Ed & James were with me today, but on different water due to the winds. We were supposed to fish a lake for walleye but had to change plans with winds scheduled to blow at Gale. Some shelter would be required and I knew just the place! We began fishing shortly after 8:30 and were surprised to find that they were from an incorrect direction, once again. Instead of the S/W, they were straight west and would eventually have a little north thrown in just for laughs. It would be a tough one today! We had a really slow start before actually hooking up. Ed drew first blood late in the morning on a tube and so it began. From that moment on, they would be catching fish, but having a tough time too. The winds were so strong that just feeling the bottom was almost impossible. I gave James a drop shot rig instead and loaded it with a 1 ounce weight, just to make contact. Ed was struggling for a while as well but managed to get in the groove throwing directly into the wind. With boat control being next to impossible, I was eventually forced to go to the small engine, to aid the electric. I had been at almost full power most of the morning and the batteries were getting tired. Adding a little extra thrust would definitely help them cast in this howl. Thankfully the air felt warm and at least we weren’t freezing to death today. In fact it had been unseasonable warm the last couple of days and it showed. Even today there were several other boats around and it was a week day! I guess everyone wants to extend their fishing season as long as they possibly can this year. By moving around slowly I was able to find an area that seemed to be holding several fish and both Ed & James were hooking up. Each time we moved into there, someone was battling a bass. These fish were all quality and they loved it! Ed even managed to get a nice walleye and he was happy about that. He would be having fish tonight! As the weather was making things tough, I figured that there was no need to move and hung in here for the remainder of the day. Several more good bass were taken before we called it a day and rolled back to the dock. What had started a little slow definitely ended in a bang as both James and Ed fought many fish today. It took a little adjustment to be able to fish comfortably, but we had succeeded. Thankfully we were in a boat that could handle these conditions and the small motor really helped too. Overall, it was a great day for fishing!!

We were back again this morning for what I hoped would be round two of the Smallmouth Olympics. I guess most people were thinking the same thing, as there were equal amounts of boats in the area as well. Although a week day, it seemed more like a weekend! With the expected high temps to reach about 70 degrees, I guess everyone was feeling sick today! After an unsuccessful first stop, we went somewhere else that I hoped would produce. A confirmation was had in less than 5 minutes when Steve locked up on a good starter fish. It was going to be another great day! Despite the hurricane like winds predicted for today, we were able to get some reprieve from the big howl. They were to blow 15 to 25 knots out of the west and it was going to get ugly! This didn’t bother us as confidence was high and the boat could handle it. We moved around and they picked at the fish for the first couple of hours, as well as missing several others. It didn’t matter though as anticipation was high, with every hit they received. This was a hunt for bigguns and you never knew what the strike would bring. Although there may not have been as many fish landed today, there were equally as many hits. I think by the time it was over, they had about a 50 percent landing ratio. No fault of theirs, just a lack of aggressive biters. It showed too as every fish that came aboard was just bloated. The most incredible one for today may not have been the heaviest, but it surely was the fattest. At only 15.5 inches, it weighed 3.75 pounds. How it could still eat remains a mystery! As with yesterday, we decided to call it a little early and quit shortly after 3:45. Steve had managed to land the last fish again today and we were off. The lack of numbers for these two days was justified by the overall size and they were glad. It was fall and a hunt for big fish was on the menu! Both Craig & Steve had landed their share of quality bass with a few real giants as well. This was a great way for both of them to end their season and satiate their need for smallmouth. The drive home would have plenty of talk and it would be about all the pigs, both caught & lost. It was definitely a great couple of days on the water and nobody got hurt!!

Craig came back for his last trip this fall and brought new blood with him today. Steve was going to see smallmouth fishing at its finest! We managed to get through the misty rain while driving and hoped it was over for the day. A trip wouldn’t be complete for Craig without some misery from Mother Nature! Although we did start fishing with an east wind and a light drizzle, it ended early in the morning and never reappeared again. In fact, when the rain ended, the winds also started blowing from the south and they were warm. It definitely had the makings of a real great day and it showed. By the time we reached our destination, there were 6 other boats in the general area. I was going to have to make a few adjustments if we were to compete with them. A few smallies were landed by Craig on jigs but I felt like we were always fishing used water. Eventually we shifted from there and the games began. I had figured out an area that no one was fishing and both Craig & Steve were into quality smallies. By adjusting the presentations and locations, I was able to monopolize on the larger fish and we were alone. At least I thought so until another boat came in and started casting. Not wanting to let it bother me, I instructed them to just keep fishing while I moved around, ignoring the intruder. We had many more hookups and a few double headers that had us quickly forgetting about the boat. The entire day was like this with plenty of action right until the end. Despite all the other boats around, I was doing something different that had the fish eating. It was just a great day for fishing and Steve couldn’t believe how good it actually was. We fished until about 3:30 and decided to call it a day after a few more fish. Steve actually landed a couple of walleye right at the end with the sun getting low. He had a great initiation into Canadian smallmouth fishing and couldn’t wait for tomorrow to come. We would be back again and hopefully the fish would be willing to cooperate once more. It was going be tough to sleep, for them tonight!!

Scott, John and Mark (aka Dacca) were here this morning, hoping for loads of smallmouth bass action. We met up before 8 and soon after, were heading to the first spot to fish. Although the air was below 40 degrees this morning, at least it wasn’t raining, yet! The last few days on the water saw loads of precipitation and it was nice just to start dry. Overcast skies would keep the warmth at a low today as sunshine would be almost non existent. Water temps had also fallen a bit and were now barely over 52 degrees from all the cool rain. John & Scott had knowledge of the technique being used but Dacca was new to it and needed a little coaching. Although he did miss the first few strikes, he caught on fairly quickly and was soon landing bass. It didn’t take long before all three were holding their own and the bass were losing. John managed to put the first couple in the livewell for pics later as Dacca & Scott kept catching bass of all sizes. Most of the fish in this area were a little on the small side with a three pounder being about the best. At one point I think Scott went 7 casts in a row with a fish on! It was loaded and they were taking advantage of this situation before some idiot decided to join us. He actually dropped anchor about 20 feet beside us and thought he’d fish there! When confronted, he just said, “You don’t own the water!” What a piece of work! The others wanted to move over and beat the crap out of him but I just made it impossible for him to fish and eventually he had to move. All the years of fishing tournaments had me in defense mode and positioning the boat perfectly, blocking any casts he was to make. Lately it’s been a regular thing with people on the water and I really don’t know why! Fish are everywhere and eagerly eating as the water temps fall. Why be such an ass? I quickly shook it off and the guys resumed their catching, almost on cue. After they had their fill of all of these little guys, I finally moved on and proceeded to another area near by. It didn’t take long before the other boat came back when he saw us leave and ironically, stayed there all day. We got a good laugh from this and went back to the business at hand! Dacca was really feeling comfortable fishing now and once we got in the zone, he proceeded to shine even more. Scott & John were hooking up a bit but Dacca seemed like he was locked up each time he casted. He had an angle to the rocks that apparently were holding plenty of fish and taking advantage of it too. This went on for about ten minutes before I shifted and he was out of the zone. Now John & Scott were taking advantage of their angle and the roles were reversed. Eventually they must have stuck all of them, because the bites just stopped. The next area may not have had a lot of fish, but it was holding better quality. It was here that Scott landed the largest of the day and boated a bass in the mid fours. He also missed another of equal size almost on his next cast making me think that there were a number of them here. After they landed a few more smaller ones, the action died and we were forced to move again. By now the rain was falling and we were in a light mist, reducing visibility considerably. It didn’t stop these guys from catching however as they went right back into action. In fact, Dacca was back with his almost every cast hook ups! John managed to get what we thought was a heavy fish only to see that it was a 20 inch walleye. Bonus fish of the day! This area had plenty of action but was difficult to fish properly as many a rig was retied from all the snags present. The rest of the afternoon saw highs and lows as the fishing got a bit slower in these conditions. I think there were more misses than catches but there was still plenty of action. We finally ended by about 3:30 with a couple more bass and headed back to take out. They needed to be on the road by 4 and had landed their share of fish throughout the day. Scott & John knew what the fall brings but Dacca had seen the spectacular fishing, first hand. He had an unbelievable day on the water and caught plenty of fish in the process. He was also taking home a nice walleye for his dad and that would be the icing on the cake. A perfect ending to a great day of fishing!!

After having to cancel a few days this week due to hurricane Sandy’s winds, I was back out with a trio of fishermen. Scott, Manson & Cory were with me for their annual fall trip, looking for some big smallie action and they had it in spades. Although the winds were light from the SE, we were going to get rained on by mid morning and I hoped for some quick action. Water temps were hovering at 55 degrees, very uncommon for November and the air temps were almost the same. I believe in was Manson that hooked the first smallie and it was a dandy. It was definitely a four pound plus fatty and just the start of things to come, as Scott & Cory followed with several of their own. The three of them were all locked up within the first ten minutes and I knew it was gonna be a “Great Day For Fishing”! With no other boats around, I was able to concentrate on some of the isolated spots that I had refined over the years, without constantly looking over my shoulder. Drop shots & tubes picked up several of the better fish while out over these deep water areas. Scott even landed the smallest walleye I have ever seen at only 7 inches in length. Although really small, it‘s a great thing to see, knowing that we have a future with fish like these. We shifted locations frequently to try and find active fish but I soon realized that this was not the best way to go. They were picking at the baits and not getting pinned too often, making me think we had to slow down instead. Once we adjusted, all three were back into fish regularly. At one point, they even had a triple, so I knew it was working! Although showers were upon us, the fishing made it alright and nobody was complaining. Plenty of action was had all morning and it even picked up in the afternoon. Cory had monopolized on one lure and smoked the crap out of the bass with his do nothing approach. Manson didn’t fend as well with this but hammered them with another presentation and put the biggest bass of the day in the boat. Scott on the other hand was getting them with both techniques and lost his largest fish late in the afternoon. A tangle up with Corey had the fish unpinned after the jump but not before Corey hooked up too. He tried reeling in quickly to get out of the way & got crushed in the process. In the end, both fish won! Although slow & steady was the way to go under these conditions, it was almost like watching paint dry. Corey didn’t think so though as he was into fish on almost every cast. Dead sticking the bait soon paid off as he finally brought the biggest fish of the day and his personal best to net. A group shot of some of the afternoon catches was taken before we decided to end this day. It was getting on and also getting darker with all the overcast and mist and they had caught plenty of fish. Today was an action packed one with some real quality fish and we ended it on a high. As we parted at the ramp, all talk was on how great the fishing was and how they couldn’t wait to get back next year. Too bad it’s 12 months away as the fishing will only get better in the weeks to come!!