Well I guess others are also upset with the ramp closures as it was open when I arrived this morning. Someone had launched before me and removed everything, making it much easier to drive to the water and launch.

Darren & I hit the lake just after 7:00 and raced to what we thought would be our first spot. Unfortunately someone was already there and I headed to another close by. Too bad it was also occupied! I never like fishing near others as it cues them in on what to do, so I ran much further to get away from these two boats. The smallies are completely done with their spawning pretty much everywhere on this lake and feeding is now on their minds. Faster moving baits are becoming the norm and covering water isn’t a problem to find fish. I had a couple of areas that were holding decent bass and it didn’t take long after we arrived for Darren to hook up. Although not a giant, he thought he was! A number of fish came to the boat on soft plastics before I decided to hit another place hoping for bigger. Once we arrived, it was insane! Almost every cast was yielding a fish and they were schooling where we were. Darren was locked up every time I turned around and we had this place to ourselves. Unfortunately, there was one other boat much further out just drifting in open water and he was watching us pound on the fish. I don’t know how many fish were hooked and either landed or lost but the numbers were high. We eventually moved to another point a distance away and while we were catching there, the boat went directly to where we were before. This is a regular occurrence that happens almost daily and is even worse on the weekends! We stayed on the point for a while and after catching plenty more fish, moved much further away to try another shoal. This place unfortunately wasn’t what I had expected it to be and we didn’t stay too long. I opted to hit another place hidden from most and when I stopped on it, I saw the same boat fishing where we were not long ago. This was all I needed and now I just got completely out of the area and ran to where we wouldn’t be seen. Unbelievable! I realized that if we were going to escape being seen on places, we were going to have to change it up completely. Time to troll. I set everything up and started covering water looking for some eyes for Darren to take home tonight. It had been a few days since I had dropped the lines in and I wasn’t sure where to begin. These fish are constantly on the move and so was I. With the high water, they are everywhere nowadays and running deeper baits was the way to go, or so I thought. We had covered plenty of open water without a touch despite marking bait & fish when I noticed a good mark on the bottom. I immediately grabbed one of the rods and started a slow free spool getting the lure to go deeper. Bingo, we were locked up! I love it when you can call the shots like that! Darren reeled in a really nice walleye but unfortunately it was an over and had to be released. I continued the troll for a while longer without any success and decided to go back to casting for bass & walleye in an area not too far away. Go figure, we never saw another boat by doing what we just did!

The next spot produced a bunch of fish both bass & walleye and Darren was able to finally put one in the boat. He was hoping for a few walleye to take home but it wasn’t looking good. There was only one and time was nearing the end. We had spent most of the day on bass but that was alright as he had landed plenty of decent ones today. I figured that if we had any chance of getting into more, we were going to have to drop shot a few other areas in deeper water to get it done. I ran to a place that was producing and we made a drift along a rock spine. We both noticed a boat pretty far from where we were and didn’t think anything about it until they started their motor and came much closer to do the same thing. They were now about 50 yards from us hoping to cash in on a new spot I guess. I immediately pulled out of the area and headed much further away. No need to educate them as well. We dropped the lines and made several drifts over a series of rocks and added a couple more eyes to the well for Darren to take home. We also landed several smallies as well. We had bent rods so often that we hadn’t noticed another boat move in below us and start to troll. This day was never going to end! It’s unbelievable how many people have to find fish by finding other fishermen catching. I’ll never understand how they think! We called it a day and headed off the lake. This had been a great day filled with plenty of decent fish and we were officially done. Back at the ramp a couple of other boats were putting in and I was glad to be leaving because you never know what was going to happen next if we had of stayed out any longer. The way our day had gone, we might have had a party around us again! At least the weather was cooperative for us today!

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!

What a roller coaster ride it’s been this season, literally! I wasn’t on the water yesterday and it was flat calm. I’m back out today and it’s howling once again! Get to the ramp this morning and the water is back into the parking lot. When will it end?

Peter & Bryan were glad to be in the Ranger as we made our way up the lake to reach our first location. Three to 4 footers were the norm but by running at a comfortable speed, we never even got splashed. I wasn’t quite sure where we were going to start and made a decision on the fly. Bryan made the first cast with a blade and locked up immediately. He was from Texas and knew that it was bad luck to catch a fish on your very first cast but did the same on his second & third too. Oh well, so much for superstitions! Peter was throwing a jig and I immediately switched him to the same thing hoping for similar results. Between the two of them, they managed to get a bunch of bass before they just shut down. Instead of relocating, I decided to refine the area and switched Bryan to soft plastics and Peter back to the jig. We worked it slower and they managed to pick up many more fish including a couple of walleye before changing spots. Any thoughts of the lake calming down were soon dismissed when we started to fish the next area. Although the run wasn’t too bad, I was on the electric in two footers, as they casted this area. Several more smallies were both landed and lost in the winds before I took refuge in a sheltered area hoping for a better bite. Unfortunately this wasn’t to be and it wasn’t long before we were right back in the crap once again. I didn’t let these winds win and ventured offshore to a rock flat to try and drift drop shots rigs. After a little explanation, they were both into more fish. It started out with only bass but after several passes, I soon found the walleye and they were now mixing it up. Each pass had some fish and we remained in this area for the balance of the day, catching. They wanted to get off early so by 2:00 we were headed back to the ramp to take out. I was informed by a friend while on the water that it was officially closed due to the high water but had no choice. My trailer was there and nothing was going to stop me from getting out of the water. I had left Don a set of keys in the morning in case something like this occurred and he was backing the trailer in as we approached. Something to think about, Valet service! Boat ramps would run a whole lot more efficiently with something like this. It would eliminate all the weekend warriors!

We may have been dealt a crappy hand today but with a little adjustment, we were able to turn it around. Big winds seem to be the norm lately so it’s no surprise when I have to scramble for places to fish comfortably. Today was just one more of those days! Both Bryan & Peter will be talking about this day for quite some time as I don’t think they had thought it would end with as many fish as it did. The heck with Mother Nature!

The weather took a turn for the better overnight and allowed me to fish effectively throughout the morning. Danial, Jake & Dimitrie joined me today and fished hard to land everything we managed to bring aboard. Although the first fish was hooked in less than 30 seconds, the others didn’t seem as cooperative. We trolled for most of the morning and managed a handful of walleye and a pile of pike but most were barely hooked. There were even a number of rips that never even got pinned. At one point, Dimitrie lost 3 in a row! It was a struggle just to keep them on, so I decided to try another technique close by. I figured that we might have a better chance dropshotting so we relocated and gave it a go. Jake wasted no time and locked up on a nice smallie followed by another over walleye shortly after. Dimitrie also added a smallie to the numbers and things were definitely looking up. We made several drifts over the area and hooked up on almost every one before things turned full circle. The winds were starting to increase as the rain began and I knew we were about to get it big time. In about 10 minutes it went from a nice slow drift, to impossible. We were flying and they could barely feel bottom at this speed. The waves had also generated into 3 & 4 footers and it was time to leave. I had to make a long run across open water to get to where we might be sheltered and made the move. When we arrived, it was like night & day! We were now able to fish in a light chop and not rolling waves. Too bad the fish weren’t cooperating here as we trolled all over with only one good rip, that Dimitrie lost as soon as he touched the rod! He was definitely unlucky today as this was now the fourth good fish that had come off his line! I covered plenty of water before another reel fired and Jake boated a beautiful smallie. With the afternoon coming to an end, I thought we’d make a long run again and give dropshotting another try. Obviously the right decision as everyone landed fish in the last 90 minutes. Although mostly bass, there were several decent walleye also taken  We ended the day with a fish from Dimitrie but not before everyone had a round of losing one too! By the time we headed out, the winds had switched to SE after beginning SW earlier this morning. They had done everything but go north on us today! No wonder the fish were messed up! We pulled out after 4:30 due to a late 8:15 start and parted ways. I will be back out with them again next week and hopefully the weather will have stabilized enough to get the fish active. Who knows, maybe the water temps will even climb more than the 66 degrees we had today. Easier days ahead!

A last minute request yesterday had me travelling to another body of water to fish this morning. Charles had asked me to meet him on a lake that he was camping at and I accepted. I always love new bodies of water! We hit the lake shortly after 7:30 and it didn’t take long to get him in the game. I believe it was on his third cast that he was locked up. A decent largemouth was his reward and it wasn’t going to be the last one either. For the next several hours, he was into plenty more of the green ones and even managed to get a pretty nice smallie mixed in as well. Half days pass by so fast but I wanted to try and see if we could get some more brown ones before it was over. With only about 90 minutes left before we were to call it, I hit a couple of rock shoals and sure enough, he locked up on a beauty. Definitely worth the change up! After landing her several pics were taken before she swam away. A couple more fish were missed on the hook sets after and then we moved to another shoal nearby. It was here that Charles managed to hook into the largest one of the day and it was a tank! He landed her and we shot several more pics before the release. The big smallies were starting to become active and just before we had to call it quits. Charles missed a couple more afterwards and we shifted to one last shoal before it was over. He managed to get another big fish and miss a couple more and we called it a day. Although half days are still good, it makes it difficult to plan how much time you spend in certain areas and on specific fish. The morning just flew by and before we knew it, we were back on land. I don’t think Charles expected the day to be as productive as it was. I know he didn’t expect to tangle with such quality smallmouth bass! We parted ways but not before he talked about another trip this summer, back on local waters. I can’t wait to show him what they have to offer! Great Half Day!!