Craig & Steve were with me for a couple of days, looking for some early fall smallies. They weren’t use to this warm weather as a late October or November cold was their normal time to fish. With water temps near 65 degrees and today’s high expected to reach into the mid 70’s, I didn’t know what to expect. I stopped in an area that I thought might be holding some big fish but soon found out different as it was void. We jumped around for a few hours checking several other places before pulling the plug and making a long run. I was looking for big smallies and didn’t really want to settle! Unfortunately it seemed like everywhere I wanted to fish, there were already boats fishing! With a big tournament just around the corner, people were pre fishing pretty much everywhere. I would have to make the best of it and hit some smaller areas hoping for a few fish on each stop. One of those such places provided nonstop action with largemouth for well over an hour. Although not giant, they were still fun and I wasn’t about to leave anytime soon! Craig & Steve just pounded on them and plenty of doubles were had before they just stopped biting. They had put a beating on these fish and educated most of them, causing us to finesse them towards the end. Although a few around four pounds were landed, most were smaller. I shifted gears once again and made another long run to a spot I had always wanted to fish. I had used Craig as a guinea pig before on other lakes and the outcome was usually good. Hopefully this time would be too! As we were in search mode, I had both of them tossing baits that would cover water quickly. I was seeing some big bass cruising just about the same time Steve hooked up & knew he had one of the giants. This fish took him out to the open water almost immediately and the fight stayed vertical. We could see the bass down deep and even there it looked big! When he finally worked it to the surface, I wasted no time netting his catch. This would turn out to be the largest smallie of their day but many more much bigger were seen frequently. I snapped a few pics and returned her to the school of others. Craig tried fishing deep with a jig and managed to get a couple of smaller fish to take his offering. With flat calm and bright sunshine, seeing them was about all we were doing here. I decided to go elsewhere and return a little later when the sun was lower. We had similar experiences everywhere we went with only a few fish landed each time they fished. Most of the shallower spots were holding quality fish, but catching them was a different story. We even went deep at one point and caught only small fish. Later in the afternoon I decided to head back to where Steve had landed the best fish and almost immediately we were hooked up. To everyone’s surprise though, it was a walleye of three pounds. Craig managed to catch another one and a few decent smallies, but nothing the likes of earlier. Eventually we headed back but not before making a few more stops along the way. Some smaller fish were landed once more before we called it a day. Finding fish today wasn’t a problem but catching them definitely was! I’m not sure if the heavy pressure or the conditions had them shut down, but most of the larger ones didn’t want to bite. I was grateful for the flurry of fish they got into this morning and looked forward to hitting a different lake tomorrow. Who knows what’s in store for us there!!

I had Stephanie & her husband Keith out today on local water for some bass action. They had hit the timing just perfect last season for the deep water bite and hoped it would be as good. Unfortunately with the cool water this season, the real deep never actually occurred. We would be moving around plenty to try and find fish today! I launched the boat and ran in a thick fog by GPS to our starting location. Visibility wasn’t great but we could see about 50 feet in front of us at times, making it less dangerous. I had them both throwing twitch baits for suspended bass and Keith locked up quickly. A chunky 3 pounder came aboard and was immediately released back without any pics. We were searching for the giants here and soon after he had the one we wanted. Although we never got to see the fish, I knew it was big by the way it was acting. Instead of taking to the air, it sounded to the deep water nearby and never really came back up. Just the weight of the fish showed me that she was big and soon after the hooks just pulled out. With a light drag set on the reel, it required a little more finesse and a lengthy battle was expected. It was too bad that a couple of the hooks opened enough to release this fish as I’m pretty sure it was a real trophy! This fish would be haunting Keith for quite some time as I know the feeling! We resumed fishing and hoped for another chance but only small fish were taken. I moved around and when the fog lifted, switched gears completely. Another area had concentrations of largemouth and I had them into fish immediately. Plenty of bass were taken here up to 3.5 pounds in the next hour, before they became educated. Sunshine was upon us now and the temps were rising so another move was in order. I had them casting blades over weed flats in hopes of some aggressive smallies. Flat calm conditions and bluebird skies had the fish locked in tightly as we were about to see. Several big fish were tucked into the weeds and didn’t want to move on the lures. A slight adjustment had Keith hooked up quickly as we went to slower moving baits. We actually got to see the take as the bass opened her mouth and sucked it in. A really decent fish was Keith’s reward and soon after, having its picture taken! A few more good ones were also taken from here on a couple of different presentations. I really wanted to find some aggressive fish for them to get into and had to leave this area when they just stopped biting. Back to the blades and an offshore rock & weed flat and it was "Hammer Time"! Keith pounded several medium sized fish here and Stephanie missed a few as well. Although it wasn’t loaded, it did provide some action on this difficult day. We slid into another shallower spot and watched all kinds of fish just swim around. A few of them took the jigs but most didn’t even look twice! With limited time remaining in the day, I decided to go real deep and brought them back to where we crushed them last year. We drifted over several deep spots and almost every time I marked fish, someone hooked up. Unfortunately they weren’t stacked up anywhere but they did pick a few more before we called it a day. I had an issue with the kicker shifter and needed to have it looked at before I headed home. Fortunately it was just a linkage that had popped out and was fixed in less than five minutes! Despite the rather bizarre day of fishing, they managed to catch a bunch of fish from various depths. On top of that, they have another story of "The One That Got Away"!!

Nick & Depeche were with me this morning looking for a few big fish. I had discussed the day with Nick and we were heading directly for the monsters. Running in low 40 degree air temps felt more like below freezing and I wore gloves for the first time this season. The water temps were still holding at 64 degrees but the air was only expected to reach upper 50’s by afternoon. Winds were out of the NE once again at 5 to 10 knots and sunshine was forecasted throughout. It was going to be a great day for fishing! We set up quickly and played the waiting game in hopes of a quick bite but it didn’t come. This was the first time I had hit them so early and I wasn’t sure how it would be. I think we had been there for about an hour or so before Nick was locked up and loving it. He battled his dinosaur for quite a while, feeling the burn the entire time. The first sighting had him in awe when he finally brought it to the surface. Soon after it was in the net and hoisted aboard for a few pics. Although not a real monster, he was quite happy with the overall size and released it back to do battle again. We regrouped and set up for another shot, hoping that Depeche would also have his chance. Well not long after, he was tight to one and began the battle with his beast. As he was new to fishing, I instructed him on several of the do’s & don’ts for the fight. I knew he would wear himself out long before the fish would and hoped these tips would help him conserve some of his energy. The burn was hitting him early and the size of this fish wasn’t helping! He was locked up on one of the above average giants and it was taking a toll on his strength. I knew that this was definitely going to be the largest fish he had ever landed and wanted him to succeed. Eventually we began to see bubbles and I knew it was nearing the end. When he finally saw the size of this thing, he was in total shock! I even had a difficult time getting it in the net! Once it curled, it was all over! I lifted the sturgeon aboard and prepped Depeche for the photos. He had a really hard time getting a hold of this thing but managed to lift it up for a few shots before turning her loose. We resumed fishing and I knew he was just praying that he didn’t hook up again. Nick on the other hand was ready and just dying for a really big one. They both had a few shots in the next couple of hours but either missed the strikes or lost them soon after hooking up. These fish were hitting weird and keeping them pinned was becoming an issue until Nick locked up with a beast of his own. This time the battle was a long one and a great workout for him as the fish really fought hard. Three times he brought it to the surface only to have it sound immediately after. It was definitely a struggle for him but eventually he won the battle. I slid the net under the fish and had a hard time lifting it aboard. This one was going to be the largest one of the day! Even he had a difficult time gripping hold of this slippery prehistoric animal for a few pics. Once released we saw it swim off and head directly down to the bottom. Instead of setting right back up, we took a small break and headed to land as Depeche wasn’t feeling well. In fact, we only got to fish for about another hour after returning, as he was feeling even worse. Nick landed one other fish and lost another one as well before we called it a day. It wasn’t fair to continue fishing while Depeche felt like he did so we finished up and headed back. Despite the early departure, it was unbelievable while we were there! They had both caught personal bests and had a great time while fishing. I only wish we could have remained there for a couple of hours longer as I’m sure they would have landed at least a few more. Oh well, there’s always next time! I just hope that it wasn’t anything too serious and that Depeche will be able to make it back out for more of this insane fishing. There’s still plenty of time left in the season to do battle with more of these monster sturgeon and I wouldn’t want him to miss the action, again!

It was definitely the coldest morning so far this season, as I launched the boat in only 38 degree air temps. Add a north wind blowing around 10 knots and it felt like below freezing. My niece had just tied the knot and instead of taking a honeymoon, they decided to head south this winter. Cristina and Shawn were going to spend today with me in hopes of catching a few fish. Christiane also took the day off work to join us as this was her niece and she didn’t want to miss the newlyweds fishing. Dressing warm to begin was necessary and I handed out a bunch of clothing so they could remain comfortable. We headed out and I couldn’t believe the 58 degree water temps when I hit the throttle! I didn’t want to run far and take them out too early, so I let off soon after and dropped the lines in for a troll. The water temps had gotten a little warmer where we stopped, but I wasn’t sure how these fish would react. I tried a section that should be holding some fish and was surprised that it wasn’t loaded! It took a while for the first reel to fire but we finally got bit. Shawn was right beside me while checking the lines so I immediately handed him the rod. We were hoping for a few walleye to sample before dinner but this one was an over and wouldn’t make the cut. All we could do was snap a few pics and release the four pounder back to the water. Christina had the next rod and she landed a decent northern around 5 pounds. We covered more water in the 2 footers and managed a few other fish with only one of them being a keeper walleye. Shawn had landed one that fell just under the high end for legal size and we were having fish for dinner! I wasn’t really seeing too much activity trolling and decided to change areas completely. All these fish were marking on the bottom and didn’t seem to be moving up to hit the lures, so we were going for sturgeon! When I set up I knew with three lines in the water it wouldn’t take long before one of the rods was bent. About ten minutes went by before Cristina was locked! She had no idea of what to expect and could only hang on for the ride. With much coaching and plenty of burning in the arms, she finally managed to bring the fish up for her first visual. I really don’t think she had any idea of its size until now and absolutely freaked. I was lucky when netting the beast as it turned and curled immediately after entering the bowl. Several pics were taken, but Shawn had to hold it for the shots. There was absolutely no way she would be able to grab the fish nor did she want to! A quick release and it disappeared back to the abyss from where it had started. We resumed fishing in hopes of locking the others up and Christiane nearly got her wish. She had one on briefly, but seconds later it was gone. We spent some time before she finally contacted another and fortunately this time it remained pinned. After a lengthy battle of pain and burning, I finally slid the net under her fish. She definitely wanted a few pictures of her largest sturgeon but wasn’t able to lift it up for the photos. As with the first one, help was needed so I jumped into the picture to lend a hand. Another release and all that was left was Shawn to complete the rotation. They had a few more bites without hookups but then he finally got into one of his own. It may have been the smallest of the day but he still felt the burn from the fight. I was really hoping one of them would hook into a real dinosaur but we would have to settle with only these ones for today. Shawn needed no help in holding his and I was able to take several great shots before the release. As all three of them had caught what we were after, I decided to pull the plug here and try for a few more fish trolling. The floaters were just insane and constant cleaning of the rods was needed every few minutes from the north winds. Although we did manage a couple more fish, they were both pike and we called it a day. I had restaurant reservations and one fish to clean before heading out, so by 3:30 we were done. I’m not sure what the highlight of the day was but between the fish appetizer & the "River Monsters" they landed, life was good! A few tasty beverages, good company and a great meal topped off an absolutely perfect day. It may have been their first time fishing, but I don’t think it’ll be their last. I expect the next time I offer to take them out, there won’t be any hesitations. After today, all they’ll want to know is what time and where! Another great day for fishing!!

The final day had us trying our hand at some early musky that ended unsuccessful. We had decided to start with them and never even had a rip. Although I did mark several that looked like the real deal, it just wasn’t meant to be. I really didn’t want to waste too much time on these hateful creatures and pulled the plug to pursue easier prey. We were off to get Andrew a big sturgeon and hoped for a quick bite. Fast wasn’t in the cards but big was as he battled yet another giant. He had two back to back that nearly took him out from the fight. I thoroughly enjoyed the pain as I wasn’t on the receiving end of it! His dad got in the game a little later with a couple of his own and we were up to four landed by early afternoon. Several misses later Howard latched on to probably the largest one this season. The fight was a long battle as this fish just didn’t want to leave the bottom. When we finally caught sight, we could all see why. I don’t really know just how big it was but only the head would fit in the net when I tried to land the beast. Twice I had her and both times she escaped and went right back down. Eventually the line just popped from too much pressure and she was gone for good. I think we were all a little heartbroken when this happened as it took a while to get over the loss. I don’t even want to estimate its weight but I know it was up there. We went back to sturgeon fishing for about another hour without any takes and decided to pull the plug on it all together. Anything hooked would have just been disappointing after that loss anyway! We spent the last hour or so trolling up a few walleye & pike before calling it a final day. In three days of fishing they had battled a number of big fish and managed several personal bests along the way. As with all good fish stories this one was about the one that got away! I’m sure we’ll all remember that one as it felt like a scene out of "Jaws". Next time I’ll have a bigger net!!