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Patrick & his son Frederick were with me today looking to land a bunch of different fish. The weather looked to have the makings of a nice one with sunshine & air temps expected to reach into the upper 70’s. Winds were light from the SW and the water temps were still holding around 73 degrees when we set the lines & began our troll. I had great expectations as I was out the previous day and just slammed them in the same areas! Unfortunately, today was a totally different animal and we had to work hard for each & every bite we received. The first fish never even set off the reel and was only found to be there when checking the lines for weeds. It turned out to be a tiny largemouth and was released immediately. We managed to get several pike and a couple of smallies while here but it just didn’t have the feel of yesterday. A change was necessary and we packed it in for the troll and decided to go casting for smallmouth bass elsewhere. By now the sun had gotten up high enough to warm the water, triggering an activity like they had never seen before. Soft plastics accounted for the many bass they were to play with in the next several hours and there were a lot. Fish from two pounds all the way to over four were landed over these areas and Frederick was really enjoying the catching part. So much so that his father extended the half day trip into a full day when he asked his son, what he wanted to do. There was no question as to his answer! At one point another sturgeon was hooked up and Frederick got to see the raw power of these giants. He managed to get it close enough for me to glove and they both couldn’t believe just how big it actually was. I helped Frederick hold the beast for a few pics his dad just had to have before he released it back to the lake. We continued fishing this area, catching a few more here & there before moving off to a similar location not too far away. It was here that Patrick managed to lock up several times on a jig while his son kept throwing a senko to the roaming smallies nearby. Both of them managed to hook up on many more but the landing ratio wasn’t that good. I think the fish were just holding the baits and not actually taking them completely. Time was getting on and I wanted to hit a few more areas before calling it a day, so we packed up and moved once again. It was on this spot that I realized that Frederick had mastered the senko, when he slammed into a bass pretty far away. Once it took to the air we saw that it was a big one and he battled it like a champ all the way into the net. At well over 4 pounds it was surely the largest one of the day and he did it all on his own! He had gone from not catching on previous trips to landing a pile today and graduating with top honors! His interest was peaked and now he just wanted more & bigger. I’m sure that his father won’t have a hard time getting Frederick back on the water, the next time he heads out. They had both managed to hook up plenty today and were anxious to try these techniques on their own. With all the fish landed today, Frederick still hadn’t managed to get a walleye and this surprised me completely. I made one final stop in another area and set the lines to troll. This was a welcomed rest for his son as he was feeling a little tired from fighting all the fish throughout the day. The fish weren’t jumping in the boat now and I really had to hit the areas precisely in order to get bit. The first reel fired over a tiny refined spot and I knew it was what we were after. Bad luck was definitely upon us as the fish just came off while Frederick was reeling it in. Shortly after another reel screamed and I could tell that it too was of quality. I never even got to hand off the rod as this one also came unpinned, almost immediately after I got it out of the holder. Being pressed for time, that was all she wrote! I pulled the remainder of the lines and we were out of there. Although Frederick hadn’t landed any walleye, he did manage to catch plenty of other fish and had a blast today. I’m pretty sure the next time they’re out on their own, it won’t end in a skunk. With the knowledge they acquired today, their fishless days should be a thing of the past. Overall a pretty good day despite the difficult start!!

Guided Fishing!
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