Big Wind Big Fish

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September 17th 2018

 

Phil and I hit the water this morning after a bunch of failed attempts at fishing this season. I had tried to get him out but our schedules never matched. The winds forecasted for today wouldn’t be nice but I thought we’d give it a try anyway.

I took him straight for sturgeon as he hadn’t landed one in two years. Hopefully I would be able to anchor up if the winds got too big! They were suppose to arrive before 10:00 and gust over 20 knots from the SW, but fortunately we started in much less!

After a little idling over the area, I dropped anchor where I thought I wanted. Unfortunately it didn’t hold and I was forced to move before we even wet a line. Although not too big, the winds had made us drift too close to another boat and I wasn’t going to stay. I decided to try again and this time used the aid of the electric as well. No problem the second time around!

With a couple of lines down, we waited with rod in hand for a bite. Phil set into the first one and although not too big, it did fight pretty hard. One leap confirmed its size and I decided to tail it instead of using the net. We were not skunked and Phil had caught his first sturgeon in two years!

We reset the lines after releasing the fish and I noticed that the winds had increased. They were gusting pretty good but the combination of anchor and electric motor anchor feature had us holding strong. It wasn’t too long after that I felt a hit and reared back on another. This one felt pretty good and I gave the rod to Phil to fight. For some reason it wanted to stay down and mostly under the boat! Although she had several good runs, Phil had to reach over the motor multiple times as this fish kept moving from one side to the other. In under ten minutes however, he was able to bring her up, for me to net. This one was quality and I needed some pics before the release! Phil had caught most of his sturgeon later in the season and was always dressed heavier than today. This time he was in shorts and a t shirt and didn’t realize that the fish can create a rash, if their body comes in contact with your skin. Sure enough, he found this out the hard way when it began to develop on one of his arms. It never lasts but can cause a slight burning if not rinsed afterwards!

With the winds blowing pretty hard now, I wasn’t sure how much longer we would be able to remain here. I was glad we stayed though as Phil set the hooks into another sturgeon a little while after releasing the last one. This thing was just insane with crazy runs and one great leap. Although smaller than the previous sturgeon it gave a great fight and required the net once again. We had overcome the elements and somehow managed to catch 3 nice fish in the process. We also tried a little while longer but eventually realized it was too rough to even feel the bites. Time to relocate and change to a different species!

I wanted Phil to get into some nice smallies and headed to an area that I knew held quality. I showed him how to fish the bait and it wasn’t long before his rod was bent. Not only had he nailed a good one but there were others with it! I knew he was going to get plenty more and didn’t waste much time with the pics. Right back in, he was hit again on his very next cast! This one was slightly smaller and released immediately after being landed. Phil was amazed at how many there were in the area along with the size. He could see others following his bait on almost every cast and although he did miss many, he still hooked into a bunch. This went on for a while before I repositioned the boat and hit another area nearby. It was game on, all over again! He could barely get the bait in the water and fish were fighting over it. Schooling bass are incredibly competitive and even when you miss one, another hits you right away. This feeding frenzy went on for a while with the big waves we were in. I was glad that he got to fish through a period like this on a day that he wasn’t sure he would even get out.

I’m not really sure how many bass were landed but between the two of us, there were plenty. Unfortunately the day passed by quickly between the sturgeon & the smallies and before we knew it, it was time to go. Several last casts later, we headed back to the ramp to take out. I had wanted to bring him to open water for walleye late in the afternoon and was glad I hadn’t as the waves were even bigger where we would have fished. Good call remaining on the bass I guess!

Today was just another great outing filled with all kinds of action. Even in the big winds, we were able to land our targeted species, multiple times. We had finally managed to get out after so many failed attempts this season. I’m sure this won’t be the last time, with plenty more days left before freeze up. Hopefully we will continue to have more great fishing ahead. Who knows, maybe for some giant fall eyes next time!!