September 8th 2018

Matt had contacted me this week to book a trip, as a gift for his friend Sam. It was his birthday and he wanted to go fishing! Hopefully the weather and fish gods would come through!

A little later start than usual had us leaving the dock about 8:00 in search of sturgeon. I was sure we would get some but unsure of the numbers and size. The area I had been fishing recently hadn’t put out any of the big ones yet and I was hoping that this would be the day.

After a smooth run with the new engine, I began the search and eventually anchored up on some good marks. With lines set, we waited in anticipation of our first bite.

The winds were blowing out of the NW and even with the sun, it felt cold. There also didn’t seem to be much activity around and the wait seemed like forever. Eventually however, one of the lines got bit and I was tight to their first sturgeon. Sam was the lucky one as he got to do battle with the fish. Although not really big, it still gave him a great fight and some spectacular jumps. It even surged to the bottom a couple of times, screaming line from the reel. After a few minutes, I was able to tail his fish for several good pics before the release.

Matt was up next as I had found out that he too was celebrating the same birthday! I really wanted him to experience the power these fish delivered and made a move, searching for more marks. Once found, I dropped anchor and we began our wait again!

It didn’t take nearly as long this time as our first hit came within minutes. Unfortunately I only got a piece of the fish and the hook pulled immediately. My hookup ratio is usually closer to 100% and I wasn’t thrilled to have missed this fish!

I had noticed that the wind had calmed down a bit and switched more to the east now and that there was also more activity all around. Birds were flying and there were even some fish jumping where we were too. It was a good sign and I expected another bite soon!

As luck would have it, I noticed one of the rods getting hit and set into a good fish. Matt immediately took the rod and began to do battle with his first ever sturgeon. With the line rising, I informed him that the fish was about to jump and when it did, he couldn’t believe its size. It may not have been big to me, but it was to him! He fought the fish for about five minutes and really got to feel the power as it pulled line from the reel. Eventually I netted his catch and he held it for several pics before releasing it once again. I still don’t know why anyone would want to kill one of these things!

We remained in the area for a little longer, without any more bites and decided to pack it up and go for bass. Although the sturgeon were great, they wanted a little more action and bass was what we were going to target.

After a long run, I settled on a shallower flat where I had been seeing only big fish lately. I was sure that if they worked it thoroughly, they would hook up. After a few follows and missed strikes, Mark locked up on a bass that had been eye balling his bait. It was a good one and when it jumped, I realized just how big it actually was. I eventually netted it and had a tough time removing the hook. This thing would have never gotten off! Pics and a release and back to searching, now that everyone had more confidence!

Although they had several other chances at the bass, Matt was the only one that was able to land one on a jig. The others just weren’t as lucky and missed each and every fish they had. With time getting on, I decided to hit one last area hoping for a few more big bass!

After another long run, I set up on a current break and locked the motor in place. I instructed them on what to do and it didn’t take long before Mark was tight lined. Unfortunately he had set on slack and once his fish jumped, it threw the bait. I told them that the fish were big here and by paying attention, they would land every one they hooked. Matt also had a run of bad luck when he lost three fish, simultaneously! More slack line issues! I informed them again on paying attention as they wouldn’t get many more chances. These fish didn’t get that big by being dumb! They would eventually stop biting all together! Mark soon set into another good fish and this time he actually brought it to net. No pics as he wanted to get back in immediately and catch another.

We had been holding on this spot for over 30 minutes now and several chances were had, with only one fish landed. Not a great percentage! Sam wasn’t doing much better either as he lost 2 or 3 as well, but soon redeemed himself. After losing a good fish moments before, he set into a nice one and was lucky enough to bring it to net. While we were taking pics, Mark slammed another one and kept it pinned long enough for me to finish with Sam’s photos. I netted his bass and again released it so that he could continue fishing.

Matt was up front watching everyone else catch but was unable to rebound after losing those 3 fish earlier. I took the rod and showed him exactly what to do and set into another good one almost instantly. The fish were still here but you had to pay attention!

Unfortunately, 20 minutes later, it was time to go. They had about 12 chances at these fish and only managed to bring 3 to the boat. Four if you count the cast I made! Despite the slow fishing, the quality was definitely there. They may not have landed a lot of fish today but it wasn’t for lack of trying. They all had many chances but didn’t monopolize on them as well as I would have liked. In the end though, they couldn’t have asked for a nicer day on the water. The cold morning gave way to a beautiful warm afternoon and the wind disappeared all together. This was the perfect end to another great day on the water!!

September 7th 2018

I was back on the water again today, but this time with new power. The last two days were used for a motor installation. Although the old one was still running, it was time for a new one and the 250 Verado was now powering my boat!

Jon & Fred were with me today and smallmouth bass were the requested species. We were going to hit as many places as we could in the 9 hour day. With any luck, the fish would cooperate!

I made a long run with the new engine and was extremely happy with its performance. Not only was it powerful but it was so quiet while moving. The decision to begin here was twofold and the fishing wasn’t my first priority. I knew they were going to catch big smallies today!

The first hour only saw a few bass landed and I was wondering why. I needed to make a few adjustments if we were going to make it happen. With the cool overnight temps and chilly morning, I figured shallow was the place to be. Although they did have many chances, the landing ratio wasn’t great. Time for another move!

We made a decent run and I positioned the boat on a deep current break. They were going to be using it to present their baits downstream to the fish. A quick demonstration cast had me locked up and I gave the rod to John to land. It was the caliber that I was searching for!

We remained here for a little while and they fished the area thoroughly before we were done. Fred had landed a few nice smallies but Jon only managed to bring a northern to the net. Both had many chances and could have caught a bunch of big fish but the bites were weird. Some of the bass were even getting off after they were pinned! Another move was in order!

I was hoping to see more active fish and this time I decided on a shallow shoal that had been producing pretty good over the last couple of weeks. It didn’t take Fred long to bend a rod as he set into a nice smallie on his very first cast. Fred mostly fished on Lake Ontario for salmon and was really starting to like the action he was having with the bass. It also seemed like they were getting bigger too! Jon was finally starting to get in the game as well with a few of his own. They were mostly being caught on jigs but he also had a few really big ones jump off on other soft plastics as well.

I had remained in this area for some time now and although the action was great, it had slowed down considerably. I don’t know if it was because they had stung almost every fish or if it was due to the lack of wind & current. We kept moving and they kept picking at more fish along the way. Unfortunately we were seeing more than they were catching now and it was getting harder to get bit. With each fish they hooked, they were lucky to keep them on. Most were taking to the air immediately after and throwing the hooks. It wasn’t for lack of trying!

With limited time remaining, I still had a bunch of places that I wanted to fish and jumped around, looking for more action. Each one had a few fish but they seemed a little smaller and less aggressive. The wind had also started to build and now was blowing stronger, but from the W/NW. I decided to move to an open water spot in hopes of getting them into a few drop shot fish before we were done.

I instructed Fred on how to fish this presentation and they both dropped down in the deeper water. I wasn’t sure how the bite would be with the cross winds blowing us along but tried regardless. After a few short drifts and no bites, I decided to move to one final spot. It was here that Jon had multiple chances at fish but only managed to land one, under walleye. Fred pulled out a smallie in the final minutes before we were done. It was his first time drop shotting and he was happy to have landed a fish with this method. We were officially done and headed back to take out!

I covered a lot of water today and found fish everywhere we stopped. Some areas were more productive than others but they all held bass. I had wanted to get them into some big ones and succeeded! They both left having landed quality smallies but probably lost more than they caught. Some days are just like that and there’s nothing you can do. All I know is that Fred is officially hooked on the bass now and I’ll probably see him again in the near future. Another great day of fishing!!

September 4th 2018

I had the day off today so Christiane & I headed on the water for a few hours of fishing. We wanted walleye for dinner and needed to get a couple of small keepers to eat. It wasn’t going to be easy with the blazing sunshine and flat calm conditions, but we’d give it a try!

Our first flat produced a couple of bites but we ended up with only a perch to show for our efforts. Our second spot was a little more productive as we were able to put a couple of nice walleye in the livewell for our dinner tonight. Along with those fish were two other overs that we released.

We had only been on the water for a couple of hours and were frying in the heat, but decided to give one last spot a try. This time it would be for smallies and hopefully it would produce.

We managed to catch a few good ones on soft plastics in the short time we remained, but the heat took us out quickly. I didn’t have to be here and neither did Christiane! We packed up and headed in to cooler temps and the pool.

Although today may have been cut short, we still accomplished what we had set out to do by bringing dinner home. I am fortunate to have access to fresh fish pretty much whenever I want. This is probably why I rarely eat it frozen. I always say, frozen fish is for friends & family. I only eat the fresh stuff!!

September 3rd 2018

Allen & I almost cancelled the trip today due to the weather forecast, but decided to try for a half day instead. He brought along his two sons, Matt & Alex and to our surprise, the weather cooperated. Who would have thought that the weathermen could be wrong?

They were wanting to fish for bass so I headed to an area that had been holding only big ones lately. When I arrived I noticed that the water was quite a bit off colored and not gin clear like the previous days. Yesterdays heavy rain and winds had muddied it up and I wasn’t sure what to expect!

With all three throwing soft plastics, they covered the area pretty thoroughly. Unfortunately nobody had a bite! I made three casts with the same bits and immediately set into a big bass. Too bad it didn’t stay pinned but at least it was a sign that they were still here! We fished for about 30 minutes longer with only a few more missed strikes, then moved on.

I made a short run to another area nearby but only one fish managed to make it to the boat. With time restrictions from a half day, I didn’t stay long and jumped to another spot hoping for better results.

Allen & Matt doubled up on their first casts and I thought they were going to pound on them afterwards. To my surprise, they were the only fish hooked in the area again! We remained here for another 30 minutes or so but didn’t manage another strike.

Our next stop was an open water shoal that I was sure would produce better results. Within minutes after arriving, Matt was once again tight lined to a really good bass. It was nice to finally see some quality on the end of their lines! I shot a few pics before he released his catch and they resumed fishing.

Allen had missed a couple of strikes and eventually broke off on one of his hook sets, leading me to believe that a toothy critter might be in the area. I normally don’t see pike here but you never know! Alex also missed a few strikes and came in with balled up baits from reacting too quickly. Matt on the other hand eventually got crushed and hooked up on a huge smallie. When I saw it take to the air, I realized just how big it was and quickly went for the net. It put up one hell of a fight before he was able to land the bass. Several good pics were taken before the release again.

After another 30 minutes with only missed fish, I decided to move to one last area to try and get Alex into a few fish. He was the only one not having landed a thing and I needed to change that fast! This place didn’t meet up to my expectations but he did finally hook into a few and landed one before we left. Although not big, it did get the skunk off his back for the day!

We had noticed that the weather was pretty dark in many areas of the lake, but we were still in sunshine. A quick check on the radar confirmed that we were safe and I headed to an open water spot to show them how to drop shot. I was hoping to get them a bunch more fish before we had to leave!

As soon as I arrived, I quickly set up their rods and gave a quick demonstration with a cast. Almost on cue, I reeled up on a heavy fish and passed the rod to Alex to land. I went for the net and was shocked to see that it was gone when I returned! Oh well, still a good sign that there were fish here!

With each drift over this flat, several bites were had. Unfortunately almost every one was either missed or lost along the way to the boat. Matt did manage to land a small walleye though, that fell off in the net as soon as I reached for it. His father also caught a high end keeper that he returned after a couple of pics. I’m not really sure why so many fish were being missed but the weather may have had something to do with it. Storms were all around us and thunder was being heard as well. It was just a matter of time before the electricity would be seen!

We had stayed out longer with the tough fishing but were about to call it a day. One last unproductive drift and we were done! It was 12:30 and we had seen an entire morning without any rain. It was time to go!

They may not have caught as many fish as I would have liked to see, but they definitely had their fair share of chances. Matt also landed one of the largest bass this season and definitely his personal best! Factor in the nice weather and we actually had a pretty good day on the water! I’m sure glad neither of us had listened to the weather forecast as they definitely screwed up once again! Hats off to them for another perfectly accurate prediction!!

September 2nd 2018

Michael & Rachel were with me this morning, hoping to catch a few fish. We began drop shotting in a couple of different areas, without any success. Although the fish were marking, they didn’t seem to want to feed! On our next spot, they had the same results! I decided to make a big move and hit a much shallower area in hopes of putting them on some active fish.

They were throwing soft plastics in shallower water looking for feeding fish. It wasn’t on fire but Rachel did manage to land a couple of quality smallies that crushed the baits. I only wish that Michael had been as lucky, but all he had was a blow up 3 feet from the boat.

Time was passing by quickly and I needed to get them into some fish and fast! When all else fails, go trolling! This is exactly what I did and after another long run, I set the lines searching for the fish.

It didn’t take 5 minutes before Michael was into the first pike and at least he was finally on the board. It had been a long morning, but the time had passed quickly. We were not only nearing the end but a storm front was also coning towards us. I made the best of the troll and they managed to get several other pike before we had to go. Ironically these fish didn’t seem to want to feed either as we had more short strikes than actual bites. Very strange with the weather we had coming!

In the end, we pulled the plug a little after 11:00 and headed back to take out. I knew we were going to enter the storm full on but if we stayed, it would only be worse. I was right, when we got about half way back and hit a wall of water! Fortunately the winds didn’t kick up as the rain was at least coming down straight!

This may not have been the kind of day I was accustomed to seeing but we made it work in the end. By changing up, they were able to land some decent fish and finished with some pike. I would have liked to get off the water before the rain began but as usual, Mother Nature always has the last say in these matters. A little wet but I’ve seen worse!!