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Louis was back with me today and this time he brought a couple of friends from France. They didn’t have much experience fishing but I was sure I could get them into some fish. Hopefully I was right as the conditions weren’t looking great. Winds were out of the east to start and were going to swing to the SE and blow quite big during the day. It was going to be a challenge!

Our first stop saw Laurence hooked up quickly as she boated her first walleye. Unfortunately, it was an over and wouldn’t be getting eaten tonight! Ther were hoping to bring some fish home for dinner, but this wasn’t going to be one of them. The east wind made it difficult to get a drift going causing me to use the electric motor. I needed it in order to move the boat into the wind, as it was against the current flow and slightly angled. This made it much harder with three people fishing.

We had made several passes over the area I wanted to fish and only managed the one walleye so far. Despite marking all kinds of fish here, they just didn’t seem to want to bite! Eventually though, Alain hooked up and finally got one to eat. It was even larger than the previous one and also had to be released, after a few pics. I stayed a little longer hoping for more but a few missed fish and one perch was all we had to show for our efforts.

I made a move to another spot after the dismal fishing on the previous one and immediately hooked up. I passed the rod to Alain and he fought another species. This time it was a nice smallmouth and after a short battle he landed his first bass. Laurence also hooked up and she too fought her first ever smallie. Several shots were taken of both catches and we continued drifting the area in hopes of a few more. As luck would have it, Louis also managed to catch one of his own and he also lost another beside the boat. It didn’t take long before these fish got educated and shut down completely. Time for another move!

I made a long run and checked out a different area in hopes of finding some sturgeon to catch. Although a bit early in the year, they were around and some have already been caught. It didn’t look great, but I did manage to see a few and decided to give it a try. After about ten minutes, I set into a small fish and passed the rod to Alain to fight. As it turned out, it was a sturgeon, but a juvenile one! We tried for a while longer but never had another bite. Between those damn goby minnows and floating weeds due to the wind, it was next to impossible to fish. I pulled the plug and headed back to fishing for smaller fish.

I slid up on a shallower reef and they began casting the dropshot rigs. It had been holding both bass and walleye and I was hoping to get a few Walters for them to eat. It was tough with the weeds but everyone managed to catch a few fish from this area. Too bad they were all bass and released!

I shifted over to another spot close by and decided to give it a try. Similar results were had here too and they decided that they would eat instead, as it was already past noon. While they were eating, I thought I’d try for a bit and within 10 minutes, landed several bass & walleye. Unfortunately, only one of them was legal and made it into the box. Once they were done, Louis also got in the game and put another small keeper into the boat for them tonight. Despite all our efforts, this was the last fish to come aboard and we were forced to move again. The winds had picked up significantly now and it was time to go. These were the big SE winds that they had predicted and it was about to get even tougher to fish!

Our next spot may have been somewhat less rough, but it also only put out one small walleye for Louis. He had managed to catch it while I was drifting, due to a little line tangle in the electric motor. It was at this moment that I decided to return to our starting spot and fish it for the remainder of the day. It was holding good fish and I knew that if I concentrated there that they should be able to catch more fish.

We arrived on the spot and a change was needed in order to fish it effectively. I was going to make shorter drifts, crossways, over the flat and hopefully it would work. We were now facing 2 & 3 footers, but I was marking some fish. With hopes high, we started drifting!

As usual, Laurence hooked up first and managed to bring a 20 incher into the boat. This was a great keeper and we hoped for more. Many drifts were made and despite our efforts, only one more keeper was landed by Louis. A bunch of perch were also caught, along with one crazy battle from a sturgeon that Louis finessed into eating. This was definitely the highlight of the day!

I had left a set of keys with Don in the morning, expecting the ramp to be a disaster for take-out and I was right. The winds were blowing 3 footers directly into it and he had the trailer waiting when we arrived. I quickly drove it on and the Drotto did the rest. Despite the quick removal, there was still a couple of big waves that rolled over the back when he pulled out. It would have been much worse if I had to do it on my own!

Today was full of surprises but we got the job done. Everyone managed to catch fish and several different species too! Mother Nature could have been a little nicer to us however, but that’s just the way it goes. At least they will have enough fish for an appetizer tonight!!

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Jason & his son Max were wanting to learn about the lake they fished, so I took a road trip to see what I could do. We met up about 8:00 and headed out in search of some smallmouth bass. Soft plastics were going to be used and hopefully the fish would cooperate!

Jason was the first to hook up and it was a real good one too! He had been having problems in the past, catching anything, so this was a real treat. After a great fight, I slid the net under his catch. He was absolutely amazed at its overall size and after a few pics, it was returned to the lake unharmed. Max was into the next one from the same area, but unfortunately it came unpinned. We covered water in search of more, but it ended the same way, with lost fish. I hoped this wouldn’t be the norm for today!

I jumped to a different spot and Jason did land another, slightly smaller in size. Along with this one, he added a few more lost ones as well. Unfortunately, it didn’t stop there as Max had the same thing happen too! For some reason they were just coming off! With each place we fished, similar results were happening. The next move saw several fish in the area, swimming and I knew we just had to get lucky! Despite Max’s blow up on one of the baits that ended poorly, another did fall victim to a dropshot.

I had about given up on this place when another pick-up was had and this time Max was into a big fish. I just hoped that it stayed pinned! I’m not quite sure what happened next, but somehow the line tangled around the tip of his rod and I had to hand line it into the net. At least this one stayed on long enough to be landed! It was so big that Max decided to let his dad hold it for the pics instead. He wasn’t sure if he would drop it and didn’t want to take the chance. We shot fast and released the fish unharmed!

With each spot we hit, more fish were missed or lost. It was just one of those days where luck was not on our side. They just couldn’t catch a break today! This continued to the very end with more missed fish and we finally ended the misery. By 4:00 we were ready to go!

Jason & Max may not have been the luckiest today but they did leave with a better understanding of the water they fish. Hopefully in the future they will refine the techniques they learned and be able to adjust to the conditions on any given day. They do know now that there’s still fish in the lake and will try harder to catch them the next time out. Better days ahead!!

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Gaetan & Charles joined me this morning for a mixed bag day! Winds were out of the north blowing 15 to 25 but we wanted to try for a sturgeon bite, regardless. The question was, whether or not we would be able to anchor up. Only time would tell as we ran to the area to fish!

Despite the big north, the run was actually better than I thought and I set up on a few fish after scanning the area. Although a little bouncy and twisted, I was able to see the bites and managed to catch a few fish in the time we were anchored. Unfortunately, the only sturgeon landed was a juvenile, but at least it was Charles’s first! His uncle Gaetan had been with me last year in October and fought a few really good ones. Today they were hoping for the same, but fell a little short! They did manage to catch a couple of other exotic species though, with redhorse suckers and a channel cat also landed. At least it was action!

We eventually had to pull the plug on sturgeon fishing when the winds switched NE and made the bites more difficult to see. The gobies weren’t helping either as they were nibbling all of our worms! It was definitely time to change species!

I made a long run after packing everything up and headed somewhere to fish for bass and walleye. They started with a dropshot and almost immediately were into fish. Too bad most of them came off before reaching the net! Both bass and walleye were seen from here but not the numbers I had expected. I soon changed presentations and headed even shallower!

Gaetan and Charles were now throwing soft plastics and immediately the bites were seen! Although Gaetan still had trouble keeping the bass pinned, Charles didn’t seem to have any difficulty landing his. Eventually however, both were bringing them to net!

I had remained in the area for quite a while as the fish were really biting. Unfortunately, that all came to an end when and the bites just died! It was time for another move and I headed to open water some distance away, searching for a few walleye.

The run was actually pleasant as the winds had diminished considerably. I soon arrived and set them up once again with a dropshot and began fishing. I was marking good schools of fish, but they didn’t seem to want to bite. A few walleye were landed but not the numbers I had seen. Several drifts later they called the day and we at least ended on a high. There were a few fish in the box for them to bring home to eat!

This was definitely a multi species day as many different fish were caught. The numbers were there, but not the size! Plenty of action was had by all making this a very enjoyable fishing day. Hopefully when they come back in October, the fish will be bigger and Charles will finally get to tangle with a beast. If Mother Nature cooperates, that shouldn’t be a problem. Bring on fall fishing!!

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Sean and his daughter Natasha were scheduled for an afternoon trip today, but we started earlier than expected. After a morning cancellation, they began at 10:00 instead of the usual time of 11:30. I was already on the water checking a few other areas and gladly met them at the dock at the earlier time.

Winds were out of the NE and blowing 10 to 20 kmph when we headed out, so I decided to make a long run to try and escape the waves. I figured that we would be able to fish an area somewhat sheltered from all the rough water and was right. Sean hadn’t fished in quite some time and his daughter really hadn’t fished at all. I instructed them on what to do and it wasn’t long before Natasha was hooked up. In fact, she managed to get the first 3 bass before her dad even had one! They were both dropshotting soft plastic baits and we were on fish! We focused on this area for quite a while and they both caught several fish including a few smaller walleye. When it slowed down, I decided to try even shallower and changed them up to a different technique.

A rocky flat was what they were now fishing and once again, it didn’t take long before Natasha was locked up! Her father wasn’t far behind with his first fish as well and I knew there would be plenty more. They fished the baits slowly and both had multiple bass hookups in the time we remained. Although there were no real giants landed, there was plenty of action to keep everyone happy!

With time lapsing, I decided to make another move when things slowed down. I wanted to fish an open water area before they were done. To my surprise, the winds had died off completely and now the water was flat calm. It definitely made for a smooth ride to where I wanted to go!

Natasha and her father Sean were both back on the dropshot rigs and on Sean’s first cast, he was locked up. I guess it was the right decision making the move! He had a bass that turned out to be his largest one for the day. Natasha also caught a few of her own, as well as an exotic species. She somehow managed to land a Redhorse Sucker. I usually only see these when I fish for sturgeon in the deep water. It was definitely a rare catch! Several more smallies were boated and Sean also caught a nice walleye before we were done. It was an over however and had to be released!

With the lake flat calm, we were all feeling the heat and Sean took a quick dip before we headed in. He definitely cooled off for the run back!

Today turned out to be a great one for Sean & his daughter as they both managed to catch plenty of fish in the short time we were on the water. They also learned a couple of new tricks to aid them in their future time on the water. I’m sure they will be giving fishing another try on their own and hopefully they will remember what they learned today. It was definitely a great day for fishing!!

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Shamlan was with his family this morning and hoping to show his kids some great fishing. All four of them were in for a real treat as the walleye were on the menu today. Hopefully as well tonight!

We headed out just after 8:30 and were into fish almost immediately. It started with his son landing a nice eye that was soon to meet the livewell. His wife also fought another to the boat that unfortunately was an over. It did make for a great double shot though!

We made several drifts with only missed fish but soon rebounded. Everyone managed to hook and fight more walleye and before we knew it, there was a limit in the livewell. A few others were also landed, that were too big and released after the pics. We continued the drifts as long as we could but by 11:30, called the day when the winds got too big. They were only scheduled for a half day as Shamlan wasn’t sure if his kids could manage a whole day. I think he got his answer and it will be different the next time around! Everyone had a great time catching fish that they will be eating tonight. Who could ask for anything more!!