Darren was with me again today, looking for a variety of fish species. We set out under clear skies and humid conditions shortly after 7:30 with air temps already in the 70’s. The water had a ripple on it as the winds were blowing light from the SW. Walleye was our first quest as I set the rods to troll and it didn’t take long before we put a couple in the livewell. We were jumping around today to try & get in as much action as possible and switched it up quickly to bass. First cast, Darren hooks into a three pounder on a spinnerbait and I thought he was going to just crush them. To our amazement, it was the last one on the blades and we were forced to switch it up for a much slower presentation. Senko’s were used to entice several others into eating but it still seemed rather slow for here and I decided to move again. It was our next spot that kept us locked down as it was just stuffed with smallies. What started out as just a stop turned out to be an area that we held in for over 3 hours! Senkos and tubes accounted for all of the bass and there were many. Darren even managed to land his very first sturgeon and was amazed that it actually ate a jig. He had one other on briefly but lost it on a jump when it came unpinned. A couple more areas were fished for bass with similar results and then we headed back to the troll in search of more walleye. Two more were landed and several smallies as well before we called it a day and headed back to the ramp to take out. Although there were plenty of bass caught, there were no pics taken as 3.5 pounds was the largest and not photo worthy. Overall, a fairly productive outing with plenty of action from the bass and a bonus sturgeon added to the day as well!!

Part 1: I managed to have a full boat today when Kris & his faithful companion Sam joined James & Brian for a day of fishing. Although he was only dropping them off at the ramp, he decided to hop in for the trip. His dog was an added bonus and I was happy to have her along! She took to the boat like she had been there all her life and loved the ride to our first fishing spot. Both Brian & James were more accustomed to fly fishing for trout and although they had caught bass before, they weren’t of any size. They were all in for a real treat! The weather was a beautiful one with a light chop on the water and air temps already in the 70’s. Water temps were still holding somewhere around 74 degrees and I knew the fish would be active. Most of us were working senko’s but one guy was throwing a spinnerbait just to search out the aggressive biters. Unfortunately, the ones that did hit him weren’t reacted upon quick enough and just came off. A lack of hookset caused them to just spit the lure out before they were really on leaving him with nada. The senko bite however was a different animal with James locking up on his very first cast. Although it was only 2.5 pounds, it was still an incredible fight and he was impressed by the power of these smallies. After that, everyone wanted a piece of the action and I switched to the soft plastics for all. Plenty of pickups were had but the hookups were a different story. They were having a hard time with the waiting period before setting the hook and missed a bunch of fish along the way. There were several smallies hooked but less than 50% came to the net. Hopefully they had gotten the bugs out of this technique enough to improve at the next spot. I relocated and let the games begin! It was on this flat that everyone graduated from bass fishing 101 and a great improvement was seen. They were all holding their own now and plenty of bass of all sizes were getting landed. We also managed to pick up a few prehistoric creatures on tube jigs as the sturgeon were eating as well. Everyone had a turn at the wheel so to speak as we did a full rotation on these creatures. I think Brian’s was the heaviest at close to 25 pounds, but all the others were 15 or better. Fishing for the smallies was our priority, but you can’t help throwing to these giants as well!

Part 2: Brian & James were jumping boats this afternoon and heading out for lunge, so I headed back closer to the ramp and switched gears. They had all caught plenty of bass into the early afternoon hours and now were ready for a change. I decided to set the lines and try for some walleye for them to dine on that night. The conditions looked perfect with a good chop from the SW and I knew we would score. The first couple of reels to go ended up with smallies before a walter finally committed suicide. It was a perfect size at just around 18 inches and would make for a great meal, but we needed a couple more. We covered the area searching for others but the lures went untouched. I would be getting a call soon to have these guys switch boats and was under the gun with time. Eventually one of these reels went off but it was a scary howl and I knew it wasn’t a walleye. I pulled the rod from the holder and applied pressure to the line when this thing went straight into the air. It was a lunge and the jump was spectacular. Too bad the lure pulled free from the fish and stuck it in the side causing the battle to be all but over. Brian reeled this fish in completely lassoed and on the surface. I think it only came alive when it neared the boat and went wild. It was going to be a challenge to get this thing into the boat and I was forced to use a bass net instead of the boga. Although it wasn’t a big fish, it was still his first Muskie and one well worth a few pics. During the release, the phone rang and I knew it was that time. We transferred a couple of guys and I decided to stay out with Kris and Sam for a little longer and try for more walleye. I set the lines ad started trolling close by when another reel started to scream. I thought we might have a second lunge but was a little disappointed to see that it was only a northern of around 8 pounds. By now the weather had taken a turn for the worse and there were storm systems lurking north of us that I was monitoring closely. As long as the wind didn’t switch, we were alright! We kept trolling and managed to land a couple more smallies when I saw the land north of us disappearing. The skies had gone black and the system was coming right towards us and quickly. In came the rods and we bolted to the shore! The winds were still from the SW but we ran face on into giant white caps from the north, rolling 4 footers. It looked like a tornado and we were right in its path! I had about three minutes to get there and get the boat on the trailer before it hit. The waves seemed like they were from all directions and big! Ironically, we never really got all the rain but we did get hit with the wind as I loaded the boat and pulled out. As fast as it came in, it was done and pushing out over the water to the other side of the lake. Within minutes, we were back in the sunshine and light winds once again. It was definitely a strange experience and I was happy to be out of its path and on land. Kris & Sam weren’t too disappointed either as it had been a long day. Sam had chilled out several times during the day but never really slept with all the excitement going on. She was too excited every time someone hooked up and really reminded me of the dog I once had. I know they would both be tired tonight but Sam would be the one really recharging her batteries and a zombie for the next 12 hours. What an incredible day!!

Part 1: Without my potential clients getting back to me for today, Christiane & I headed on the lake looking for a few big fish. The full moon is always a good time to target the bigguns and today would prove that theory right. Flat calm conditions and scorching heat had us just dying out there! We were in & out of the sunshine throughout the morning and the cloud cover was a welcomed blessing. Dog pecker knats were everywhere without the aid of any wind and that made it almost unbearable. We began our morning with a troll as this was the only way we could actually move and feel a slight breeze. First fish to fire a reel was a northern of about 8 pounds but not what we expected. I was in a walleye zone and had hoped for a different species when another reel went off and I knew we had the right one. A three pound walleye was landed and livewelled for dinner tonight! We kept trolling over specific areas and ironically, every reel that fired after turned out to be a surprise. We were now hitting smallmouth bass that were roaming and they were big! The first one that came aboard was close to 6 pounds and gave one hell of a fight. When she jumped, I couldn’t believe my eyes as this fish was exceptionally long. Once aboard, she measured slightly above 22 inches and she was fat too! So as not to overstress her, I quickly released this beauty after a couple of pics. We kept at this and were getting into average 4 pounders when another big one hammered the lure and took to the air once again. This one too was long and at over 20 inches went above 5 pounds. Obviously they were well fed because every one we landed, were not only long but pretty fat as well. The remainder of the morning saw similar results as several more big bass were caught & released.

Part 2: While the morning saw us getting into the smallies, the afternoon was a complete turn around. What began with bass soon switched over to quality walleye bites. The first few fish were still large brownies but then the big walters started hitting. It was getting difficult to catch something in the slot for the rest of the family as they were just big. I think the first one to come aboard was over 24 inches and became a picture fish. After that, another 23 then a 25 and finally one around 18 made it into the livewell again. We did manage to take home 4 fish between 16 & 19 inches but released five others over 24 inches. The largest one went a hair over 26 and a decent fish by anyone’s standards. With the lake getting a little hectic with boat traffic, we decided to call it quits around 3:00. We had about 5 hours of fishing and managed to get a couple of dozen fish with 75% being above average ones. Between bass and walleye, the full moon from yesterday lived up to its standards. We may not have slayed them but I’ll take a day like this anytime. Big fish bites are always more fun than the average size and getting as many as we did today, really makes for a great outing. Hopefully, the next full moon will prove equally as productive!!