June 17th 2018 (afternoon)

The switch up of clients didn’t go as well as I had hoped! Dave wasn’t able to get out of the launch area with barriers set up for the race and Vlad wasn’t able to get in for the same reason! Apparently the race had gone longer than they anticipated and alternate measures were needed. I gave Dave a shortcut through a back area but Vlad and the others still had to come in on foot.

By noon, we were all ready and I headed out with Vlad, Brian & Paul to a different section of the lake. I don’t think they expected what was about to happen next! I know they didn’t anticipate trolling!

As soon as I arrived I set up the top to ensure everyone’s comfort. It was nice to get out of the sun and definitely a lot cooler! I then prepped the rods and changed up several baits based on where we were. I also instructed everyone on the ins & outs of the rods, literally! With everything ready, all that was left was to get the baits wet.

Within a minute after we started the troll, one of the down rods went off and Vlad had the first fish of their outing. Nobody was ready for such a quick hit and I was forced to remove it from the holder for him to fight. I could tell by how it was staying down that it was a walleye and confirmation was made boatside. I quickly netted it and several shots were taken before the release. Too big to keep! Within a couple of minutes after the first, a double was had and the other two also got to fight fish. They were absolutely shocked at how fast the action was and couldn’t believe their luck! Three fish in about as many minutes!

I was on good fish and stayed in the area, firing reels off every couple of minutes. The action was so fast that it was ridiculous! I wasn’t even able to get behind the wheel for over 30 minutes, with all the fish I was netting. Both pike & walleye were being caught and Brian ended up with the largest walleye of the day and apparently his life too! We even managed to get a keeper in between all the northerns caught. It seemed like as soon as one of the fish was released, another reel screamed and we were locked up again. I really don’t know how long this went on for but it felt like a couple of hours. Vlad was telling me about one of his guided fishing trips where he caught one little perch the entire day and reels were still firing! Crazy fishing was being had and conversations were being interrupted constantly. I guess that’s not a bad thing! We eventually had to relocate after milking the area for as long as we did. Now it was going 5 to 10 minutes in between strikes and I just wasn’t going to tolerate that!

I decided that we were going to hit a deeper area nearby and set the lines for a downstream troll. I barely got the first rod in when the reel howled and Vlad boated another keeper eye. I knew we were going to pound on the fish again! For well over an hour we fired reels every few minutes with several doubles in the mix. My biggest issue was the floating pollen grabbing the lines and jamming in the guides. The poplar trees were shedding and at times it looked more like snow falling than a late spring day. In between all the fish biting I was constantly plucking cotton like pollen from the lines and guides. Thankfully the fishing was on fire and this was only a little inconvenience that I was willing to endure.

The day was getting on and when I finally looked at the time, I was shocked to see it was already past 4:00. I hadn’t planned on fishing later but these fish were biting and I didn’t want to leave. As they continued to land even more big pike we discussed our departure time and agreed that after a couple more fish we would end the day. Well sometime after 4:30 we did but not before landing many, many other fish. So much for just a couple more! It’s always hard to leave fish biting but they had a long drive back to Ottawa and I just had a long day!

This trip was one that these guys will be remembering for quite a long time. They had never experienced a day like this, filled with so many big fish. Along with the numbers and size, they also got to see a technique work like nothing they had ever seen before. By controlled trolling and covering water I was able to keep them on fish the entire time. With the exception of a couple of slow periods due to checking shallower water, I had them tight lined most of the day. So much so that nobody had a clue just how many fish they had caught! This is always a good thing! By the sounds of it, this won’t be the last time we meet. They are already talking about another trip this summer. They all left saying that this was the best fishing they had ever experienced! Funny how I keep hearing that!!

June 17th 2018 (morning)

What a crazy day I had today! At the launch shortly after 5:00 due to a running race threatening closure to the boat ramp access. On the water before 6:00 with the first set of clients and back at the ramp to drop them off & pick up the second set by 11:30. Lots of running today!

The morning started out a little slow with Dave and his son Matt along with his brother in law Paolo. We trolled an area that had been on fire for just about everything, only to struggle for our bites. A few small pike were landed and then Paolo managed to get a decent sized smallie. Good fight but not what we were after! I covered plenty of water looking for the walleye but never really found them until moving further offshore and into deeper water. Along the way, there were many more northerns landed and lost! They were really hitting light and most were even coming off in the net when landed. They just didn’t seem to want to eat! Time to relocate!

I had decided to go a little deeper and switched up baits, hoping to find some gold. First reel to go off went hard and it was the right species! Paolo brought in a good walleye but unfortunately it was 24 inches and had to be released after a few pics. I reset the lines, staying over deeper water and almost immediately got bit again. This time however, it was a northern, but larger than anything we had caught so far. I now had a pattern going and continued trolling the area picking up several other fish. A couple more walleye were landed with one of the two making it into the livewell. The other one was an over and returned again!

I guess we remained deep for over an hour before heading back shallow to try our luck for a second time. It hadn’t changed much and the hits were still garbage with a lot of them drive byes or falling off in the net. They really weren’t interested and quite inactive!

I moved back to the deep after and managed to get bigger fish again. Another over and one high end keeper walleye came aboard along with a number of other northerns before we ran out of time. I had received a text that the second group would be a little late and stayed on the water longer with the first. We finally pulled the lines and headed back to meet by 11:30.

Despite the difficult fishing this morning, there were still plenty of fish landed with some really nice ones in the mix. Unfortunately I think that there were an equal amount of other strikes and lost fish as well. Given the amount of chances, they could have had another unbelievable outing if they were all landed. Instead they only had a great day! Tough fishing but lots of fish action!!

June 16th 2018

A late afternoon booking had me on the water long before to ensure that I had a parking spot. I spent several hours before, scouting new water and came up with a couple of good areas for the future.

I hooked up with the gang of four just after 2:00 and headed to an area that had produced great yesterday. We would be trolling again and I knew they would be catching numbers. Would they be as lucky as the group yesterday and land another giant? Only time would tell!

I set the lines and instructed them on how to get the rods from the holders and we started trolling. As usual it didn’t take long for the first reel to fire and soon after, a second one went off as well. One was a walleye and the other, that I had thought was a pike, turned out to be a small musky. Both were released unharmed after a few pics. Sang, Corey, Damien and Jason were seeing quick action and I hoped it would last. We continued trolling the area and many more reels fired with a combination of both pike & walleye. These guys were taking turns and the rotation was going pretty good. Everyone was catching fish!

I don’t think that all of these fish were active as many of them barely made a noise. I had to throttle down often in order to lock them up and even at that, plenty of them fell off in the net. Water temps were just around 65 degrees and they should have been more aggressive. Unfortunately they weren’t and I really had to keep my ears open on some of the hits.

The afternoon went by quickly as we saw and we were running out of time. I really wanted to get them into something larger and in the last half hour, it happened. One of the down reels fired and it howled! I was pretty sure by the sound that it was another musky and pulled all the other lines as Jason did battle with his first. Although not a giant it was a decent fish! He fought it for a couple of minutes before I was able to get it in the net. We took several pics and then released it back to the water, continuing our troll. A few more fish were landed but none as big as the lunge. By 6:00 we were done and packed everything up and headed back.

Although it may have been only four hours, there were plenty of fish landed including a real trophy for Jason. They had played 18 holes of golf this morning and made their way to meet me for an afternoon of fishing. Talk about a busy day! This was their fathers day weekend to themselves and they were making the most out of it. They definitely had a packed day of activities and ended it with a bang! Another day of great fishing!!

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!!