Hugues & Steven were looking for big bass and I had just the place for them to catch. We hooked up shortly after 8:00 and hit the water almost immediately. Although the weather was a little sketchy with overcast skies and showers expected, we were optimistic. Water temps were around 68 degrees and the air temps were about the same when they made their first casts. I had one guy covering water with a blade bait and the other working a jig slowly over the area, just to see what they wanted. Nothing seemed to be working but Steven did have a follower with the spinnerbait that didn’t really want to commit. We shifted gears and tried another similar location with the same results before opting for deeper water nearby. By the looks of the sonar, there were fish all over the bottom in 20 to 30 feet and we dropped the lines down expecting to get bit. All they hooked up with however were plenty of rocks and I soon pulled the plug, but not before hooking up myself. Ironically, I had foul hooked a walleye of close to 4 pounds and it fought like a champ. It just goes to show you that when they don’t want to eat, they just shut down. We were on plenty of fish but it seemed like they were all tight lipped down there. The next move had me positioning the boat on a really deep breakline, with one guy on a jerkbait and the other on a jig. Steven wasted no time contacting the first bass of the day when the lure was crushed on a long pause. I expected other followers but was surprised to see that she was alone. I slid the net under a fat four pounder, shot a few pics and released her back to the water unharmed. Amazingly, this was to be the only fish caught from this area and we moved on once again. The next place had several fish fall victim to the presentations, but they were all on the smaller size. Several of them were even green bass and not the jumbo smallies we were after. By moving around slightly and adjusting the offerings, I was able to hit a pattern that did get their attention however and now they were hooking up. Unfortunately Murphy was by our side and almost everything went wrong! By slowly working worms they managed to get bit but between slack line hook sets and tangles, they all got off. A couple of them were in the five plus range and it was really getting frustrating. When you’re searching for big smallies, multiple shots at these giants aren’t plentiful and you really need to take advantage of every chance you get. I gave an example cast, instructed them on how to be patient and got picked up. I explained that the current might have a bow in their line and all slack needed to be removed and then set the hook. I knew this was a big fish and passed the rod to Steven immediately. He got to feel the raw power of these smallies in current and struggled to get her to the net several times. Eventually I was able to get this fish of over 5 pounds aboard and felt relieved that we finally had one. Several pics later, she was released and we went right back to the fishing. Conditions weren’t exactly perfect with winds and rain but we somehow managed to get right back on the horse and it didn’t take long before the next bite. This time Hugues was ready and patiently waited before setting the hook. Finally, a solid hook set! He was officially locked up as a four pounder went sky rocketing, totally pissed off. This time he would be landing the fish and a relief fell over him as he saw it in the net. Another photo shoot and then right back to the lake with her before we repositioned and started all over once more. Although there were still fish in the area, this was to be the last one landed and eventually we pulled the plug and called it a day. Tough fishing to say the least but now they have a better understanding of what hunting is all about. These trophies require a finesse approach when they aren’t feeding and today was a perfect example. Both Hugues & Steven saw the results and although they had several missed chances, they were still happy with their results. Overall a tough day at best but one that held many shots at the monsters!!

Adam & Monique were with me today all the way from Arizona. They were celebrating their honeymoon and staying in the Laurentians for the week. With both having a love for fishing, they decided to hook up with me for a day of phenomenal bass fishing! Conditions seemed perfect with a warm morning air and higher temperatures to come later in the day. Water temps were still hanging in above 70 degrees and I knew the fish would bite! Our first stop had several missed hits before they began getting the hang of everything and keeping them pinned. Monique was hooking several big ones and had high fours in the boat before Adam got to experience his own. Women & kids always rule! In just a couple of hours, they had multiple doubles and so many hookups that they made it look simple. The fish were active and they were taking advantage of their hunger! When things slowed, I relocated to another section of the lake in hopes of similar action. We weren’t disappointed as hits were had almost immediately after we arrived. I had Adam throw a spinnerbait to try & find the active ones and Monique continued to drag a jig slowly over the hard bottom. As with every day on the lake, it just wouldn’t be complete without at least one sturgeon. Today was no different, as we managed to bring a couple to the boat again! Adam even hooked up on a rather sluggish fish with the blade bait and I was soon netting a beautiful walleye, within the slot. I think he was surprised to see it come in, but not as shocked as the fish. Too bad for the fish too as she was going to be the appetizer at dinner tonight! Instead of being stuck in traffic heading back up north, I proposed that they stick around here to eat and wait out the rush hour mess. It wasn’t too difficult to convince them as the walleye before would be a real treat! Back to the fishing we went and catching they did, as every location we stopped in had great results. By mid afternoon the air temperature felt more like summer and were hovering around 80 degrees, really sending the fish shallow. Bait fish were on the move and so were the bass. A few of the locations saw bass busting both perch as well as small shiner minnows. They were active and chowing down on anything that looked edible! This would be a trip that they would remember for several reasons and fishing would be second to none! Somewhere around 4:30 we shut her down and called it a day. It was one of the easiest days I had in a while and Adam & Monique got to experience smallmouth fishing at its finest. They both had personal bests many times over and battled fish all day long. Oh yeah, dinner was great too!!

Hassan, Sam and their father Ahmad were joining me today and looking for a numbers kind of day! We hit the water after 8:30 in high SW winds and cool air temps. The water was above 70 degrees but the air had a chill at just over 60 degrees when we headed to our first location. It would be the day of lost fish! By fishing fast we were able to cover some water but the conditions didn’t allow us to slow down like we needed to do and I’m sure many fish were passed over. Several fish were lost on tubes before Hassan finally put the first decent smallie in the boat on a spinnerbait. They weren’t hammering the lures and although this one did come to the net, most were just pushing the blades. Ahmad was dragging a tube and when it didn’t get covered with weeds and he was able to keep it clean, he had chances at fish. Sam was a little slow at getting started but once the sun came out good, he too began getting into a few of his own. We moved a lot due to high fishing boat traffic as I was trying to remain in areas with less pressure. This was pretty difficult however as each time one of us caught a fish, others began their move. At one point, there were 4 boats surrounding us making casting quite difficult. To make matters worse, we were the only boat hooking fish and most of them were coming unpinned. For some reason, they were losing many more than they were landing and the hooks were razor sharp. Ahmad managed to keep his percentage around half as his dead sticking approach was working for him quite well. They even managed to keep my sturgeon record going when Hassan landed his first of the year! We relocated several times due to the traffic, all the while keeping close by the areas holding fish. Similar results were happening wherever we fished and although they were getting the bites, closing the deal was becoming more & more frustrating. Sam needed to leave by 4:00 so we pulled the plug around 3:30 and headed back. I’m not quite sure how many fish were landed today but I do know that if you multiplied it by 5 or 6 you would have the number of chances they had. Tough results today!!

Well, I was back on the water again today with a full boat! Mike, Mark and Ken were with me on this beautiful, sunny day, looking for jumbo smallies. I had to endure three days of dark & cloudy, misty conditions before I was able to see again and it felt great! We hit the water after 8:30 and I went directly to a fish holding area and tube jigs. Water temps were hovering just below 70 degrees and hadn’t dropped too much over the last three days, despite the cold rain & nights. Winds were almost non existent and for a change, I could actually make a drift. Ken hooked up almost immediately and the ice breaker was done! It would be all uphill from here as they just kept catching one after another. The next area produced several bass in the mid size and Mike also landed a pretty nice walleye. Talk of dining on her was already in the process as we continued searching for more! Unfortunately, other than a couple of sturgeon and a few other smallies, it went solo. We jumped holes and were soon on my sweet spot at the peak of the day. It was here that the competition really showed as everyone thought they were the best. Plenty of hookups, lost & landed fish were had in the next couple of hours before it was all done. We shot some pics and released the fish back to where they came from and opted for a fast paced troll. I wanted to search another weed flat for some of the roamers and had them trolling for about 30 minutes. At one point we hit an area that was holding fish as we could see them just swimming all over the place. Walleye, bass and sturgeon were abundant but none of them were eating. I pulled the plug on this and went to a deeper area looking for a few more walleye. One fish just wouldn’t suffice for 4 people and we needed others. The conditions were just brutal by now with flat calm and dog pecker knats all over us. We desperately needed the wind! Although we did catch a few more smallies in this hole, the walleye seemed to elude us. I shifted locations once more and headed up the lake to find some current. As with the previous area, we once again had very little current and flat calm conditions. These fish just weren’t moving! As a last ditch effort to locate a few more walleye, I headed back to the place we had previously fished and hoped for the best. Several drifts were made with bass being taken each time but it wasn’t until a small wager was made that it all turned around. Mike had initiated a 5 dollar bet towards the longest fish and it was game on. I now had a line in the water! Almost on cue, Mike locked up with a 20 inch smallie and talk of cheating was heard in the boat. Nobody wanted to lose despite the few dollars being made. It’s all about bragging rights! Ken did manage to hook another walleye and things were looking up for dinner but it didn’t make the cut for big fish. All three of them were now hooking fish but it seemed that they were all smallies and then it happened. I locked up with a walleye and we officially had three in the boat for dinner. Although it did fall in the legal slot, it didn’t beat Mike’s previous smallie for the pool. By now Mike was just hammering the big bass and the others were hooking a few of their own too. All bass and no walleye until I slammed a big dog! I knew it was a good fish and was pretty sure it was a walleye as well. Once netted, it went 24 inches and the gears shifted directions. They would need to bump up their game in order to get the win. By now, Mike was looking for a sturgeon as he knew the walleye would be a tough one to beat. It wasn’t going to happen and to make matters worse, I locked up on another good walleye. This one, unlike the previously released one, fell in the slot and didn’t get released. “We’re having Fish for Dinner”! It was all over and we ended it in a flurry of activity as the fish decided to finally eat. I know if we had of stayed longer, someone would have taken me out. I had fish to clean and reservations to make so we called it a day. This is what happens when you poke the bear and make him fish! Great day and an even better dinner ahead!!

This was the third & final day of the trip for John & Gerry and I wanted it to be their best. We hooked up around the same time and were on the water shortly after, looking for those angry fish. Overcast skies plagued us once again as they made their first casts. Winds were a little lighter today but from the same hateful NE direction and air temps were in the 60’s. I had them throw jigs to start, instead of the usual blades as I felt they were not the preferred choice this morning. Apparently, I was right as both were locked up within their first few casts! This was to go on for quite a while with some fish being landed and others lost on the jumps. When things slowed to just a crawl, I headed out and hit a different location further away. Gerry was on fire this morning and every time I looked over, his rod was bent! Although they weren’t all bass, he was getting fish. At one point he locked up three casts in a row and landed a bass and two sturgeon. He added another sturgeon a little later and John also landed his first. These fish are definitely all over the lake this year as I don’t think I’ve had a single day this season, without one. We hung in for a while longer as the bass weren’t finished eating jigs yet! Just when I thought it was all over, John hooked into a nice walleye that was having a bad day. It fell into the slot and was going to be on the menu as an appetizer this evening. Off we went again and they kept picking at the bass for the remainder of the day. Although there weren’t any real giants landed today, there were still plenty of threes and fours coming aboard. I don’t want to even estimate how many fish were hooked in the time they were here but it was lots! I jumped to several other smaller areas looking for quick bites before pulling the plug on this trip and calling it a day. We had endured three consecutive days of not so perfect weather, to say the least and they came out on top. Fall smallies were on the menu and they dined first class! I just hope they weren’t too spoiled while here and able to adjust to their pressured waters back home. It was definitely a three day trip well worth the distance travelled!!