Another Big Howl Day
July 4, 2017
Mike & Corey were with me today and it was blowing hard again! We were faced with very similar conditions to yesterday and I knew we were going to get beat up once again. I headed to our first location in only 2 footers with an occasional three but it was just starting. Oh yeah, I had to remove all kinds of barriers in order to launch too! I tried to find somewhat sheltered areas to fish but that’s not where the fish were. They caught a bunch of small bass before I bit the bullet and moved offshore for the punishment. Cory was throwing a small crankbait and catching both walleye and bass frequently but Mike’s blade wasn’t getting any attention. I quickly switched up rods for him and now both of them were hitting fish at the same rate. The winds were blowing 15 to 25 knots from the west and causing weird washing machine waves on the water. Not ideal conditions for operating an electric motor while trying to stay on the spot. Several times I had to reposition as the combination of the current & wind moved me to where I didn’t want to be. If I remained in the right area, they caught. If not, they didn’t and after what felt like two hours of bouncing in the waves, we took a long run to another location. I don’t remember how many fish they landed but it was a lot. Maybe not as many as they lost on those tiny hooks though!
This next area was a treat getting to and even more holding in as the rollers seemed like they were from two different directions. Although the winds were from the west, the waves were out of both the SW & W for whatever reason. This was really difficult on the electric motor, twisting while on one foot! There were definitely fish here as Mike had multiple follows and missed a few that seemed hooked. I had pounded on them here before, while in calm conditions, but they were now struggling to even feel the takes. Mike did manage however to hook & land the largest one of the day and it was a real beauty. He followed it up with a couple of others that were also quality too! After a while of this rocking I opted for a complete change and moved to a drop shot area nearby. Although the waves were big here too, we were able to make multiple drifts and catch fish. I was expecting walleye & bass and they caught a bunch but they also caught the first two pike I had ever seen from here. After multiple drifts over this flat, I relocated again and spent the remainder of the day in open water taking a pounding again. By now the waves were sustained threes with an occasional four just for fun. Not easy drop shotting in this crap! I was forced to use a drift sock for the first time in a while just to slow down enough to feel the bottom. Although they did catch a bunch more fish from these areas, they were on the smaller side. By 4:00 we were done and I headed back to take out. Another fun run back at a 45 degree angle to the huge rollers! Fortunately someone was waiting with the trailer again and all I had to do was drive the boat on. Wow, I love the valet service lately!
They ended up getting into a lot of fish today, but the quality was lacking due to me being limited to where I could fish. I know the weather is suppose to calm down for the remainder of the week and am looking forward to not getting beat up for a few days. Who knows, maybe I might even be able to find some sturgeon to pound on with the calm waters ahead. I can’t wait!
