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August 28th 2018

 

Marcia booked a half day with her husband and two nephews and we met up at the usual time. She wanted them to catch fish and pike & walleye were the targeted species this morning. I wasn’t sure what was in store for us but headed to some of the usual areas to give it a try.

After setting the lines, we began our search by trolling big flats. It wasn’t even three minutes when Ziad was into the first pike of the day. They had wanted to take some fish home with them and decided to keep the northern. Minutes later, his brother Amar reeled in another fish and things were beginning to look up. We covered the water and I managed to get everyone into fish pretty quickly. Marcia and Yassar had also landed northerns but I was still in search of the walleye.

We spend a couple of hours covering plenty of water but all we could come up were pike. I think Yassar had a walleye on briefly but unfortunately it came off while reeling it to the boat. We’ll never know! They had all caught several fish so far but I really wanted to get them into something other than pike and decided to make a move to another area further away.

The winds had picked up from the SW and were now blowing 10 to 15 knots, with more to come. I was hoping they would hold off at least until we were done! I reset the lines and started a downstream troll over productive walleye waters. Unfortunately after about 45 minutes of washing lures, I put an end to the troll. I was going to try something different in another area further away. They were about to learn how to drop shot and hopefully catch a few fish in the process!

When I arrived, I could see that it wasn’t going to be easy. The winds had picked up more and the waves were pretty big, but I was marking fish! I wasted no time in getting their lines in the water and instructed them on what to do. Yassar also wasted no time as he hooked into a pretty good smallie not long after missing a couple of bites. This may not have been what I was looking for but it was worthy of a few pics. Marcia hooked up soon after the release and brought a small walleye to the boat that unfortunately had to be released. They had hoped to bring a couple of them home along with the pike from this morning.

I made a couple of drifts, but everyone was still having a hard time getting the hang of things. Bites were being missed and some fish were even getting hooked and immediately lost. I informed them that they were pulling too hard and setting too quickly! Soon after, a few more fish were landed, including one keeper walleye and a really nice perch. They even boated another slightly smaller bass that gave Amar a great fight!

With this many fish marking on the sonar I decided to extend their scheduled time, in hopes of getting into more. I could also see that the winds were growing and didn’t know how much longer we had. Eventually after a few more bites, the waves got too big for them to fish comfortably and we were forced to call it a day.

The run back to the ramp was a treat as I had to take it really slow and keep the nose up in order to stay dry. Some of the rollers were three & four footers and we were going with them. Definitely a recipe for bringing water over the bow if not done right!

The fishing may not have been what I had hoped for today but I was glad they only had a morning scheduled. When I looked back on the lake I realized just how big it had become and It was only going to get worse in the afternoon! They all had a great time regardless of the fishing and conditions and were bringing home a few for dinner too. Everyone managed to land fish both trolling as well as drop shotting and had learned a couple of new techniques in the process. Tough day but good finish!!

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August 27th 2018

 

Peter was back with Mila and Jakub today. They were hoping for some sturgeon and I assured them that they would catch. I just wasn’t sure of the size as these fish were just starting to arrive.

We set up and Mila hooked into one within 10 minutes. Unfortunately it was a juvenile and not exactly what I was after! Regardless, it was his first and they shot some pics of his catch. With the lines back in, several other bites were had but hookups were missed on most. I did however set into a fish and immediately passed the rod to Peter to fight. It wasn’t big, but it sure put up a big battle! He did land the fish but once again it was a juvenile and released quickly.

Jakub was the only one not to have landed anything yet but he soon felt a hit and set into one of his own. Again it was on the smaller side, but also his first!

I hadn’t taken any pics as of yet due to the size and relocated several times looking for bigger fish. I was also having a hard time marking the larger ones and often had to settle on areas I wasn’t really happy with. Despite the many moves, we still had hits in every one of them. Too bad we couldn’t monopolize on them though as most of the bites were missed.

I had thought we were going to be fishing until at least 3:00 but they informed me that they needed to finish by 12:30 instead. I had less than a half hour to try and make this work! One last move had me staying put until the end. In the 30 minutes remaining, Mila managed to hook and land 2 more fish. The first one was a huge drum that went at least 10 pounds. The second one was also another small sturgeon and even smaller than his first one earlier in the morning.

The time had officially run out and I packed everything up and headed back. Mila was flying home tonight and needed time to pack before leaving. We had put all of our eggs in one basket and gambled on the sturgeon today. Although we did get some, they weren’t the caliber that I was hoping for. I really wanted all of them to do battle with a true giant. Despite only catching little ones, they were happy to have caught something that they had never fought before. In the end, everyone had a great battle with a baby dinosaur. Peter will be back out with me again soon but Jakub & Mila won’t be around anymore. Oh well, I guess Peter will have to tell them about the one that didn’t get away! I know that he will land a true giant before the season is done. Bigger bites sill to come!!

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August 26th 2018

 

Another minor issue with the outboard yesterday had me out for just a half day of fishing. Although Dave & his son John managed to get into some good fish, most of the better ones were either lost or missed all together. Today however, it was going to be a different story!

Peter & his son Matt were with me, but not expecting what was about to happen. It was Matt’s first time ever fishing and I began with the basics of just casting. From there we moved on to how to work the baits and the rest just fell into place.

Our first stop had many missed fish but it was a learning curve that had to happen. Both Peter & Matt had chances but it just wasn’t meant to be. I covered plenty of water hoping that they would get into them but was the only one to bring anything aboard. I did pass off the rod to Matt on a nice smallie that he landed, but it wasn’t the same as a hooked fish. No pics were had!

Once I was sure they were working everything right, I made another move to an area holding only big bass. It was here that things picked up! Not long after we arrived, Peter hooked into a really good smallie. It jumped several times and tried desperately to get off before I managed to get it in the net. Finally, their first fish! Now all I needed was for Matt to hook into one on his own.

We continued to fish the area and had a few more missed strikes before Peter set into another tank. He had made a really long cast and nailed a fish that must have been roaming in the area. When it jumped it seemed like 100 feet away & even at that distance, it looked huge! It put up quite a fight with several more jumps before it was boatside and in the net. I only wish that it was a little wider because it really had the length to be a 6 pounder! Regardless, it was definitely worthy of several pics.

Matt had been having a tough time missing fish, but it was about to change. He finally had a pickup and set into a good fish that actually stayed on. Although I did have to tell him to reel as fast as he could to bend the rod, he kept the bass pinned. Several jumps later, it was in the net and he officially had caught his very own smallie. It was also a big one and definitely worthy of several pics before the release.

I had noticed on the radar that we had some rain coming our way and wanted to get a few more bass before I set up the top and went trolling. We continued covering water with a few more decent fish being landed and Matt nailed another really good one once again. He was definitely getting the hang of it and enjoying catching fish! This one too was worthy of a few pics!

Late in the morning and just before the rain hit, I raised the roof and set everything up to troll. Good thing too as it began to pour almost immediately after I was done! I had hoped on getting them something big but wasn’t sure what would happen as I dropped the lines in and began the troll.

We hadn’t been fishing for even ten minutes when one of the reels went off and it went hard. I grabbed the rod and passed it to Matt, but took it back soon after when I thought the fish had buried itself in the weeds. To my surprise, it hadn’t and was just heavy! I gave the rod back and cleared the other rods as I knew what he had on. I even dropped the roof with the rain falling so that I was able to maneuver the boat when needed. We had a definite confirmation when it cleared the water in a spectacular jump that nearly left them in shock.

After a lengthy battle and me without a big net, I was finally able to get the boga grip securely locked on her jaw. I wasted no time unhooking the beast and placed it in Matt’s hands for a few really quick pics. Back she went unharmed and no worse for wear! Matt was still in disbelief, but his father had captured the whole thing on video. It was real and she was spectacular!

We spent about another hour or so trolling in heavy downpours for pike and managed several before they called it a day. What was supposed to finish at 4:00, ended a little early when we pulled the plug before 1:00. They had seen enough and after that lunge, it would only be downhill anyway!

Peter had brought his son Matt fishing for his very first time and I think he was officially hooked for life! Not only had he landed some really nice bass but he had caught a huge musky as well. Added to that, he had managed a slam with one of the northerns he had landed too! I told him that he should go out tonight and buy a lotto ticket!

Despite the short trip, they had both seen some pretty good fish today. The smallies would have been good numbers if we had remained on them longer, but the weather had us making an change. For once I was actually thankful for mother nature being such a pain and making us change to trolling. If it weren’t for her, Matt would have never gotten to do battle with a fish of a lifetime. Mother nature usually sucks, but this time she rocked!!

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August 24th 2018

 

Lindsay had booked this day way back in April for her son Max. He was hoping to catch a sturgeon and I was going to do my best to make it happen! The waves would be our biggest problem today!

We headed out shortly after 7:00 and I hoped we would be able to anchor up in this wind. It was blowing pretty hard from the SW, causing me concern. All we could do was try!

I began looking for the fish before I actually got set up and found enough marks to give it a shot. I wasn’t going to try unless I had seen signs of life down there! I positioned the boat above and set the anchor. I also used the electric motor and the anchor mode as well, allowing me to stay where I had intended. This was the only way we were able to hold in the 2 & 3 foot waves!

We had been fishing for about 30 minutes, with rods in hand, when Devin set the hooks into our first fish. With expectations high, he reeled in a fish but it wasn’t what we were hoping for. He had hooked an eel and I didn’t want any part of that. I quickly cut the hook and re rigged the rod again! His next fish was no different with a second eel coming to the boat too! Needless to say, the same thing happened!

We were still optimistic and after about an hour, Devin set into another fish. Talk of dropping him off on an island was thrown around if this was another snake! Fortunately for everyone it wasn’t and a confirmation was had when his fish took to the air. Although not a giant, it was what we were looking for and the battle began. It was also short lived when the fish rolled in the line causing Devin to reel it to the boat, backwards. A quick untangling of the line and he got to fight it a little longer. Soon after, it was in the net and he had officially caught their first sturgeon ever!

After the release, we set back up and wouldn’t you know it, Lindsay hooked into another fish. Hers too turned out to be an eel and this was getting ridiculous. I don’t catch this many in a year! We released it the usual way and went right back to the sturgeon. Devin was soon to hook into another fish and passed the rod to Lindsay to fight. This was the right species and although it wasn’t a giant, it battled her pretty good. She eventually brought it close enough for me to net and she too had her very first sturgeon! We took more pics and returned her catch to the water.

With Max being the only one not to have landed anything yet, we focussed on getting him one of his own. I had hoped that it would be slightly smaller so that he could reel it in alone. Soon enough, I set into another fish and could tell by the weight that it wasn’t too big. Max immediately took the rod and reeled in an exotic species for the day. He had caught a freshwater drum and this definitely required some pics.

With the winds slightly down, the fishing became more comfortable and easier to feel the bites. We weren’t bouncing all over now and could detect almost any subtle nibbles on the lines. Devin hooked into another fish pretty quick and Max was up. This was the perfect one for him to fight and he landed his first sturgeon too. I gave him a hand holding it for the photos and he was all smiles with his prize before tossing it back.

Now that we were finally getting bit more often, we decided to stick it out with the sturgeon. There was no need to move and they agreed! For the remainder of the day we would be looking for more and bigger ones too!

The afternoon went by quickly with only a few more fish coming aboard. Although not huge, they were the right species and Max even got to fight another one as well. Lindsay also hooked into one on her own and battled another decent sturgeon too. A few fish missed and a few fish landed and we were done. They had accomplished what we had set out to do and everyone had a great time. I packed everything up and readied the boat for the return.

Unfortunately when I tried to get the boat on plane, the engine seemed like it had no power. After adjusting the weight forward, I somehow managed to get it on plane and ran back mid speed. Another problem that would have to get checked!

This day may have started out a little slow but we accomplished what we had set out to do. Sturgeon was on the bucket list for Max and everyone got to land theirs. They also got to reel in a few other strange looking creatures too! I will have to get the motor checked in the morning and hopefully it will be something simple like a coil problem again. If so, I will be right back on the water with clients by the afternoon. Crossing my fingers and toes for a simple fix!!

 

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August 23rd 2018

 

After a cancellation due to high winds yesterday, I was back out today in slightly better weather!

Another double trip day saw Steffen and his family in the morning, hoping to catch a few fish. His son Konner was new to this sport and eager to land just about anything! Trolling was the game plan and pike & walleye were the targeted species.

It wasn’t long after I set the lines before the first fish was landed. Konner reeled in a nice northern, even with a cast on his wrist! He also managed many more in the next couple of hours and was completely enjoying himself. Although they were all northerns, he had a blast reeling loads of them in.

I had wanted to get him a few walleye and covered water searching for the elusive golden one. This morning had seen a drop in water temps by about 6 degrees since I was last out. It showed too as these fish were really lethargic! Eventually after what seemed like miles of water, I finally locked him up on a nice fish. He was hoping for a walleye and now he got his wish! We took a bunch of nice pics before releasing his over back to the water. Konner was all smiles after this one and eager to catch more!

With limited time remaining, I managed to get him a few more fish before we had to leave. I had another family for the afternoon and the morning had passed by so quickly. I packed everything up and made the run back to meet the second group.

I wasted no time in getting back on the water as I said goodbye to Steffen, Hazel & Konner. Angela and her sons were ready to go and we turned and burned out onto the lake!

With no down time, I headed back to where I had finished up, as I had left the fish biting! Tyson, Ayden & Gavin were also eager to get into some fish as I set the lines. We would be trolling once again, with this many bodies in the boat.

The winds had grown since I returned and built to 2 & 3 footers where I was. Trolling wasn’t easy up wind and required constant cleaning of the rods with all the floating weeds as well. I managed to make it work though and it wasn’t long before everyone had a full rotation on the rods. Angela was last up and somehow managed the largest pike of the afternoon, twice! The others were just happy reeling fish in despite the slower than usual bite.

I had covered plenty of water once again searching for active fish but found them to be anything but that. We had several short strikes and plenty of fish fall off in the net once landed. This weather had them lethargic but I was still managing to get bit.

They had all managed a few rotations and time was now getting on in the day. I decided to slide out to slightly deeper water and fired multiple reels in a very short time. Needless to say, I milked this area for all it was worth by catching everything that wanted to bite. In the end, we probably hit an additional half dozen fish in the last 30 minutes of their trip.

I can’t believe how fast the day goes when it’s split in two! Before we knew it, we were done and heading back to the dock. Despite the lack of interest by most of the fish today, I still grinded it out and had two pretty good trips overall.

Plenty of pike were landed today by everyone and a few nice walleye too. Cold front conditions had the fish a little sketchy as I saw but fortunately I was able to make some of them eat. Enough fish were landed by everyone to make this another successful day!!