Ocean Like Day

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Russell & his wife Rachel were back with me again today after spending several days in Quebec City. They were on the tail of their vacation and wanted another day of fishing after last week’s success. I only hoped that it would be as productive! Conditions weren’t nearly as favourable and the winds were expected to blow harder as the day went on. It was going to be a challenge!

We headed out in 2 to 3 footers at the start and went straight to an area that was holding plenty of fish. Floating weeds weren’t our friend here as they kept clinging to the lines causing constant cleaning. After 4 or 5 fishless drifts, I decided to pull the plug and try another area further away. They had both missed fish but it wasn’t easy fishing with all the weeds!

Our next stop was a little more pleasant as the waves weren’t as big. We were slightly protected from the wind, but I knew this would change! I focussed on getting them bit and wasn’t disappointed! Russell managed to catch both walleye & bass while casting a dropshot rig. He missed plenty of strikes as well but caught more than he lost! Rachel wasn’t as fortunate as she never landed anything from this spot. We decided to relocate after the bite slowed and I thought I’d teach them a vertical drift!

I headed out to open water and marked some fish deep. I set the boat in position and it didn’t take long for Rachel to hook into the first bass. She finally was able to land her first fish and soon after, she hooked into another. In less than two minutes she had boated a couple of nice smallies and I was sure there would be more!

We had been drifting for less than 20 minutes when the wind decided to pick up. I made another adjustment but it was tough for them to feel the bottom and lines were all over the place. Add to that the boat bouncing and Russell was having a hard time standing on the front deck. I had to pull the plug on this for safety reasons!

We spent the remainder of the day drifting over hard bottom areas and they both landed more fish. Bass & walleye were boated but it wasn’t easy to control the drifts along an edge. In the end I was using both the electric motor as well as the main engine just to stay where I needed. Each pass yielded fish but they were having a harder time than usual feeling the bites. Eventually they decided to end the day! I had nowhere else to go in the big waves and wasn’t moving until we were ready to head back to the dock. Time to strap everything down and prep for the run!

I realized quickly that it wasn’t going to be pretty but was confident that we would make it back safely. Most of the waves were 4 to 5 footers with an occasional set of bigger rogues just for laughs. I had picked a direction that saw us running the troughs & crests and even this was tricky. With some splashing but nothing rolling over the bow, we made it back! The most difficult part was navigating all the boarders in the water as we got closer to the ramp. I counted 10 but was sure there were even more! Most of them were lying flat in the water and difficult to see! I was just glad we made it back safe & sound and this painful day was finally over!

Mother Nature must have it out for me this year because there have been more rough days than calm ones so far. I don’t mind a good one to two foot chop for fishing but these 4 & 5 footers just aren’t fun. It definitely limits the areas I can run to and fish! Russell & Rachel had both these scenarios and definitely enjoyed the first one better. Today the lake looked more like Lake Ontario than the one I fish. Hopefully tomorrow it will lay down some and be a little more user friendly for my guests. One can only hope!