Typical Howling Day

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October 17th 2018

 

Pierre, Francois & Sebastian picked another miserable day to go fishing today. It’s not hard when it’s always blowing 25 to 30 knots and there’s nowhere to hide! I just hoped that they would be able to feel the bites in this wind!

We hit the water about 8:30 in a strong westerly howl and headed to our first spot to fish. As I approached the area I realized that we would be able to fish there due to the angle of the wind. I had high hopes for them under these conditions and quickly showed them what to do.

For about 45 minutes they casted lures in current and managed to get several bites. A few fish were landed but most were either missed or just lost before we slid into the best area. It was here that Phillip stuck a really nice bass that fought great. Several jumps and plenty of surging runs later, it was finally in the net. This may have been his largest smallie ever and the day was just beginning!

We resumed fishing after the pics and release and that’s when everything changed. The winds picked up, switching from a west to a W/NW and just crushed us. I now had to use the kicker along with the electric motor just to hold in place. Apparently the fish didn’t like it either as they just stopped biting. Waves were crashing everywhere! I had to try something different and somewhere else if they were going to catch any more fish!

I had switched to a slow troll hoping for better line control but apparently this was more difficult that I realized. Between all the floating weeds and tangled baits, it was impossible to keep the lures in the water. Eventually I just held with the two motors and tried casting the areas instead. This too proved next to impossible as they were still getting tangled with each other somehow and I spent more time retying. Between the wind and weeds things were getting more & more difficult.

We tried a variety of areas and presentations throughout the morning but to no avail. Eventually they requested a lunch break back, back at the ramp and I agreed. We were going to get out of here for a while and re think our options!

They had taken about an hour out of our schedule in a sheltered area and wanted to head back out for the remainder of the day. I tried a different place behind an island and despite marking all kinds of bait and several fish, we still came up empty. I finally decided to head back to where I really wanted to be and grind it out for the remainder of the day!

Despite the big waves getting there, it actually seemed somewhat better when we arrived. I still used the two motor approach but it was doable. Sebastian was casting from up front while Pierre & his brother Frank were fishing from the back. A few hits were had by everyone but the wind still had too much slack in their lines for them to detect the bites. Sebastian was the only one that actually landed anything and unfortunately they were all fall fish. I had wanted to try a couple of other areas before we called the day and ran to the first one to troll.

We covered plenty of water and didn’t have anything to show for our efforts but tangled lines and weeds. A few hits were had but unfortunately all fish were missed! One last stop and we would end the day afterwards!

I held on a big current break with both motors again and fortunately this time they did catch a couple of fish. Francois landed two nice smallies before we finished up for the day. At least they went out with a bang!

The conditions have been insane lately with all the giant winds but I’ve still managed to get people into fish every day. I know that whenever we finally catch a break, the fishing will improve dramatically. Until then however, I will be forced to deal with Mother Nature’s idea of a joke! With plenty of days still remaining in this season I’m sure it can only get better!!