Today was quite an interesting one to say the least! I had an appointment to fix a broken brake line on the trailer and needed to off load the boat before driving to the garage. As luck would have it, an old friend/co worker from many moons ago had called me the day before wanting to fish. Perfect timing, as I required a boat baby sitter! I dropped the boat at a local ramp and headed to the trailer place to get what I thought was a quick fix. Unfortunately things usually don’t work out that way and a 30 minute job turned into a 2 hour one with what they found. Fortunately however, they did fix all the problems and I made it back to fish for the remainder of the day. We set out as soon as I arrived and headed to an area to drop shot. On Vern’s first cast, he was locked up on a fish and it was exactly what we were after. I also hooked into a fish but decided to boat flip the smallie and net his walleye immediately after my release. After a couple more bass we moved to another place not far away and boated 3 more eyes and several more bass before switching it up completely. I knew he wanted to try for sturgeon and moved to the area that had produced pretty much every time out. We had a terrible wind out of the NW today that was going to make boat positioning complicated but I thought I’d give it a try nonetheless. After what seemed like forever, he finally got a shot at one and battled it for quite some time before we caught a glimpse. Although not a real giant, it was still a good one and I was able to slide the net under it for him to admire. Several shots were taken and an immediate release afterwards. Back to fishing and once again it took a while but we eventually hooked up on what seemed like a much bigger fish. Unfortunately it was short lived and came unpinned after about a minute or so. We reset the lines and hit another one pretty quickly and this time it stayed on. This battle was a lengthy one and when he finally brought it up and saw its size, I thought he was going to die. He had one of those five footers on the line and really wanted a picture. A few more minutes of fight time and I managed to net the beast. My job was complete but his was about to begin! After the long fight he would have to lift this monster for the pictures and he didn’t have much strength left. He somehow managed to dig deep and was able to wrap his arms around the fish for a couple of quick pics. He could barely lean over the boat though for the release and I had to help. Totally exhausted, we pulled the plug and called it a day. The winds had the boat sideways and it was really difficult to set up, but we somehow found a way. He had landed two of the biggest fish of his life and was elated. On top of that, he was coming back to my place for a walleye dinner and looking forward to just chilling. This day could not have gone better and I’m pretty sure it won’t be the last time I hear from him again! Great day for fishing!!

Ben, Gabe & Andre were with me today, in hopes of catching a few fish. We hit the water after 8:30 and immediately went into a troll. Air temps were a little cool but were to rise through the day along with the sunshine. Water temps were barely over 70 degrees and I hoped the fish would bite. As luck would have it, they were rather lethargic causing me to switch up presentations regularly. I tried many different lures and running depths only to come up with just a handful of biters. Although there were walleye, bass & pike caught, I wasn’t thrilled with the outcome and decided to change it up a bit. I headed to the sturgeon area and set up for them. It took a while before our first hookup, but it was well worth the wait. Andre spent a long time battling the beast and was pretty exhausted when I finally slid the net under it. It may not have been a giant, but it was his biggest fish to date and well worthy of several pics before the release. We spent most of the rest of the afternoon trying for another one after they saw the one Andre caught and although we did have chances, it wasn’t meant to be. For the last hour or so we hit another place and tried a little drop shotting for bass & walleye. The wind was the biggest factor as it was blowing 10 to 20 out of the NW and gusting at times. Andre managed to land two more bass and missed a couple of others while Ben & Gabe only missed theirs. By 5:00 we called it a day and headed in. This day may not have been what I was hoping for but everyone was happy with the outcome never the less. Plans are already being talked about for a return trip and I can’t wait to get them back out as well. I know the best is still yet to come!!

Jamie & Pete were with me this morning for some deep water smallmouth action. I met them just after 7:30 and we headed out to the abyss in search of big brownies. After an instruction of proper presentation, they dropped down to where I hoped the fish would be. It had been about a week since I had fished here and after a quick exploration, several decent bass had been caught. Would they still be here today? Pete was in the front of the boat and Jamie in the back, but the front scored first. Although not really big, it was what we were looking for and they couldn’t believe that bass actually lived in these depths. No need for a pic, just a quick release insured the survival as it dashed straight back down. Shortly after, Pete was into another around the same size and things were starting to look up. Although it did take a little more finesse to refine their technique, they eventually caught on and were both in the game. On our first drift through the area, there were plenty of chances and about half the fish were hooked up. We even had a double with a couple of good ones coming aboard. I was covering water looking for little irregularities in the bottom to locate the larger fish in the area and it was working. Whenever I came across a depth change, someone had a shot. As the morning got on, it became obvious that we were going to get fried. Air temps had began in the upper 60’s but were heading towards the mid 80’s and fast. There was absolutely no wind and not a cloud in the sky for almost the entire day. Later in the afternoon a few clouds came in and it was a welcomed arrival for all. For a brief period, it was almost bearable, but also short lived. Eventually they disappeared and we were back in the heat wave once more. Although there were long stretches of nothing, they did manage to catch a pile of fish with a never before used technique. This was more important than filling the boat and knowledge that they would take back to their local waters to try. By 5:00, we had all had enough and after Pete landed a couple more bass from deep water, we called it a day. They now had a better understanding of where to look and what to do in the summertime. Instead of just fishing the shallows with plastics, they would be able to explore many other places on waters closer to home. I’m sure their long drive back was filled with plenty of talk about today and plans for their next outing, soon to come. I can’t wait to find out what happens when they use this technique again. I’m sure the information gained from today’s fishing will aid them for many years to come!!

Bram, Neil & Jamie were with me this morning after a rescheduling from the day before. The winds were just too big and from the wrong direction to get out on the lake we wanted, so we postponed the outing. Today was a little better but the ramp had 2 footers blowing in on it due to the east winds and it was a little tricky launching & keeping the boat dry. Once we were away from the shore, the ride was a whole lot better and everyone was ready for the hunt for big fish. We started out trolling for a few hours in search of the elusive musky and that’s exactly what it was, elusive! I likely marked several, but they just wouldn’t take our offerings and we changed up in hopes of a different species. Next on the list were the sturgeon and although skeptical, they agreed to giving them a try. I set up where I marked plenty of large fish and anchored the boat in this horrible wind direction. In fact, instead of having the rods all pointing out the back, I had them all out one side. With the east winds and the SW current, it was twisting me around making it more complicated than usual. We fished the area for about 45 minutes, all the while having a hard time with boat control. I believe that we may have had a few bites but with the boat rocking and bouncing it was almost impossible to detect. I eventually changed up locations and not long after, Jamie was into the first fish. He had never fought anything this big and with a little coaching was able to bring it boat side, after a lengthy battle. Once in the net, everyone was in awe with the overall mass. At over 50 inches, I estimated it to be in the 35 pound range and Jamie posed for a few pics. Once we were done, it was returned to the water and immediately bolted to the depths. All three of them had never seen anything the likes of this before and they all wanted more. Back in the lines went and a little while later Jamie had another one on, but it was short lived. He wasn’t able to keep it pinned and it was off as fast as it was on. We set up once again and the next rod to get hit was Neil and he was locked! Unfortunately mishap occurred when the other two crossed his line while trying to clear theirs. A little slack while I was untangling them and this fish was also gone. Disappointed, they regrouped and were back in the water again. It must have been about 15 minutes, when Bram finally hooked one of his own and it was game on! Now he was going to have to land this one for bragging rights! By the way it was fighting it was considerably larger than the one Jamie had landed earlier. This battle lasted a long time before we were to get a look at her and she was big. In fact she looked like "Medusa" when she came to the surface as there were a few lampreys attached to her back. I think Bram was relieved to see her on top, figuring that the battle was over. Apparently it wasn’t as she sounded once more and kept him in pain for a little longer. I know he was hurting by the way he was double fisting the rod and just laughed! Eventually she did come back to the surface and I was able to get the net under her. It took a couple of attempts as she wouldn’t curl when in the net and 62 inches straight just doesn’t fit. This fish was over 5 feet long and Bram was unable to hold her alone for the pics. The three of them decided to handle this beast making everything go much easier. We released her immediately after and she disappeared back down to the abyss. Although we did attempt to hook up Neil afterwards, it wasn’t going to happen today. Along with the two big sturgeon, they landed a nice walleye and several other smallies later. By 5:00, they were all ready to call it and we headed back to take out. This day may have been a little difficult by weather standards, but we stuck it out and made the best of it. I know this family will remember today for a long time with the dinosaurs they battled and have sore muscles to remind them as well. Targeting big fish isn’t for everyone but the rewards are definitely worth it. Today was a perfect example of patience and perseverance!!

I hit the water this morning with Stephane & his girlfriend under picture perfect conditions. The last time out we had a boat load, but today we had enough room to carry all kinds of gear. I was loaded for bear and started with the musky rods in an area that had given them up before. We trolled several passes and unfortunately came up with just a couple of pike for our efforts. I thought we’d change locations and do a few more runs seeing as how we were already set up but the results were the same. Plan B was to try for the dinosaurs that had been coming aboard lately and we set up residence in the depths & waited. It felt like watching paint dry as we sat there in anticipation of our first bite. Fortunately the top was up and under these scorching hot conditions, it was a welcomed treat! After what seemed like eternity and only a few missed bites, I decided to pull the plug here and try for smallies instead. Off we went into the shallows and it was here that we started finally catching. Both of them fought bass but the largest seemed to be only in the three pound range, with the exception of the two small sturgeon that inhaled the deadline. I had dropped another rod in & baited it in hopes of a possible bite and was rewarded with two landed and one lost. Although the biggest only went about 15 pounds, Stephane realized that this was what he wanted and asked to go back where the real big ones lived. He was willing to play the waiting game again and it was on! For some reason, the fish were just mouthing the baits today and every time we lifted up on them, they were gone. We had about three shots at them before we were finally into a solid hookup. Stephane got his wish and was battling the beast that he had wanted. This time the fish stayed deep and never came up making the fight last even longer than usual. After a while I was beginning to wonder if he might have locked up with another monster but eventually saw that it was just an average one. Today I had gotten smarter and brought a net to land these things, making my life much easier. When I finally got a chance, I took it and Stephane had his first official sturgeon over 30 pounds. We wasted no time taking several pics and he released the fish unharmed, back to the lake afterwards. These things are so strong that it seems like they could fight forever and swim off like they were never even hooked. I was really glad that we were at least rewarded one for all our efforts. We had spent the bulk of the day searching for only big fish and devoted most of our time without any luck until very late in the afternoon. Time to end on a high note and we readied for the run back. I was glad he had decided to go back and try again because just one makes it all worthwhile. The ride was a little bumpy despite the windless day and took even longer than usual. I think everyone who owned a boat was out and it actually felt like being in a washing machine! We took our time and just went with the flow and reminisced about the one that didn’t get away. Great day for fishing!!