Ocean Like Conditions

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Another double trip today saw Joe & his wife Ashley joining me in the morning. We were heading out in pursuit of smallies when I made a turn due to the winds. I immediately switched gears and decided to go somewhere to troll for pike & walleye instead! It was blowing pretty good from the NW but when I neared the area I wanted to fish, it was more of a west. Good job I have backup plans!

Both Joe & his wife were happy to try for something they don’t usually fish for and not long after setting the lines, we were into fish. They landed a couple of northerns quickly and were on the board! We covered the area for a bit and eventually got plenty more strikes with some of them pretty good size. Ashley even fought a big walleye almost all the way to the boat before the lure pulled free from the fish. Disappointment set in but not for long as another rod fired soon after and she brought this walleye to net.

With about a little under an hour remaining in their trip, they asked to fish for smallies. I knew just the area and ran to see if they could hook up. Unfortunately all we had were about a half dozen missed bass that never stayed on the hooks. It was strange as they weren’t eating well in the big waves!

We headed back to the docks in average 3 footers from the west and an occasional 4 footer just for fun. It wasn’t pretty but we managed to make it back safe dry! It didn’t take long to exchange guests and I asked them if they still wanted to head out. It was pretty rough but they wanted to go anyway!

I had to take an alternate route due to the waves and managed to get out in the middle and fish an area with slightly less wind. Unfortunately the winds were 90 degrees to the current flow, making any drift next to impossible! The first pass saw a nice walleye from Sean that went directly into the livewell. Hopefully there would be more!

We had fished the area for over an hour and managed a few decent drifts but it wasn’t easy in the wind. In fact the winds got even bigger while we were there! Both Matt and Sean had a few misses with the fish but eventually Sean managed to get into another nice walleye that made it to the net. After a couple of pics it also made it into the livewell.

I had debated whether or not to make a long run to a spot to troll and after too many difficult drifts here, decided to go. It wasn’t pretty but we did make it to where we wanted and were able to get into a few more fish from this place. We were trolling in 2 & 3 footers and managed both pike & walleye with one more Walter going in the box.

Time passed quickly and before we knew it, we were heading back. It would take a little longer to get there due to the increase in winds again and this time we were running in 3’s & 4’s most of the way. I managed to navigate them without getting wet and 20 minutes later we arrived safely at the dock.

Today was a challenge to say the least as the water was more like an ocean. This made the fishing much more difficult for everyone to get bit. Although the troll was pretty good in the morning, the afternoon wasn’t as productive. Despite the conditions, I was still able to put everyone on fish and that’s all the matters. That and the fact that everyone returned safely! Hopefully the winds will lay down some for tomorrow’s outing as my body could use the rest!