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July 13th 2018

I had a group from Saskatchewan this afternoon, looking to catch bass. Where they were from, walleye & pike were abundant but not the smallies. They were in for a real treat!

Running a little late due to all the construction, they arrived before noon & ready for action. I headed to a distant area and prepped a few rods with soft plastics when we arrived. I noticed an unusual number of bass boats in various places and realized that there was a tournament coming up on the weekend. In fact, there was a boat in the spot I wanted to fish! We watched him for a few minutes while I set up their rods and sure enough, he left without catching a thing. I told them we were going to go in there and hammer them now!

I had Chris up front with me, as I slid into the area I knew held fish. He casted out and while reeling in, had a boil on his bait, but missed the fish. I told him to wait and sure enough, the fish hit again and he was locked up with his first ever smallmouth bass. Never having had the opportunity to fish for these, he was thrilled to watch them go airborne and fight so hard. Although not huge, it was his first and now he wanted more!

I had all three slowly fish the area and Matt eventually hooked up from the back of the boat. He too was in awe from the power and acrobatics of these little brown footballs. The only person not catching was the other Chris. He had his chances but always fell short on the hookset! Matt on the other hand wasted no time in hooking his second fish from the back and the smack talk began. This time the fish was worthy of a pic before the release!

I was working the area thoroughly by holding the electric in anchor mode about every 50 feet or so. This allowed them to cover new water. Each time I made a move, someone always hooked up. Someone other than Chris from the back that is as he was still missing them on the strike. The other two were landing most of theirs and letting him know every time they did!

We had fished this area for a while now and mostly average sized fish had been landed. I decided to try another spot not far from this one and headed there hoping for bigger fish.

I was actually in open water and what should have had current, but it felt like I wasn’t moving. I soon realized that there wasn’t much flow, if any at all. They must have shut off the dam up above and that wasn’t good! We really needed to slow down now, in order to get bit! Matt had no problem with that as he slammed another fish on almost his very first cast! This turned out to be his biggest one so far and also worthy of a pic.

We worked this spot completely, with several other fish being missed by Chris and landed by the others. I decided to have him come up to the front of the boat so I could keep an eye on him and see why. There wasn’t any real reason other than possibly hitting the fish too early, as he missed another soon after. I immediately told him to stop reeling and tighten up on the line and he hooked it on the second bite. They always come back I told him, and this was proof! He finally had landed a fish and the other guys heckled him into taking a pic, regardless that it was a small fish. They said that it might be the only one he catches and they needed proof that he was actually here!

Several more quality bass were landed in the area, but I really wanted to fish another place that I could see nearby. I wasn’t planning on heading there until two other bass boats cleared out from an adjacent spot. Eventually they left and I told the guys that we would finish our day there!

Not long after I arrived, I had a fish attack a soft plastic bait that I was using to search the area. Without setting the hook, I had Chris throw to where I got bit and he was immediately locked up. Big bass and an acrobat at that! I quickly hit the anchor on my electric and netted his fish. More pics and Matt was also locked from the back before Chris could release his catch. There were definitely fish here and I was planning on finding out just how many!

In the last hour, they all had their fair share of fish chances and monopolized on most. Even Chris was catching and that was great to see! They had come all the way from Saskatchewan and weren’t disappointed with the smallie action today. As time was running out, I really wanted someone to end with a fish and ironically, it was Chris. They had all landed their fair share throughout the afternoon and Chris ended their day with a bang! I packed everything up and headed back to the dock to take out.

I don’t think they could have had a better day of fishing, except maybe landing a few more of the ones they missed. They had now seen and felt the smallie in action and were looking forward to doing it again. Unfortunately not anytime soon as they were flying out tomorrow and back to walleye & pike. Hopefully I will see them back in the coming years and their hook setting skills will have improved, giving them an even better day than they had today!!

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July 12th 2018 (afternoon)

Mark and his two sons, Noah and Adam were with me this afternoon. They were in from Scotland and staying locally for three weeks & I definitely wanted to get them into fish!

As we left the dock I realized that the winds had actually switched direction and were now out of the SW. Time to try a little drifting and drop shotting! They had done this technique before with someone else and had the basic knowledge of what to do. I just had a few adjustments and they were off to the races!

I set up the bimini top as soon as we arrived, so as not to get fried. The sun was high & strong and I knew they would get burned if I didn’t! On the first drift, Adam hooked up on a nice smallie and his father, a small walleye. Things were looking good for the start, but unfortunately that was about to change. We made 4 more drifts over different sections without a single fish coming to the net. It wasn’t for lack of bites as they all had multiple chances. These fish just weren’t cooperating very well and I decided to make an adjustment. We were going trolling and I was in search of big fish!

When we arrived I set the lines & once again went through the orientation process. The chop was nice on the water and for a change, from the right direction. It was going to happen!

When the first reel went off I was pretty sure what it was and I was right. Noah got to reel in a good walleye and I was glad I changed locations. They would definitely be getting into some fish here today!

With lines all set, the next bite turned into a double and Noah & his dad battled another couple of great fish. A little chaos occurred when their fish crossed lines, but I was able to untangle them by switching their sides. Two nets were needed for this landing and Adam passed me the second one just in time. Both fish were really good ones and the pike was overly large for this lake. It made for a great pic too!

I covered plenty of water, hooking them up multiple times in the process. Most of the pike & walleye were big ones and ironically only one eye was in the slot. They were all overs and some way over! Despite one slow period in the afternoon, I eventually found more fish and fired the reels every few minutes in the end. Big eyes and even bigger pike were coming in the boat in the last hour and the numbers were climbing. I don’t think they had expected such quality fish in the heat of the day. I knew where they were and kept at the troll locking someone up every few minutes before their day ended.

I had hoped for another bite while prepping the boat and downing the top before leaving. What I got in the end was two and both were great fish! I can’t believe I left them biting, but I did! We were out of time and had to go.

What had started out slowly this afternoon turned full circle in the end. Once I found the right area, it was like shooting fish in a barrel. So many big fish were landed by everyone and all in the comfort of a shaded boat. Trolling was definitely the ticket today, when the drift & drop shot didn’t work. I’m just glad I didn’t waste too much time trying to adjust their presentations. Instead of catching a few smaller fish I got them into bigger & more. What a great end to the day!!

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July12th 2018 (morning)

Marcy & her son Elliot were with me this morning for a half day trip. Elliot was just getting into fishing and was hoping to land a few more species of fish. Largemouth were the ones he had already caught, but he always wanted to catch smallies, so I was taking him for the brown ones for the start!

Winds were out of the NW but light as we raced across the lake to hit the first spot. He had brought along a baitcaster and after a little tweaking, I had it running smoothly. I let him throw a blade for a while, but without any aggressive hits. His mother however was on a crank and boated her first two smallies before Elliot could even get bit. Way to go mom! After seeing this, I immediately switched him to soft plastics and soon after he was tight to his first ever smallie. He added to that a couple more after and was loving the power of these smallies!

I made a short move to an area close by when it slowed down and Elliot managed to land a couple more nice bass, including the largest of the day. His mother was just in awe with the surroundings and enjoying watching her son fish. She had caught a couple of bass at the start and was just wanting Elliot to have fun. That he was with each and every cast!

I wanted to work more bass areas, but each place took time and we were only doing a half day. I offered them another couple of species and techniques and they were all in. We would be trying for pike & walleye now and doing a little trolling. I knew we would get bit!

After arriving, I set up and instructed them on how to remove the rods when the fish hit. We were going over an area that held both and with any luck, it wouldn’t take long! Well, it didn’t and within minutes, a reel fired giving Elliot his first ever northern pike. Although not big, it definitely deserved a pic as it was a different species. I reset the line and a little while later, another reel went off and he was into his second pike. While fighting it, I heard a down rod scream and passed it to his mother. Doubles, finally! Without realizing it, they were into a mix match pair. One walleye and one pike were what they would be landing and it made for a great action photo too!

We had wanted to get Elliot a walleye as well but all he was catching were pike and time was getting on. He talked about going for smallies again but it would be eating into their time getting there. I offered them a chance at some largemouth and he jumped at the offer. We were closer to the green fish and got to fish for them for almost an hour before calling their day. Although we did see a few, they didn’t want to eat and we had to go. They had also seen some huge gar and a few other species, along with piles of different birds making it a worthwhile attempt.

Both Marcy and Elliot had a great time this morning catching a variety of fish and Elliot learned a few new techniques and baits to use. Although he may be young, he has the drive and desire to become a great fisherman. In the coming years he will have plenty more fish to catch and look back on today whenever he boats another smallie. You can always catch bigger and more, but you can never replace the first fish one! Today was just the start of many more years of fishing pleasure!!

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July 10th 2018

I had the pleasure of sharing the boat today with a true hockey legend! Larry Robinson was back again and this time he brought a few of his family with him. His brother Mo, son Jeff & grandson Dylan would be competing for big fish honors and we would be targeting walleye.

A quick run on the water had us starting in an area that had been producing good fish, daily. I needed to see if they would bite again and set the rods for the troll. Their option was either to pick a rod or go for the rotation. They opted for the second choice and Dylan would be first up on the rods.

I had set the lines in deeper water and began searching without much sign of life. After about 10 minutes of washing lures, I decided to move a little shallower and a reel finally fired. I knew by the way the fish hit that it was what we were after and Dylan reeled in the first walleye of the day. It definitely wouldn’t be the last! For some reason the reel didn’t go off hard, but barely clicked, causing me to think that the fish were very lethargic. I would be listening for other light biters after hearing this one!

Mo was up next and it didn’t take long for him to get on the board either. Unfortunately it was a pike and returned quickly. Several passes in the area provided us with a few more fish but the bite wasn’t what I expected. These fish were still here but not really in the mood to eat. At one point I began a much wider search and still continued to only pick at them again. It had the makings of a very tough morning!

After covering what felt like miles & miles of open water with similar results, I decided to return to where I thought they were. We trolled over the exact same areas and reels began firing with only good fish. Several high end keeper walleye were boated and made their way into the livewell. When Dylan’s turn came back around, he fought a really big pike that would hold as largest northern of the day. Larry had a great rotation too, when he took the next rod and battled a big eye. This wouldn’t be going into the livewell but made for some really nice pics and possibly bragging rights! I had returned to where I knew the fish should be and obviously they were there. I guess they just weren’t in the mood to eat, earlier this morning!

With the numbers climbing now, I wasn’t going anywhere! I just kept trolling over this spot and refining it a little more on each pass. Although not all fish were walleye, it was still nice to hear the reels fire. At least the ones with big fish as Larry was about to find out again! His next one was even larger than his previous fish and fought even harder. More great pics and a quick release and smack was now being talked. He may have only landed two walleye so far but they were both big! Might as well brag about it with this crew!

With only a few walleye in the livewell, I continued the search and managed to find several more high end keepers. Every time I swung back to one area, we hooked up! As long as I gave it a rest, we were almost guaranteed a fish or two when we returned.

I didn’t want to spend the whole day trolling and eventually moved further from the key areas and more to open water. Ironically, we put another good fish in the livewell, just by covering water!

I eventually pulled the plug here and opted for some drop shotting on deeper shoals, in the open lake. We ran to the spot in waves that seemed to be building. All morning we had been fishing in a good chop and for some reason they were now 2 to 3 footers when we stopped to fish. I didn’t care, as long as we had a good drift!

With the boat turned sideways, I explained how this technique needed to be fished and everyone dropped down. We were moving a little quickly, but good enough to get bit! After making a couple of drifts and refining their presentations, the third time was a charm. Larry managed to set on a nice walleye, and Dylan simultaneously hooked up too! Jeff even had a shot at a third one but unfortunately it was off before he was able to reel it in. Larry’s fish was a good one and joined the others in the livewell while Dylan’s fell a little short and was released.

We had made several other drifts over this area and despite marking plenty of fish, they weren’t able to land any others. Everyone had their chances, but these fish just weren’t eating well. Time to relocate!

I hit another spot further away and they continued with the drop shot for a while. The results were still the same so I decided to go back to the troll instead! With lines set, it really didn’t take long for the first reel to scream and scream it did! Jeff pounced on the rod, regardless that it was suppose to be Dylan’s turn and boated a nice smallie to complete his slam. Not to be outdone by his father, Dylan rebounded soon after with a slam of his own, when he boated another bass. Obviously the toll was working despite the dismal drop shotting over the same area!

With time getting on and a deadline to meet due to evening engagements for them, I hit the key areas again. When one of the reels went off, Mo grabbed the rod and reeled in the last fish of the day. Unfortunately he didn’t get his slam, but he did boat a really nice walleye. Several quick pics later, we released the over and packed it in.

The fishing may have been a little slow by my standards today, but plenty of quality fish were still landed. Largest pike honors went to Dylan but Larry took the cup with his two big walleye from the morning troll. It’s all about the right rotation and he definitely had that today! He may not be competing anymore but the competitive nature in him still remains. In fact, they were all in the same boat, literally! With every fish landed, plenty of laughs were had, especially when the fish weren’t walleye! Regardless of the comments and smack talk, they all had a great time together, relaxing on this family fishing trip!!

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July 9th 2018

William was back with his son Peter today and this time he also brought his brother Rodney along. The three of them were going to have a great morning, filled with plenty of fish.

I ran to an area to troll that had been productive recently and quickly set the 4 lines. I noticed that the water was a little off colored and hoped it wouldn’t affect the fishing. We even had a pretty good chop from a strong SW wind and 1 to 2 foot waves. As usual, within minutes the first reel went off notifying me of a fish. It hadn’t screamed like it usually does but rather clicked like a cold water strike. I grabbed the rod and handed it to his son to fight the fish. Minutes later we had the first keeper walleye in the net and were well on our way to a great day.

They began with a rotation and before we knew it, there were 3 walleye in the livewell. Only 1 pike had been caught so far but the eyes were definitely active. I needed to find the pike in order to bump up the numbers for the day!

We covered plenty of water and ironically it was the walleye that were mostly being caught. Although they had landed a few northerns, the walleye were leading. When the next reel fired it went off hard and I knew Peter was into a big eye again. He was struggling to reel her in, but eventually it neared the boat and I definitely knew now just how big! It took a couple of runs, but eventually I grabbed the leader and coaxed it into the net. Peter had just landed the largest walleye of his life!

After several pics were taken of his trophy catch, we resumed fishing and I began locating more northerns. A couple of them were quite large and Peter had a rough time holding them for the pics. William was letting his son take his turn on the reels and between Rodney and Peter, they landed many more. A mix of walleye and pike were now being caught but the action wasn’t what I was use to. I kept moving and hoping to bump into a group of fish that were active, but it never really happened. In one area I actually found water temps to be down to almost 68 degrees from 76 this weekend. This too may have had an impact on the fishing!

After landing a bunch more walleye & pike, I decided to pack everything up and switch gears completely. I was going to take them to another area where they would be drop shotting. William was all for that as he’d rather catch smallies with rod in hand anyway!

On our run through open water I realized just how sheltered we actually were while trolling. The lake had kicked up quite a bit and we would be fishing in 2 to 3 foot waves where we were. I quickly demonstrated what was needed and let them drop down and begin. They were all pretty new to this technique and I told them to keep a tight line if they ever wanted to feel the strike.

On the second drift, William hooked into a nice walleye that felt much better on the light equipment. I think they had all been hit but it was difficult for them to feel anything in these conditions. We were rolling pretty good with the waves and despite a couple of snags, the others weren’t as lucky. I did see Rodney’s rod load once but he wasn’t ready and missed the fish.

We made a few more drifts as the waves grew, hoping for more action and on the last one, both William & his brother hooked up. Unfortunately they both lost the fish as well from lack of tight line. They soon had another chance and at least William was able to keep his pinned, all the way to the boat. He fought a nice bass and enjoyed how strong it was on the light tackle. Unfortunately this was to be their last fish before we had to leave. I stayed a bit longer to try and get them more but with only a half day morning trip scheduled, it was time to go.

Today was a great one once again with a pile of fish landed trolling and a few more on the drop shot. Although short, it was quite productive! In the end, there were fish to take home and they had learned a new technique, for future fishing trips as well. I was also glad this was only a half day as the winds were getting stronger and the waves much larger. This afternoon would have been difficult to say the least. Thankfully the morning was their choice for today!!