Stephan was with me today and this time he brought his entire family too! We headed out shortly after 7 and directly to fish for the big ones. He had landed many in the past with me and was hoping to get his kids into a few of the dinosaurs this morning. We spent about 3 hours anchoring in several places and only managed one smaller than usual fish for our efforts. His daughter was the lucky one as she actually got to reel it in and pose for the pic. Time to move!

I headed to a bass area and it didn’t take long before everyone was hooking fish. Although not all big, there were some really nice fish landed as we covered water searching for the real giants. They all thoroughly enjoyed casting baits and manipulating their own rods to entice the strikes. I had wanted to move around more but the weekend traffic on the lake was just insane. I eventually just gave up and pulled the plug here, opting to troll in another area of the lake.

Stephan was hoping to take a couple of walleye home for dinner, so I decided that trolling would be our best option. Getting there however wasn’t easy as the water looked more like city rush hour than an actual lake. It’s been a while since I’ve seen this many boats out and I hope it’s even longer before I see it again! Eventually I arrived safely and set up everything to troll. Not long after, the first reel fired and we had a walleye for them to take home. It was a high end keeper and really thick too! While here,we had three doubles and many singles along with probably a half dozen fish that never really stayed pinned. By the time it was all over, they had landed two walleye, 6 pike and a hand full of decent smallies, all in under an hour! I can’t wait to try this area again when there’s no boat traffic!

Although the day wasn’t easy, I managed to make it work again by changing up often. The kids had a great time catching fish on their own as well as reeling in many from the troll. They called it a little early and we headed back right around 2:30 as Stephan had a couple of appointments later in the afternoon.

Considering all the boats out today, it couldn’t have gone better as we were always on fish. I know summer is still upon us but I really can’t wait for the fall and less traffic on the lake. Either way, I will be on the water pretty much every day right up till the end, catching everything that swims. Cooler weather and water temps will soon be making fish more active and easier to target and all the pleasure boats will be stored until next season. Bring it on!

Jeff, Avery & Kevin joined me today for a great day of smallmouth fishing. They were in from Texas and hoping for some Canadian bass! Despite a terrible cab ride in from the city, they still made it for our 7:00 meet time. Apparently their driver didn’t own a GPS and had no clue where he was going with the address they provided. Sounds about right!

I had given them the option to try for sturgeon this morning and they were all for it. Unfortunately after several hours of nothing, we pulled the plug and opted for plan B and the smallies. I would at least get them into plenty of great action doing this!

I had been drop shotting deeper water lately, but today I thought we’d try some soft plastics in slightly shallower water. I knew they would be into fish quickly and on Avery’s first cast, he almost had one. A softer than needed hookset allowed the bass to get off but at least I knew they were here. I decided to give them a demonstration on what they needed to do and immediately slammed a smallie for them to see. They now knew exactly how hard to set the hook!

For the next couple of hours, they all had many chances and managed to get a good number of their fish to come to net. Plenty of great pictures were taken to ensure they had memories of all the first time smallies they had landed. Being from Texas, they hadn’t tangled with the bronzebacks before and didn’t realize just how hard they actually fought. They loved it!

After catching so many fish in this area it was inevitable, someone else moved in to get theirs! A local had seen the action and decided it was alright to just slide in and anchor directly where we were catching all our fish. Absolutely unbelievable! I decided not to get too pissed off and slid out to another area close by where they continued to catch more fish once again. Not long after, another boat also moved in and did the same thing. It really doesn’t pay to fish weekends anymore! Time to leave before we educate these weekend warriors!

I made a distant move and informed the guys that the numbers wouldn’t be the same here but the size would be much bigger. Well it didn’t take long before Kevin had on the big fish of the day. It was definitely larger than anything they had hooked into so far and after a great fight, I netted his catch. A few quick pics later, it was back swimming to be caught again. Avery managed the only other fish from here but we saw some really big ones follow their baits that just wouldn’t take. Time to move again!

They had really wanted to catch one of those dinosaurs this morning so they all agrees to give it another try. I set up in an area and we waited. Although we did manage to have one bite, it turned out to be some sort of sucker and Avery reeled the fish in. A few more hours of drowning baits and we were done. Zero for two on the sturgeon but plenty of bass in between!

The gang had usually gone to Louisiana for their annual trip but had opted to come here this year. Lucky thing as the weather over there right now was quite nasty! They were receiving torrential rains and a hurricane too! I think they made the right decision because they were at least able to fish here in Montreal. They may not have gotten into the sturgeon but the smallie action was absolutely on fire. High numbers of great fish were landed by everyone and who knows how many they missed! Good times were had by all!

A last minute cancellation opened the door for Fang & his family today. Mary and their two children, David & Claire would be with me for a half day of fishing this afternoon. As I was no longer booked in the morning I offered them an 11:00 till 3:30 instead. They gladly agreed to the adjusted time!

We launched the boat right on schedule and soon after were fishing open water for a mix of fish. I figured with this many people in the boat that they would be best to drop shot. After a quick instruction, Claire hooked up on a small walleye. Her brother David was soon to follow with a large perch too. The parents were also getting bites but they were missing their fish on the hookset. Multiple drifts later and only small fish to show for our efforts, I decided a change was in order. The winds started out perfect but had now increased to 15 or 20 knots from the west and I made the move.

Trolling was to be the method now and I began fishing an area I hadn’t been in since June. With all the high water, this place was still looking good! I set the four rods in the holders and began covering water looking for our first bite. Although it took a while to find the fish, I eventually located what I was looking for. The first reel to fire was the long line and Fang was into a nice walleye. I knew the fish still had to be in the area as all the offshore spots weren’t holding them this year! He reeled it in and after a few pics, we put it into the livewell for Claire to keep watch over. I continued the troll and soon after, another walleye was landed by their daughter and things were looking up. We fished the area more and managed another nice eye and a double header on northerns before moving on. They had wanted to get back to drop shotting and I had left about an hour for them to do it.

The run to where I wanted to fish was a little bumpy as the waves had increased to 3 footers while we were gone. I hadn’t noticed this as we were in a somewhat sheltered area where we had been trolling. Although it was rolling, I was still able to get them back on fish in the remaining time we had. I think everyone hooked up in the end and they even had another double of walleye on their last drift.

Although the fishing wasn’t great in the short time out, there were still many fish landed and lost by everyone. Half days are always more difficult as I am limited to certain areas, so as not to waste time running too far. Regardless of the outcome this afternoon, this family had a great time catching fish that they had never seen before. Most of them were fishing for their first time and it was a success! Hopefully they’ll continue the sport on their own when they get back home from their vacation! Good times were had by all today!

Irwin & Irving joined me this morning and we hit the water just after 8:00, looking for action. Conditions seemed almost perfect with winds out of the west at about 10 knots. We were heading to drop shot open water for sure!

I settled on an area in deeper water and showed them what they needed to do. They were quickly into it with Irwin missing several after they were hooked. It took a while but they finally got the hang of what to do and eventually both were reeling in fish. Walleye and a few bass came to net and some of the eyes went into the livewell for them later.

We made multiple drifts over the areas and despite catching a bunch of fish, eventually pulled the plug and opted for something else. The winds had increased and unlike the 15 knots they had listed, it was closer to 25 in my eyes! I figured it was time to head west and try to escape some of the big blow.

Trolling was on the menu and I prepped everything to be able to set the lines. Although I hadn’t planned on doing this, I am always prepared for anything! With lines in the water, I began covering the area and my waypoints. I think Irwin & Irving were both enjoying what we were doing as it required very little energy on their part. They had also never seen anything like this before and were anxious for the first reel to fire. After about 5 minutes the short line finally went off and it ripped good! Irving was into his first trolled pike and it was a pretty decent one too. Unfortunately it was a little on the slim side, otherwise it may have been closer to the ten pound mark. A few quick pics and it was released.

The trolling bite wasn’t great but we picked at them alright, landing another 3 or 4 fish. One of them was a nice over walleye that may have been Irving’s personal best! We fished until about 3:30 when they finally called it a day. This was originally supposed to be a half day outing but they decided to make it a full day. Neither of them were sure what to expect and didn’t know if they could handle a full day, Apparently they could as they left not showing any signs of being exhausted. At over 70 years a piece, they weren’t any worse for wear!

Although Irwin had fished this lake many times in the years past, he never had much success. Today was the total opposite as they landed more fish than all his years combined! I think he now believes that there are fish in the lake! This may have been the first time they fished with me but I don’t think it will be their last. They’ve sort of gotten the bug again and really enjoyed the catching part instead of just fishing! I hope to see them again this season as the bite will only get better with the cooler days ahead. Fall is always a great time to fish and numbers of big fish are willing to eat. Only time will tell but there’s definitely a good chance it will happen before the season is done. Great guys and great laughs all day!

August 22nd 2017

The gang was back again today but this time I had four & Don had only one. It seemed that everyone wanted to have a chance at catching their first sturgeon. All but Clayton however as he was happy to be alone, just fishing for bass & walleye.

A later than usual start had us under the wire as there were several storms expected to arrive during the day. We finally got set up in the new area, around 10:00 awaiting our first bite. Although there were fish all around, it took almost 30 minutes before we had an actual bite from a sturgeon. Many nibblers had me checking and adding worms to the hooks prior, as the gobies were like piranhas.

Sam had the honors of battling the beast as I loaded the rod and now they were getting a firsthand look at exactly what to expect. This fish was a bulldog as it remained on the bottom for most of the fight. It lasted almost 20 minutes as well and gave Sam quite the workout! The fish never took to the air but stayed deep making me think he had a really large fish on the end of the line. Eventually he did manage to bring it close and everyone got their first look at a real live dinosaur! It was XXL and the fun was just about to begin! I told Sam that was the easy part, now it was going to get hard! I must admit that it was quite funny to watch as he tried to hoist the beast up for a few pics. In the end, he had to sit for the photos as it was just way too heavy to stand. A great release after and we resumed our quest for another one.

I had hoped to get all four of these guys into a full rotation but the weather wasn’t on our side. The light winds had turned ugly and were now blowing much harder from the south making it tough to stay anchored. For over an hour we battled the conditions and never really felt comfortable in being anchored. The boat was all twisted around and even with the aid of a drift sock, it wasn’t perfect. Eventually the anchor just released and we were now drifting. Time to set up in another location!

I repositioned in another area again in hopes of being able to stay anchored. Although it wasn’t easy, I did manage to keep it stuck and we were able to fish again. I had Anthony and Mat holding their rods and I had the other one in my hand, looking for another fish. We all had plenty of non sturgeon bites that had me re baiting the lines frequently. Just when I wasn’t sure about remaining here, Anthony reeled up on a fish and had a baby sturgeon for his reward. Amazingly enough, it gave quite a struggle as it neared the boat, pulling line from the reel like a big dog. He held it for a few pics but would have rather battled a monster like his uncle had earlier.

For a while we weren’t sure if we would be able to remain here with the strong south winds. There was a storm system coming and it had picked up the blow with the pre frontal conditions. Luckily for us, it stayed mostly north and passed us by with only a little drizzle. In fact, once it was gone, the water flattened out and we were actually able to get the rods back in the rod holders and fish comfortably.

Joe had decided that he was going to let everyone have a shot at the sturgeon first, so Mat was up next. With the conditions almost perfect now, I was sure we would have our chance. One of the rods telegraphed an actual bite and I was on it immediately. I reared back and loaded the rod for Mat to take. He wasn’t sure of the actual size until I realized the line was coming up to the surface and was about to go airborne! We all saw the beast and it was large! It immediately sounded to the bottom again, screaming line from the reel. The fight wasn’t a long one but lasted about 10 minutes and just when he thought it was almost over, the fish went insane again. It leaped and ripped another 75 feet of line from the reel, sounding to the bottom one more time. What comes in, must go out! Mat finally brought his fish close enough for me to net and the battle was officially over. At least the first part! Now he had to hold it and that wasn’t going to be easy!

I prepped the tarp for him this time after realizing I should have done it on the first one. It would be a lot easier on the fish and him as well. He had a little trouble lifting it but with proper instruction, he was able to hold it for several pics before torpedoing it back in the water. Three down, one to go! I had hoped to be able to get into another one foe Joe and reset everything in anticipation of a bite.

We had been anchored for a brief period before I started to see signs of a wind change. It was now starting to blow from the east, signifying another weather change, again! One look at the radar and I knew why! We were going to get crushed in less than 30 minutes and badly. I pulled the lines and cleaned everything up, heading closer to the launch to fish. I also informed Don in the other boat to do the same.

We spent about 5 minutes fishing before we started to hear the thunder in the background. Time to leave! I usually end up running in once the rain hits but this time I was prepared and off the water before anything got really bad. I even had a chance to put everything away properly before the lightning alert siren screamed. It was coming and the lake was starting to disappear! The only thing we saw was a wall of water and huge winds. Everyone was in the truck and safely tucked out of the storm. The waves even got so bad that all we could see were walls of white and the torrential downpour confirmed we had made the right decision.

There’s never any doubt in my mind when I call the day due to storms and this one was very electrical. No fish is worth taking a chance when Mother Nature throws this at you! All of these guys knew the call was the right one and had no problem with the decision either. It poured for quite a while we were sitting comfortably dry in the vehicle. I eventually drove them to a nearby bar where they had a quick drink before calling another cab to take them back to their hotel. Apparently the one they had ordered earlier was too stupid to find their way to the address of the boat ramp. It was over 30 minutes and three conversations with them later that we decided to just go!

Their two days here had proved to be very interesting and although there may not have been that many fish caught, there were some really good ones. They had endured all kinds of weather as well as an eclipse and tasted walleye for the first time. Despite the bizarre weather, we had somehow made it work and their trip was a success. Staying in Montreal was just a bonus as they had access to some of the finest restaurants and took advantage of the great food they had to offer. I’m pretty sure this will become an annual thing as plans of a return trip are already being talked about. Hopefully next year all the stars will align and there will be more and bigger fish landed by all. Either way, we will make it work and everyone will have another great time while here in Montreal!