Don and Andy were with me again today but this time we fished locally. By the time they figured out how to get here, it was 11:30 and once again I was under the gun to produce. I really wanted to get them into some sturgeon and started out giving it a try. The winds were pretty big and out of the NE, blowing 15 to 20 knots with stronger gusts at times. We managed to get the anchor to hold and I realized quickly that the rod holders would be useless. The boat was surging with the wind against the current, making it impossible to detect bites. We immediately went to holding them and it didn’t take long before I had the first one locked up. Andy received the rod and landed a smaller than usual sturgeon but was happy to have caught his very first one. Although the fight was good, I told him it was nothing compared to what he would have if he hooked into a big one. We got the lines back in and waited a little while before I detected another bite and immediately was tight to a larger fish. I passed the rod to Don and he had about a one minute battle before the hooks just pulled out and the fish was gone. Too bad too as it felt heavy! We regrouped and got the lines in once again and about 10 minutes later after contemplating a move, I reared back on another one. I gave the rod to Don again, in hopes of him landing his first sturgeon. This time it stayed pinned and he had a battle! Lots of line peeled from the reel and about one minute in, the fish showed itself with a great leap that we all got to see. Although the fight lasted about ten minutes, Don was able to bring it to net only a little exhausted. I was glad, because the hard part was next! We got everything prepped and I helped him lift it for the pics. Several good ones were taken and a quick release right back afterwards. One down, one to go! I really wanted both of them to fight a big one and reset the lines in hopes of getting Andy a larger one to play with too. Despite all our efforts to hook up, we waited a long time and were pulling out before 3:00 to fish the remainder of the day for walleye & bass. Right when I was about to tell them to reel in, I once again felt a bite and loaded the rod up on another big fish. Andy was about to get his chance at fighting something large! Talk about a “Hail Mary”! He couldn’t believe how strong this one was and once it took to the air, realized why. It was definitely a good one and larger than the previous one Don had landed. He fought it great with a little coaching and had to do the sturgeon shuffle a few times when the fish changed direction below the boat. In under ten minutes he had the beast alongside and I was able to finally net her. It wasn’t as long as Don’s but it was definitely fatter. We set everything up and shot several pics before setting her free. I still don’t know why anyone would want to kill one of these creatures! Mission accomplished! Now we were off to see what we could do about catching Andy his very first walleye. Although the winds were terrible and from the NE, I was sure I would be able to get them into some good fish. Once I located what I needed, they began casting lures to try and entice some of the fish I was marking. Don had no trouble getting the hang of it and boated several before Andy started hooking up too. It may have taken him a little longer but once he caught a couple, he knew what to feel for and was boating plenty on his own. I had stayed out a little longer than usual due to their late arrival and ended the day with a few more fish just before 6:00. I think this day was a successful one with both of them getting sturgeon and finishing with many walleye at the end. Tomorrow is their last day here and I will be heading back in the morning to hook up with them. This time I have the road trip but at least I know where I’m going and should be arriving by 8:30 to hopefully have another great day of fishing. I’m sure that if the winds allow, they will be catching plenty of small & largemouth bass to complete their three day trip. Who knows, maybe even a large northern or two!!

A long road trip and a short afternoon of fishing with Don & Andy saw some fast action today. Don caught the largest bass on his second cast signaling that the fish were active. Flat calm waters and high heat & humidity greeted us and the bass were on fire. They both managed to get into some really nice smallies by just covering water with search baits. Oh yeah, some northerns too! We had only gotten started at 3:30 and were under the gun for time as a huge pressure system was about to move in. I wasn’t sure what it was going to do to the fish, but I knew it wouldn’t be good! After several more bass, it finally arrived around 5:30, with high winds. Along with the winds, the air temps started to plummet and we had to start adding layers just to keep warm. In 30 minutes it went from 80 degrees, to 65 degrees! Although the lake was still flat calm, it didn’t take long for the waves to build and by 6:30 we were heading back to take out. The fishing had died completely and I would have had to make major adjustments in order to compensate for the change. It was almost like a light switch had been turned off! We ran back in two & three footers and called it quits. Although only a short time was spent on the water, it was well worth it with the fish that were caught. I wish we could have gotten on a few hours earlier as I know they would have just crushed them before the cold front arrived. We may need to reconsider our options for tomorrow and relocate if the winds and weather remain the same. Only time will tell. Either way, they will have a full day of fishing, with hopefully even better results!!

Phil & his son Ari were my guests today. Our schedules had clashed several times in the last month or so, postponing our fishing until now. We met up at 7:30 and ventured out in waves already in the two foot range. Although they were from the SW, it wouldn’t allow me any shot at anchoring and they were going to intensify during the day. We would be fishing for walleye & bass instead and hopefully catching plenty. I started them off with a drop shot as we drifted over some deep water looking for the eyes. Last year it took Ari a while to get the hang of it and he just watched Phil pound on them, hand over fist. Not this time however as he boated the three first fish! He managed one bass and two walleye before his dad even hooked his first. The fish really weren’t active and they both had to work hard to get their bites. I decided to try something else and landed two fish in just a couple of minutes, changing Phil to the same presentation. He required a little coaching on how to work it properly but got the hang of it  quickly. First fish for him was a smallie and with the waves, it fought great! A little while later he boated a couple more eyes and another smallie while Ari also managed fish of his own. I livewelled a few of the walleye as Ari would be taking some of them home with him tonight. We made several drifts over lots of areas, each time managing to hook fish, but the action was very slow. The moon was high in the sky and only falling after noon causing mostly negative moods from the fish. I know there were more missed strikes than hooked fish but we worked through the non eating period regardless. Once the moon was under foot, everything changed. The winds intensified and the waves became 3 footers on average. This had us drifting faster than before and an adjustment was needed once again in order to feel the bites. Although it was tough they still managed to catch fish, but light bites were now even harder to detect. I had to concentrate on the sonar more in order to give them a heads up when we were coming over fish. The winds were blowing so hard now that slack was present more than not, We needed all the help we could get! Each time I went back to drift again, I used the main engine in order to get enough bow lift, not to swamp the boat. It didn’t matter though as they were catching fish! The last hour or so of the day saw schooling fish finally active in the wind and if attention to detail was paid, they hooked up. They even had a couple of double headers! As soon as I marked fish, someone got bit and rods were bent. It was too bad the fish only turned on towards the end of the day and we had to work through such a long, slow period because many more fish would have been caught. We pulled the plug before four and rock & rolled our way to the ramp! I guess we hadn’t really noticed how bad it actually was while fishing. The waves were more like four footers and definitely big on our way back. Really glad to be in the Ranger! We stayed dry the entire way despite going with the waves. Phil & Ari had seen many adjustments today and by refining some of the techniques, they monopolized on more fish. Not every day goes the way we’d like, but by paying attention to details, they can all be successful. Phil & Ari had to work harder in order to get the results they got, but they definitely caught plenty of fish. Mother Nature may have thrown us a curve, but we hit it out of the park regardless!!

A larger than usual group today had me requesting the aid of Don for a second boat. I would take Scott, Andy & Mark with me & he would have A.J. and Ralph. We would switch up around mid day so that everyone got a chance at the sturgeon, as well as some bass. The lake conditions were absolutely perfect for what I wanted to do and I was sure we would hook up. No wind is always a good thing for anchoring and we had just that! Once located, I set the lines on the fish and the waiting began. Our first fish was to be a small walleye and although a keeper, it was tossed back immediately. We wanted the beasts! The lines were only back for a short time and one of the rods showed signs of getting bit. I felt it again when I picked it up and immediately set into something heavy. Scott received the first rod as he had organized the fishing day for everyone. It was nice to see the fish jump once again as the last few days saw very little jumpers. When this one went to the air, I saw that it wasn’t huge but it was to them. Regardless, the fight was great and Scott got beat up pretty good during the battle. In less than 10 minutes he was landing his first sturgeon and the skunk was out of the boat! I always love watching new guys try to hold the fish up for pics. Alive and slippery, it isn’t easy! Although Scott struggled at first, he eventually got a better hold on his catch and got it done. A quick torpedo back and it was gone. One down, two to go! Next up was Mark and it didn’t take long to get him into another. I could tell by the weight when I lifted up on the bite that this was the one! It was on and definitely large! A few minutes after being hooked up, it took to the air and we saw just how big it was. It was enormous and Mark was about to get the crap beat out of him! He had laughed when Scott battled his fish earlier and now karma was here to bite him in the ass. This fight was an endurance test as it lasted over 15 minutes and all grueling. The runs were long and the battle was insane! Big fish like these have so much body mass that every time they make a run, they go. As many times as he reeled it back to the boat, it took more from the reel. He eventually managed to bring it close enough for me to net and was just happy the battle was over. Or so he thought! Now he had to find enough strength to lift it up for some pics. He was lucky to have the help of Scott as I don’t think he would have been able to do it alone. Even with both of them lifting, it was still a struggle. With pics complete, they tossed her back and she bolted straight back to the bottom. Still in disbelief at what just happened, the two of them washed the slime off and we regrouped for more. Andy needed one as well and I hoped he would feel the burn! This was the second anchored up spot and seemed like it was producing so we held out in search of another. The bite was really good this morning and it wasn’t long before I was passing another rod off to the third person to fight. Andy was tight to another but it wasn’t the size of the previous one. It didn’t matter though as it was enormous to him! We got another jump from this one as well and I could see that it was bigger than the first one but smaller than the second. Andy still got crushed from the strength of his fish and the others just laughed. It took about ten minutes or so but he finally brought his sturgeon to net. Time for more pain! About all he could do was bear hug it for the photos and it was hilarious. I didn’t want to kill him so I shot fast and told him to toss it back. He was really slimed up and did a bit of laundry while I reset the rods. In fact, my boat looked like a clothes line with every ones shirts hanging out to dry. The rest of the morning saw plenty of action with a full rotation again and more. They caught several other sturgeon and a nice drum in the remaining time we had. Somewhere around noon, we swapped up and I had A.J. as well as Ralph. Scott remained allowing Don to take just two with him. I now had the task of locking them up and things had slowed considerably since the flurry we had this morning. I moved a few times due to all the gobies attacking our baits and finally found a clean spot. The first bite went to Ralph and despite his lack of previous fishing, he managed quite well. The fish came to the boat quickly as it was a juvenile and perfect for him. They took a few pics and we went back to the task at hand. A.J. was a veteran fisherman from Mass and was hoping for a bigger bite, as was I. As luck would have it, that’s exactly what he got! Although it took several moves and a little longer to happen, it finally occurred. When I reared back on the rod I knew it was the real deal and passed the rod to him to fight. When the fish breached all jaws dropped! It was a monster and exactly what I wanted. He was fighting it like he had fought big fish before and required little to no coaching until it was under the boat. I taught him the sturgeon shuffle so that he didn’t clip the line on the props when it crossed from one side to the other. Plenty of long runs and direction changes caused A.J. to maneuver all over the boat to ensure it stayed tight. He fought this fish like a champ and finally brought it up for me to net. It was a gorilla, even in the gigantic net I use! I had somehow managed to lock everyone up today on their first sturgeon and was happy to have accomplished this. Back to the task at hand, pictures! Although I was able to heave it in the boat, it wasn’t easy! A.J. would require the help of Scott to lift this fish up. Between the two of them, they managed to hold it long enough for several good pics before releasing her back to live another day. I reset the lines hoping for another bite but only managed a bass and a walleye. By 4:00 we were done and called the day to head back to take out. With a group like this today my mandate was to lock everybody up on at least one sturgeon each and hopefully more. Mission accomplished! Although I would have liked to try for bass & walleye in the afternoon, the conditions were just too perfect for the dinosaurs to change. No wind always makes it challenging anyway, when you’re trying to drift for bass & walleye! We definitely made the right decisions as everyone got to battle their first ever sturgeon and many of them were large! They also got to catch some bass with Don, to complete their day. It was a very successful one, all around!!

Stephan was with me today after 3 previous failed attempts to fish. It was the first time that the weather actually looked like it was going to let us go and I was ready! We had decided early to try for sturgeon but I wasn’t sure how the winds were going to be. They were blowing 10 to 15 knots from the SW and likely increasing early in the morning, but we tried anyway. It was borderline but doable so I set up and we began the wait. Well it didn’t take long to get bit and Stephan was battling a smaller version of the beasts I was accustomed to seeing. He had landed many big ones with me before so I just did a net release instead of bringing it in the boat. We set right back up and managed a couple more fish in the next couple of hours along with many drive byes! Unfortunately the two fish he caught were a walleye & a smallie. With the winds intensifying and the anchor no longer holding, I decided to move. We had no choice but to go for smallies and walleye and hope it would lay down in the afternoon so we could get back. I liked the winds for what we were about to do, just not for anchoring! The drifts were a great speed over the areas we were fishing but Stephan was having a hard time with the drop shot. Eventually he did get hooked up with a good fish but managed to pull the hooks out while fighting it. I made a few casts with another presentation and immediately hooked up on a keeper walleye that made it into the livewell. Stephane had hoped to bring some fish home and it wouldn’t be a problem! Almost on the next cast, I hooked up again and this time it was a smallie over 3 pounds. Time to change presentations for Stephan and I handed him another rod to fish with instead. This was a little more complicated to show the technique to him and I needed to refine his presentation constantly. I had been demonstrating with my rod alongside and hooked several fish in the process while explaining it to him. One way or another he was going home with some fish! Eventually it clicked and he was able to hook into a bunch of bass & walleye and having a blast. I know he could have caught plenty more had we stayed on them, but the winds had diminished and we decided to try back for sturgeon once again. I raced over to the area and set the lines. The wind had definitely calmed some and the anchor had no problem holding now, giving me more confidence in getting bit. We had several bumps that looked like bites early but nothing to show for our efforts. It wasn’t until Stephane decided to take a little nap that things started to happen. I missed one on the set and 30 seconds later, loaded the rod, waking him from his sleep. We were locked up and it was heavy! I guess it was a good move coming back to try again when the winds diminished. I could tell by the way it was fighting that it was a good one but didn’t know how good. Some of the runs were long ones that peeled off almost 100 feet of line each time. No jumps but plenty of power and another one that decided to go over the anchor rope making me do a little shuffle, not to break the line. After about ten minutes we finally saw what he had and although it was a decent fish, it wasn’t a giant. I scooped it up and we took several pics before releasing her back. Stephan had requested to be back at the ramp around 3:00 so we set the lines back hoping for another bite. With one rod in hand and the other in the holder I saw his getting bit and told him to take it. Unfortunately he set on too much slack and the fish was gone. So were most of his worms as well when he reeled it in! We stayed about tem minutes more before calling the day. I’m sure that if we had of been able to remain anchored longer this morning, we would have gotten a few more fish here. Oh well, that’s the way it goes! At least I had a backup and we did return to get at least one good fish in the afternoon. Stephane was just happy to finally get out and relax from his busy work schedule. He was also going home with several fish to eat tonight. For once, “Mother Nature” didn’t crap all over him! We were finally able to get out after several failed attempts. I guess the fourth time was a charm!!