September 25th 2018

After several cancellations due to high winds, it was nice to get back on the water today! Jim & Marie were with me and I had to do a road trip with them in order to escape the hell winds once again. Smallmouth were the target and I hoped they would bite!

By the time we arrived and began to fish, it was almost 8:30. We had also driven to the water through showers and it was still raining! This had the makings of a wet & miserable day, but at least it wasn’t windy!

Our first spot saw Marie hit quickly on a blade but the fish never got pinned. I immediately switched her to a different lure and this is when everything changed. She had locked up on a nice smallie in the current and eventually brought to net a quality bass. I guess this lake was the right decision, as they were about to find out!

Although Jim wasn’t having much luck, he did have several hits. Marie on the other hand, managed to land 3 really good fish before we made a slight move to another area nearby. This was where things were about to get interesting!

I had them both working the same minnow baits and fishing a current break. Marie kept hooking up while Jim was still struggling to keep his fish pinned. After several other garbage fish were landed, he finally broke the ice with a small bass and the skunk was officially off of his back! He soon added to that another nice one that was also photo worthy. Marie through all of this, kept catching more as well and was way over Jim in numbers and size. Time to give him a fighting chance!

I made a long run to an area that I knew held big fish in hopes of getting Jim that elusive 6 pounder that he had been wanting for several years. On the first pass he nailed a good one that although wasn’t his targeted size, was welcomed nonetheless. He was on his way to bringing up the count and adding to that some big ones too!

Our second pass had me changing the boat direction so that Marie could also get a shot at the angle and she added a few more smaller bass to her count. Jim managed to get a couple of giants soon after that and they definitely required pics!

Between them, they managed to bring in several nice fish each and right before I was about to call it a day, Marie was fighting another. This fish turned out to be the big bass of the day and definitely a quality giant. We were ending on a high as she released the beast after several pics.

Despite fighting the elements, they were able to get their trip off to a bang with many nice bass today. We will be back out somewhere tomorrow again for their second attempt at the Holy Grail and with any luck, Jim will have his wish. If not however, they will be boating many others worthy of photos and enjoying each and every one of them too! Crossing my fingers that the weather holds out and we can get it done!!

September 20th 2018

I had a full boat today with Alex, Mark & John, all wanting to catch sturgeon. We were going to devote the entire day searching for the river monsters and hopefully it would be a success!

The winds were out of the NE and put a pretty good roll on the water as we headed to the area to fish. I idled over the spot briefly and anchored up when I began to see some good marks. With the wind blowing opposite the current, I was forced to use the aid of the drift sock in order to remain straight.

I wasted no time setting up and had three rods prepped and ready, for the first sturgeon! Fish were bumping into the lines constantly but we weren’t really having any luck with actual bites. This went on for a while but eventually I noticed one off the rods bounce and reared back on some weight. We were officially locked up! John took the rod and although new to this, fended quite well with just a little coaching. It fought real hard and put him to the test by making multiple runs and remaining on bottom almost the entire time. Close to ten minutes later, he managed to bring it to net and was totally exhausted. I told him that he had completed the easy part, but now he had to hold it for the pics! Although he struggled some, he did manage to hang on to it long enough for several shots before the release. Now all I needed to do was get the others into one of their own!

I reorganized the boat and set the rods once again, hoping for another big bite and wasn’t disappointed. I did have to move and re anchor in order to do it, but it didn’t take long afterwards. This time Mark was up and immediately after I set into his fish I realized it was big. I never even moved it when I lifted up on the rod. Might as well have been the anchor by the weight!

He struggled from the start with this fish as it just pulled. He couldn’t lift it off the bottom and it took him for a ride several times once again. I really don’t think he was expecting such a strong fight but it was normal to me! I always love watching people get beat up for the first time! After what seemed like forever (10 minutes) he had the fish beside the boat for me to net. It was going to be interesting seeing him lift it for the pics!

Totally exhausted and physically beaten, Mark held the fish as we took a few quick pics. It took every bit of strength that he had left just to hang on to the monster. It was even funnier watching him attempt to toss it back, but he somehow got the job done. Mark would definitely be needing a rest now!

Up next was Alex and I prepped everything for the wait. We remained in the same spot as I was seeing more fish on the screen and was sure it wouldn’t be long. The goby minnows were plaguing us in this area now and I had to re bait the hooks many times before we finally got a bite. It was Alex’s turn to fight one of these things and we all hoped it was giant! Despite our wishes, it was just average as we found out when it jumped. Regardless, it still gave him a great battle and he was happy to land it in about 5 minutes. They had done a full rotation now and I hoped that we would be able to do another one before the day was over.

After changing areas due to those pesky gobies again, we were finally able to concentrate on getting another bite. John was back up and soon after he was battling another big one. This time however, it took to the air behind the boat in a spectacular leap that ended in a rolling dive back to the bottom. It had completely wrapped itself in the line and John reeled the fish back to the boat without any fight. I had informed them before what had happened and told everyone what I was about to do when it got close enough. I took the rod and quickly untangled his fish before it went nuts again. John was handed back the rod and battled it for almost ten minutes afterwards. Although I could have just netted his fish, she was still green and I wanted no part of that! I waited until it was tired and came to the boat properly before bringing it aboard for more pics.

We still had plenty of time remaining and I was sure that I would be able to get the others into at least one fish each but luck wasn’t on our side. Despite relocating many times, it was only Mark that got to do battle with another fish. Slightly smaller than his first one, it was still quite large! It beat him up again but this time he was more capable of lifting it up for the pics before the release.

The balance of the day saw a few more moves but the fish just didn’t want to cooperate. In the end, we were one shy of a double rotation but the fish we did land were quality. They all got to feel the power of these beasts and now have a better respect for our river monsters. They also all left smelling like a fish market from bear hugging their catch! By 4:00 we were done and I headed back to take out. This day could have only been better if we had landed one more fish, but they all had a great time regardless. Just one of these things each would have been a success and we had a couple more as an added bonus. This was definitely a very successful day with plenty of poundage landed and released. Hopefully they will be back out again before the season ends as talk of a return trip was passed around while we were out. Who knows, maybe they’ll see even bigger fish their next time out!!

September 19th 2018

Ray & Greg joined me today on yet another major cold front outing. Ray didn’t want sturgeon, but was looking for bass and maybe walleye instead. I brought the tackle along just in case!

We headed out in a big NE wind that had me fishing a current break from the opposite direction. It seemed that the wind was stronger than the usual speed of the current, pushing us upstream. Although tough, it wasn’t impossible and Ray managed to get a nice smallie, tossing a blade bait. Greg was new to fishing all together and wasn’t having much luck. I made some casts and hooked up several times while we were there. Most of the strikes were short but I was able to land a few fish regardless.

After trying the first area for quite a while in overcast and big winds, I decided to make a move to another area further away in hopes of better results. We were going to fish shallow to try and get away from the winds!

As soon as I arrived, I knew it would be better as the water was a whole lot calmer. They both had several bites on soft plastic baits but again it was only Ray that landed anything. Greg was having a hard time setting the hook and missed several. I tried to show them what to do and ended up landing 3 or 4 in as many casts. The fish were definitely here! I also tried to explain the cadence of working the baits and once Ray changed his rhythm, he set into a nice one almost immediately.

We had been at this for almost the entire morning now and I wasn’t really seeing great results anywhere. I would have to go out to deeper water and try drop shotting if we had any chance of better fish. After fishing a couple of other shallow areas, they asked if we could try for sturgeon instead as they both needed a break from casting. I gladly obliged and we were off to fish for the giants!

I didn’t have to look for long before I managed to locate what I wanted and anchored up quickly. The winds were still out of the NE and I set the drift sock in place to keep the boat firmly holding straight.

With lines in, we began our wait for the first legitimate bite. Several false hits were had from the fish bumping into the lines before I set into a real bite and it was game on! Greg took the rod and we cleared everything in order for him to fight his fish. It was a strange battle as the fish came in rather quickly for its size. No jumps or long runs, just docile and cooperative by comparison to all the others I’ve landed. In less than 5 minutes I netted his catch and readied him for a few pics. By the size of the fish, it should have taken a lot longer to bring in but for some reason it didn’t. Oh well, he got lucky this time!

After a few pics and a release, we were back in the game, wanting more! With fish still marking on the screen, I knew it was just a matter of time before we had another bite. Eventually I saw the rod bounce and was able to lock them up on another good fish. I thought Ray was going to take the rod but instead he insisted that Greg fight the fish as he was from France and wouldn’t get another chance to do this again. No problem, round two for Gregory!

This time he wasn’t as fortunate with the battle as the sturgeon acted more normal, beating him up pretty good. Still no jumps but plenty of good long runs and bottom hugging from one side to the other. I had to take the rod from him several times as she went under the boat often. It took Greg over 10 grueling minutes of punishment to finally bring the fish close enough for me to land. Now he knew what the fight was suppose to feel like! Easy part over, hard part about to come! When he held the fish for the photos he realized just how big it was and struggled just to hold on. We made it quick and shot fast before releasing his beast back where it belonged.

I reset the lines after and knew we would have another bite as there’s never two without three! Unfortunately the next fish was on the small side and a real baby. I showed them the sharp back bones and side scoots and they were amazed at the difference between adults and juveniles.

I really wanted to get Greg another one and set the lines one more time in hopes of something really big. Well not too long after, I reared back on a good bite and knew this was the one. I barely moved the fish on the hookset! She made several long runs and took out over 150 feet on the first one. Greg was in for a long battle! I would have liked to see her jump but this was another fight done entirely under water. This fish was so heavy that all he could do was hang on. Many times he would gain, only to lose all the line and even more when she ran. I’m sure the fight lasted close to 15 minutes before she was boatside. I coached him on bringing it closer and was finally able to net this giant. Relieved that the fight was over, he wasn’t looking forward to the pics. Ray actually had to help him hold the fish as he wouldn’t have been able to do it alone. Several quick, painful shots later, she was returned unharmed. What an absolute beast!

After all of this, they decided that they were done for the day, I packed everything up and readied the boat, happy for the outcome of this day. It may have been a challenge for bass in these cold front conditions but the sturgeon were a different story. They cooperated just fine! In just a couple of hours they were able to get into some really nice fish that ended with a bang. I believe that this fish may have been the largest one so far this season! Both Ray and Greg got to see what the waters surrounding Montreal hold and these dinosaurs are big! Greg will be heading back to France soon and bragging about the river monsters of the St. Lawrence. Now he’ll have plenty of pics to back him up too!

September 18th 2018

Scott was back with me again today and this time he brought Chris, (AKA Frenchie) along as well. They weren’t looking for anything in particular, just to catch fish! I would be going to several areas and hoping to hook them up in all. Maybe even a dinosaur or two!

We got a slightly later start as they drove in early this morning and were fishing before 8:00. First spot had them drop shotting in deeper water and despite several missed strikes, they only managed to get into one nice bass and a couple of walleye. Although I was marking fish, they didn’t seem to want their offerings and a move was made.

The next place saw similar success but with a twist. While I was spot fishing the area with them, I managed to hook into a small walleye that almost got eaten by a good sized lunge. It followed the hooked fish all the way to the boat and I had to lift it out of the water so as not to be eaten. Chris was right beside me and also saw the submarine image chasing the walleye. I guess it was his lucky day! Several casts later I was hooked up on a small bass and it wasn’t as fortunate. Right before I was to land it, another smaller musky attacked the smallie and line began to scream from my reel. Although short lived, it wasn’t pretty for the bass! I eventually reeled the little guy in only to find some jaw patterned marks all over each side. He too was lucky as he only ended up scarred for life!

I had changed locations again due to old toothy and now had them throwing soft plastics over another area. They both made multiple casts over a long stretch of water but only Scott was able to hook any fish. He managed to land a handful of good smallies but none photo worthy!

I had wanted to take them for sturgeon but throughout the morning the winds were blowing pretty good and anchoring up would have been difficult. Eventually the winds layed down enough to make a move and we were heading for the big dogs now! I was pleasantly surprised to see only one other boat out there and began idling over the area in search of some fish.

With rods set, it didn’t take long before we had some action. Unfortunately it was due to all the fish bumping into our lines and not actual bites! Eventually one made a mistake and opened its mouth to eat and I reared back on something solid. Frenchie was first up and I handed him the rod to fight his fish. This thing fought like a giant but when it jumped we saw that it was just an average sized sturgeon. About five minutes later I netted his catch and gave it to him for several pics. After a quick release we were back in and wanting more!

Another bite soon after had Scott battling a smaller one and this time I gloved it instead of using the net. Despite its size, the fish still put up quite a fight and took several minutes to land. These things can pull no matter how small they are!

We had been having all kinds of action from fish bumping into the lines and I knew it was just a matter of time before we had another take. Sure enough I noticed a small bite on the middle rod and set into something large. Chris took the rod and began to do battle with the real deal! After a couple of spectacular jumps his fish decided to make long runs and stay on the bottom. It fought hard and took a while before he was able to bring it boatside for me to net. Not overly fat but extremely long, this fish was the biggest so far today. I think he was glad to release the beast after several pics as it was also quite heavy!

We were still seeing plenty of marks on the bottom and I was pretty sure we would have more action. This time however, Scott picked up the rod when it bit, set into one of his own. Another lengthy battle filled with jumps and runs and bottom hugging had him landing his fish 5 minutes later. It was definitely bigger than his first one but he decided that he didn’t need any pics and the fish was released after the hook was removed.

I wasn’t sure how much longer we would be staying, but Scott managed to get another hookup on his own and figured we’d give it a little longer. This time however, he brought to net a drum that was also released immediately after the hook removal. With the winds picking up slightly I had to use the aid of the electric motor to remain where I was and we held there for about another 30 minutes without any more action. Time to pull the plug completely!

After packing everything up, I decided to end the day with some more smallies and headed to an area to fish. Unfortunately there was a boat close to where I wanted to go and I decided to hit another area instead. No sense educating them on where to fish and what to do!

With limited time remaining, we covered a shallow flat and only landed one good bass. There were several others that followed but nothing seemed to want to bite. I had also seen a wind beginning from the north and a major temperature change occurring. In fact, the winds kicked up so bad that there were huge rollers building on the main lake. It wasn’t going to pretty going back! I informed them that they most likely had seen there last fish with this weather change and we packed everything up and headed back.

The run back was a little rough with the winds coning out of the north and the waves were good size as I neared the channel. Fortunately with the new motor on the Ranger, it made for a dry, comfortable ride!

Today may have started out a little slow but by mid day the fishing picked up and many good fish were landed. Although mostly dinosaurs, Frenchie and Scott were happy to have caught them. I think that in the weeks to come, there will be even bigger monsters boated along with some great bass & walleye action too! I can’t wait for the cooler weather to arrive!!

September 17th 2018

Phil and I hit the water this morning after a bunch of failed attempts at fishing this season. I had tried to get him out but our schedules never matched. The winds forecasted for today wouldn’t be nice but I thought we’d give it a try anyway.

I took him straight for sturgeon as he hadn’t landed one in two years. Hopefully I would be able to anchor up if the winds got too big! They were suppose to arrive before 10:00 and gust over 20 knots from the SW, but fortunately we started in much less!

After a little idling over the area, I dropped anchor where I thought I wanted. Unfortunately it didn’t hold and I was forced to move before we even wet a line. Although not too big, the winds had made us drift too close to another boat and I wasn’t going to stay. I decided to try again and this time used the aid of the electric as well. No problem the second time around!

With a couple of lines down, we waited with rod in hand for a bite. Phil set into the first one and although not too big, it did fight pretty hard. One leap confirmed its size and I decided to tail it instead of using the net. We were not skunked and Phil had caught his first sturgeon in two years!

We reset the lines after releasing the fish and I noticed that the winds had increased. They were gusting pretty good but the combination of anchor and electric motor anchor feature had us holding strong. It wasn’t too long after that I felt a hit and reared back on another. This one felt pretty good and I gave the rod to Phil to fight. For some reason it wanted to stay down and mostly under the boat! Although she had several good runs, Phil had to reach over the motor multiple times as this fish kept moving from one side to the other. In under ten minutes however, he was able to bring her up, for me to net. This one was quality and I needed some pics before the release! Phil had caught most of his sturgeon later in the season and was always dressed heavier than today. This time he was in shorts and a t shirt and didn’t realize that the fish can create a rash, if their body comes in contact with your skin. Sure enough, he found this out the hard way when it began to develop on one of his arms. It never lasts but can cause a slight burning if not rinsed afterwards!

With the winds blowing pretty hard now, I wasn’t sure how much longer we would be able to remain here. I was glad we stayed though as Phil set the hooks into another sturgeon a little while after releasing the last one. This thing was just insane with crazy runs and one great leap. Although smaller than the previous sturgeon it gave a great fight and required the net once again. We had overcome the elements and somehow managed to catch 3 nice fish in the process. We also tried a little while longer but eventually realized it was too rough to even feel the bites. Time to relocate and change to a different species!

I wanted Phil to get into some nice smallies and headed to an area that I knew held quality. I showed him how to fish the bait and it wasn’t long before his rod was bent. Not only had he nailed a good one but there were others with it! I knew he was going to get plenty more and didn’t waste much time with the pics. Right back in, he was hit again on his very next cast! This one was slightly smaller and released immediately after being landed. Phil was amazed at how many there were in the area along with the size. He could see others following his bait on almost every cast and although he did miss many, he still hooked into a bunch. This went on for a while before I repositioned the boat and hit another area nearby. It was game on, all over again! He could barely get the bait in the water and fish were fighting over it. Schooling bass are incredibly competitive and even when you miss one, another hits you right away. This feeding frenzy went on for a while with the big waves we were in. I was glad that he got to fish through a period like this on a day that he wasn’t sure he would even get out.

I’m not really sure how many bass were landed but between the two of us, there were plenty. Unfortunately the day passed by quickly between the sturgeon & the smallies and before we knew it, it was time to go. Several last casts later, we headed back to the ramp to take out. I had wanted to bring him to open water for walleye late in the afternoon and was glad I hadn’t as the waves were even bigger where we would have fished. Good call remaining on the bass I guess!

Today was just another great outing filled with all kinds of action. Even in the big winds, we were able to land our targeted species, multiple times. We had finally managed to get out after so many failed attempts this season. I’m sure this won’t be the last time, with plenty more days left before freeze up. Hopefully we will continue to have more great fishing ahead. Who knows, maybe for some giant fall eyes next time!!