Back in The Winds

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October 21st 2018

 

After a couple of cancellations due to giant winds recently, I was finally able to get back out this morning. Glen, Tony & Todd were here to do battle with the beasts and I just hoped we would be able to fish for them. With the big blow still happening, a slight change in direction was our only hope. We were going all in!

The run to the area was not a great one but with the new motor on the boat, it was safe & dry. Winds were still blowing pretty good from the NW but the waves weren’t too bad, yet! We arrived and to my surprise there were rollers from two different directions. We had wind & waves from the W/NW as well as some bigger ones out of the west. It looked more like what I see in the summer with all the boat traffic! I still wasn’t sure if I would be able to fish, but got everything ready to try.

After idling around for a bit, I finally found what I was looking for and dropped the anchor. I was also forced to use the electric motor’s anchor feature in order to securely hold. Unfortunately after everything had settled, I realized that we weren’t exactly where I wanted to be. The winds had pushed us off the spot and also the fish I had marked. After about 30 minutes of not seeing anything, I pulled up and idled again. The next time I dropped the anchor, I compensated for the angle the winds were putting us at and set up right on the fish. I knew this was going to be a lot better as I kept seeing fish while we were parked.

We had been positioned for a while before Tony set into something big. They had been holding their rods as the bouncing made it just impossible in the rod holders. Instead of bringing in the other lines, I decided to leave them out in hopes of a second bite. Good thing too as Tony battled his fish for about one minute before the hook just pulled free. It was definitely a big one, but how big we’ll never know! Almost on cue, Glen reared back on a second fish as quickly as Tony had lost the first. This time it stayed pinned and fought him for a while. Although it never jumped, there was definitely some weight there as the runs were long ones. Roughly 5 minutes later, I brought the fish aboard for a few pics. At least we weren’t skunked today!

Todd was the next to hook up and we all thought he had a junk fish until the baby dinosaur appeared. It was just so cute that they both made fun of its size! Todd had been out with them on previous trips and still hadn’t landed anything big yet. His luck continued with this fish but I still needed a pic!

I had made one or two additional moves afterwards to get back on the fish and eventually it paid off. Glen had locked up on another good one and it was acting even bigger than his first. He was having a hard time lifting it off the bottom and controlling his animal. Multiple long runs were brought back only to go right out again. This thing just didn’t want to give up! Eventually though, I was able to net the sturgeon and again more pics were taken before the release.

Despite the miserable cold winds from two different directions, they were having some action. Although not what I had expected, at least fish were being hooked into on this hateful day! Several snow squalls were also happening on & off throughout the day but fortunately none of it gathered in the boat. Best thing however was that we were alone! I guess no one wanted to be out other than us on this beautiful day!

We were well into the afternoon now and I was hoping for more fish when Glen set into another good one. He passed the rod to Tony as he hadn’t managed to land anything yet. Tony’s short battle this morning had ended in heartbreak when the fish just came unpinned. He was now looking for a little payback!

I believed that this sturgeon was the biggest of the day so far as Tony had absolutely no control over the beast. It was taking line at an alarming rate on the first run that had him thinking it was foul hooked. I knew better though and eventually the fish turned and began heading right at the boat. Now Tony was reeling back all the line he had lost and more. As the fish neared I could tell that it was about to breach and almost on cue, it took to the air. It was large and definitely not foul hooked! It felt just like the one he had lost right out of the gate this morning and now he wanted redemption!

The fight had gone about ten minutes before I actually had a shot with the net and slid her into the giant bowl. This fish may not have been the fattest thing I had seen, but it sure was long. A true dinosaur! Tony had gotten his payback even if Glen had hooked it. I told him that it was no different than having the rods in the holders and being handed a line.

Multiple shots were taken from different angles before she was torpedoed back into the water. The only thing left now was to get Todd a giant! As luck would have it, just before we were ready to leave, he sort of set into a fish. Todd had gotten a bite and set the hook, only thinking it was gone. What he had done however was loosen the drag with his gloves making it seem like it wasn’t there. As soon as I tightened it up he was tight to the last fish of the day. We had all hoped for another biggun but as Todd’s luck would have it, not! Although the fish was larger than his first one, it was still a juvenile. You just never know when you get bit!

They needed to be at the airport by 4:30 so we began to pack everything up at 3:30, after Todd’s fish. I would need a little more time running back in these waves and didn’t want to rush them. I also sent a text to Don who was nice enough to drop us in this morning and would be waiting to take us out when we returned. With the docks having been removed a few days earlier, it definitely helped!

The wind and waves were not great for the return, but the boat ran smooth and dry. The weight of the new motor and adjustments on the hydraulic jack plate had us running comfortable, even with the waves. I still can’t believe the difference this Verado makes and how the boat handles now!

As we approached the ramp, I could see Don arriving and within minutes we on the trailer and out of the water. It wasn’t the first time this year that he had provided Valet Service and I’m always grateful for his help!

Glen, Tony & Todd may not have had the banner day I was hoping for but after experiencing the winds, I was thankful for the few bites we did have. They had landed some really nice fish under the most difficult conditions I had ever faced, anchored up for sturgeon. It’s not a wonder that there were no other boats out there today! Just us four crazy guys! In the end, I wouldn’t have changed a thing!!