The Three Amigos

After a few so, so days on the water with not much to report, I was back out with Rick, Dan & Dave looking for revenge. Between the wind & rain and the low water temps, the fishing had been difficult and today didn’t look much better. We started out with intermittent rain falling and the forecast called for an all day wet. I decided to hit another lake in hopes that we would find more aggressive fish and we weren’t disappointed. Although it started out a little slow, we eventually found lake trout suspended over deep water that were willing to eat. The fly rods shallow only accounted for a few bass and nay a trout was seen. I decided to go way off shore and began looking for some bait in a section that I had caught in past years. This was like being on Lake Ontario as I was fishing over 200 feet of water or deeper. With the boards set up with leadcore line and the downriggers loaded, we were off to the races. Heavy rains were falling at times and a strong west wind was blowing 2 footers, but they definitely wanted to eat. In about 3.5 hours there were a total of 8 lake trout landed, along with a couple of small browns. Water temps were about 45 degrees at best for today and they weren’t going to get any higher with all the mist and fog from the cold rain. When we finally ended this day and were back at the ramp, the rain stopped and some of the clouds broke up. Go figure! I think I was the only person in the boat that was comfortable today as the wetness really went through the others. Everyone was glad to have survived this hateful day as we drove off in a heated truck. What will tomorrow bring? We awoke to the sound of heavy rain pounding the tin roof the next morning and decided to take our time getting ready. We even went to eat breakfast, allowing everything to pass and launched in sunny skies for a change. This day had the makings of a beautiful one and we were pumped! It didn’t take too long for the first rod to pop and a slightly short laker of 19.5 inches was immediately released after measurement. Another trout of similar size and a drive bye on one of the boards was had in the next hour before we relocated. I was looking for more action and wasn’t wasting time waiting for the fish to come to us. We switched sides due to the strong east winds of 10 to 15 knots and found a sheltered section on the other side to troll. Almost instantly, the board fired and the first of many legal lakers went into the well. They wanted to take some fish back with them and were on a quest! A few more releases on the riggers had the numbers climbing and it was looking pretty good. Three fish were swimming in the box and it was only 11 o’clock. Plenty of time to bump that up even more! The sun was high and the air was warm but the east winds had turned now & were blowing west at 10 to 20. After lunch I thought we would try a change and they began casting towards sheer rock bluff walls hoping for a rainbow or brownie. They had a few follows but were unable to determine exactly what they were until Dan hooked up. Although it was small, this feisty brown trout put up quite a battle before being landed. We could have kept it but decided to let it live another day and grow up. About another hundred yards later, Dan had another of almost equal size and it too was released after the fight. I thought we were going to get something better and followed this deep water for almost a half mile before pulling the plug and moving on. I thought we’d try something different once again as they were also hoping for some northerns and headed to an old weedy bay I knew should be holding. Well, we weren’t disappointed as Dave drew first blood with a 6.5 pound gator soon after we arrived. There was a big fish bet on the line and he had just locked it up! Along with this pike there were several others smaller and many a perch as well. Eventually I backed off this shallow, warm flat and started casting along a deeper drop off. Dan & Dave thought they’d chill and I told them to long line troll their baits as Rick casted from the bow. I kept a steady speed going and soon after, Dan was rewarded with a violent strike. They weren’t sure what he had but I could tell by the squirrelly head shakes that he had another laker. Into the net it went and boy was this one long! No need to measure, just into the livewell she went. Number 4 and only 2 more needed to fill their limits. Unfortunately this was all for here as we changed gears once again and headed to the other side. Riggers and boards went out and trolling was once more the order of the day. They had another short laker release the rigger and things weren’t looking good. I was marking plenty of hooks up high along with bait periodically but no one was eating. This went on for about an hour before one of the boards went back screaming line from the reel. I was in the process of clearing the riggers in order to move and was pleasantly surprised. This lake trout also made the cut and joined his friends in the well, swimming right along side them. It was number 8 for the day once again but only the 5th one to make it into the livewell as the other three fell just short. It was after 5 o’clock now and the guys decided to call it a day, finishing with a bang. This day was definitely more enjoyable as it was rain free! The two days spent on the water were also productive as 18 lakers and 4 browns were landed along with a mix of other fish species too. As we pulled the boat out they spoke to a couple of fishermen that hadn’t fended as well. They returned with a skunk and I could see their disappointment as Rick informed them of our success. Oh well, we’ve all been there before and I was glad we weren’t there again! This would be a two day trip to remember. Overall, a successfully productive outing!!