Dual Birthday Celebration

After a couple of successful days musky fishing with a buddy of mine, I wanted more! I was hooking up with a father & son this morning and would give it another try. Bryn & his dad had celebrated milestone birthdays recently and were given a fishing day as their present. Today they would experience something that neither of them had ever done and were really looking forward to some big fish. Before setting out on the water we had discussed the game plan and walleye would not be on the agenda. Bryn’s dad had caught his fair share and due to their fighting ability, we crossed them off the list. We started trolling musky for about an hour & a half hoping for a rip, but never had a touch. Although I did mark a few that resembled what we were searching for, they just refused to move on the baits. Knowing what I had seen the past two days and the tiny windows for feeding, I decided to pull the plug and try for something else. We rigged up for the dinosaurs and headed to a new place where I had marked them the last time out. Once the lines were in the water we waited patiently with many monsters showing both on the sonar as well as in the air. They were excited! I was pretty sure we would score but was beginning to wonder when it would happen. It was well over an hour with plenty of moving before Bryn finally hooked into one. Although they had both been locked up briefly before, this one stayed pinned and Bryn was about to feel the burn. The fight lasted a while before we finally saw bubbles and I knew it was nearing the end. I had forgotten the big net this morning and was forced to use the smaller one just for their head. A glove would be used to tail the sturgeon in order to bring them aboard but the mesh would definitely help too. When a visual finally appeared, they freaked! To me it was on the smaller side but still large. To them it was a monster and Bryn’s personal best. After several pics we released the fish and resumed our fishing. A couple more fish were briefly hooked into but disappointment followed. Eventually Bryn’s dad locked up and this one was big. We knew this because she took to the air directly in front of us with a spectacular aerial leap. The battle lasted for a while and his dad fought it like a champ! I used the same landing method and eventually brought her aboard for all to see. It was much thicker than the earlier one Bryn had caught and quite a bit heavier too. His dad posed for several shots and we returned his prize soon after. She immediately bolted back to the bottom no worse for wear. I mentioned smallmouth fishing and both agreed that they were ready for something a little smaller. We covered lots of water and caught them scattered all over the flats on mostly soft plastics. Most of the fish were on the smaller side with the largest almost 4 pounds. After a couple of hours of this I was ready for another move to our next spot. I told them that we had to go by the sturgeon area to get there and asked if they wanted to make a quick stop before. Without hesitation, they both agreed and we were back at the giants in no time flat. The winds were out of the east a bit more now, making boat positioning more difficult. It really wanted to twist us sideways and I had to make many adjustments just to remain straight. This time however, it didn’t take long to hook into the first fish and Bryn was battling another giant. Three minutes into the fight, the hook pulled out and she was gone. The same thing happened a few more times by both before Bryn latched onto another and this one stayed on. The battle lasted longer than his earlier one this morning and I knew it was much larger too. When the fish finally came to the surface, I regretted not having the big net again. With a little struggle we were able to get it done though and Bryn had his personal best once more. This one was the largest of the day & was more difficult to hold, so his dad got into the shot. I think those pics will be being enlarged somewhere in their house! We resumed fishing quickly after the release and managed to lose a couple more before calling it a day. Bryn had another one on for almost 5 minutes before the line just popped and it too was lost. The musky may not have cooperated this morning but the sturgeon surely did. We decided quickly that the main focus was going to be on these beasts and had plenty of shots at them throughout the day. We even left them biting at the end! I’m sure that today will remain in their minds for quite some time. There’s no better way to spend a day fishing than with a family member. Today’s father & son duo was living proof as the two birthdays were combined to become one great fishing experience. Another great day for fishing!!