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July 26th 2018

 

Another day of great fishing was had today by Mafhoud and an unknown fisherman. He wanted to remain unanimous today so no pics of him!

We started off once again trolling and managed to catch plenty of fish. Northerns, walleye and even a few largies fell victim to our offerings. Mafhoud didn’t believe we could catch fish in the heat, but we proved him wrong. Both of them had a slam before we even changed locations!

After trolling for most of the morning, we switched it up and went casting for bass and they managed to boat plenty more fish. Although mostly smallies, Mafhoud did manage to land a really good largie on soft plastics. This thing was a giant!

They casted for almost 2 hours before deciding to take a break. We were going back trolling in hopes of some more big fish and they weren’t disappointed. First fish was a really nice walleye, larger than anything they had caught so far today. Fortunately it was Mafhoud that landed it and I was able to take some pics. They also brought in many more pike and a couple more keeper walleye that were going home with them tonight.

Late in the afternoon, I noticed the skies darkening in the distance. A quick check on the radar showed a small storm cell that would pass us by and I kept at the fishing. They continued catching plenty more fish in the remaining time we had and we never got wet either. I could see the rain falling heavy on other areas of the lake but we were spared . It was nice to remain dry after yesterday’s all day rain!

By 4:00 we decided to call it a day and returned to the dock. As with all days lately, there were huge numbers of fish landed with plenty of big ones in the mix. Mafhoud had four firsts today with pike, walleye and both smallmouth & largemouth bass. He got to experience the best fishing he had ever seen and all of it in the summer heat. I think he now realizes that adapting to the time of the season can provide countless hours of great fishing, no matter where you are. Fish have to eat! I think I’ll see him again soon as he’s talking about bringing his son out the next time we meet. It’ll be great because I’ll be able to take more pictures, when he returns! Hopefully he’ll have an even better day on the water the next time and his son will get to see what fishing is suppose to be like. More great days ahead!!

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July 25th 2018

 

Herman brought his family out today, on likely the rainiest one of the season so far! We hooked up at the usual time and headed out in rough water to our starting spot. Fortunately, it wasn’t raining, but it wouldn’t be long!

Just before we arrived, the rain began and as soon as I stopped, the roof went up. It would at least protect us from most of the misery today. With the winds blowing pretty hard though, it would still be coming in the sides. Rain gear would be needed as well, but mostly for the lower body!

With the bimini top up, I set the rods and instructed them on what to expect. We would be trolling once again and I needed them to be able to get the rods out of the holders without struggling too much! As usual, it didn’t take long before Herman reeled in the first fish of the day. He brought to net a decent pike as the starter fish. A short while after, another pike came aboard by his wife Laura and things were beginning to look up.

The winds were blowing from the SE putting a good chop on the water and the rain was coming down sideways. Although the top kept us from getting soaked, we were still feeling the mist from the rain at times and I had to give a pair of bibs to Laura, as she was mostly in the seat. Despite the rain, the fish seemed to be cooperating and I was picking at them pretty good. They had already gone through a couple of rotations in no time and a few of the fish were decent walleye too. Both Hunter & Cole had managed to land good sized northerns and were hoping for a few quality eyes now. Their mother had boated the largest eye so far but I knew it wouldn’t hold up for big fish of the day!

Today was a strange one for weather as extremely heavy cloud cover kept an intermittent rain falling throughout the morning. The good news was that at least it wasn’t cold, as the winds were pretty warm. High humidity had me putting on and taking off the rain jacket several times during the day, but at least the fish were biting!

The morning passed by quickly with lots of fish being landed by everyone. As we got into the afternoon I found myself covering even more water in search of bigger walleye & pike. Several double headers were seen with a few of the keeper walleye being put into the livewell . I wasn’t sure if they would be bringing them back but we could always release them afterwards, if not! It turned out later that it was their lucky day, as Hunter released all of them back to the lake!

Laura already had big walleye of the day so far and when her turn came back up, she managed to land an even bigger northern. Not to be out done, both her son Cole & husband Herman each landed one about the same size as well. Competition was fierce but mostly from their youngest son, Hunter. He was trying to lock up all the categories including big perch of the day.

With time getting on and the rain still continuing to plague us with the winds, I made one last attempt at getting some bigger fish. I headed out to slightly deeper water and worked an area that had put some huge fish in the boat lately. When Hunter’s turn came around again, he managed to bring a really good walleye to net that he thought might give him big fish in that division. He also had the last fish of the day, but his brother took him out with a pike shortly after.

I decided to take the top down with the rain stopping and we were even luckier to have had the winds lay down as well. This would make for an easy run back to the dock when we were done. With minutes remaining, Laura was up and one last reel fired! She wasinto the biggest walleye of the day now and it was also the last fish. Two categories in just seconds! I couldn’t think of a better way to wrap up the day than with her big fish. They definitely ended on a high!

The run back was smooth, but as we neared the ramp, clouds just exploded on us with violent rains. I had hoped to get back before the skies let loose but unfortunately we weren’t that lucky. It poured so hard that the auto bilge actually kicked on and most of them got soaked. The water coming down the ramp was like a mountain stream as well. This was some serious rain falling!

As with most of the day, the downpour eventually let up and allowing me to take the boat out comfortably. They may have been wet but they had the best fishing of their lives, catching all kinds of big fish today. Everyone left with plenty of memories along with loads of pictures from all of the great fish they landed. I’m sure they will be remembering this day for a long time!!

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July 25th 2018

 

Cameron & Andy had the pleasure today of fishing for something new. Being from Africa, they were use to saltwater fish and were looking forward to catching a few new species. I knew they wouldn’t be disappointed!

We hooked up at the usual 7:00 time and headed out in a big SE wind. It was also blowing three footers directly on the ramp, making for a tricky launch! The run to our fishing area wasn’t too bad, even with the big waves. This Ranger really makes for a great ride!

I set the lines and gave the usual orientation on rod removal and began the troll. Within 3 minutes they both had landed their first northern and they were well on their way to another freshwater slam! Andy had flown all the way from Africa to visit his friend Cameron that now lived close to Toronto. They were staying in Montreal for a few more days and then heading back to Ontario to where Cameron lived for a couple more weeks. I wanted to make sure they landed as many fish as they could and trolled through all kinds of great looking water to do it.

Although they had now landed many northerns, I was still searching for some quality walleye for them to catch. The waves were pretty good with these big winds and I thought this would make it even better. I finally hit on an area that began producing fish and some pretty good ones at that. In no time they both managed to bring several nice over eyes in the boat but all were released due to their size. I had hoped to get couple of keepers for them to bring home but continued to hook up on only larger fish. Not a bad problem to have!

After countless fish throughout the morning, the overcast skies finally gave way to some sunshine in the afternoon. This also helped the fishing somewhat as they were finally able to put a couple of keeper walleye in the livewell for their dinner tonight. Along with these walleye, they still continued catching much bigger ones too and Cameron completed his slam by landing a huge largemouth bass as well. He had never seen one other than in magazines and on TV and was really happy to finally catch one this size. While trying to take pics of his fish, we had a little fire drill with multiple rods going off. So much so that I had to put the largie in the livewell, just to net all the fish they were catching. Each time I managed to get the lines back in, another reel fired and I had to wait again. Nobody seemed to mind as they caught 6 more fish in about 5 minutes time! Eventually I was finally able to take a few pics and he released the bass afterwards.

Andy had wanted to try for some smallies late in the afternoon and after many more pike & walleye, we switched it up. I headed closer to shore where I knew they would be able to get into some decent fish and they weren’t disappointed. Despite the overcast that had returned, I was able to find what I was looking for and they threw soft plastics for the fish in this area.

Cameron was the first to hook up but unfortunately the fish had all the control. After a couple of jumps it finally bounced off the big engine and was gone. He realized at that moment that these things were out of control! They weren’t like trolling pike & walleye, they were just mean! Andy had similar results up front when a big one took his bait twice and both times he missed it due to a light hookset. Things could only get better!

We didn’t really have much time left in the day and I wanted both of them to land some of these smallies that they were losing. I instructed them on what to do a little better and made them aware of a solid hookset. Next time the bass hit, they would hopefully keep them pinned!

By covering the water slowly they were both able to get into several of these bronze beauties but still managed to lose more than they hooked. Fortunately some of the better sized ones made their way into the boat before we had to go. Andy landed a couple of really nice ones and Cameron did as well. He even caught another walleye from the same area as an added surprise fish!

Right about 4:00 we called the day and I packed everything up for the run back. It would be a lot more pleasant than this morning as the lake flattened out almost completely. We had a little rain fall earlier and the winds just died afterwards. Smooth riding all the way back to the dock now!

This day was another great one filled with lots of fish and these guys enjoyed themselves immensely! They had caught loads of pike & walleye and slammed on bass in the end. Andy even managed to land a huge perch casting for smallies that gave him another species as well. Overall, they couldn’t have asked for anything more!!

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July 23rd 2018

 

Thomas and his daughter Katie were with me today for another spectacular outing. There were suppose to be three of them but his son decided to remain in bed. Big mistake!

After travelling a good distance in a light chop, I set up the rods and began the troll. It had been so good lately that there was no reason not to. Thomas had caught both pike & walleye before but his daughter was new to this fishing and had not. Within minutes of the lines being set, a reel fired and she had her first Canadian walleye. Not only was it her first, but it was much bigger than anything her father had ever landed before! I held it for her while several pics were taken and then released it back to the water. Nice starter fish!

I was pretty sure we were going to have a great day with overcast skies and a good chop on the water. The reels were firing often throughout the morning with both northerns as well as good walleye being caught. Katie was having a blast reeling in both and many fish too! Although I did have to work a little harder at locating them, they were quite active. Her father also managed plenty of good fish and I think he even landed his largest walleye as well. Katie still had bragging rights with hers though as well as the biggest pike too.

We had trolled for several hours now and were into the afternoon when I decided to switch it up and get them both a slam. I packed away all the rods and pulled out some lighter spinning rods for them to use. Off we went in pursuit of the smallmouth bass!

Katie had caught bass before but only largemouth and was in for a treat. She was about to feel the strength of a bass on steroids! I explained to them what to do with the soft plastics and had them casting over shallow rock flats in search of the brownies.

It didn’t take long before Katie was fighting a nice big bass. I could see by the way she was struggling that this fish was more than she expected. It fought hard and peeled line from the reel several times before I was able to get it in the net. Her first ever smallie and an official slam for her today! I didn’t want to keep the fish out of the water too long as it had swallowed the hook and I had to perform surgery. The technique I have for removal is great but immediate release is imperative! Sorry Katie, no pics this time!

Shortly after the release, Thomas was hit and he too managed to fight a nice smallie of his own. Within 10 minutes of stopping for bass they both had completed their grand slam in Canada! Unfortunately just like his daughters fish, this one had also swallowed the bait and no pics were taken. It didn’t matter though as there were plenty of others to be caught!

I covered the area looking for more and managed to put them on a few other fish. I had also wanted to try another place a little further away and saved enough time for the last spot of the day. Off we went, hoping for bigger and more!

The winds had kicked up some and we were out in the open on this place, fully exposed. I zoned in on the key area and anchored up with the electric motor right where I needed to be. Almost immediately, Thomas was hit and with bent rod once again. He was absolutely loving the bass and landed several more in the time remaining. Katie also landed a few but also lost several others on the hook set. It didn’t matter though as they were having a great time.

Sometime around 3:45, we decided to call it a day and head back to the dock. One last cast and Thomas almost had his final fish of the day. Unfortunately a missed strike had him ending it without. He had caught plenty though and wasn’t disappointed!

Today was not only a great day of fishing but it was an excellent way to introduce Katie into freshwater fishing. She had landed so many fish and had a fantastic time on the water, in the company of her father. I’m sure this experience will have her wanting more father daughter outings for other species as well. She’s already talking about steelhead fishing and I think it will happen pretty soon. Either way, they will always remember the day they both completed their first Canadian Slam!!

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July 22nd 2018

 

Troy was scheduled to fish with me this morning, along with three others. Well let’s just say that he was the only real fisherman in the group! He was flying solo today and it would be a great choice in the end!

We headed out on the water at 7:00 in a bad S/E wind that saw us running in huge waves. I didn’t care though, as long as I could get to where I needed to go! The fish were big and I wanted Troy to experience the best fishing he had ever seen.

Once we arrived, I set the lines and kept the two other rods nearby as spares, for when we needed them. One minute in the first reel fires and hard! He reels in the first northern of the day and it’s a biggun! I toss another line in quickly and take a few pics before getting back to business. Soon after the reel goes off and this time it’s a big walleye. As soon as it’s in the net, I reset another line and continue fishing as I take more pics of his catch. By always having two lines wet, we were able to monopolize on the limited amount of time we would have today.

Troy couldn’t believe the fishing so far but I knew it was going to get even better! I was hoping to get him a slam today and would save some time near the end to get him a smallie or two, if needed.

As we continued our troll, reels were firing every few minutes. He was bringing in walleye after walleye until he had something jump behind the boat. It didn’t look like a pike and for a very good reason! He had managed to catch a nice largemouth and this gave him the slam I had hoped for too! More pics and back she went. This was proving to be a great day so far!

Sometime mid morning the rain began to fall and the winds picked up slightly, causing the fish to become more active. Hard to believe but it was true! When the next reel fired and he was tight to a big eye, again, the other rod also howled giving us a double. I told him to concentrate on one fish at a time and I just left it in the holder. After I netted his fish, he grabbed the other line and boated yet another huge walleye. He somehow managed to get his own double header and they were both big fish. I quickly set the other two rods and began taking a few pics when one of the reels screamed again. This was chaos at its finest! After he released the pair of walleye he grabbed the rod and brought another golden beauty to net one more time. As fast as I could get the lines in the water, he was fighting more Walters!

We fished through the morning in a light rain, all the while hooking into quality fish. Most of them were big walleye but he did manage to catch two high end keepers that were going back with him for a nice dinner tonight. Along with all the big walleye there were plenty of northerns as well as one more good largemouth bass. He had never caught these before and now he had landed two of them! This was an absolutely insane fishing day with very little down time . Troy managed to catch all kinds of big fish with the majority being gold. I think he found the pot at the end of the rainbow!

Right before 11:30 and after several more fish, we packed up and headed back to take out. I knew the ride back was not going to be pretty but took the waves like a sailboat to arrive at the dock. I had also given a set of keys to Don before leaving this morning and was happy to see my trailer in the water awaiting our arrival. In seconds we were out!

Today couldn’t have gone any better for Troy after finding out he was flying solo. I guess he was lucky, as it just meant more fish for him in the end. This was like the Olympics of walleye fishing and he was the only one competing. He finished the day with plenty of gold medals!!