Another Successful Outing

September 16th 2018

 

Satoru was with me today, all the way from Tokyo Japan. He was working in Montreal for 6 months and wanted to fish for something big. I knew just where to go and headed directly for the sturgeon in hopes of hooking him up!

I was surprised to see only one other boat when we arrived and began searching for the fish. Once found, I dropped anchor and waited for the first bite. Unfortunately we were plagued with small fish and likely gobies as well because I was re baiting the hooks often. Eventually however, I did get the right bite and set into something with weight. Satoru was about to fight the biggest fish of his life! He couldn’t believe the strength it had and struggled to hang on at first. I guess he just figured that he would be able to reel it in right away! Ten minutes later and exhausted, he was finally able to bring it close enough for me to net. Although fighting it was tough, he soon realized that holding it for the pics was even harder. In the end, he was bear hugging the sturgeon just to hang on for the shots. A quick release and back it went!

With conditions almost perfect for fishing, I knew we would get into more. I did have to make a move though as the junk fish were just nibbling the baits like piranhas. He even reeled in a small walleye that had gotten hooked from this spot!

Our second location saw some signs of life and I was convinced that something would bite. We had waited quite a while for it to happen but when it did, it was another good one. I reared back on the rod and loaded it for Satoru to battle. This one fought different than his first and made some great long runs. Surprisingly though, neither of them jumped! The fights last longer when they don’t exert themselves by breaching. This battle was epic as he looked like he was reeling in a cement block! The whole thing took place on the bottom and it wasn’t until he had changed sides multiple times before it actually began to come up. It looked giant in the water but it wasn’t thick. I also noticed a huge lamprey attached to its fin and hoped it wouldn’t fall off before I had it in the net.

This was the first time this season that I actually used the tarp for the fish as I saw how much Satoru struggled with his previous one. I lifted it out of the water and onto the plastic to protect it and make it easier to grab for the pics. I was also happy to see that the lamprey had fallen off in the boat and cut its head off immediately. Hateful things! Despite bringing the fish into the boat to make it easier for Satoru, he still struggled to pick it up for the photos. Another bear hug shot and back it went!

We fished for the remainder of the day hoping for a few more bites but were only able to get nibbles from smaller fish. I also made several moves and re anchored many times in the process. The afternoon wasn’t easy and the boat traffic didn’t help either. We were forced to hold the rods almost the entire time as we were rocking and rolling from all the waves. I think everyone was out today with this weekend being so nice! We were even checked by conservation officers for our licenses and possible fish on board. Nice to see them out, finally!

Satoru had hoped to catch a big fish today and he did just that, twice! I could have taken him for bass, pike or even walleye, but he wanted something that he could remember and brag about back home. Sturgeon was definitely the way to go! I only wish that we could have landed a few more of these dinosaurs but we were still happy with our results. It’s always a little tougher with the summer daytime heat but eventually the fall will arrive. Cooler nights and dropping water temps will have the fish a little more active soon enough. I can’t wait both for the colder weather and also less boat traffic on the water. Better days to come!!