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This year I have had the pleasure of taking out many families with their kids and today I did it once again. Flora brought her three children as well as her husband for an action packed morning of fishing. With this many bodies in the boat, there was really only one safe method for catching fish and it was to troll. We headed on the water shortly after 7:00 and directly to an area that would surely keep everyone interested. Pike was the targeted fish and with any luck, a few walleye as well. With lines in, I began the search for these toothy creatures and it didn’t take long to find them. The first reel fired in about 5 minutes or less and it was game on! For well over three hours, the children landed so many fish that the parents even had a few turns. I had found an area that was loaded with exactly what I had hoped for and the action was non stop. One fish after another with very little down time in between. There were plenty of doubles and even one triple header that got the adrenaline pumping in everyone! Although most of these fish were pike, it was a great fish for the kids to fight and made for loads of fun. I knew they weren’t keeping any of these fish and were looking to take one walleye home so I slid into an area that was sure to get them dinner. Almost immediately one of the reels fired and it was exactly what I expected. A perfect high end keeper was boated and placed in the livewell for the kids to view. In fact they also landed another one not long after and it too went into the tank. We continued landing pike for a while longer, but once the wind died, moved to another area in hopes of a few more walleye too.

The long run felt good and it got rid of all those pesky midge that had gathered where we previously were. Unfortunately we were now in an area now that had tons of floating weeds and a new batch of those little bugs to contend with. I would now have to monitor the rods more often and clean the lines if we were going to get bit. This last area was fished for about 45 minutes with only one hard rip that ended in disappointment and we were done.

The morning had passed by so fast with all the fish they had caught and before we knew it, it was over. I don’t think they could have ever imagined a fishing day filled with so many incredible moments. Flora had taken all kinds of videos and pics that they will be able to relive it over & over again. Great kids and great times were had by everyone today. All but the fish of course! I think they’ll be talking about this day for quite a while too!

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As usual, every time Hugues is scheduled to fish with me, we have nasty weather. Last year was an over 10 year exception with the beautiful day but every other time it’s been hell. Today we began in a light misty rain that eventually became just clouds, but the best was yet to come. He brought along his son Oliver as well as his sister in law Patricia hoping to get them both into good fishing. A 7:00 meet time had us on the water shortly after and Oliver drew first blood, so to speak, with a small walleye. They were drop shotting an area that had produced in the past and the conditions looked great for us this morning. We had a pretty good wind out of the SW, creating a two foot chop on the water. Perfect for drifting in the current! Hugues managed to get into some good bass as well as small walleye but Patricia was having a little difficulty understanding the technique and missed several chances at hooking up. Oliver was also catching plenty of walleye but for some reason this morning, they all seemed to be on the small side. We made several drifts over various areas and the results were pretty much the same. As I wanted to get them some keepers to bring home, I switched gears a bit and went to trolling in order to cover more water. Unfortunately the only time the reel fired, it turned out to be a northern and we were forced to change back with all the fish I was marking. I literally was seeing all kinds of hooks, both on the bottom as well as close to it and thought we needed to slow down. Once again we drifted drop shot rigs across the spot with similar results. This was a new area and seemed loaded with fish but we just couldn’t seem to make them eat! I switched up different baits and with the exception of a couple of small fish, we came up empty. It wasn’t until the sun came out and the winds layed down that we started to seen any significant changes in their attitude. We went back to the original area and began getting multiple hookups on each and every pass. Keeper walleye and big smallies were getting caught and even Patricia was able to catch her first bass of the trip.

Just when you think everything is going good, something always seems to go wrong! With what looked like there was absolutely no other boats around, out of nowhere one appeared. Of course they had to fish where we were as well and see what we were doing. They made a half assed attempt at trying to drift but were out in no mans land! Eventually after drifting away, they decided to move and ran by us like they were leaving. Well that wasn’t the case as they turned around and started to line up with our path. I was ready to run back up for another drift but decided to just go past the area completely. I didn’t want to show them what we were doing and ran to another area much further away. This seems to be almost a daily thing but I’ll never understand why!

Back to the fishing and on our first drift, Hugues hooked into something huge! I wasn’t sure exactly what he had but it was giving him quite the battle. Finally after several minutes we saw that he had a small musky on the drop shot. Elephants eat peanuts! I eventually was able to get the fish into the other net and after a few quick pics released it unharmed. It’s always a surprise to get something like this while fishing for bass & walleye. We mad a few more passes over the area to let the other boat drift far away and eventually returned to where we really wanted to be. Almost immediately they were into fish and they had a double with one walleye and the other a bass. Each pass yielded multiple hookups and many more fish were caught.

It wouldn’t be a fishing trip with Hugues if we didn’t have some sort of weather system move in. Off in a distance I could see the heavy band of rain coming and our sunshine soon turned into cloud. Not long after we had a torrential downpour and had to get back into the rain gear once again. This is quite typical when he comes out but at least this time we didn’t have an electrical storm!

Once the rain passed, the sun returned and the winds changed to the west and increased. Our drifts were becoming different and I moved to find the fish once again. I was fortunate to stumble on them right on the drop and for the last hour of the day, all three pounded on bass & walleye. Every few minutes, someone was hooked up! There were even three doubles, bringing the numbers way up for the day. By about 4:15 we were done and called it quits.

Although we were dealt a variety of conditions today, I stuck to the plan and was able to make minor adjustments to stay on the fish throughout. By the time it was all over they had their dinner and plenty more good fish were released. I think everyone was satisfied with the outcome of today and Patricia now has a better understanding of fish behaviour. Overall a really great day to be fishing!

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Nathan & his son Drew hit the water with me this morning a little later than usual. We met at 8:00 and immediately went to an area to drop shot. For the first time this year, I knew exactly where I was going long before I arrived! A light wind from the SW made our drifts just about perfect and Nathan was locked up on the first one. He landed a nice smallie and another almost right after. Drew was having a little difficulty getting use to this method but rebounded fairly quickly with fish of his own. They were now into both bass and small eyes and multiple fish on each drift was becoming the norm. At one point, they doubled up and Drew had a monster on the line. His dad landed a nice bass while I focussed on whatever Drew was fighting. I really didn’t know what to expect and thought it might be another small musky, until I got a visual. Turns out he had been battling a huge freshwater drum or sheephead! This thing was a beast and made for some great pics before being released. We made several more drifts and they landed a pile more fish before relocating when the wind shifted south. I headed over to an area to see if I could get them into some sturgeon but unfortunately I never even dropped anchor. The bottom was void of the fish but there were plenty suspended. We moved out quickly and made a run to another part of the lake to troll.

With lines in, I began covering water in search of some good walleye but came up empty. Another move had me setting the first reel without even being able to drop the second line in the water, before it screamed. Although it was the right species, it was the wrong size. A typical over had to be released after a couple of pics and we carried on. Many pike were landed and another over walleye in a short period and I decided to go somewhere else to cast up some bass. It was difficult to find areas to fish today. Everywhere I went, there was a boat already fishing either on or near the spot. I finally settled in one place and they landed several nice smallies before moving again. As the day was drawing close to the end, I headed to open water to resume what we had began the day with. We decided to go back to the drop shot and in the last hour or so, managed to land another half dozen or more fish.

I had covered plenty of water today and they had fished several techniques to land all their fish. Drew had also managed to acquire his first « Grand Slam » consisting of; bass, pike, walleye and of course the drum! I even think he had out fished his father which I’ve heard, happens often. Either way, they both had a great time and reeled in a good number of fish throughout the day. They left a little tired but absolutely fulfilled with the outcome of this day. I can’t wait to get them back out again!

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After yesterdays heavy rainfall, I was back out this morning, not knowing what to expect. Scott & his son Tristan would have an interesting day to say the least! The waves were crashing on the docks as I dropped the boat in and I knew the ride was going to be a little bumpy. Along with the giant winds, the temps hit an all time low for July, starting the day at a balmy 56 degrees. Thankfully I had all kinds of extra clothes in the truck and I layered up like the fall. With the winds coming from the east, I headed somewhere that hopefully would be protected. Getting there however was a different story as 2 to 3 footers were what we had for the run.

I thought we’d begin the day with a little trolling to see what had happened from yesterday’s weather. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw that the water temps had fallen from almost 74 degrees all the way to 67.5. I knew that this couldn’t be good! Let’s just say that our trolling didn’t last long when I spent 45 minutes and only one reel fired! Nothing was chasing and I quickly made a move to a different area and began fishing much slower. Here too, it was nothing like the previous time I had fished. I realized that if we were going to get bit, we’d have to slow down even more. It almost required a dead stick presentation to entice the bass into biting. Once I changed everything up, they started catching several good sized smallies on soft plastics. This one area yielded about a half dozen or more nice fish before I moved to another spot a little further away. Here too they landed several nice bass and I decided to try an area that I hadn’t touched all year. It was a good move as Tristan managed to land a couple of giants along with many other quality sized bass too. Scott also hooked into a good number of brownies and we hung in here until they stopped biting. I think we may have spent close to 3 hours on this spot before finally relocating. The sun had come out while we were here and the fish had really turned on. I hoped that the next location would be the same!

After a long run, I stopped in another similar location but wasn’t happy to see how dirty the water had become. All the rain and wind had muddied up the area, but were the fish still here? I needed to cover water a little quicker to find out so I had Tristan throw a crankbait and he hooked into a bass on his very first cast. The fish threw the hooks on a spectacular jump, but I had the confirmation I needed. I switched back to a slower presentation and it was one fish after another for these two for quite a while. So much so that I was running out of time and eventually left them biting. I wanted to dropshot a deeper spot before we ended the day and headed there with less than an hour remaining. On a demonstration cast, a really nice smallie hit the bait and Scott was locked up! Tristan was having a tough time getting use to the technique but with a little coaching, he managed to land three nice smallies in the time remaining. In fact, I think there were at least 7 or 8 fish boated before we called the day. They had experienced all kinds of weather today and had worked through the difficult times. Although the fishing was tough at the start, it definitely turned around once the sun came out. High numbers of bass were caught by both Scott & his son Tristan once we switched presentations & techniques. This day was a birthday gift for his son and a win, win for everyone involved. I can’t think of a better way to spend a B Day!

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Lou & Stephen were with me this morning and I hoped for a repeat of yesterday. The conditions were quite similar but the winds were a little lighter when we headed out. Overcast skies and a cold east wind made it feel like the arrival of fall was already here! They were happy to head for notherns with the conditions not right to drift in current, so we set the lines and trolled. It started a little slow, but I soon found the right zone and the reels began to fire. One side of the boat was going off much more than the other and I think at one point, Lou was up 6 to 1 on Stephen. He joked about selling his side and with each fish caught, the price increased. Color was definitely making the difference in these gloomy conditions! As I wanted them to catch as many fish as possible today, we kept at it for most of the morning. Ironically when the sun finally came out, both sides of the boat were firing and the numbers were definitely climbing. I think they were just happy to be having all this action! I was actually surprised that we didn’t hook any walleye though, as I always get a few overs mixed in. The bite lasted right past noon with very little down time and I took advantage of it as long as I could. Once the winds layed down and the bugs got bad, I pulled the plug and we headed elsewhere to cast for smallies. This was obviously a good move as they hooked into fish on each & every spot. I had every intention of spending some time drop shotting deeper water when the winds layed down, but the bite was too good to move. For the remainder of the day, they casted soft plastics and put a beating on the bass. The action was non stop as both of them landed plenty of good fish. Shortly before 4:00, we called it and headed back to the ramp. They couldn’t have had a nicer day on the water with the conditions we were dealt. Being from Atlanta, Lou was just happy not to have 100 degrees today. They both got to fish in comfortable conditions and catch all kinds of fish. They definitely left feeling fulfilled with the results from their fishing day!