Constant Action Day

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May 29th 2018

 

Paul was with me today all the way from France. Despite the bad start to his vacation, with the airlines losing everyone’s luggage, today would be different. In fact, the airline never even loaded the luggage! Called it a computer glitch! Uh Huh!

He started the day off with a bang as his first fish was the elusive musky. We were trolling over pike & walleye areas when it hit, but things would change quickly. The next dozen or so were the northerns I was after and rods were firing off rapidly. I had started out with one deep & one mid rod but soon changed to both deep diving when this was the only line getting bit! Immediately we were firing the two simultaneously! At one point it was just ridiculous as every time one ripped so did the other. I had found the fish quickly and it was due to the water temps. This was the first time all year that I was actually fishing in an area over 60 degrees. In fact it was almost 63 degrees and the fishing showed it too!

Paul was also hoping for a walleye to add to his firsts and I knew it wouldn’t be a problem. Although we had to filter through a ton of pike, he finally managed to get his wish! He reeled in a nice sized over and several pics were shot before the release. He also managed to get a few more nice ones along with plenty of other pike too! Most of the northerns were on the smaller side and were getting to be a bit of a pain so I decided on a move. I wanted him to at least have a shot at some better ones, as well as some more walleye. Off we went to the next spot!

After a long run, I set up in cooler water and mirror like conditions. Water temps were slightly less, but I knew it wouldn’t matter. The last couple of times here the fishing was great and today should be no different. With two deep lines set, it took about three minutes for the first reel to scream. This time the pike was substantially larger than the ones earlier and provided him with a better fight. Too bad these things like to roll because it ended quickly when it wrapped in the line. Oh she had plenty of fight left but decided to wait until in the net to go ballistic! Always a challenge to untangle in a rubber net too! Still a nice fish and the largest pike so far. Several other equally large ones were also landed in the next couple of hours, along with some really quality eyes. This place seemed to put out bigger fish and despite the slow bites, it was worth staying and waiting for the hits. We remained here until about 2:30 and then headed closer to the take out area to fish.

It may have been a scorcher when we were trolling but jackets were required during the run. Surface water temps still remain cool and the effect is definitely felt at high speeds! They quickly came off though once we came to a stop to fish! I set up a couple of mid running lures on spinning rods and started the troll over these shoals. I was now in walleye territory and assured him that there should be no more pike! First fish however was a pre spawn bass that apparently liked the area as well. As this was also a first for Paul, he thoroughly enjoyed the strength of the smallie! I told him that he would have to come back later in the season if he wanted more, as the season was still closed. Too bad others don’t practice this as well! I’ve seen way too many people targeting both smallmouth and largemouth bass lately! Quebec still doesn’t have a Catch & Release Season people!

Although the bass was a welcomed treat for Paul I was after walleye and after being released, we got right back at it. In the next hour he managed to land a half dozen nice keeper sized eyes that all got released. I wasn’t bringing anything back today and neither was he. There were even a couple of heavier fish that came unpinned during the battle that I was sure were large walleye. Oh well, it happens!

We eventually pulled the plug on the day after a little incident of a line tangle in the main engine prop. I never like taking chances with braid getting in behind the prop and chewing up the seals. Time to limp back to the dock to take out!

Paul’s day started with a bang and got even better as it went on. He landed more fish than he’s ever done before and to say he was happy would have been an understatement. He left one happy camper!

I expect similar or even better days in the next few weeks as the water continues to warm and fish become more active. With open days available, this is definitely the time to take advantage of the great fishing. Not much boat traffic on the lakes now make it even more enjoyable!!