Two More Checked Off

Today I had the pleasure of getting on the water with a good friend and fishing guide from Lake Ontario. Greg Amiel, « fishing4tails », is an amazing multi species guide specializing in salmon and trout on the Big O and huge walleye on the Bay of Quinte in the fall. He also fishes bass & musky on some of the inland lakes when the weather or people dictate it. Well today, it was time to check another species off his list! He brought along Andrew, who has fished with him many times over the years and between the two of them, it would be great. We arrived at our first spot of the day before 8:00 and set up quickly. With lines in, I informed them on what to look for and what to do when they saw the bite. We were blessed with almost no wind so keeping the rods in the holders wasn’t going to be a problem. After some goby action and a few drive byes, the first fish finally took and Andrew was into a beast. It was right about now that he realized what I was talking about when I told them how hard they fought. This thing just pulled line from the reel and then exploded into the air. Andrew had fought many big fish before and knew how to handle a rod, but this thing was definitely in control! The fight was just insane as run after run happened every time he thought e was gaining. Eventually after about 15 minutes, I was able to net his fish. I told him that although a good one, it wasn’t the one I wanted for them to see. A good starter fish but only on the high average end in my books! Many pics were taken and a quick release so that we could get back in the game. Greg was up next and unfortunately his first sturgeon turned out to be a juvenile and not worthy of a pic. I think he was a little upset when I tossed it back but in his language, it was only a shaker! As this fish was only small, Andrew decided to let him get the next one too and it didn’t take long. When the rod started to bounce, Greg reeled down and set into something with size. He was finally locked up and it was big! Andrew picked up the video and began filming Greg through the battle. I’m not sure if this one was live on Facebook but there were several times that they were.  Although it never jumped, it definitely gave him a run for his money as he manouvered from one side of the motor to the other. At least ten minutes went by before we were able to see what was attached and it was a good one. I eventually was able to net his fish and complete a second Bucket List, of the day! Plenty of pics were taken once again before the release and we went right back at it. After a couple more smaller ones, I decided to relocate to another area and apparently the move was a good choice. Within 5 minutes, they were locked up once more and I believe Greg had the rod again. He had set into something pretty big while holding the rod and Andrew told him to hang on to it. This time the fish torpedoed into the air behind the boat for everyone to see and it was spectacular. The fight was definitely a hard one as with all the males out here. Females tend to just dog and make smooth but hard runs while the males are insane. These things make blistering runs and usually go airborne at least once during the fight. Greg’s fish did just that! When he finally brought it to net, after about 10 minutes, it was confirmed. A decent male had beat him up and he loved every minute of it. We didn’t want to waste too much time so we shot fast and reset the lines for more. Throughout the morning they both landed many other quality sturgeon and were trashed from all their battles. It was nice to inflict a little pain on Greg as he has done to his clients so many times in the past. Both Andrew & Greg were a little sore and I wanted them to be a lot more sore before the day was over. The afternoon was no different with many, many more hookups and epic battles. They both shot video of most of the battles and plenty of photos of their catches. I had planned on ending the day around 4:00 and just before, Andrew had talked about reeling in the lines. I held off a few minutes longer and almost on cue, he set into what turned out to be the largest fish of the day. In fact, I think the jump that his sturgeon provided will remain etched in his mind forever! It breached about 50 feet in front of him and completely out of the water for everyone to enjoy. It was so heavy that throughout the fight he never had control. It must have taken 20 minutes before she tired enough for me to net. Andrew had started the day with the largest fish and ended it with an even bigger one. I don’t think either of these guys had ever imagined in their wildest dreams, that they would have had a day like this. They were both slimed, sore and totally exhausted from all the giant fish they had landed but looking forward to tomorrow. Once we were finished taking pictures, we headed back to take out. To say this was a great day would have been an understatement. It was epic! There was an unbelievable amount of poundage that came aboard this boat and every one of them was returned to live another day. I’m looking forward to returning tomorrow and hurting both of them once again. What are friends for!!