I was back on the water this morning for a half day with John, Eric & Randy. Being from Indiana they wanted to fish for smallmouth, so I headed to an area that I was sure would be holding. I set them up with the usual spinnerbait & crankbait rods and it didn’t take long. John drew first blood after Randy missed one and Eric doubled up while I was netting the fish. It was a chunky 18 incher and worthy of a pic. Eric had brought his fish to net by this time so why not a double pic! I could see after a while that the fish weren’t chasing the blades too much and handed Randy a tube rod. After a little instruction, he was getting bit almost every cast. Unfortunately, he was also dropping just about every one as well. After several more smaller bass we pulled the plug here and moved offshore before the winds got bad. We were expecting another big blow from the SW and I wanted to take advantage of the 10 knot winds we had before they hit 25. We covered a lot of water and picked at them throughout, but the fish really weren’t chewing well. I switched up baits plenty and they caught on everything being thrown, just not big ones. With the winds still not howling yet, I made a long run to another shallow flat that I was sure would produce. Unfortunately after about ten minutes, the winds arrived and were now blowing strong. So much so that three foot rollers were upon us instantly. I had to relocate again just so they could fish comfortably. I made another long run to a semi sheltered section of the lake and they began the search. Lately the Poplar trees have been pollinating so much that it looks like a snow squall at times. This was one of those times and the surface of the water was blanketed with cotton. Reels were jamming up and pieces were being reeled in on the lines. It was so bad that even after getting into a few more fish, I just had to leave all together! I was pressed for time with the half day, so I decided to go back to where we had started to try and get a few more of the fish that Randy missed. Another snow squall area but we stuck it out regardless! Although the fish were still present, only a few more got caught before we pulled the plug. They had a lunch scheduled with their wives and had to leave. They may not have landed a load today, but definitely had their chances! The run back was a little rough as we were going with the wind and had to surf three to four foot rollers. Everyone stayed dry and so did the boat! I definitely don’t miss my bass boat on days like these!

Stephen & his father Patrick were with me today for Father’s Day. It was a gift from his son! We hit the water just after 7:00 and headed out in less wind than I expected. Although it was blowing 15 knots or better from the SW, the waves weren’t too bad. I ran to the first location in 1 to 2 foot chop and immediately began fishing. We actually had a slower start than usual and only managed a handful of fish in the first hour. With the full moon upon us the reels were barely making a sound. Several times the fish was just on the line causing me to believe that they just weren’t very active. Eventually we began getting more bites but they were all pretty much garbage hits. I was once again forced to hammer down the throttle in order to lock them up. Stephen was hoping to take a few walleye home for dinner but that was not looking good. We did catch plenty of them, but they were all overs. Throughout the entire day, we only managed one slot fish and it too was released in the end. Sometime before lunch, the winds picked up considerably and so did the boat traffic. It was hard to tell which was which as the waves were from almost every direction. I wasn’t liking what was going on here so after picking at them all morning, I decided to relocate. We made the long run to an area I hadn’t fished in a while to see if the fish were more active. I managed to find both walleye and pike in extremely shallow water and the reels were firing hard. Once again however, all the walleye were too big and we were forced to return them after a few pics. It was going to be another day of the overs! I milked this area until the fish just stopped biting and moved on in hopes of finding another group of active fish. With only one walleye in the livewell for Stephen, time wasn’t on our side. I decided to return to where we began in hopes of adding to his total. I was shocked to see that the waves were quite a bit larger than when we left. In fact, the water was also very colored with all the turbulence from the boats as well. We dropped the lines and almost immediately had a double. Unfortunately pike were what they caught! I moved along checking several other areas and managed to get into a bunch more fish, but they too were also northerns. Right around 4:00 we decided to call it a day and headed back to the ramp. It was quite a roller coaster ride with these waves and we were running with them. It definitely felt like Lake Ontario rollers! What a zoo it was when we arrived at the dock. Jet skis and boats all over the place. Not really an easy take out with the waves pounding on the dock and no room to park. Fortunately I had a couple of people with me that could hold the boat from taking a pounding on the wharf. We may not have accomplished dinner for Stephen but both he & his father Patrick had a great day. Plenty of fish were landed and they both saw new techniques that will aid them on some of their future trips up north. Although the walleye were all too large, I guess that’s not a bad problem to have!!

After yesterday’s scouting trip, I knew exactly where I was heading this morning! Andy & I had unanimously decided last week to postpone until today, due to the hurricane like winds. It just wasn’t safe for us to venture out! We were only fishing a half day so a 7:00 start was agreed upon. I don’t think it took 3 minutes before the high line fired and he was into his first keeper of the day. Andy had wanted to learn a little more about walleye feeding locations and how to target them. I had been on the fish since opening day and although plenty changed, I was still on them good! The techniques I was showing him would come in handy for the lake he usually fished. We moved plenty this morning catching fish in almost each location we hit. From deep water areas to shallow flats, the fish kept biting. At least until the lake went flat calm and the sun got high! From this point on, it became a struggle to get them to move much and bites were few & far between. Plenty of northerns were caught along with some good eater walleye but no real giants today. Not until the very end! I decided to switch to two deep baits instead of one high and moved out a bit to where I wanted. After a couple more walleye and several pike, our time was winding down. One last pass and we would be done for the day. As luck would have it, one of the reels fired and Andy was into another pike. I decided to leave the second line in the water and dealt with the northern. As we were about to pull the last line to leave, it got hammered. Adam felt quite a difference in this fish as it wouldn’t budge. It was just heavy! He really wasn’t gaining on the fish, so I decided to back up to reduce the amount of line peeling off the spool. I had known from the start what he had but when we finally got a glimpse of his fish, we both knew for sure. Andy had never landed a musky and was hoping this would be his first. I had brought the big net this morning and was glad to have it on board. Lately the musky were being landed with the aid of a Boga grip but not today. In fact with the season officially opened, we would be able to have a pic instead of water shots. Into the net she went and Andy was all smiles as the fight was officially done! It was also a lot easier to remove the hooks while the fish was swimming in the net. A few quick shots later and Andy was releasing his catch back to the water. We watched her swim off perfectly, disappearing into the depths. What a great way to end the day. He had learned a bunch of walleye techniques and this was the icing on the cake. Last rod, last fish and one more off his bucket list. We were done!!

After yesterday’s postponement, I had to get back out. Christiane & Michel were my lucky guests and lucky was definitely the word. Although most of the day saw pretty big wind, it was nothing compared to the last few. We hit a new area and as soon as I saw what I was looking for on the sonar, the first reel fired. I could tell by the way it sounded that we were about to have dinner swimming in the livewell. Christiane landed a good keeper walleye and we went right back in, looking for more. In the next 30 minutes, a couple of others managed to join the first one and a bunch of pike were released too. The winds were kicking up pretty good now and looking like we should get bit when another reel started to sing. The heaviness was too great for either of the species we were catching & I knew exactly what Christiane had. Trouble! We reeled in the other lines and I backed the boat up gradually, trying not to fill it from the waves. The first sighting had both of them in awe and I just kept maneuvering the boat throughout the battle. Not having the big net in the boat definitely makes it tough but at the same time, the season for big fish is still a week away. I would have to resort to the Boga Grip in order to retrieve my lure. Although a little tricky, I locked on and my lure was retrieved. I kept the Boga on the lunge and revived her from the fight. It didn’t take long before she was ready and off she went. Christiane was definitely lucky as the line used was only 12 pound test and could have been severed at any time. All went well and definitely no one got hurt! We continued trolling and for the rest of the day, adding more walleye & pike to the numbers. A few more went in the livewell and by 4:00, we pulled the plug and headed back. I had fish to clean and we had « Cajun Walleye » to eat! Michel has been wanting to see or preferably catch a musky for a few years now, but it took him bringing a novice to get it done. Although it could have just as easily been his, Christiane got to the rod first and that’s all she wrote! Either way, they both had a blast and caught plenty of fish on a difficult day. With the water temps still barely above 60 degrees, the fish aren’t exactly aggressive. The bites are terrible and the fight isn’t much better. Hard to believe that I’ve already experienced 70 plus degrees and now it’s back down to 60. I can’t wait for a little more heat just to activate the fish and get back to the high number days that come with this season. Better days ahead, I hope!!

After being off the water several days from either cancellations or giant winds, I headed out today regardless. Keith joined me for a half day and we spent the first hour troubleshooting his new sonar. Thankfully I know enough about these Lowrance units to fix him up! I knew that the big NE winds would make things difficult, but made the long run to the fish anyway. The lake had 3 to 4 footers most everywhere and I needed to be right in the heart of the worst to get her done. We trolled for a while and scraped up a few fish here & there but nothing great. Every time he landed a fish, I couldn’t turn around to get back on the area because of the conditions. I was almost forced to drive in a straight line because of these rollers. At one point while Keith was reeling in a fish, the rod became heavy and the line started going out. It seemed that a predator had mistaken the pike for a meal. Sucks being on the bottom of the food chain when you live around musky! This lasted about 5 minutes or so and although we did get a good view, she eventually tired of this and just let go. The pike may have gotten lucky but you wouldn’t have know it by the wounds he had. Strangely enough the fish did swim away, but who knows what will happen next. We regained our composure and set the lines back hoping for a few more eyes for Keith to take home to eat. It was either going to be spaghetti or fresh fish tonight! I wasn’t worried even in these conditions. As luck would have it, he wasn’t eating Italian for supper this evening. With the wind seemingly getting worse, we pulled the plug after both lines landed large eyes. Being overs, we took a few pics and returned them to the ocean. The run back was interesting to say the least but I always feel safe in this Ranger. With the exception of a few little splashes from the spray, we both stayed dry. These deep hulls definitely take the big waves much better than low profile rigs. We may have gotten tossed around while trying to fish today but at least we didn’t get beaten up like the pike. Better days ahead, I hope!!