The lake was like a ghost town this morning as Scott & John joined me on the water. We were going to have a great day and I knew they were both going to have a “Grand Slam” when we were all done. It was like a mirror out there and without the weekend boat traffic, it looked like it would stay that way too! The humidity was still present and with the expected highs to reach the mid 80’s, it would be another scorcher. We began with a troll for walleye in an area that I had good results lately and it didn’t disappoint me again. Within 10 minutes the first reel went off and John was landing a pretty nice walleye of almost 19 inches. Unfortunately that was the only one to make it to the livewell from here and we needed to relocate. Oh we did manage to land several others but they were all just 15 inches and I knew we could do much better. Along with the short ones there was also a bunch of smallies and a few northerns thrown in for good measure! The second area produced a couple more walleye the same size, then nothing. It wasn’t going too good where we were but we were picking at fish about every 10 to 15 minutes. Both walleye and anorexic pike were coming aboard but not at the rate I was so accustomed to and I knew another change was about to occur. I packed up the trolling gear and pulled out the bass rods to change up the species and off we went. I guess this was the right decision as both Scott & John began catching smallies almost instantly. Senkos were once again responsible for the bulk of the fish but several were also taken on jerkbaits, crankbaits and an occasional spinnerbait. They were given the choice to remain on bass or switch back to the walleye trolling and both agreed to hammer the smallies for the remainder of the day. I covered all the best areas in the process and they managed to catch fish from each and every one that we stopped at. It had been several years since John had fished and he was right back in the game and on his “A” game too. Although he missed plenty of bass, he managed to catch more than he lost and in the process developed a love for the sport once more. It won’t be nearly as long the next time before he gets back out to tackle more of these powerful smallies! Scott and John are already making plans to hook up again for another spectacular fishing day and I’m ready for more! What a way to spend “Independence Day”!!

It’s rare that I have a weekend date available, but even rarer that both days are open. Christiane took advantage of this and we pleasure fished on both days for a variety of species. Saturday began with boats already out and it became even more insane as the day went along. Although there wasn’t much wind there were waves in all directions again and not much courtesy on the lake. Sailboats set up courses directly where I was trolling walleye and made it impossible for me to continue fishing the area. I decided to hit an alternate species and headed for smallmouth bass instead. We managed to get into several decent ones but nothing huge and shifted locations once again. With all this boat traffic, it was actually getting dangerous in certain areas and I had to be careful while running from place to place. Cruisers were the worst as they were mostly plowing through the water creating ship like rollers. Multiply this by the hundreds and you have the recipe for disaster! I decided to get away from all this turmoil and fished shallower areas of the lake just to be safe. We spent most of the day trolling flats and weedy areas all the while catching a number of walleye and bass. By 4:00 we had both seen enough and got off the lake while we still had our sanity. Despite the overpopulated waters today we still managed to catch plenty of fish to make this yet another good day to be out. Sunday was a totally different animal as we were practically alone on the lake today, with the weather forecast. They were announcing thunder showers and I think that scared everyone away! I figured we would take advantage of this and dropped the lines in and began the troll. Within 5 minutes the reel fired and Christiane was bringing in the first of many fish of the day. This one however was a real beauty at 26.5 inches and well worth a few pics before being released. What a way to start the day! Several more fish came in and some of the smaller ones were kept for a dinner that evening. Her family was coming over and I had to provide a meal for four, so I only harvested what we could eat. Once we had what we needed, I thought we would switch gears and try for some smallies elsewhere. Before I could bring in the lines, the board went off hard and a big black beauty was attached to the minnow bait. Christiane had a blast with this one and after quite a struggle to get to the board, she was finally able to fight it to the net. This was huge and almost weighed in at 5 pounds! Who says you can’t catch bass trolling? The run to our bass area was actually safe today and with the flat conditions, not rolling 4 footers like yesterday! We once again had a beautifully sunny day with air temps in the mid 80’s and it seemed like a weekday. I was pretty sure we wouldn’t get away with this for too long and tried to take advantage of the situation as long as it lasted. By the afternoon, it could all change! We began hammering smallies on jerkbaits and senkos in every area we fished for the remainder of our stay. With the water temps rising into the low 70’s the fish were active and eagerly eating our offerings. I thought we would try an hour or so of trolling for walleye again and packed up the bass rods for the day. The run this time wasn’t as nice as earlier, as people were now realizing that the weather was too nice to stay home. The “Flight of the Cruisers” were back and churning up the lake once again! I had to take alternate routes just to stay away from the waves and headed to the shallows again. With the jack plate I was able to run through only a few feet of water safely and avoid the afternoon rush hour traffic! We spent the last hour or so catching another 7 walleye before we called it a day. It was just after 3:00 and we thought getting off the lake a little early was wise today. Once again, despite the busy afternoon, we had a great day on the water loaded with plenty of action. Christiane had been able to take advantage of my lack of clients this weekend and catch a few real nice fish in the process. I on the other hand was just grateful to have lived through the long weekend and nobody got hurt!!

Canada Day eh! Well I was on the water anyway, in probably the busiest water traffic day of the year, this season. Rakeen, Herne & Marlin joined me all the way from Jersey. They were in Montreal for a few days and wanted to see what the fishing was like in the city. We hit the water around 7:30 and I wasn’t surprised to see several other boats already fishing where I was heading. It was going to be a beautiful day and as a holiday, a busy one too! Highs in the mid 80’s along with only sunshine & no wind were predicted and every type of boat would be taking advantage today. We began trolling along a series of humps looking for our first walleye and it didn’t take long to find one. As the reel started to scream, so did another and we had doubles! Both Herne & Rakeen were into their first of many fish of the day and it was game on. We were soon landing one northern and a walleye and the livewell was fired up. They were going to eat well tonight! We concentrated in this area for a while and managed to land a few more fish, but it wasn’t up to par for me so we pulled the lines and relocated. The second area had the water temps around 65 degrees and down from several days before. I was sure the fish would be a little lethargic but set the lines and started to troll anyway. Well, it didn’t take long and one of the reels started screaming to the tune of northern pike. It was a good one too and soon on the boga for some picks. This fish was like a celebrity because everyone wanted her picture! We continued to troll varies sections of this area all the while hoping for more action. We managed to pick at them but as with the first place, it was a slow process. While I was prepping the lines for another species, the outside reel went off and Rakeen landed his first walleye ever. At 21.5 inches she was a beauty, but had to be released due to the new slot in Quebec. Several more pics and back she went. Next up was a shot at some bass action and apparently it was the right choice as we began getting them almost immediately. Crankbaits, spinnerbaits and the elusive senko were all playing a role in hooking up and everyone was catching fish. The soft plastics were definitely out performing the other lures but I decided to keep the lineup this way trying to cover all the bases. Rakeen was having a great time up front with me on the senko and just crushing them one after the other. At one point I think he had a fish on for 5 casts in a row! Being use to getting smaller bass in Jersey he was amazed to see all the 3 pounders and just how strong they were. Of the 3 guys, he was the one most experienced and taking advantage of every minute on the lake. The other two had their share of activity and were happy to just look on instead of fishing. I decided to take them back to the dock around 1:30 as Marlin wasn’t feeling well due to the lack of sleep and all the sun on the water. Back out Rakeen & I went after the drop off and I thought we would set the lines and try a little trolling for more walleye. Within 45 minutes we had many reels go off and another bunch of walleye joined their buddies in the well. Pike, bass and walters were coming in regularly so I thought we would go back and see if we could get into more bass action before we called it quits for the day. It was definitely the right choice as Rakeen locked up on a real bruiser soon after we arrived. When it took to the air I knew it was big and another personal best was about to be broken, again! It was a real struggle at the boat as she bull dogged everywhere making it difficult to get in the net. Eventually I was able to scoop her up and Rakeen couldn’t believe his eyes! Although she wasn’t a five, she was surely in the high fours and well worth several pics. Too bad the others weren’t here to see the beast! A quick release after the shots and she bolted to the depths for security. We were both glad we decided to come back and fish for smallies instead of continuing to troll for walleye. After a few more smaller fish in this area I decided to call it a day and headed back to take out. Today had proved to be slow in starting but ended with a bang as Rakeen would remember at least one of his fish for a while. Along with the big bass he had caught his first walleye and a pile of others as well. I’m sure the next time he comes to Montreal he won’t have a hard time convincing his friends to spend another day on the water. I look forward to seeing them again, soon!!

Heading off to another lake to fish for a few days with Alain & Cindy had me excited as I made the long haul this morning. I would be staying with them in their beautiful house on the lake and fishing hard for three days. Alain wanted to learn a little more about this lake and booked me for many trips this season, with these being the first three. I arrived around 8:30 and wasted no time getting the boat in the water. I ran to their place on the lake, picked them up on the dock & off we went to our first spot. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I was ready for just about anything as we started casting different lures for the smallies. For three days we would be covering the lake from tip to toe and catching bass on everything from senkos & tubes to topwater & jerkbaits. The weeds had begun to grow pretty good and it looked like the fish were setting up into their summer patterns as we were only catching small fish along the shores. I had thought that some of these fish would still be in shallow due to the spawn but was surprised to see the water above 68 degrees and the fish all gone. Although there were a couple of larger fish between 3 & 4 pounds caught close to shore, the bulk of the fish came from off shore locations with some sort of weed cover. Alain had pretty good success with a wacky rigged senko and managed to get most of his fish with this set up while Cindy caught on everything else. We were fortunate today to have had sunshine for most of the day making it quite pleasant while fishing. Although we did manage to find some nesting areas on shallow sandy flats, they all seemed to be vacant. Several fish were caught around them though making me wonder if they still remained close by. We now had an idea of what the lake was doing and were looking forward to day two! The second morning was a little different with some cloud cover and a slightly stronger wind as we headed to the first location. Alain was once again on the senko and had three fish in the boat before anyone else along an open section in the weeds. Cindy & I were fishing the deep edge to try & entice something larger but not having any luck. I moved in a little closer and saw a bunch of fish cruising all over this area and decided to hang shallow for a while. Alain had another small bass on that almost became breakfast for a rather large northern as it claimed his fish near the boat. It definitely looked to be about a 40 inch pike and the poor little bass got a few scars for his troubles. He was one of the lucky ones I guess! We spent the morning fishing off shore but shallow in weeds and stumps, catching plenty of smallies. After lunch I thought we would try some deeper ledges and found much smaller fish all over them. By ripping jerkbaits on the deep edges we were bringing piles of 1 to 2 pounders aboard with an occasional three. The weeds were definitely out producing the rocks but we continued to cast to the ledges anyway. I’m not really sure how many of these small bass we took along the cliffs but it was a lot. By 5:00 we had the makings of a storm brewing and decided to head back and take out. Timing is everything as we found out once we were ashore. We barely had enough time to get the boat covered before the skies let loose and dumped upon us. Thankfully we were back in the house and watching from inside out! The third morning was a complete opposite from the first two days as we lost the temperature. Both the water & the air had fallen drastically and now we were faced with a cold front. I had spent the two days prior in sandals and light clothing just dying of heat, but not today. We had gone from 80 plus degrees to the mid 50’s and a light drizzle. We all clothed up heavily and donned our rain gear before heading out. We also had a stiff N/W wind making it seem even chillier where we began. Water temps had dropped almost 5 degrees and were at 63.5 in the weeds. I knew this would be a tough one! Nothing was moving and seeing the openings in the weeds wasn’t easy as I held the boat in position. Both Alain & Cindy were throwing senkos but not having any luck when I hooked up on a slowly crawled tube. Yesterday’s fish had grown and now they were quality with this one being over 4 pounds. Immediately I set another rod up and let Cindy toss a tube, all the while instructing her on the drag. She had a light take on about her third cast and locked up on a beauty of a fish. This thing went to the air and I knew it was pushing 5 pounds. After several leaps and plenty of line ripping, I slid the net under an honest 4.5 pound bronzeback. This was to be the first fish of theirs worthy of a picture and I shot a few. After the release and repositioning of the boat, Cindy was locked up again. This time she battled another decent fish of around 3.5 pounds and I thought we were onto something. I immediately rigged another rod for Alain and had them both throwing to the area that had been producing the quality bites. Cindy had only one other fish take the tube and it was a smaller 2.5 pounder. Although they both had hits, the cold water had the fish lethargic and hooking them was becoming more & more difficult. We tried several other areas with similar results until after lunch. I decided to follow a shoreline and remain in water 10 to 15 feet deep, casting to the shore. It was a flat and should hold some fish after the spawn! By ripping jerkbaits we were able to hook up with a bunch of fish, holding in about 13 feet of water. The fish weren’t really relating to anything other than occasional weeds and hard bottom. We weren’t crushing them but under the conditions, we were at least doing alright. I ran all over trying to find some activity, but every spot seemed to be the same. On out last stop, I hit a mid lake hump that topped out at 13 feet surrounded by upwards of 60 to 200 feet of water. I had caught on this bump before but not today! It was really a struggle to get anything to move, so we decided that we would. We threw in the towel and called it a day. It was an interesting three days of fishing and full of challenges, but we did have some success. With most of the fish seemingly in the post spawn mode it can only get better. In the next couple of weeks the larger bass will set up in their summer patterns and begin to school & feed. I may just have to get back again sometime soon and go for another 3 day road trip. Alain still has a bunch of days left and I can’t think of a better way to spend them. Overall we fended alright despite the difficult conditions and post spawn fish. With the delay in seasonal weather, it wouldn’t surprise me if the best fishing is just around the corner. Bring it on!!

Mike & Corey were with me today after a couple of miserable days dished out by the witch! We began the day in heavy overcast skies, the makings of rain and a good chop of 2 foot, as we ran to our first spot. Smallmouth were the target as Corey hadn’t caught one before and wanted to experience their raw power. With Mike on the crankbait & Corey on a spinnerbait, I knew someone was about to score! Although the water temps had fallen to 64 degrees and the color was a little milky, it still had a good feel. A couple of missed strikes later, Corey was officially fighting his first ever smallie and loving it too.Being use to catching walleye had him reconsidering his species of choice. The raw power of this three pound bass was like nothing he had ever experienced and like all of us, he wanted more! Both Mike and Corey landed a few others on both lures and then we shifted to another area in hopes of a little more action. It seemed the further up the lake we went, the milkier the water became, as well as colder. After being disappointed with just a few more smallies, we decided to switch up completely and do a little trolling. No more than 30 seconds into the troll two reels started screaming and we had a double. Unfortunately they were both northerns of around 4 or 5 pounds and not the walleye we were hoping for. I reset the lines and continued searching for the eyes but all we could keep catching were pike and after an hour or so, pulled the lines and relocated once more. This next area had a few reels go off but unfortunately they were smallmouth bass, making us move once again. Back to our original bass area we went and Mike hooked up on his second cast. Another chunky smallie of around 3 pounds came aboard but we just couldn’t find the real bigguns! Although there were several more, the largest would have gone just under 4 pounds before we pulled the plug and tried something new, again. They had hoped to take a few walleye home for dinner so I spent the last 90 minutes trolling for these tasty treats. I was pretty sure that if I fished a certain section of the lake that they would be able to fulfill their wish and was right. In just a couple of minutes the first reel went off and a 16 inch walleye was in the boat. It didn’t take too long after and the board line went off, but this time it was a smallie. Not what we were after and back the 3.5 pound fish went in search of more eyes! Eventually we hit the area holding and managed to put 10 or 12 walleye in the boat keeping a half dozen for the table. In just a short time they had plenty of action and a pretty good meal to look forward to this evening. By mixing it up we were able to accomplish many things today with the best being Corey’s first smallie. I’m pretty sure it won’t be his last though as Mike & Corey are already looking forward to their next outing of bass, along with some walleye for the table of course. Overall a pretty good day with plenty of action all around!!