Tom was back with me again this morning and his son Patrick came along as well. The last time he was out, we had a banner trip that would be tough to match today! We had so many walleye that it was insane trolling and there weren’t any weeds, anywhere! I was hoping for a quick bite when I set the lines, but it didn’t happen. With the overnight lows bringing the water temps down each day, the fish were moving. I had to find them soon in order to succeed today! We started deep in 72 degree water with plenty of floaters and that just made matters worse. I couldn’t keep the lines clean for more than a few minutes at a time. Add to that, no fish in a couple of passes and it was time to change tactics. New baits, mid range water and instantly a reel fired! I thought it was a big eye but soon found out that it was a decent northern of close to 8 pounds. It didn’t matter though as we had scored! I kept at it and shortly after, another reel went off. This time it was a smallmouth and a good one too. A mid three pounder gave an incredible battle and Patrick was finally starting to enjoy this day. I quickly released it after a pic and another reel went off immediately. This time it was the targeted species of Walter and it was a good one. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be going home with them tonight as she was almost 23 inches. I often wonder how many others abide by the Quebec rules and how many big fish get released. I’m pretty sure the percentage is low! We went right back at it and stayed in this area that had been giving up the fish. Moments later, more reels are screaming and legal slot fish are coming in one after the other. We’re having fish for dinner! Patrick always looks forward to this trip because walleye are scarce where he lives and he loves the taste of them. I knew we would be pressed for time today as the winds were suppose to increase tremendously around noon and tried to milk the area as best as I could. Amongst the legal walleye, there were also 5 overs up to 26 inches that were returned making the trip more successful than the previous years. In fact we had a double header that saw Tom reeling in the biggest fish of today. Patrick was already occupied with one on his line when the second reel fired. Tom had no choice but to reel the fish in! In the water it looked much longer than I thought and I opted for the bigger net, just to be sure. I think by the time we finally pulled the plug, there was a total of 15 or more walleye landed along with many bass and a couple of northerns. This was definitely an exceptionally productive day and we were off before 1 o’clock. Once I had found the depth range the fish were occupying, the action was almost non stop. Tom had just experienced incredible back to back trips that had spanned almost 2 months. Although the conditions had changed immensely, he had seen fishing at its best! Patrick had also seen his best day in the three or four years he had fished with us. Who could have asked for anything more!!

I had another full boat today with Scott, Chris & John looking for some great action. We got under way just after 7:30 and headed straight into a troll for a quick, early morning walleye bite. The overnight temps had the chilly morning air barely 60 degrees and the water temps below 75. Winds were light and out of the west creating just enough chop for the troll. As usual, I was marking plenty of fish but they weren’t moving. In the 90 minutes we trolled, there were only 3 walleye & 2 smallies landed, causing me to make a move. Next area had them throwing baits to roaming bass and several more hits were had here. Unfortunately, most of them resulted in missed fish! Although plenty of bass were seen, only a handful were landed and it was time to relocate once more. The next stop was on a place where they would be working jigs again but on the weed edges. John managed to hook up first and it was a nice walleye too. They wanted a few for the table and this one went into the well with a previous one taken on the troll. Chris was missing a few strikes but finally locked up on another beauty that was soon to join the others. Unfortunately, that was the last one brought in and another change was made. They would be drop shotting deep water and hopefully getting better fish. By now the wind had layed down completely and the dog pecker knats were out in full force. Add to this a lack of current and the fishing had slowed to a crawl. We had to work much harder for the few bites and the fish were generally smaller too. In fact they managed to land probably 50% of the hits they had in this area. John needed to be somewhere this afternoon, so we made the run back to the ramp & dropped him off. I figured that as long as we were here, I would stop and drop shot an area nearby. Although it did produce some nice smallies, it was slow like everywhere else and we didn’t stay long. The biggest bass were dropped from a lack of solid takes and I needed to find better eaters! We slid into a mid lake hole that usually holds only big fish and were surprised to find just a handful of big ones that all got off. It wasn’t until the next small spot that things started to happen. On Scotts first cast, the bottom started to move. He had crossed paths with another dinosaur and it was big. Not really what I had hoped for, I tried to slide the beast away from where the bass and walleye were. Gradually he was able to bring it close enough for me to grab. It had to be 4 feet or better and definitely in the 30 pound class. I snapped a few shots and it was on its way back to the lake unharmed. Back to the task at hand and immediately Scott was locked up again. This time however it was what we were after. A nice smallie came to the net and he had buddies. Too bad Chris had just made a cast as he might have been able to monopolize on one of the others. As I turned around to let him know, I saw his rod bent too! Doubles and we had just begun! Several more bass were caught here up to about 4 pounds along with another walleye before the action just stopped. Time for another move and it would be our last as the day was getting on. This area also had them doubled up immediately after we arrived. Smallies all around! The water had a bit of color to it along with a bunch of floating debris and I guess this helped with the bite. We spent about 20 minutes or so here and they had a bunch of fish on before we called it a day. Despite all the changes throughout today, they managed to stick with it and monopolized on each area we fished. Although the biters could have been better, they still caught their share of fish throughout the day on a variety of presentations. Too bad John wasn’t with us for the better afternoon activity. Oh well, next time!!

With Mike fishing with Mike senior this morning I thought I would give junior a call and see if he’d like to spend a few hours on the lake. We hooked up after 10:00 and immediately went to a troll for the walleye. Winds were up and out of the south, blowing a nice 1 foot chop under overcast skies. They had to be biting! Air temps had dropped slightly and the humidity wasn’t all that bad either. It really didn’t take long for the first reel to fire but it wasn’t a walleye. Instead, it was a psychotic smallie that just peeled line from the reel and went to the air. It also decided that by crossing over it could tangle the other line and successfully accomplished this too. Next thing I know, it was gone and we had a mess. Very nice! After untangling this disaster and retying one of the lines, back in they went. Soon after I get a call from Mike and wouldn’t you know it, a reel goes off while we’re talking. “Fish” and I’m hanging up on him! Mike reels in a nice walleye of 25 inches and I snap a few pics before the release. I also snapped one with the phone that I quickly sent with a message to the other mike that read, Phone Walter! Talk about perfect timing and I’m sure that hurt as they were struggling with their bite. We went back through the area and managed a few more smaller walleye and a couple more bass before shifting to a casting spot for more eyes. Both Mike & I missed a few fish and I was beginning to see that they really weren’t too interested in eating. The bites were very light and they weren’t holding on for long. By now the winds had layed down completely and we were in trouble. The dog pecker knots were out and in full force. The current had also stopped and so had the bite as we weren’t feeling a thing. Right about then, Mike was driving by with senior and stopped for a chat before heading in. Not wanting to lose the middle of the day, senior decided to hop in and we continued fishing. A quick mid lake change had him going from one species to another in a matter of seconds. We stayed on these walleye for a bit and missed a few more before heading elsewhere for bass. By now the winds were beginning to blow as the overcast skies pushed a storm system north of us. I checked the radar several times and realized we were only going to see a light sprinkle at best. We were also seeing several big smallies cruising the area that had absolutely no interest in our offerings. I just kept moving and hit another section not far away and they managed to pick a few fish in here. Junior even got bit off by what I thought might have been a big walleye. Once retied and back in, I realized that it was actually a northern, when he hooked up. It was a decent fish too but somehow came unpinned during the fight. This was also the last bite they got here and we moved off soon after. The next area had us fighting a big wind now when it began blowing 15 to 25 knots from the SW. Stronger gusts were also with the howl and it was getting worse. We fished through and they hooked up several times with Junior getting most of the bites. Unfortunately though, almost all of them got off when they took to the air. To make matters worse, the winds were shifting again and also increasing. They felt like 20 to 30 from the west as there were whitecaps everywhere. I was somewhat protected being in shallower water and took full advantage of this. We fished a couple more places and didn’t do much in either one. Only missed fish were had until the very last area when junior was locked again. He finished the day on a high with another big walleye of 24 inches. I think his dad may have missed the same fish just the cast before! A few quick pics and away we went. The run back wasn’t too bad for about half the way and then we caught up to the bigger waves. We were going with them and they were rolling! I think they were at least three footers with a few bigger rogues thrown in just for giggles. The only ones enjoying this were the sailors and windsurfers. They were out in full force! I looked back when we reached the dock and all I saw was a wall of white. These sheep were huge! It looked more like Lake Ontario rather than the water we were on and I was glad to be getting off. These guys were supposed to be heading back out with Mike for an evening of fishing and already rethinking their decision. As with the day before, today was also a tough bite but filled with plenty of excitement. We had somehow managed to dodge all the rain & storms surrounding us just by moving around the lake. Once the system moved out however, we received the winds and they were big. Overall, a few good days with plenty of memories and pics as proof!!

Well, two thirds of the Mikes were back this morning making it the M & M show. The other Mike was to join us mid day as he had scheduled appoints in the AM this time around. We hit the water before 9 and gave walleye trolling a shot for about 90 minutes. It was the first time in over 2 months that the floaters actually allowed me to run a board. In one area, they were non existent! Along with the lack of weeds were the lack of eaters and we struggled to come up with only one bite. I was marking them real good in all the usual places but they just didn’t want to move. With flat calm conditions and almost no current they were tightly pressed to the bottom, not feeding. In fact, the one fish we did manage to get to eat was taken in much shallower water and over 24 inches long. I guess he was lost or something! Time to pull the plug and cast for something else, somewhere else! We made a long run to an area that I thought we would get them good but soon found out different. For some reason, there were boats all over and two of them were parked on a couple of the best spots. I decided to remain over deeper water and try drop shotting on a flat where I was marking fish. They were also in the same mood as the trolling ones, with only one small bass coming aboard. After two unsuccessful passes over this area, I threw in the towel and headed shallower. One of the boats had vacated the area and now it was our turn! They both threw tubes to the rocky areas and managed just a few smallies for their efforts. I realized quickly that the presence of the other boat had dispersed the fish, regardless of how many they actually hooked. By now the other Mike had given me a 45 minute notice for pick up and I wanted to hit one more spot before we returned. We made another long run and it was here that they finally hooked into a few good ones. By working their baits slowly along an edge, they managed to land 5 nice walleye and a couple of bass. Junior had two Walters that made the slot and one under. Senior on the other hand didn’t contribute to dinner, but instead released a 23 & 24 inch plus walleye that were just beautiful. Their golden appearance was absolutely picture perfect! After the pick up, I thought we’d give trolling another shot, seeing as I had my rod guy back on board. I ran through all the good sections of one area and definitely marked loads of fish. Unfortunately they were still pressed to the bottom and not moving on our baits at all. This lack of wind really has a bad effect on how the walleye feed and we were feeling the pain. Plan B and off we went to cast for smallies once again! This time they managed to hook up many times where we were and landed over 50% of the fish. Some fell to the tubes and others ate the senko but at least we were on eaters! Once the action slowed, we moved once more and found another area with a few more to play with. With the blazing hot sun & high humidity just crushing us, I knew it wouldn’t be long before we were done. We pulled out of this place and headed to another area to try a little drop shotting. Without any wind and almost no current we would surely have a difficult time vertically. With two Mikes up front and one out the back, I positioned the boat for a drift. Back Mike hooked up first with a small bass and almost on cue, the others also locked up. This is what you can expect when vertically fishing over the reefs as you encounter small pods of tightly grouped fish. Mike junior managed to hook up with one other smallie before I called it a day. It was too difficult to concentrate on specific sections of this place and the fishing was slow at best. Add the insane heat wave and I was fried! The fishing may not have been phenomenal but we did have our share of chances throughout the day. They had landed a bunch of walleye & bass and oh yeah, a couple more sturgeon too! A tough but rewarding day on the water!!

I had a boat load of Mikes today as 3 of them came out to fish bass & walleye. For once, I had a hand trolling and it definitely made my life a whole lot easier. Mike # 1 was designated rod man and it felt good, to just concentrate on the fish as he manned all the rods! I set the lines and we began the troll under a nice chop of 5 to 10 knots out of the west. Add a slight increase in water level from all the rain we had received in the last few days and I knew we would score. Mike # 2 was the son of Mike # 3 and this day was designated to him. His dad had come in to fish Musky and planned a couple of days from the week for some action. When the first reel went off I never even had to leave the chair and # 1 was on it immediately. I could really get use to having a mate! First walleye landed and a 19 inch beauty was swimming in the well. We’re having fish for dinner! Lines checked and the next rod goes off giving up another 18 incher and things were looking up. We covered this area thoroughly and managed about 10 walleye up to 24 inches and a few bass, before shifting gears. We moved to another spot and began casting for smallies when Mike junior got crushed on his very first cast. It blasted his spinnerbait, trying to rip the rod from his hands and immediately went to the air. His dad almost doubled up on a jig too, but lost three in a row when they just came unpinned. Mike # 1 was also having similar results with a spinnerbait, but missing almost every one. He switched up to a tube and the results were the same! These fish just kept coming off and I really didn’t know why! I switched one rod up for a slower moving senko and the next four fish came aboard without throwing the hooks. Out of a possible 12 to 15, I think they landed about half. Definitely not a great average but at least we had action. When the wind layed down, that all changed! No wind equals very little movement and the fish just stopped biting. Time to relocate again, but this time we dropped #1 back off at the dock. He had an appointment and the three of us returned to a new area, hoping for bigger & better. Next stop, a big follower almost got a hold of junior’s spinnerbait, but didn’t seem to be interested. It followed the lure all the way to the boat only to disappear into the weeds. Soon after, he got crushed and a big fish took to the air with a three foot, Olympic leap. Unbelievable runs and jumps and one hell of a fight later, it was in the net. Not before tossing the blade off the lure, tearing a larger hole in her mouth and shaking the lure free as well. This is why people love to fish for smallies! After a couple of pics she was released and went on her way. The next fish was unexpected as Mike battled a sturgeon for a while. He couldn’t believe the shear power of this fish and eventually brought it close enough for me to grab its tail. Several pics later and back she went no worse for wear! We continued along for a bit and hit another area that had been holding a concentration of walleye & bass. Ironically, no walleye were caught, just smallies! They even had a double header that was the first of the day. Juniors’ fish was considerably larger as it was pushing 21 inches in length. It should have weighed over 5 pounds but fell lighter due to the lack of girth. Either way, it was a real beauty and released immediately after the pics. A few more bass were taken as well in this area and then it just died entirely. We kept moving along and I made another stop in a place close to a deep water edge. This section had been only holding big fish and today would be no different. While chunking the spinnerbait, Mike got a hold of another giant and one hell of a battle followed. He finally brought it close enough to the boat and I netted it in the air, under another spectacular leap. This was to be the largest one of the day and definitely in the five pound class, as it had plenty of girth. Unfortunately it was the only fish to be seen here and not long after we were on the move once again. After an unsuccessful attempt at the next location, we moved to a drop shot area and finished off the day. Not many fish were landed here and I wasn’t surprised. There was practically no current and all fish were small because of it. They both managed a couple of walleye & bass and we headed back to the ramp. I had fish to clean and we had dinner to eat! It was definitely a day full of action and plenty of firsts for Mike. Or was that Mikes!!