Mike & his son Ryan joined me on this beautiful, crisp fall day for another crack at some big smallies. I hadn’t realized that it was actually Friday the 13th but we weren’t too worried as the fish didn’t know either! It was a little colder than I wanted when we arrived but that was suppose to change during the day with a high of 50 degrees expected. Winds were out of the NE at around 10 knots making the 32 degree air feel more like 22 as we headed out. Fortunately we had sunshine and that took some of the bitterness away while we fished. Water temps had dropped once again and were now below 48 degrees. It may have taken them a little longer to hook up than I am accustomed to but once it began, they never looked back. Mike had started the ball rolling with a few smaller than usual bass, so I shifted locations quickly to try & find bigger & better. I realized that we would have to fish deeper water if we were to find some of the quality ones and worked slowly in those areas. Apparently it was the right decision as Ryan confirmed it immediately with a few bass of almost 4 pounds. His father wasn’t going to let him get away with that so he countered with one of his own that topped the scales at over 4.5 pounds. These fish were really sluggish and every bite was extremely subtle. By keeping the line tight we were able to feel the pick ups but they weren’t easy to detect. Many of them were picking up the baits and dropping them before you were able to set the hook leaving us just swinging at air. Ryan locked onto a real good one in the afternoon that had us believing he finally had one of those giants, only to be disappointed to see that it was actually a northern pike of around 8 pounds. There were many other bass slightly smaller in size landed throughout the afternoon but none of them were over 4 pounds, leaving us somewhat let down. Oh we caught fish all day long, just not the caliber that we had hoped for and by 4 o’clock we called it a day. When that sun goes down it really gets chilly and we had already done chilly all day long! Both Ryan & his dad were looking foreword to the heater in the truck and a relaxing drive back home, so we headed back to the ramp. There may not have been any of those bruisers today but there were definitely plenty of bass to keep all parties entertained on this magnificent, fall fishing day!!

Well, I definitely had a full boat today as Andre brought a couple of guys to replace Jim who was originally scheduled to come with him. Al and Bernard (AKA Bucket) were to experience just what the fall smallmouth were all about. It was quite frosty this morning as the temps were somewhere around 30 degrees when we began. A high of 50 was forecasted along with clear skies & sunshine and they were pumped. Winds were light and out of the NE at less than 5 knots for most of the day allowing us to fish in comfort. The water temps had dropped slightly and were now holding around 48.5 degrees causing us to slow down even more. Andre locked up first and brought in what turned out to be his best fish of the day at 4.5 pounds. Bucket was having a tougher time, being the least experienced and watched as Al started hooking fish frequently. Eventually they all were getting into bass of various sizes and all was good. We held in the first spot for a while all the time having someone locked up every five minutes or so. Unfortunately they weren’t the size I was expecting and a relocation was needed in order to find the bigger ones. It was in this area that Bucket managed to get his personal best of the day and another 4.5 pound smallie was brought to net. Although everyone was getting into fish, it was Al that was putting on a clinic and motoring over the others with many more bass. In each and every spot we stopped there were fish landed but mostly just average in size. Each of them had caught smallies over 4 pounds but there were more bass in the 2 to 3 pound range. By 4 o’clock we were ready to head back and unanimously, we packed it in. It had been a beautiful fall day on the water and everyone had caught their fair share of fish. Who could ask for more? I just hope the weather holds out a little longer as I’m not ready to call it quits for the season. There’s too many fish and way too little time to do it in. At this time of year I have the option to fish for steelhead, walleye as well as smallmouth bass. What a dilemma to be faced with!!

Well, Norm was back again today to see if he could become a member of that elusive six pound club. Would today be the day? Last year at this time he was struggling to try and beat the five pound mark but now he was shooting for a greater target. We began in beautiful bright conditions with sun and cloud cover and a very light breeze from the west. Air temps were around 43 degrees and expected to climb to about 55 by days end. Even the water had risen slightly and was now almost fifty! It didn’t take long before he was locked up and bringing in a nice starter fish of around 4.5 pounds. In the next few hours there were plenty of bass caught but he was still unable to match the first fish of the day and I moved on. I wanted him to get the big one almost as much as he did and tried all kinds of things to try and locate his trophy fish. We fished deep and we fished shallow just to give a fair shake to all the zones that were producing daily. As with before, we still concentrated mostly on the current brakes in this river and had most of our luck within this type of water. By mid afternoon we still hadn’t been able to locate anything that would come close to his trophy and made a long run to an isolated spot that I hadn’t fished in quite some time to see if there might be some sort of activity there. After about 45 minutes of washing lures without a strike, we opted for the long run back and hopefully “Moby Dick”. Well, he did hook up on a biggun on his first cast and we both knew it was a heavy fish by the way it was staying down, but as it neared the boat we realized that it was a walleye. It may have been over 5 pounds but it was still an eye and not what we were looking for! With about an hour of light left in the day, we stuck it out and just pounded fish on every other cast. Unfortunately, they were at best four and a half pounds and the six pounder was not to be today. Big fish are never easy to come by and although sometimes they bite great, they never really bite on command. This day had plenty of action throughout but not the trophy we were looking for and we had to settle for the numbers instead of the size. With only a few weeks left in this season before “Mother Nature” freezes us out, he will have to get back out to beat the six pound target at least once more. Somehow I don’t think that will be a problem as he has demonstrated in the past. Norm’s never been one to just give up and the bass just make him more determined to succeed. I know he will be back and sooner or later he will become a member of that elusive six pound club. I can’t wait too!!

Christian & John were finally able to coordinate their schedule and were with me today for some smallmouth action. We were going to have a great day with well above average air temps that could reach 70 degrees! Is this actually November? Sunshine started the day but soon gave way to clouds and the winds became insane. They weren’t supposed to be that bad but who can figure out the weather forecasts! At one point they were blowing 15 to 25 knots with heavier gusts over 30 from the south. Although it may have been incredibly strong, it was also unbelievably warm. The first fish of the day was from Christian and it proved to be his personal best at over 4 pounds. I thought this was great and told him that he would be breaking that record a few more times throughout the day too. He managed to get the first 4 or 5 fish in the boat before John finally locked up. It was taking him a little longer to slow the presentations down but once he did he was on his way to many more. I don’t want to say that these guys were competitive but they were counting each & every fish, keeping score. Christian was always slightly in the lead but John was not too far behind him and it seemed like someone was always locked up. They had several doubles during the day and were having a blast with these 2 to 3 pound smallies but I was looking for bigger & better. Although Christian had broken his personal best 3 or 4 times now and was officially at 4.54 pounds, I knew he could still do better. Somewhere late in the afternoon he finally hit one that I was pretty sure would top all the rest and once on the scale he saw that it went slightly above the five pound mark. I think we could have gone home after that one as his day was made! A few quick pics and back she went to join all the others from this day. We fished until somewhere around 4:15 and with darkness approaching quicker each day, decided to call it a day. Ironically with all the fish landed they ended in a tie. Both John and Christian had the winning fish on many times but broke even in the end. No bragging rights for anyone today as they would have to settle for the same amount of fish, but that’s not a bad thing. They had caught plenty of bass and had a great time doing it too. I love the fact that both of them are going home with sore thumbs and a little less skin on the fingers too. Now they know how I feel each and every day. What a great day to be fishing!!

Well day two was even better than the first with many bass and some big ones too! We began in the sun and never lost sight of it all day. Light wind from the SW allowed a beautiful drift whenever we chose to fish that way and he air temps were just incredible for a November day. I think it warmed up to over 50 degrees and even the water temps climbed slightly. You just know the day is going in the right direction when an almost 5 pounder gets landed on your first cast! Craig couldn’t believe his luck when he set the hook and nothing moved in the current. After a few quick pics she was free to go back to where she came from and we were pumped. Herm was having a difficult time this morning but Craig was on fire. He was just pounding them on almost every cast. Although they weren’t all big ones, they were still a thrill in the fast water. Along with this beautiful day there was also a lot of boat traffic and we had to pick & choose where we wanted to fish based on the availability. As with each day lately, we caught fish everywhere we stopped and some real good ones too. Craig had the lunker of the day when he boated a fish of 20 inches. This thing was also almost 17 inches in length and a real football. Several pics were taken before releasing her back as well and Craig was in his glory. Both of them were now into fish and many of them were over 3 pounds and fighting like champs with the aid of fast water. Although there were a few slow periods throughout the day, there were still a lot of active periods as well and we just couldn’t believe this weather. After having fished in hurricanes, heavy rains and freezing temps recently, this was a real treat. It almost felt like Florida! We fished till about 4:15 and decided to end the day on a high with a few more smallies. I’m not sure how many fish were caught today but the weather will be what everyone will remember most. It’s been at least 3 years since I’ve seen temperatures like this in the month of November and I can’t wait for more. I know it can switch overnight instantly, but I’m going to take advantage of it as long as I can. You might say that Herm & Craig hit this trip right on the head without the violent weather conditions they usually bring. I guess they aren’t that unlucky after all! I know they will be going home fully satiated after this one and remembering it for quite some time!!!!