Glen was back today and this time he brought a couple of new faces with him. Adam and Chris were here to try and land a few sturgeon of their own after seeing all of Glen’s pics. Neither of them had ever caught anything like this and were really pumped! Our weather wasn’t the best for this type of fishing with giant winds from the SE gusting over 25 knots. In case that wasn’t difficult enough, it was going to rain all day too! We set up after several attempts to get the anchor stuck and Glen was into a fish within 3 minutes. I guess it’s doable! He passed the rod to Chris to fight, seeing as he was new to these fish and it beat him up pretty good. All of a sudden the rain & wind didn’t seem so bad! About ten minutes later, he was admiring his catch in the net. Soon after, several pics and a release had us right back in the game. Unfortunately we only managed a couple of smaller fish here and I realized that I needed to make another move and try to stick the anchor one more time. I marked a pile of fish and although we did catch two more good ones from here, it eventually started to slide and I relocated again. Even with two anchors, it was difficult to remain stationary but I finally found a good area with fish and it was locked! I wasn’t going to move for the remainder of the day, as the winds got even worse. By now they were sustained around 25 and gusting even stronger! Even with rods in hand, it was tough to feel any bites. Adam did have the hot hand however as he managed to set into several throughout the day. They were taking turns on the fish and many rotations were made with some really large ones being caught. In fact, they had a total of 3 double headers landed and another couple where one of the fish came unpinned during the fight. The fishing was spectacular despite all that Mother Nature could throw at us! Chris had several hookups on his own and also got to fight some really large fish too. Glen was also managing to load his rod often and was responsible for a few of the double headers. In fact, he even landed his PB with a real beast of a fish. Everyone fought and landed many of their own fish today as well as being handed rods from others hooking up. It was a team effort and this was the A Team! Throughout the day we saw plenty of aerial leaps, line screaming runs and painful faces making this one of the best fishing days for everyone. We held in there right up till about 4:00 and they caught fish the entire day long. Plenty of memories and pictures to preserve their day were made while fighting the elements, as well as all the fish. I know that if the sturgeon season was to remain open longer that I would definitely have them back for one more kick at the can. Even in the worst possible conditions, we managed to make this a very successful day of fishing. Everyone left with a sense of fulfillment as well as a few more sore muscles from all their battles. Tomorrow I will be back out searching for more of these dinosaurs on one of the final days of their season. With Monday being the last day, I want to take advantage of the remaining time and apparently so do others as I had no trouble booking the remaining days. Hopefully there will be more of these giants landed too!!

Today I had a group of 7 in town for a bachelor party and Don once again helped me out with his boat. I offered the four I had the chance at sturgeon fishing and they jumped all over it. As it was Henry getting married, I made sure he came with me to battle some really large fish. We were scheduled for a half day morning but got started shortly after 8, extending it until 1:00. With rain in the forecast, I supplied enough gear so that they could at least stay dry while out. I set up almost immediately, once I arrived and it didn’t take long before Jose was into the first fish of the day. Although smaller than average, it wasn’t to them! This was the first fish he had ever caught and it was a beauty! I netted it and showed him how to hold her for the pics, before a quick release. We resumed fishing and Brian was next with a real monster. He was the only one in the group with experience and did battle with his first sturgeon perfectly. It still took him almost 15 minutes to land her but he did great. This one was definitely huge and although he did struggle somewhat, he held the sturgeon up for several pics. Back she went and back in the lines went. We completed a full rotation twice and everyone landed some great fish. As it was nearing the end, I hoped for a few more and as luck would have it, they were into a double. One smaller one and one giant. Henry had already caught two beasts and he had another one on again! Ten minutes later, he finally brought it close enough for me to net. Their day was over and it was epic! So many big fish were fought and landed by the group in terrible weather conditions. Although one or two of them were cold, they were at least dry as it never stopped raining the entire time we were on the water. This was a great start to their bachelor weekend here in Montreal. I know they have plenty more plans for the rest of their stay, but today definitely got their adrenaline pumping. None of them could have ever imagined catching fish like these let alone the numbers they had in such a short period. They all left tired & sore. My work was done! Great bunch of guys with loads of memories from their Montreal experience!!

Round two for Brian & Royce wasn’t as kind to us today! We launched in big winds and they intensified while we were fishing. The run wasn’t too pleasant either as we had in 2 to 3 footers, against the current. Yuup, we had an east wind once again! The only good thing was that at least I would be able to anchor. We set up and I had to apply a couple of tricks in order to keep the boat straight. Brian wasted no time in hooking the first fish showing us that it could be done in big waves. We weren’t as fortunate as yesterday with the rods in holders and had to hold them to detect the bites this morning. Not only was he into a fish, but it was a giant! We had seen it take to the air and knew he was in for another great fight! Both Royce and Brian had battled so many fish yesterday that he was able to muscle this beast to the boat in just over 10 minutes. What a start to the day! After more pics he let her go as usual and we resumed fishing. In just a short time, the winds had actually intensified and I was having a hard time keeping the boat straight. We were going to have to fish off the side now in order to make it work. The gusts were over 25 knots and the winds had switched slightly to an E/SE causing us more problems. I don’t think anyone cared though as they were into fish. After a few medium sized ones, Royce hooked into a real monster. Although we never really saw the thing, the battle was epic. It made several long runs and at one point I thought it may have been accidently foul hooked. He brought it back to the boat each time and had some control, so that wasn’t the case. Bringing it off the bottom was the issue as this fish just didn’t want to come up. I’m sure the fight lasted close to 25 minutes and when he finally managed to raise her to the surface, we all knew why. Another triple XL! I immediately netted her and readied the boat for the pics. It was definitely his largest so far and I wanted some nice shots. Although exhausted, he somehow managed to find the strength to lift her and sat while I shot. Releasing it however was another story as he needed a little help from Brian in order to get her over the rail. What an absolute beast! I knew he wouldn’t be able to bring another fish in if he hooked up again and wasn’t surprised to see him pass the rod to Brian when he did. Brian helped him out by reeling in an average big one and did it in under 10 minutes again. Royce was back at it immediately after when he loaded the rod and brought a 12 pound cat to the net. I always love seeing the exotic species when fishing sturgeon and definitely shot a few pics of this kitten! We were kind of under the gun today as these guys wanted to get a jump on their drive so we were only fishing until about 12:30. Brian hooked up on another good one about 12:15 and by the time it reached the boat, it was closer to 12:25. I decided to fish right till the end and wouldn’t you know it, Royce hooked up almost immediately after. He was into a big fish and Brian left his line in to try and double up. This fight lasted almost 15 minutes and after the release, Brian did what he had wanted. Although technically not a double, it was pretty close! We now had to wait for him to battle his fish before packing everything up.  This too took nearly 15 minutes as well and the fight was a great on. We had officially ended with another bang today and had done it in difficult conditions too! They actually made it look easy and it was about as far from that as you could imagine! Hats off to the both of them for two of the better days so far this season! Although it’s drawing to an end quickly, I still have a few more days to fish these beasts and can’t wait to get back out, under any conditions! Mother Nature put up a great fight, but she didn’t win today!!

Well it finally happened this morning! The winds layed down today allowing Brian & Royce to enjoy a great day of sturgeon fishing. It was also a smooth ride across the water to our starting location and we were set up quickly. With lines in the water, we waited in anticipation of our first bite. It didn’t take long before Brian was officially locked up on a fish. Although smaller than usual, he still got a good fight. Royce didn’t wait long either after the release and was also battling his first fish. They both had a few small and midsized ones under their belt before tackling a much better one. Brian was the first to hit a quality fish and enjoyed the fight much better. Things were looking up as Royce also fought a large one not long after Brian’s was released. We remained in one area for quite a while as the fish were marking as well as biting. A bunch of smaller sturgeon were landed along with a few large ones causing us to hang in the area longer than usual. Never leave fish to find fish! Eventually things slowed and we were forced to relocate. The move was apparently a good one as the first fish was the largest of the day, so far and beat up Brian like I wanted. When it went to the air, we really knew what he was dealing with and sat back to watch the fight. About ten minutes later I was netting the fish and realized why it fought so hard. It was a male and they always put up a great battle. Pics and a release and Royce was also getting beat up with another fish too. His back was about to get a little sorer with this one as I knew it was big! It took nearly 15 minutes before she was close enough to be netted and a sigh of relief was had by him when I did. With more pain on the way, He somehow managed to hoist the fish up for several pics and slid it back in when we were done. Totally exhausted and in pain, Royce now needed a rest. Thankfully he would have it as both Brian & he landed a few smaller fish each before getting back into the monsters again. This lasted the rest of the day with very little down time in between. At one point I think it took longer to fight & land the fish than it did to get bit. These guys were constantly holding bent rods and loving every minute of it. All they were waiting for was a real giant and Brian finally got his wish. His next fish felt like he had hooked into a bus on the bottom. The dead weight was unbelievable and so was the battle. Over 20 minutes passed before we actually saw what he was pinned up to and when we did, it shocked us all. Triple XL was what it was and we were careful to bring her to net so as not to pull the hook, from her weight. It took the two of us to lift her into the boat for him to hold and even at that, it was difficult. Brian had finally gotten the one he wanted and held the fish, with difficulty, for the pics. He slid it over the rails and back to the depths she went. What an absolute beast! We reset everything and the very next fish was also really large and beat up Royce pretty good. Although not as big as the previous one, it was still a great fish. Royce really struggled to pick up the fish and had an even harder time holding her when he did. The release was quite comical as well and thankfully he managed to drop her in the water instead of the boat! Several more smaller fish were landed and water released before Royce was locked up once again on a really good fish. As we were practically ready to end the day, I reeled in one of the rods and packed it up. Brian kept the third line in the water hoping for a double and let Royce fight his fish. I don’t think any of us actually realized just how big it was until it took to the air. He battled it for about 15 minutes, while Brian kept waiting for another bite. I finally netted the fish and helped Royce pull it from the net for some pics. Once released, Brian got bit and loaded his rod on another good one. It also rocketed into the air and was giant! This fight lasted another 15 minutes before it made it into the net. Pics and a release and now we were finally ready to call the day. They had definitely ended it with a bang! They are also back with me again tomorrow for the morning and who knows what that will bring. I just hope the winds remain nice, allowing us to fish properly once more. Mother Nature can be a fickle %&$@# sometimes!!

Joe, Bob & Dusty joined me today for another Rock & Roll day! They were hoping to get into a few sturgeon and despite the conditions, we did just that. The difficult part was trying to anchor in sustained 25 knot winds with stronger gusts. After multiple attempts, I finally managed to get the two anchors to grab and we were holding. We set the lines and waited in anticipation of our first bite. I had told Joe that if we were able to anchor in the wind, that we would get bit. With rods in hand, they had a long wait as the lines kept getting full of weeds from the drifting debris. I had to check them frequently and clean them but eventually it became less and less and Bob finally got bit. He was locked up and things were looking up! Although not a huge fish, it was a good sign and the fight was better than anything he was use to. After about 5 minutes I slid the net under his catch and everyone was pumped. He held the fish for a few pics and released it back so we could hook up again. Lines in and 10 minutes later, he hooked up once more and brought another to net. After the release, it didn’t take long before Joe was also locked up and battling one of his own. These last two fish weren’t too big and although they fought great, didn’t take the others out of the game for long! By now, Bob was wondering what he was doing wrong but didn’t realize it was luck of the draw. Good things come to those that wait and that’s exactly what happened! When he finally got bit, he reared back on a decent fish. We found out just how good when she took to the air for all to see. It was large and he was in for the fight of his life! It beat him up pretty good in the 15 minute battle. By the time he brought it to net, he was feeling the pain in his arms and back. I informed him that the worst was yet to come! He now had the pleasure of lifting it up for the pics and put on a great comedy show. I wish I could have gotten it on video instead of waiting for the still pics. When he stopped fumbling with his fish, we shot fast and he tossed her right back where she belonged. Now everyone had landed fish and all we were missing was a giant. Not long after resetting the lines, Joe heaved back and was into another good one. After several minutes it took to the air and I told him, he was in for a long battle. This was the one I wanted for them and Joe was about to do battle with the largest thing he had ever hooked. Many long runs and just sheer heaviness put a beating on Joe’s arms and back in the 20 or so minutes he fought it. At one point we could see the rod shaking, or was it Joe’s arms? When I finally got it in the net, I realized that it was even bigger than I thought and needed help to lift it into the boat. As hard as that was, Joe was about to have an even tougher time holding his monster catch. We really needed to shoot fast once he lifted her and even at that, he had to rest it on his knee for the pics. Putting her back was also difficult as he fumbled it over the railing due to all his spent energy. He was totally exhausted now and didn’t want anything to do with another fish for a while. I got the lines back in the water and began the wait once again. The afternoon saw a number of others caught and missed as everyone had their chances. Despite the horrible, relentless winds today, they fended quite well. They had all landed big fish and felt the power of these dinosaurs! I’m sure that given the opportunity, they would have done this again tomorrow. Unfortunately for them, I was already booked and they headed back home. Who knows, maybe I’ll see them again as I do have one more available day at the end of the month before it closes. All I know is that everyone had a great time landing fish they had never caught before and got beat up in the process. Who could ask for anything more!