Pietro was in from Italy and asking about another person to share the day and expenses. I immediately thought of Rich and he accepted! The three of us headed out in a good NE wind and overcast skies. These were good conditions for a troll and they agreed to give it a try for a couple of hours. I knew it would be worthwhile!

Once I arrived at the spot, I set the lines and was sure with this chop that we would get bit. It didn’t take long for a reel to fire and Pietro landed his first ever walleye. They were rotating on the rods and both of them were getting into fish now. Pietro Landed his first northern soon after, giving him two new species. At one point, the reels were going off every couple of minutes and loads of pike and walleye were coming aboard. Pietro even managed to land his first ever Musky, making this, 3 new species of fish!

Once the trolling bite slowed down, I thought it would be a good idea to try casting for smallmouth and shifted locations. They were now tossing soft plastics and Rich was the first one to hook up on the new spot. Pietro wasn’t far behind and soon the 2 were both in the game. This would be the 4^th species for Pietro today! They fished the area thoroughly and plenty more bass were landed before we moved on. I did this for hours and every time we hit a new place, it produced! Right through the afternoon, all kinds of bass were being caught and plenty of others lost as well. It was a high numbers kind of day!

Late in the afternoon I made another stop and change up and Rich and Pietro landed a few sturgeon. This was also the first time Pietro had caught one of these dinosaurs and brought his total to 5, for new species of fish.

The time had passed by quickly today with all the fish and before we knew it, it was time to leave. I packed up and headed back under flat calm conditions making for a smooth ride. I’m not sure Pietro had ever expected today to be like it was and land 5 new species, but he left with a big smile on his face. He also went back with aa couple of walleye that would make for a great dinner with his girlfriend tonight! Rich on the other hand just enjoyed spending time on the water, pounding on all kinds of fish! You could say that we all had a great time sharing each other’s company and loads of laughs. Oh yeah, the fishing was pretty good too!!

Today was a busy day with both a morning trip and an afternoon one as well. Jessica and her parents John and Alice were with me early and despite the flat calm conditions, we still managed to catch plenty of fsih. I decided that a troll would be best, with the little experience they all had and it was the right choice. A mix of walleye and pike were landed by everyone and a few of them were brought home to be eaten. I would have liked to get them into a few more keeper eyes but unfortunately most of them were overs and released. The time passed quickly and by 11:15, I was heading back to exchange groups.

Mirror like conditions made for a smooth ride back and I dropped off Jessica and her family at the docks. The second group consisted of Robert and his wife Holly and we were back out in no time.

I had decided to try areas closer and with a different technique. They were about to learn how to dropshot as I made my way to our first spot to fish. Although the lack of wind wasn’t in our favor, I was able to move along quite well with the help of the electric motor.

It didn’t take long for Hollie to hook up and she landed her first smallmouth of the day. Robert soon did the same as we passed over several good-looking marks on the screen! Multiple passes over the rock and weed area had fish coming aboard frequently. Bass, walleye and even a big northern were landed from this starting spot. Once it slowed, I relocated to another area nearby and they continued catching fish. It was on fire with bass and walleye and Robert & Hollie were having the time of their lives! As with the previous area, this one also slowed and I decided to try one more area before we were done.

I made a longer run and they began fishing more rocks and weeds on a shoal. Alost immediately fish were being hooked and many bass came to the net. Just like before, a few good-sized walleye also fell victim to their offerings and many more fish were landed. The last couple of passes saw probably the better walleye, but unfortunately, we ran out of time. I almost wish I had of moved to this spot a bit earlier as the fish seemed bigger and more active.

The half day trips always pass quickly and today was no different. Fortunately, the fishing was good for both and everyone landed their share of quality fish. I think Hollie had the best time of everyone as she left with a big smile on her face, saying this was the best fishing day of her life. So much so that she gave me a big hug before they left! I’d say that this was another successful day!!

Tom, Alex & Bill had another banner day with me today as they all slammed again! We fished in almost zero wind, unlike yesterday when it felt more like Lake Ontario. Today’s conditions were flat calm with sunshine all day and plenty of boats all around. The start of the construction holidays is upon us now and I anticipate that the waters will be even busier in the next couple of weeks.

We began with a troll and as usual, it didn’t take long for the first reel to fire. A big walleye was on the line and was instantly ticked off Tom’s list. These guys were from Texas and had never caught them before. They had also never caught pike and I was sure that I would be able to change that too!

We trolled for a good part of the morning covering plenty of water and everyone managed to land several of pike & walleye before we were done. With the exception of one walleye, all the others were big overs and loads of pics were taken of the fish.

I shifted gears after the troll and managed to tick another species off of everyone’s list, by getting them all into sturgeon. The fights were incredible and they couldn’t believe just how strong they were!

Most of the afternoon saw us hopping around and fishing for smallies, as largemouth are the usual ones they catch back home. Everyone had their chances and managed to catch some of the ones that bit.

We fished until just before 3:00, when we decided to call it a day. They had surpassed all their expectations on this trip and boated three new species each. We had action pretty much all day long and they had worked up quite the appetite. It didn’t help that they hadn’t brought any food on board! Another incredible day of fishing with these three guys from Texas!!

Norm & Dan were back this morning for their annual trip and looking forward to catching some fish. We headed out in a big SW wind that had three footers greeting us on the run. Fortunately, they weren’t as big when we arrived and I set the lines in for a troll. With these big rollers, it would have been tough to do anything else!

It took a little while but I finally located an area where we were getting bit and both pike & walleye were landed. For the remainder of the time out, we focused on trolling up plenty more good-sized fish. In years past, they had done mostly dropshotting and casting for bass, but this time around they were catching much bigger fish by trolling. Although we talked about trying somewhere else to cast, we soon gave up the notion of a move. This was the best chance they had for catching the most and largest fish today!

Time flew by quickly, as it always does on these half day trips and before we knew it, we were packing up. I made sure that everything was put away for the run back in these rough conditions. The boat handled well and the smooth moves seats gave even more comfort in the rough waters.

Norm and his son Dan had a great time catching this year and by trolling and it allowed me to remain on the bigger fish. It’ll be another year before I see them again but they will have plenty of memories from today with all the photos taken, to carry them over for the year. Great fishing day!

Asim & Richard joined me this morning for a half day of fishing, hoping to change their luck. They had fished a few times this season on their own without any success and wanted to catch something. It shouldn’t be a problem with how the fishing had been lately but we would have to wait and see!

Overnight the high heat and humidity had broken and we began with a cool morning for our run. The water temps had also fallen by 4 degrees and I wasn’t sure how this was going to affect the fish. Apparently it had, as it took quite a bit longer to locate some active biters. It was also difficult to find clean water with all the winds we had been receiving lately.

After what seemed like forever, the first reel finally went off and they landed a northern. The skunk was officially out of the boat! From this point on, the reels began firing frequently and many more fish came aboard. Both pike and several good walleye saw the net and pics were taken to give proof that they had actually caught something. After their last few outings from shore, they wanted photos!

Later on in the morning, I pulled the plug from trolling and headed somewhere that they could try for bass. Although it wasn’t on fire, they spent the last hour catching a few and added another walleye to the livewell for dinner.

Time passed by quickly and before we knew it, our morning trip was done. I packed everything up and we made our way back to the docks. Today may not have been what I was use to seeing but there were still plenty of fish landed on a half day trip. The water temp drop acted like a cold front to the fish and adjustments needed to be made to ensure that they would catch. All I know is that they finally had a successful day of fishing, for their first time this season. Many more to come too, I hope!!