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July 16th 2018

 

Patrick was with me today, hoping to learn about different species of fish. He hoped to catch them on a variety of techniques and I knew he would. The last time we fished together was winter and he learned how to use a flasher to increase his chances. Today he would understand a whole new concept in open water success!

We hit the water just about 7:00 and I decided to check an area not too far away for walleye. We would be trolling in order to cover the water quickly, searching for the fish. Unfortunately this didn’t work out as I had hoped and all we received for our efforts was one pike.

The next area wasn’t much better but at least it put one small walleye in the boat that never even fired the reel. I found it while checking the lines! After seeing this, I immediately pulled the plug on trolling and decided to have him drop shot a slightly deeper area nearby.

A quick demonstration had me hooked up on my very first cast and a keeper walleye went in the well for him to take home. The next cast I was also locked, but this time I gave the rod to him to fight the fish. It was a nice smallie and he was now starting to understand this technique. Patrick’s first few casts were a little quick but eventually he began to work his presentation much better. It’s all about the feel with tight line and not being too quick on the hook set! After slamming a few and not landing them, he was coached again into what was needed and he finally started to keep them pinned.

We remained in this spot for quite a while as Patrick was hooking fish on almost every cast. He landed a limit of walleye and several smaller ones that we released along with a few really nice bass. I think he finally got the hang of this technique! Unfortunately the area eventually went quiet and we were working way too hard for very few bites. It was finally time to move!

With the sun high and the heat & humidity almost unbearable, I thought we would give trolling another try. I headed to an area that I was sure would produce and we began fishing. This time however, I raised the top for a little more comfort! There was virtually zero wind when we started but at least it felt nice with the roof above us and we were now in the shade.

It didn’t take long for the first reel to fire and Patrick was now getting to see how effective the trolling could be. He landed a pretty nice northern and was just happy to see action so quickly. Several more reels also screamed in the next 15 minutes as well and they were also pike. I was hoping to get him into a big walleye and was now covering water, in search of something large!

Several more pike were taken before we finally had a good rip on one of the reels. I could tell by the way the fish was staying down that this was the right species. By the looks of the fight, it was also large! As Patrick brought it closer to the boat I realized just how big it really was. It was a giant! Fortunately it had eaten the lure good and stayed pinned all the way into the net. I told him that this was without a doubt the largest walleye brought aboard my boat this season! It was also his personal best making it that much sweeter! Needless to say, we were going to take several pics before releasing her and I took shots from a few different angles. He had the pleasure of putting this sow back and she swam away unharmed! We had finally gotten the one fish I was searching for and I was glad we made the move!

I reset the lines and kept trolling a little longer, adding a few more pike and another over to the numbers. I was covering the same area that had produced the big eye when one of the reels fired and Patrick was back into something heavy again. Just as I thought, another nice walleye! It wasn’t as large as the first one, but it was definitely a quality fish! More pics and another release and back to the troll. I didn’t want to stay much longer, but had hoped for a big pike to give him a great slam. The next fish that hit was a surprise as it went airborne before the reel even went off. It was a big smallie and unfortunately jumped the hooks on its next leap. Oh well, crap happens! He did finally manage to land a really good northern however adding to all the other big fish he had caught today. Time for something new!

I told him that he was going to learn patience while fishing soft plastics for smallies and he was all for it. I stopped on an open water flat & rigged the rods, demonstrating the proper way to fish the baits. Well I kind of knew what was about to happen next! As soon as he got bit, he slammed the hooks, coming up with air. I had told him to wait and count to five before setting but instinct took over. The next fish was the same thing and he was losing them as fast as they were biting. I actually had to show him an example when I got picked up and demonstrated patience and proper rod positioning before pulling back on the hook set. Hopefully he would now understand! A couple more missed fish later due to quick sets and he finally calmed down. He was now aware that if he continued, he would never land anything!

This place had a lot of fish and at least he was getting plenty of chances. He finally waited on the next fish and when he slammed the hooks home, it stayed pinned. The remaining fish were no different as he was landing every one of them now! He had learned patience and was rewarded with several good battles from aggressive smallies. He couldn’t have asked for a better way to end the day. One more fish and we were done!

Today was a great learning experience with Patrick seeing some new techniques. He had caught fish a variety of ways and some really big ones too! He also had a limit of walleye to bring home with him, for dinner tonight. I don’t think he could have had a better, educational day!!

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July 15th 2018

 

Another bachelor party booking this morning had Adam, Kevin & the groom to be Dylan on the water by 7:00. A little early considering they really didn’t get to sleep much last night! The three of them were a little slow but that was perfect for what we would be doing. We were going to be trolling as Dylan was looking for some big pike. I just hoped they’d be biting like yesterday!

After setting the lines and giving them an orientation, I began the search. It didn’t happen as fast as I had hoped, but eventually, one of the reels went off and Dylan landed a small northern. Definitely not what I had expected, but at least we were bit! As I continued along, I realized that the fish weren’t very active and hoped it would change, soon. Although they did land a few more pike and we had a couple of drive byes, the action just wasn’t there. I worked all the areas both deep and shallow but only picked at the fish for the first couple of hours. Things were going to have to change soon, or we were going to have to relocate!

Sometime before 10:00 the action began to pick up. I had gotten two bites simultaneously and monopolized on both of them. The pike were even getting bigger and it looked like everything was beginning to wake up! I could only hope I was right and that things would get better!

I decided to try covering some of the same water we fished earlier and wouldn’t you know it, the fish cooperated. I think they were there all along but just not interested in what we had to offer. Let’s just say that now the light switch had been turned on and they were finally feeding!

The next couple of hours saw the action that I was accustomed to and the reels fired off every couple of minutes. They even managed to get three keeper walleye that were livewelled for them to eat tonight. Along with these fish were loads of northerns and two really nice over walleye. I was just glad to finally see action!

I stuck it out a little longer due to the slow start and managed to get them into several more decent fish. I was also bound and determined to leave on a high and worked the area until we got one more fish. Just like one last cast, there has to be one last fish when trolling!

Although it may have been slower than I had hoped for at the start, we rebounded to finish on a high. They all landed plenty of fish by the time we were done and would be sampling some of their catch tonight. I’m just glad that these fish finally woke up before our day was done. It’s always tricky when you’re under the gun and limited to time. Sometimes it pays to stay put and have the confidence when you’re in an area that you know holds fish. Today was one of those times!!

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July 14th 2018

 

I had a full boat today with Laurence and his friends. Chuck, Doug & Kevin were all about to have the best day of their lives and didn’t even know it. I would be trolling up pike and walleye and they were gonna be big!

We hooked up around 8:30 as they wanted a slightly later start and motored across a light chop on the water. It was once again out of the SW and I was glad. Too bad it wasn’t going to stay!

I wasted no time setting the lines and informing them on how to remove the rods from the holders. It didn’t take 3 minutes when the reel went off and they had their first walleye of the day. This may have been the first but it definitely wasn’t the last! With all lines back in, we continued and soon after had another good eye locked up again. Doug & Kevin managed to bring in a couple of nice ones that were both overs. Great for pics though!

This morning started out with a bang in the overcast skies and very light drizzle. The rain had let up immediately after we began fishing and the cloud cover felt great. Sunshine was eventually coming but in the mean time we were quite comfortable. The fishing also helped, as we went through two full rotations in no time. Everyone had caught either pike and or walleye and they were loving it! Plenty more fish to come!

As I covered water, reels fired off continuously and fish after fish came in the boat. Big pike and big walleye were being landed making the fishing seem effortless. The only problem was the rod removal from the holders. For some reason, even with all the practice, two of them were still having trouble. We were also losing a few fish because of this, but it didn’t seem to matter. There were plenty of fish still being caught.

As the morning passed the clouds started to give way to the sun and other boats also arrived. It even got to a point where I had to put the top up due to the high heat & humidity. We had lost any wind we had earlier and needed to be in the shade! I’m not quite sure what the other boats were doing but it definitely wasn’t catching. I think in the total time I only saw 2 or 3 fish boated. We on the other hand put a beating on the fish right through the day. Laurence even managed to fight a couple of nice smallmouth bass that made his day too! Pike after pike and walleye after walleye were being caught and there wasn’t very much down time in between fish. They had several doubles and one almost triple during the day as well. In fact one of the doubles in the afternoon turned out to be a pair of big eyes that made for a great pic before the release. This day was just about perfect!

I don’t know how many fish were landed today, but it was pretty high. Along with the numbers, they also had great size for both walleye & pike too. We had decided on a 4:00 return time and as it neared, I began prepping the boat for the return. While I was storing the bimini top they landed even more! We were going to leave the fish biting today and that’s always a good thing. Especially when you’ve been catching them all day long!

I don’t think any of the guys had ever expected such a fantastic day of fishing. Right from the beginning, the rain stopped and the fish started biting and they never stopped. It was one of those days where all the stars are aligned and you could do no wrong. Even with the minor difficulties and losing several fish, the numbers of fish landed was just insane. I don’t think I could have asked for anything more. I know the four of them will be talking about this day for quite some time. For a change, the story won’t be about the one that got away!!

 

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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!!