After a couple of days of cancellations due to the weather, I was back on the water once again. Collin and his parents Lu & Yin fished with me today for another high numbers outing. Loads of pike, walleye and bass were caught, along with a surprise bowfin.

We started out by trolling and they all managed to get their fair share of fish, but it was Collin that seemed to get the biggest in every species. He was the one that did battle with the beaver fish as well giving him a nice grand slam for the trip.

By afternoon the winds had died off from the NE blow that we had all morning and I decided to switch up techniques. We were going drop shotting!

I made my way out to deeper water and instructed them on what to do. It didn’t take long before Lu managed to land back to back bass as the others just watched. Eventually however, they all got in the game and each drift yielded more & more fish.

A combination of both smallies and walleye were brought to net in the remaining hours we fished the area. Plenty of fish were also lost that would have made for an insane afternoon of fishing.

With started by trolling in a NE wind and ended it off drop shotting in almost flat calm conditions. By changing it up when needed, I was able to keep them on fish all day. A combination of bass, walleye and pike were continuously landed with the bonus Bowfin from Collin too. Just another day at the office!

James was back again today and this time he brought his father Joe and his friend Mike along as well. With a good SW wind on the water this morning, I was looking forward to trolling and wasted no time getting fishing!

With 4 lines working for us, it wasn’t long before Mike was reeling in his first walleye of the day. It was a high end keeper and hopefully one of many to come! We covered plenty of water in search of more for Mike to take home but were only able to add one other keeper to his limit. It wasn’t for lack of trying as he did have to release a few others that were just too big! Plenty of pike too!

Sometime around noon or so, we decided to change it up and they tried their hand at casting for smallmouth bass. They fished for about 90 minutes or so on several spots and managed only a handful of fish. Despite the action being rather slow, they did boat a few really nice ones before we relocated to try something completely different.

I had made a long run to open water in hopes of drop shotting a few deeper areas. Unfortunately the first couple of spot didn’t pan out when we tried to fish them. I liked the big waves but all the floating weeds made it impossible to get a drift. If we were lucky, the lines stayed clean for about 30 seconds! I had to move to other areas and similar results were had there as well. In the end I just settled for one spot that although had weeds, was somewhat fishable.

The remainder of the day was spent making multiple drifts over the deep water and lots of walleye were landed. Too bad most weren’t in the slot, but Mike did manage to add a couple more keepers to his limit for the day. James was trying to help too, but was only able to catch smallies!

For the last 30 minutes we saw a drop in the winds and the lake flattened out almost completely. If it wasn’t for all the boat traffic, it would have been a mirror! Instead, it felt more like being in a washing machine! I tried to hold them on a small area that seemed loaded with fish but they only managed a couple more short ones before we called it a day.

Despite the difficult fishing conditions at times today, they still caught fish everywhere we went. In the end, Mike was even able to take 4 of the walleye home with him. Looks like he’ll be having fresh fish for dinner tonight!

Randall, Jack & Thomas were with me today, for a very interesting outing! A heavy rain delay had us meeting a bit later than usual and we still headed out in plenty of the wet stuff. The SE winds made for a rough ride in the beginning but soon calmed the further we were out.

Once we arrived at the first spot, I raised the roof to reduce the amount of rain falling on us. Within minutes after setting the lines, Jack was into a nice walleye to start the day. Before I could get the pic, another reel fired and Thomas also brought a good one to the boat, for a nice double shot. What a great way to get the day started!

I had expected the rain to let up sometime around midmorning but as usual, the forecast wasn’t right. It took until after 12:30 before we were actually clear of the wet crap, but it didn’t matter as plenty of fish were caught throughout. Although only pike were landed, some of them were really good ones!

I had hoped to get everyone into an afternoon drop shot bite and when the skies cleared, we headed to another area to give it a try. The winds had also stopped and I wasn’t sure if we would be able to get a good drift where I wanted to fish. Once we stopped, I downed the roof and let the boat drift to see what I was up against. It wouldn’t be easy but with a little help from the electric motor, it was definitely doable!

Randall was the first to hook up and he did it quickly! Within the first couple of minutes of the drift, he managed to land 2 nice smallies. The others weren’t as lucky, but that soon would change.

Multiple passes were made along a deep, hard bottom and a good number of walleye were brought to net by Jack & Thomas. It seemed that whenever one of them hooked up, the other followed. A little bet had been going on the entire day and Thomas eventually tied up with Jack, later in the afternoon. Randall was only a few fish behind and trying to make a strong comeback!

With limited time remaining, I shortened the drifts to a small section that had been producing. By refining the area I was able to keep someone on fish, each time. Randall picked up a few more and began closing the gap, while Jack just kept losing his fish. Still tied with Thomas it took until the last few minutes for him to finally keep one pinned and win.

Despite all the miserable weather for the first half of the day, I was able to keep everyone on fish. The second part was even better with clearer skies and easier fishing. At least for most part, as there were quite a few fish missed by all. In the end though, it was a very successful trip with plenty of fish landed and even a few walleye going home for a tasty meal tonight. Great times were had today!

Sandro and his sons, Mateo & Vasco were with me this morning for another mixed bag day. All three of them slammed, making for an incredible fishing trip!

Winds were out of the NE as we ventured across the water to our starting location. Although a little rough in places, it was nothing compared to a few of the outings this season!

With rods in, I began a troll as all three of my guests were pretty new to the fishing game. This would at least put plenty of fish in the boat until we switched up to casting.

Within the first 5 minutes Vasco was tight to a really good fish and I soon realized why. He was locked up on a nice walleye! After a little coaching, he soon had it close enough for me to net. Although too big to keep, it did make for a nice pic before being released.

The winds were blowing opposite the current as I worked the area and trolling with the wind was a whole lot easier than against. Boat control was a little sloppy at times as I manned the 4 lines and steered the boat too. Thankfully the electric motor helped with keeping the rig straight!

The bites weren’t fast & furious this morning, but we did have plenty of chances. Most were pike but several walleye also came out to play. In fact, they were even able to put a couple of them in the box to bring home with them tonight.

As the morning passed, the numbers continued to climb. Mateo & his brother took turns fighting fish and a few of those times, they were even doubles. Sandro eventually got into the game as well, landing a few of his own too!

I had wanted to teach the boys how to cast properly and after stretching their legs on shore, I made my way to an area for bass. They both picked it up quickly and Vasco hooked into a big smallie on his very first cast. It hammered him boatside making for a crazy fight! Not wanting to hold it for a pic, his brother was more than happy take the shot!

I had all three throwing soft plastics here and despite plenty of fish in the area, it was Sandro that fended the best. He managed to land three nice bass in the time we spent there.

Wanting everyone to hook up I decided to change locations again so that Mateo could also complete his slam. By positioning the boat properly I had him toss right to where I knew the fish were. It didn’t take long before he was battling another nice bass. Mission accomplished!

Time was passing fast and I had hoped to try a little drop shotting in an area closer to the take out. We made our way to open water and I set them up for the drift. Too bad the winds weren’t making it easy, blowing opposite to the current flow. I was forced to pull the boat downstream with the electric motor just to get us moving.

We made several passes over the area and they managed to get into some bass and a couple of walleye before we were done. I would have liked a different wind direction today, but by making a few adjustments, I made it work. They had all landed plenty of fish and slammed with three different species as well. This was definitely a successful day of fishing!

After a weather cancellation/postponement yesterday, I was back on the lake this afternoon with Val & his wife Julie. We hit the water a bit earlier trying to beat the heavy rains and barely managed to get set up before the skies let lose.

First order was the roof and I set it up as soon as we reached out destination. With lines in, we began our troll in a light drizzle and big west winds. I guess the cover wasn’t going to be 100% waterproof today!

I don’t think we were trolling for even 3 minutes before the first reel screamed and Julie was into a nice northern. Not having done much fishing before, I instructed her on how to fight the fish and soon after, it was in the net. She would be having plenty more practice in the rest of the day!

The action really picked up just prior to the storm and pike after pike were reeled in by both Val & his wife. When the winds grew, the heaviest downpour also happened and I was forced to turn the boat and troll downwind so as not to have as much of the horizontal rain enter the boat.

With all this happening, one of the reels howled and Val fought a really heavy fish. When it stayed down, I knew exactly what he was into and soon netted his catch. It was a giant walleye and definitely his personal best! After a few pics in the miserable pouring rain, she was released to grow again. Yes, fish do bite in the rain!

We fought through the worst of the weather, all the while catching fish. In fact, they were even able to put a few keeper walleye in the boat that were destined for their dinner table tonight.

Just like most weather systems, the post frontal conditions saw an increase in the winds and the lake grew even bigger. I stuck it out with the troll for a little longer than I had wanted, knowing that it would be worse elsewhere.

After landing many more fish of both species and not much time remaining in their trip, I shifted gears and went somewhere to cast. Val had hoped to catch bass and I brought him somewhere that was holding plenty. Too bad the winds were worse here and the waves weren’t making it any easier. Just feeling the baits while fishing was next to impossible, but Val did manage to land one nice bass from this area. Julie was still working on her casting skills after I instructed her and was fending quite well, despite the big blow.

After realizing that this casting in 3 footers wasn’t working out, I pulled the plug and headed back towards the boat ramp. The run was exactly as I had expected and I took it easy along the way. Threes soon became fours in some areas and I tried to remain in the troughs & crests instead of going with the rollers.

With time remaining, I thought I’d stop in the open water and try a little drop shotting. It may not have been easy with all the floating weeds but we somehow made it work. Val missed a couple of bites and Julie landed a nice keeper walleye before we were done.

Today may not have been the nicest for fishing, but at least we were alone everywhere we went. The fishing was pretty good and that’s all that counts! Julie & Van enjoyed another great day of catching and even managed to take a few fish home too!