June 15th 2018

I had a group today that were in the city for another bachelor party. Tyler, Cody, Charlie & Jeff were looking to spend a half day catching fish and I was going to make it happen. A 7:00 meet time had us on the water soon after and I headed to our first area to troll.

I wanted to fish this spot yesterday, but due to the winds was unable to get there. Hopefully this morning would be worth the long run! I set the four lines and started covering water, looking for our first bite. Right on cue one of the down rods fired and Cody was into the first pike of the day. Although small, it was still his first pike! Shortly after another reel went off and the rotation began. We spent about 90 minutes in this area hooking up frequently. Unfortunately they were all northerns and I wanted to locate the walleye. Time to move!

I tried a little deeper water hoping that the cold temps of 61 degrees had just sent them down. Well we did have some action here, along with a couple of doubles, but they were also pike. Some were good size, and a few of them even came in foul hooked. I guess they must have taken a shot at the baits as they turned or something! Several passes through this area and still only pike had me pulling the lines and relocating once again. I wanted to get them some walleye and also needed to find some warmer water.

After making a long run, I set up in another area searching for gold. The first several fish turned out to be northerns. However, I was sure a couple of the ones that came unpinned were walleye. Eventually Jeff did manage to land a decent one that was around 23 inches. I informed him of the slot rule in Quebec and we returned the fish after a few pics. They were staying in a condo and were hoping to take a few back to eat and I wanted to make that happen. I eventually made another move in the area and switched up several of the baits in hopes of better results. Something must have worked because the next 6 fish were all walleye and most of them were high end keepers! A quick phone call from one of their friends changed their minds about keeping fish when nobody wanted to clean them. Oh well, they all lived today!

I was now covering warmer water with different lures and the fish were active where we were. Multiple reels were firing often and we even had a couple more double headers. A mix of pike & walleye were being landed with the majority of them eyes. Time was also running out and I was looking for a few more bites when the long line screamed. Another down rod also went off shortly after and we were into a double once again. What happened next, was not expected!

Charlie was battling a fish that he didn’t seem to have much control over and I thought it had just become snagged. Cody already had his pike in and released! Soon after I knew what had happened and cleared the other two lines, giving him the whole boat to fight the fish. He was locked up on his very first lunge and I didn’t want him to lose it. Today was officially the season opener and I also wanted a few pics. As it neared the boat, they all freaked over the actual size of this beast! After a little difficulty landing it, I finally had her in the boat! Charlie was instructed on how to hold the fish and several quick pics were taken before releasing her back to the water. I made him hold the tail until she was ready and we all watched her swim off unharmed. No sense putting the lines in again, we were done!

This day couldn’t have gone any better with plenty of fish caught by everyone. I had stayed out a little longer when the action picked up and by doing so managed to get Charlie a fish of a lifetime. I know he won’t forget this day anytime soon and the cut finger from one of the teeth , will also remind him too! The gang had fished through a slow period this morning from the remains of the cold front recently. They had also seen the difference in the afternoon bite when the water warmed. Throughout it all, we still managed to put plenty of fish in the boat and iced the cake in the end. What a way to end the day!!

June 14th 2018

Richard and his son, Rich junior were with me this morning, hoping for a good half day of fishing. I knew I had my work cut out for me with the heavy rains we had, followed by giant winds. I wasn’t even sure if we were going to get out! They were blowing 20 to 30 knots from the west and the lake was big!

We hit the water just before 7:30 and I told them it was going to be a bumpy ride to where I had to go. I even put the third seat in the boat to avoid the pounding. Fortunately the waves were coming directly at me but they were giant three footers that were rolling more like Lake Ontario. Throw in a few rogue waves and you’ve got a roller coaster ride from hell.

We finally made it to where I wanted to fish and I knew they were going to catch! I set the lines and began trolling the area I had ended on the day before. Within minutes the first reel went off and a smallie took to the air, throwing the hooks. Back in it went and the next reel to fire gave junior his first ever walleye. He was on a mission today to break his record of landing 13 fish back in Florida and I aimed to make it happen! From this point on he would be counting each and every fish. Plenty of pics were taken before releasing his catch too!

Although I had to work hard at getting the bites that usually come easy, they were fighting fish often. I had one little area where apparently there were a good number of walleye positioned and reels were firing often. So much so that we ended up with several doubles allowing Richard to actually land a few himself! For some reason though, all I could get them into were walleye and that was beginning to puzzle me. When they finally hooked into a northern, it was on the small side for what I was use to seeing from this area. I covered plenty of water and even moved far away from where I was catching in order to see if I could find some bigger pike for the little guy to battle.

After what seemed like forever without a rip, I slowly made my way back to where they had been hooking up. Apparently with the off colored water and lower water temps, the fish weren’t holding there. It took only a couple of minutes once we returned to get back in the game and they both began reeling in more fish. Rich even landed his first ever smallmouth bass, giving him a third first for the morning! I decided to remain around this area, fanning out slightly to get more bites. The numbers kept climbing and Rich was way above his personal best day of fishing by now. In fact he ended with almost doubling it by the time we were done!

Noon came quickly and before we knew it I was packing everything up to go. I had decided to let him catch one more fish and it didn’t take long. I had also left one line in the water to take out last and as luck would have it, there was a fish on the other end. He ended the day with two fish, not one!

Our run back was less painful with the winds switching slightly to the W/NW making for a somewhat smoother ride. They had seen a great day of fishing in difficult conditions today. I only wished for some sunshine to fire up the inactive fish for them to catch more. All in all it was still a great day considering that I wasn’t even sure we would be able to get out. Hopefully they will be back again sometime this summer and I will be able to bring them for something larger, like the dinosaurs I catch. Rich and his dad are all for that! Next time we hunt for River Monsters!!

June 13th 2018

Darren & Howard decided to book with me today, hoping to get into more high numbers. Although we got a slightly later start than usual, we were on the water just about 9:00. We quickly headed to a spot hoping for fast action and they weren’t disappointed!

I began the troll with three lines in and about one minute later the first reel went off. Howard grabbed the rod at the same time a second line screamed and we instantly had a double. One pike & one walleye were their reward as they held them up for a few quick pics. That’s how you get a day started!

The conditions couldn’t have been better, with a nice chop on the water from the SW. Lately I’m seeing more high wind days and from every direction but the SW. It was finally nice to have current & wind going the same way!

With lines back in, I knew it wouldn’t take long before they were both fighting fish again and I was right. Another reel fired almost immediately and soon after, a second. Another double of the morning and more pike came aboard. In the next couple of hours, there were many more fish landed with a mix of pike & walleye being seen. There were also several other doubles and even a triple header to add to the numbers. A couple of the walleye made it into the livewell for them but most were overs and released after a few shots. Eventually after milking this area pretty good, I decided to relocate not far from where we were.

With slightly deeper water here, I switched up a few baits and it didn’t take long before the first fish was on. Darren was tight to a good northern and the fight was better than usual. These fish had been feeding for a while now, after the spawn and were real healthy. A quick release and back to trolling, looking for some large eyes. I covered plenty of water and we picked at them good but I wasn’t satisfied with the results. Although a couple of walleye were landed, most of them were pike and I moved again.

I decided to try a little shallower water in hopes of finding what we were after, gold! Clouds were upon us now and conditions were occasional rain, with complete overcast skies. Perfect for the walleye to cruise open water shallows! Within minutes we had a rip and Darren boated yet another large walleye. It seemed like he had the hot hand on the right rods and the right bites. Although they were taking turns on the fish, Howard almost always managed to get pike. Either way, they were catching all kinds of fish and that was all that counted!

I had covered a lot more water than I wanted with very little results before I decided to head back out deeper. The area we had started in was where I was going and as soon as I neared it, reels began to fire again. A few more doubles were also had along with many single hook ups. We decided to remain here for a while and catch as many as we could!

Thunder storms had been forecasted for this afternoon and I knew we were already lucky with the weather, so far. When the skies darkened all around us and it began to rain, I decided to make a long run to another area closer to the ramp. I had also seen a clearing and thought we might be lucky with the rain.

When we arrived I realized I had made the right move as it was flat calm and not raining at all. I set the lines and let the games begin! Reels also began to sing once more and although we started out with a couple of pike, walleye were what we caught most. In fact we ended the day with another double and they were both keeper eyes!

Howard & Darren had decided to pull the plug about 3:30 with the weather coming and I was in agreement. Better to get off when we were dry than to scramble in the rain!

Their day may have been slightly shorter than most but the fishing was still on fire. I don’t really know how many they landed but it was the usual amount for this time of year, lots! They even managed to bring a few keeper walleye home with them as well making this a great day once again. Plenty more of these still to come!!

June 10th 2018

Another day on the water and another slaughter fest for pike & walleye! Anya & Rocky were going to experience the best fishing of their lives and didn’t even know it!

After a mix up on meet times, we finally got underway just after 7:30. Trolling is the name of the game at this time of year and it didn’t take long to get the ball rolling. In less than one minute after the three lines were set, one of the reels started to scream. That’s how you do it when you promise quick hookups! Rocky got to battle her first ever northern, but it wouldn’t be her last. She had been told from friends back home that they weren’t easy to catch and I just laughed. I told her that by end of day, she would be sick of catching so many of them!

The morning was a little chilly at the start but the fishing was on fire as they both boated so many fish in the first hour that we just lost count. Pike after pike were ripping reels and multiple hookups were happening every couple of minutes. We also had several double headers that are always fun! We even had a triple that put a little chaos into the day!

Anya hadn’t fished much in her lifetime, but got into it pretty quick with all the action. Rocky on the other hand had been fishing since the age of four and loved every minute of it. She didn’t have much time to rest as reels were going off every couple of minutes. Quite often one turned into two and double headers were frequent! The action was so fast that all I kept doing was going over the same area multiple times to get bit. My plotter screen eventually looked like a spider web and needed to be erased in order to find the waypoint. With this many fish being landed it was inevitable that other boats would move in and at one point I counted a total of 7 others in the area. Absolutely unbelievable! Fortunately I only needed a small section and kept circling it, getting bit. They even managed to land a couple of bonus walleye, but unfortunately they were overs and had to be released. I think we must have spent over three hours in this area before making a move. Too many fish to leave!

Our next spot was supposed to be a quick stop but the fish had other ideas. Again, in less than one minute the first reel fired and I knew we would be hanging in here for a while! Several pike were landed and they were all good ones. Lately this area had been putting out larger than normal sized fish and never disappointed! In fact when the next reel fired, Rocky hooked into a really big fish that turned out to be a musky. She was elated to get her first ever lunge and couldn’t believe their strength. Although small by my standards, still a nice fish to have caught! It was much larger than all of the pike she reeled in and a whole lot meaner during the fight. I mentioned to her that the fish was still out of season and we released it quickly after removing the hooks.

Multiple passes were made, with many more fish being landed. We even had another triple header on a turn that consisted of two pike and a walleye. Unfortunately one of the pike ran into the walleye, popping the hooks! They ended up landing two pike instead. I probably could have stayed here and finished the day, but I had other areas I wanted to be by late afternoon. After another 30 minutes of catching, we pulled out and changed spots again.

After a quick pit stop for a bathroom break, we ran to another section of the lake, hoping for more action. This would be the last spot of the day and I knew it would put plenty more fish in the boat for them. With rods in, it took about 2 minutes before Rocky was fighting another northern. I was hoping for a few more walleye for them and covered plenty of water, searching for gold!

A number of pike were boated before we finally stumbled onto the walleye and it was a double! Several pike later, another one made its way to the net and I knew we were finally on them. Unfortunately between the heavy cloud cover and the time of the day, they landed only one more before we called the day. Not before catching at least 6 more pike though!

The numbers of fish hooked and brought in today were unbelievable! There’s no way to tell just how many they caught and that’s the way it should be now. Post spawn has finally gotten them back to feeding and with the water warming, more active as well. Anya & Rocky hit the nail on the head today with their timing and boated more fish than they ever could have imagined. I’ve been hearing that a lot lately and expect it to remain this way for a while longer. Summer patterns are still far away and I will be taking advantage of this trolling as long as it remains good. It’s simple and effective and right now, the best method for high number days! I can’t wait to get back out again!!

June 9th 2018

Scott booked a half day morning with his sons Owen & Ryan, hoping for some great action. We headed out shortly after 7:30 on another windy one, looking for pike & walleye. Waves were coming from the west with the 10 to 20 knots winds, making for a bumpy ride.

Our long run had me setting up in an area I hadn’t fished in several weeks, looking for better results. Well it didn’t take long for the first reel to fire and Ryan wan into a good sized pike. While I was unhooking it, another reel fired and now Owen was into a fish of his own. I could tell by the way it was staying down that it was a walleye and we soon had confirmation. It was his personal best and deserved a few pics before the release. We reset the lines afterwards, but only managed a few more pike in the time we remained. Off to another area we went!

I had decided to try an open water spot and again it didn’t take long before the reels went off. A couple more pike and another really good walleye made their way into the net. Both Ryan & Owen were landing nice fish but I wasn’t seeing the numbers I expected. Time to relocate again.

This next area is where we spent the remainder of the morning, catching fish! Scott had decided to extend the half day into a full day, but his sons would be dropped off at the dock by noon. I wasted no time setting up! The remainder of the morning saw a good number of fish landed with most being pike. Several walleye were also caught and they were all good sized overs. Owen managed to get another giant matching the previously caught one from this week. It also bumped his personal best walleye from earlier in the morning! As the time was getting closer to noon, we decided to get one more fish before leaving. Ryan landed what he thought was going to be the last pike, but his brother beat him with the double when I was bringing in the lines.

We headed back in the west winds but soon realized that they had grown in size. We had been fishing in almost flat calm conditions where we were and welcomed a slight breeze from time to time. Five minutes before we were to leave it picked up big time and now we were back to running in crappy conditions once again!

Back at the dock I realized that this area was where I was going to spend the remainder of the afternoon. We dropped off Owen & Ryan and made our way out to a few shoals to fish. Trolling them in these conditions wasn’t going to be easy and with only two rods in action, less productive.

In the next couple of hours I covered plenty of area, coming up with only a few walleye and bass. With the conditions worsening, I had no choice but to venture further offshore in the waves. They had gotten big enough that I wasn’t able to troll directly into them anymore. I had to bypass plenty of good waypoints trolling on an angle! Although we did manage to get fish, there weren’t too many. In the end, Scott had just one keeper walleye in the livewell that eventually was released. A few others were caught but borderline keepers and returned to grow. At one point we thought he was into another good eye but soon found out different as it neared the boat. It was just a really long, skinny northern looking to fatten up from the spawn.

The afternoon went quickly despite the slow fishing and 4:00 came fast. I wasn’t too disappointed to get out of these roller coaster conditions either. It had made for a very difficult second half of the day. Regardless, there were still enough fish caught, only not the caliber I had hoped.

Scott had stuck it out for a full day but the best fishing was during the morning when his sons were with us. Multiple fish hookups occurred during the late morning giving them a great experience and Owen a personal best, twice! Unfortunately finding keepers today wasn’t quite as easy. They were all overs, or unders and had to be returned! Despite the difficult conditions in the afternoon, the day was still a success. I’m sure the next time Scott heads out with his sons, they will have a better understanding of what to do. Hopefully he will get them into as many fish as they saw today!!