tried to nap but the screaming reels kept him awake! After several more fish they decided to call it a day. Although only 2:30 it was way more than they had expected and Paul was done. This had been a birthday gift from his son and he couldn’t have asked for a better present. The fish were active and cooperated completely today. We packed everything up and headed back to the ramp. I was a little worried what it would be like and hoped for the best. Unfortunately there were boats all over it and nowhere to tie up. After waiting five minutes and nobody moving I just pulled up on the cement and went for the trailer. Weekend warriors are unbelievable and never have any consideration for anybody other than themselves! It only took me a couple of minutes and still nobody had moved. In fact long after I had pulled out of the way and packed everything up, these three boats were still tied up. No etiquette ever with weekend traffic, both on & off the water! Despite this inconvenience David & his dad were thrilled with today’s outcome. Never in their wildest dreams could they have imagined such a day. They both left tired but fulfilled. Hopefully the next time they decide to give gifts, I’ll see them again! Great day of fishing despite all the headaches!!

Although it’s been a while since the last report, I have been on the water pretty much every day. Nothing really to report as the fishing continues to be excellent. High number days with plenty of quality fish being caught on every outing. Today’s trip however wasn’t exactly what I was use to! With yesterday being 85 degrees the overnight cold front brought air temps into the low 50’s along with a cold NE wind. This really shut them down! It was a tough bite in the morning as we searched for pike & walleye with limited success. We moved around several times to get the few bites we had. By mid morning under the sunshine, I decided to move shallow and search for the bass. It remained rough going for a while but eventually everything warmed up and the fish became more active. Although not great, the three guys I had were catching some but missing a bunch. Hanny managed to get several smallies and a decent largemouth bass from the same area before we moved on again. Regardless that it was the first day of the bass season, I headed back for the pike & walleye one more time. We hit one of the same areas we had started in and it was totally opposite. Now the fish wanted to feed and there were plenty of reels firing for the remainder of the day. Both walleye & pike were eating and I stayed here just covering water. Carlo & his buddies were excited about today but it wasn’t as easy as usual. Thankfully by afternoon that had all changed and they were eating like they should! Although not the numbers I had hoped for, we salvaged the day with many afternoon fish and ended on a high. Hopefully the next time they get out with me, it will began like it ended. Tough day but better fishing ahead!!

I had the pleasure of fishing with Jason & Garon today, all the way from Texas. They had flown in a couple of people for the Grand Prix and had some time to spare. Of course being fishermen, they wanted to fish! We headed on the lake at 7:30 in yet another cold front and strong NE winds. Although they were suppose to diminish by mid day, they were pretty big right now. We trolled in 59 degree water and 2 to 3 footers for the start and I really had to work at getting bit. Amazingly enough, the first fish to hit turned out to be a musky and although not in season, still fun to catch. We did manage to get into a bunch of pike & a few walleye and things were looking up. I wasn’t really use to picking at them one at a time and was surprised that we weren’t into more doubles. Both Jason & Garon were still happy to see this many fish but I knew it would change. As the winds subsided the bite began to pick up. Now we were hitting fish regularly and the numbers started to climb. The size also increased and it seemed like there were more overs than legal keepers being caught. Right about the time the winds completely died, the « Dog Pecker Knats » arrived. Careful what you wish for! These guys were really getting the hang of everything, allowing me to remain at the wheel and on fish. About all I had to do was net the Walters and release the northerns. With the flat water and sunshine warming everything, the fish were now acting like they should. We had reels firing with plenty of doubles and an occasional triple every now & then. Action was nonstop and there was very little down time! We barely had a chance to eat lunch and even that was quite a bit later than I was use to. During our sandwich break both Jason and Garon witnessed a fish go airborne right behind the boat. Immediately after, the long line started screaming and they were into another big fish. I hadn’t seen the original jump but apparently it cleared the water completely and was now attached to one of the lures. Moments later we were looking at another lunge. This one was a juvenile and very silver in appearance. I saw that it was barely hooked and released it quickly, beside the boat. These guys were planning on taking a few fish back to Texas with them and kept some walleye for a friendly fish fry. Only problem was that they had no means to clean or store the fish as they were staying in a hotel. Problem solved! They would come back to my place and we’d take care of everything there. We fished till almost 4:00 and ended the day with another double header. Perfect ending to an incredible fishing day! I also gave them the option to eat fresh walleye on the BBQ and they gladly accepted. Fresh fish and a few cold beer, how could it get any better? We had a relaxing dinner of « Blackened Cajun Walleye » and they even got to take some fillets home. I’m pretty sure when they decided to fish in Montreal that they never imagined it would turn out like this. Talk of a return trip is already in the making for summertime sturgeon and of course more of those tasty Walters. I’m looking forward to having them back for more incredible action! Great day all around!!