Sick Action

Nick & Depeche were with me this morning looking for a few big fish. I had discussed the day with Nick and we were heading directly for the monsters. Running in low 40 degree air temps felt more like below freezing and I wore gloves for the first time this season. The water temps were still holding at 64 degrees but the air was only expected to reach upper 50’s by afternoon. Winds were out of the NE once again at 5 to 10 knots and sunshine was forecasted throughout. It was going to be a great day for fishing! We set up quickly and played the waiting game in hopes of a quick bite but it didn’t come. This was the first time I had hit them so early and I wasn’t sure how it would be. I think we had been there for about an hour or so before Nick was locked up and loving it. He battled his dinosaur for quite a while, feeling the burn the entire time. The first sighting had him in awe when he finally brought it to the surface. Soon after it was in the net and hoisted aboard for a few pics. Although not a real monster, he was quite happy with the overall size and released it back to do battle again. We regrouped and set up for another shot, hoping that Depeche would also have his chance. Well not long after, he was tight to one and began the battle with his beast. As he was new to fishing, I instructed him on several of the do’s & don’ts for the fight. I knew he would wear himself out long before the fish would and hoped these tips would help him conserve some of his energy. The burn was hitting him early and the size of this fish wasn’t helping! He was locked up on one of the above average giants and it was taking a toll on his strength. I knew that this was definitely going to be the largest fish he had ever landed and wanted him to succeed. Eventually we began to see bubbles and I knew it was nearing the end. When he finally saw the size of this thing, he was in total shock! I even had a difficult time getting it in the net! Once it curled, it was all over! I lifted the sturgeon aboard and prepped Depeche for the photos. He had a really hard time getting a hold of this thing but managed to lift it up for a few shots before turning her loose. We resumed fishing and I knew he was just praying that he didn’t hook up again. Nick on the other hand was ready and just dying for a really big one. They both had a few shots in the next couple of hours but either missed the strikes or lost them soon after hooking up. These fish were hitting weird and keeping them pinned was becoming an issue until Nick locked up with a beast of his own. This time the battle was a long one and a great workout for him as the fish really fought hard. Three times he brought it to the surface only to have it sound immediately after. It was definitely a struggle for him but eventually he won the battle. I slid the net under the fish and had a hard time lifting it aboard. This one was going to be the largest one of the day! Even he had a difficult time gripping hold of this slippery prehistoric animal for a few pics. Once released we saw it swim off and head directly down to the bottom. Instead of setting right back up, we took a small break and headed to land as Depeche wasn’t feeling well. In fact, we only got to fish for about another hour after returning, as he was feeling even worse. Nick landed one other fish and lost another one as well before we called it a day. It wasn’t fair to continue fishing while Depeche felt like he did so we finished up and headed back. Despite the early departure, it was unbelievable while we were there! They had both caught personal bests and had a great time while fishing. I only wish we could have remained there for a couple of hours longer as I’m sure they would have landed at least a few more. Oh well, there’s always next time! I just hope that it wasn’t anything too serious and that Depeche will be able to make it back out for more of this insane fishing. There’s still plenty of time left in the season to do battle with more of these monster sturgeon and I wouldn’t want him to miss the action, again!