Yacenti, Marco & Nick hooked up with me today for another roller coaster ride. Despite an attempt to anchor up for sturgeon, we weren’t able to make it stick. Time to switch to plan B and much smaller fish!

Our second area wasn’t much better as I was faced with 3 footers and even with the electric motor on anchor mode, the current was too strong for them to feel the strikes. We left here, also fishless!

Plan C had me fishing open water and trying to drift over flats where I hoped they would be able to hook up. Both Yacenti & his son in law Nick managed to hook smallies, simultaneously and the skunk was officially out of the boat. We made several more drifts and came up with only perch bites before relocating once again.

The next spot had been producing lately and I was pretty sure they would be able to catch fish here. That is, if the winds didn’t get too big! Well on our very first drift, they had a triple header and 3 walleye were coming in the boat. In fact two of them were keepers and made it into the livewell for them to eat. The first few drifts had several more fish, both bass & walleye and things were looking good. That is until the winds increased and the drifts sped up. No longer could we get away with a 3/4 oz. weight. I had to go to 1oz. and even at that, it was tough. Eventually I had to double up and go to one and a half ounces and that was ridiculous! The waves had grown to 3 & 4 footers and our speed had increased as well. So much so that I had to use a drift sock to slow down our speed. Each time we had to return for another drift, I had to keep the bow up and not get the boat on plane. Bites were less now due to this and I had to make another change to keep them in the game. They were now working baits off the bottom and using something completely different. The bites returned and the game was back on!

In the remaining few hours of fishing, everyone managed to land plenty more fish of all kinds. Bass, walleye, perch, pike and even a small musky were caught. Although the conditions weren’t great, the action was. We stuck it out until almost 4:30 before calling it a day. They had endured some of the worst conditions this season and came out on top. Mother Nature tried but failed to shut us out! Man always wins, sometimes!

The final day with Rick & his brother Danny saw us focussing all of our attention on smallmouth. We hooked up shortly after 7:00 and headed directly to bass area to fish. I hoped that the fish would be there! Danny confirmed that they were when he hooked up on one of his first casts. Ironically, it turned out to be the biggest fish of the day, but we weren’t to know it yet. They both caught several fish in this area before we were forced to move due to the winds. They had increased and were blowing around 20 knots from the SW, sustained. Gusts were over 30 and it really put a damper on what we were doing and where. We had to relocate!

I decided to head to a more sheltered area and despite the winds still blowing, they were a lot less. They continued casting for the bass and picked a few more but I wasn’t satisfied with their results. I grabbed another rod and started working something different and locked up on my very first cast. Time for them to change! I had to instruct them on what to do but after several missed fish, they caught on. It was at this point, that they would be hooking fish with more consistency. I moved around and each time someone was locked up, I hit the anchor button to hold in the area. They pounded on the fish each and every time I did this and the numbers started to climb. I really love this feature on the motor! Whenever the fish stopped biting, I released the hold and found another place to stop. This went on for the remainder of the day with fish after fish coming aboard. They had to get on the road a little earlier today to head home so we called the day sometime around 2:00. It didn’t matter as they had more action today than the last two days combined! Nobody knows exactly how many fish were landed but that’s not a bad thing. They both caught plenty of bass and Rick even landed a small musky in the mix. They left completely satisfied and that’s all that counts!

In the three days of fishing, we had focussed our efforts on giants the first day. Walleye the second day and smallies on the third day. All three days were successful with today being the best of all. They had wanted to end with a bang and today they absolutely crushed them! Big fish and high numbers too. Who could ask for anything more? Definitely a great day for fishing!

Rick & Danny were back this morning and we decided to troll for musky as soon as we hit the water. After about an hour or so of looking at a blank screen, I pulled the plug and headed for something that would bite!

We set up on an open water area and despite the winds blowing from the north, we were still able to make it work. A quick demonstration cast with a drop shot for Danny had me locked up immediately. Time to go to work! I gave Rick a jig and set it up on a rod that he had brought and the two of them started to cover the water. For the next several hours, plenty of walleye were landed with most of them being overs. They did manage to put a few keepers in the livewell though that would be on the menu tonight. After getting their fill of the eyes, we made another move in search of some smallies.

Our next location was a current break that let me use the new electric motor again. It’s a pleasure to be able to set the anchor on when I get to where I want to be and focus all my attention on what everyone is doing. I once again made a demonstration cast for Danny and locked up immediately! It’s just that simple! Although it wasn’t what we were looking for, it was a keeper walleye and joined the others in the well. Danny continued hooking and landing fish but Rick wasn’t having as much luck and struggled to get bit. A few nice smallies came to net along with several more walleye but all were from Danny in the back of the boat. We remained here until Danny was no longer hooking fish and headed to another place soon after.

I decided to make a long run while we ate lunch and stopped on a shallower area looking for aggressive bass. Soft plastics were used here to entice some decent smallies but they were few & far between! I covered a lot of area with limited fish being landed, along with several missed strikes. In the end, we moved a little deeper and they casted jigs to pick up a couple more fish. Time for another move!

The last spot was another open water area that was loaded but unfortunately the winds had stopped completely. The lake was a total mirror and the fish were pressed to the bottom, not moving. We did manage to get several strikes and land a few more fish but it was definitely a grind. By 3:30 we were contemplating leaving and after another 15 minutes, pulled the plug on the day.

Plenty of chances were had by everyone today but the walleye were the better fish caught. A number of larger overs were landed with several smaller keepers for their dinner tonight. Despite the summer weather in October, we still managed to catch enough fish to make this day great! If all the fish missed had of stayed pinned, it would have been incredible. But that’s fishing, I guess!

Rick & Danny were in for a great time, catching big fish today! They wanted sturgeon and that’s exactly what we were going to get. We hit the water at 7:30 and headed right to where I hoped they would be and set the lines. Although I was marking them, it took a while before we had our first hit and Danny was finally locked up. Rick had been with me last year and landed plenty, so it was his brother that took the first rod. It may not have been a real monster but the fight was still a great one. Danny couldn’t believe just how hard they fought as he brought a smaller one to the boat. We both wanted him to get a bigger one so Rick decided to let him have the second one as well.

We waited almost 15 minutes for the next fish to hit but this time it was definitely better. Danny reared back and set into dead weight! He now realized what we were talking about as this one made several good runs and hung tight to the bottom the entire battle. Eventually after 5 minutes or more he brought the fish to net and several pics were taken before the release. This fish may not have been giant but it was still quality and Danny’s biggest fish to date. I knew there would be more and reset all the lines anticipating our next bite.

After a couple of small ones, Rick finally got his first big fish to fight. I had picked up a couple of left hand retrieve reels specifically for him and he was loving the fact that he was able to reel on his side. Ten minutes passed before we even caught a glimpse of what he was into and it was definitely larger than all the previous ones landed. I netted his fish and took a few pics before releasing it to the water again. I still don’t know why anyone would kill one of these creatures just to eat it!

The whole day went like the morning with numbers of good fish being caught. They got to battle lots of fish, both small and big but unfortunately no real monsters were landed. Despite this however, they both had a great time and some incredible fights catching sturgeon. Tomorrow we will be back out but looking for other species instead. Bass, walleye and a possible musky will be on the list and with any luck, all three will be landed. The first two won’t be a problem and we’re crossing our fingers on the third. Only time will tell!

Neil & Mike joined me today, in search of the giants! Neil had heard about these dinosaurs and was hoping to tangle with one of his own. I knew his wish was about to come true!

We launched in a brisk 45 degree air temp and I was glad that I had brought my fall rain gear. I immediately headed to an area and idled around, looking for the perfect spot. Once I found what I was looking for, I dropped the anchor and set the rods. All that was left now, was the wait!

They had decided that Mike would take the first rod and it wasn’t long before we were bit. I wanted to show them what was needed and picked the rod up when the fish hit. I quickly reared back and we were locked! Much coaching was needed for Mike as he didn’t fish very often, but with plenty of instruction from both of us, he was able to bring the fish to net. Although not a real giant, it was still the biggest thing he had ever caught and well worth several pics before the release.

Neil was up next and I really wanted him to tangle with a beast. Well, as luck would have it, that’s exactly what happened. He picked up the rod when the fish bit and reared back on an absolute monster. We soon saw exactly how big, when it took to the air and showed its size. I don’t think Neil ever imagined that he would be locked up on something this big, in freshwater! The raw power of these sturgeon really needs to be experienced, in order to be believed! He fought it for almost 15 minutes before I was able to slip the net under his catch. The battle was over but the hard part was about to begin. He now had to hold it for the pics and it wasn’t going to be easy. We took many shots with the fish on his lap and a couple of him standing for comparison. He torpedoed the beast back immediately when we were done and it shot right to the depths from where she had come from.

I reset all the lines and we waited for what seemed like eternity. Just when we were about to make a move, I picked up one of the rods and accidently set on a fish. It had bit at the exact time I began reeling and I passed it off to Mike knowing it wasn’t very big. I also saw a fish biting on the last line and grabbed the rod, setting into another heavy weight. I immediately gave the rod to Neil making it an official double! Mike had the small sturgeon to the boat and I did a quick release. This allowed Neil to pass the last line over to Mike so that he could battle something much larger. Although it was quite the fire drill, we managed to make it work! Mike was about to land something that would dwarf his first personal best! We got a confirmation minutes later when it went into the air and showed itself for all to see. It was large and about to beat him up good! The battle lasted almost 15 minutes once again and multiple hard runs were made before I slid the net under his catch. He was relieved but not for very long as it was time for the pics! Mike struggled a bit but eventually managed to get it up on his lap for some great shots, followed by the release. They had both officially landed giants and my work was done!

We decided to try for one more and I reset all the lines hoping to get Neil one last fish. I guess we waited about 15 minutes and he grabbed one of the rods, setting into another good one. This fish fought harder than all of the fish previously caught and I really thought it was going to be another monster. Although it never jumped, it took him for many long runs and from side to side, multiple times. About ten minutes passed before we saw what he was into and I netted the last sturgeon of the trip. We still took several pics and returned it to the water, packing everything up for the day. We were going to fish for something much smaller now!

Over the last couple of days I had installed a new electric motor on the boat and was about to see it in action. I prepped a couple of drop shot rods and headed to an area for bass & walleye. The Motor Guide Xi5 would take a bit of getting use to but I was really looking forward to the anchor feature, to be able to hold on specific spots. Well as soon as I was where I needed to be, I set it on and went about my business. I was now able to leave the motor and do things without drifting everywhere! It didn’t take Neil long before he was tight to a nice smallie and I loved the idea of netting his fish and not having to return to the spot afterwards, by motor.

We held in this area for a while, shifting slightly to get better angles and Neil managed to catch a bunch of bass in the process. Mike however kept losing his fish as he wasn’t use to fishing and this technique was causing him difficulties. I eventually opted for other areas in hopes of better success!

Our next stop wasn’t much better as we had officially lost our wind! The lake was an absolute mirror and it wasn’t easy for either of them now. Drifting was at a snail’s pace and no bites were had. I moved once again and got on top of a high number of fish, but would they bite? The lack of wind definitely wasn’t helping the cause and I had to change up techniques one more time. I pulled a couple of jigging rods out of the locker and demonstrated how they needed to be fished. Neil managed to get one of them to bite and reeled in a nice walleye. Too bad it went over 22 inches though and a pic was all we got! We moved around hoping for more but the bites were really light and the fish were missed. Time for another change! As I was marking all kinds of fish in this area, I decided to try drop shotting but this time with the worms. Almost on cue, Neil was hooked up but it was a perch. There were large schools of perch with larger walleye and bass mixed in and the worms were getting the perch. Not surprising! Neil hadn’t caught a perch in years and was happy to see some of the larger ones he was getting. Mike also was getting a few but I wanted the predators! At one point, Neil definitely hooked into something substantially larger but with the small hook, it came off while reeling in.

We spent the remainder of the afternoon with similar results and eventually called it a day. Our primary emphasis today was on the sturgeon and the results were epic! Both Neil & Mike had landed monsters and checked another species off their bucket list. The late afternoon struggle to catch smaller fish had not been as great, but there were still a number of fish landed regardless. Overall the day went pretty much as planned and I know that if we had remained fishing for the beasts, there would have been plenty more caught. All in all, a great day of fishing!