Brian & his daughter Lauren were with me this morning on a sketchy kind of day. The weather forecast had changed so much lately that we didn’t know what to expect. What was originally 20 to 30mm of rain, somehow turned into nada. I expected the worst and hoped for the best as we launched the boat and headed on the water. Lauren had over 30 IGFA records for the female junior division and hoped to add a few more today. We would be searching for several line class records in both fly and conventional. She began on the fly rod and Brian conventional tackle just to keep the fish honest. As always, lady luck shined on her and she drew first blood with a small pike. I told them that there would be much larger today and after a quick pic, she released the little guy. As she had never caught northerns before it was a thrill nonetheless. She quickly hooked into another one not long after right about the same size and was loving it on the fly. Her dad however wasn’t doing as well and I continued changing up lures until he finally connected. His however was a walleye and right in the slot. If we were keeping anything today, this would have made it into the livewell. It was the fish’s lucky day as a pic was all that they wanted! We played around this area for several hours picking at them but I wasn’t impressed with the numbers or even the size. Time for a relocation and hopefully better results. I moved around a lot and had them casting flies shallow but to no avail. Time to shift again and this time it was a good choice. I had gone deeper and found a really good concentration of fish off shore. Lauren was locking up every few minutes on the fly and several of the fish were good pike and walleye. They managed to get quite a few fish that would qualify and we livewelled all the good ones for later registration. Her dad was also into fish on the fly now and they were both having a blast. The weather had held off all day with only overcast skies but little to no wind. I knew we would eventually have some rain but hoped it wouldn’t arrive until we were off the water. Both Brian & Lauren were running flies, so I decided to get a third rod out and use the rod holder for them. This extra line also managed several fish and conventional tackle was adding even more fish to the livewell to be qualified later. Lauren got the shock of her life on the next fly hook up. Shortly after the pike leaped out of the water, the fish got much heavier. The rod loaded even more and line was now going out. Whatever she was into was big and I was second guessing the fish that I had seen jump. Well, after a few minutes I knew what had happened and she was officially into her very first ever musky. Yuup, the musky ate the pike that ate the fly! I had no idea how this was to end and hoped for a shot at the beast with a deep walleye net. I knew that if I could just get the front half in the net, I could grab the back end and haul it into the boat. When Lauren finally brought the fish up high enough for us to see, she was in shock. This thing was giant and had her pike crossways in its mouth. At any time all the fish had to do was open its mouth and let it go. Fortunately for us, it had no intentions of releasing its grip on dinner. A few times she almost had it close enough for a shot with the net but not close enough for my liking. I knew I would only get one chance and wanted to make it count. Well as bad luck would have it, the damn fly pulled out and the musky left with its meal. Although heartbreaking, there was really nothing we could have done differently. She said that this was the biggest fish she had ever hooked into and although a little disappointed, happy to have done battle with it. We regrouped and got the lines back in the water and managed several more fish in the remainder of the day. One last hookup and we called it a day. It was right around 4:00 and we had fish to register on shore. The rules state that you have to be on land for all the weight, measurements and pics so off we went. By the time it was all said and done, they had 7 more line class records to send in. Bass, walleye & pike with an almost musky! They had come to Montreal to check out a possible University for her to go to next year. With any luck she’ll chose McGill and have more chances at redemption. Today was almost as much fun for me as it was for them. I always love a challenge and going after records was it! We were even lucky with the weather and never even got a drop all day. Basically this turned out to be a great day on the water and the only thing that could have made it better  was « The One That Got Away »!

Today was a real treat for David and his father Paul as they experienced their best day of fishing, ever! We launched shortly after 7:30 and with no wind were able to get to our first location effortlessly. Bluebird skies and warm temps were forecasted so there would be plenty of other boats on the water soon. I knew I had to get into fish and fast! With miserable weather scheduled for tomorrow the fleet of cruisers would be taking advantage of this weather too. After 10:00 it would become a living hell on the water! Fortunately the fishing was to be phenomenal and it took only a couple of minutes to hook into their first fish. David reeled in a decent northern and we were on our way. His father was up next and not long after was into something really big. I cleared the other lines and gave him room to battle what turned out to be a musky. On walleye tackle, it’s always a challenge and Paul was ready for the fight. Eventually the fish came to the boat and I locked the Boga Grip on his prize. He had always wanted to land one and at 64 years of age, finally accomplished it. A few quick picks later, it was released and swam off unharmed. We reset the lines and started pounding on fish after fish. Walleye & pike were coming in hand over fist with plenty of doubles and several triples. Whenever we hooked into one you could almost bet another reel would fire within seconds. They landed high numbers and many were photo worthy. They weren’t interested in taking anything home with them, so all fish were released. As the morning went on I was right in my prediction and the cruisers started. Most were courteous, but not all. Paul was fighting yet another large walleye when a giant cruiser drove by less than 20 feet away and threw 4 footers our way. I had to steer the boat sideways in order not to eat the waves. Paul even had to sit down for fear of falling. This guy was a real idiot! It got so bad after a while that I had to relocate to another area for fear of being run over. They were also muddying up the water pretty bad and I was losing my bite. We slid over to a secondary spot not far away and it started all over once again. Doubles and triple headers were the norm and plenty more fish were coming to net. David even landed a small musky and although not as big as his dad’s, he was thrilled with his prize. Eventually this area got muddy too and I had to make a longer run to find cleaner water. With the sun high and the temps hot, it sure was nice to be under the comfort of the bimini. I don’t know if we could have taken the heat for as long without it! There was already talk of cutting the day short just because of all the fish they had caught until we dropped the lines in again. This area was also on fire and the fish just kept coming. There’s no way to tell exactly how many the landed but the action was nonstop. David’s father even tried to nap but the screaming reels kept him awake! After several more fish they decided to call it a day. Although only 2:30 it was way more than they had expected and Paul was done. This had been a birthday gift from his son and he couldn’t have asked for a better present. The fish were active and cooperated completely today. We packed everything up and headed back to the ramp. I was a little worried what it would be like and hoped for the best. Unfortunately there were boats all over it and nowhere to tie up. After waiting five minutes and nobody moving I just pulled up on the cement and went for the trailer. Weekend warriors are unbelievable and never have any consideration for anybody other than themselves! It only took me a couple of minutes and still nobody had moved. In fact long after I had pulled out of the way and packed everything up, these three boats were still tied up. No etiquette ever with weekend traffic, both on & off the water! Despite this inconvenience David & his dad were thrilled with today’s outcome. Never in their wildest dreams could they have imagined such a day. They both left tired but fulfilled. Hopefully the next time they decide to give gifts, I’ll see them again! Great day of fishing despite all the headaches!!

Although it’s been a while since the last report, I have been on the water pretty much every day. Nothing really to report as the fishing continues to be excellent. High number days with plenty of quality fish being caught on every outing. Today’s trip however wasn’t exactly what I was use to! With yesterday being 85 degrees the overnight cold front brought air temps into the low 50’s along with a cold NE wind. This really shut them down! It was a tough bite in the morning as we searched for pike & walleye with limited success. We moved around several times to get the few bites we had. By mid morning under the sunshine, I decided to move shallow and search for the bass. It remained rough going for a while but eventually everything warmed up and the fish became more active. Although not great, the three guys I had were catching some but missing a bunch. Hanny managed to get several smallies and a decent largemouth bass from the same area before we moved on again. Regardless that it was the first day of the bass season, I headed back for the pike & walleye one more time. We hit one of the same areas we had started in and it was totally opposite. Now the fish wanted to feed and there were plenty of reels firing for the remainder of the day. Both walleye & pike were eating and I stayed here just covering water. Carlo & his buddies were excited about today but it wasn’t as easy as usual. Thankfully by afternoon that had all changed and they were eating like they should! Although not the numbers I had hoped for, we salvaged the day with many afternoon fish and ended on a high. Hopefully the next time they get out with me, it will began like it ended. Tough day but better fishing ahead!!

I had the pleasure of fishing with Jason & Garon today, all the way from Texas. They had flown in a couple of people for the Grand Prix and had some time to spare. Of course being fishermen, they wanted to fish! We headed on the lake at 7:30 in yet another cold front and strong NE winds. Although they were suppose to diminish by mid day, they were pretty big right now. We trolled in 59 degree water and 2 to 3 footers for the start and I really had to work at getting bit. Amazingly enough, the first fish to hit turned out to be a musky and although not in season, still fun to catch. We did manage to get into a bunch of pike & a few walleye and things were looking up. I wasn’t really use to picking at them one at a time and was surprised that we weren’t into more doubles. Both Jason & Garon were still happy to see this many fish but I knew it would change. As the winds subsided the bite began to pick up. Now we were hitting fish regularly and the numbers started to climb. The size also increased and it seemed like there were more overs than legal keepers being caught. Right about the time the winds completely died, the « Dog Pecker Knats » arrived. Careful what you wish for! These guys were really getting the hang of everything, allowing me to remain at the wheel and on fish. About all I had to do was net the Walters and release the northerns. With the flat water and sunshine warming everything, the fish were now acting like they should. We had reels firing with plenty of doubles and an occasional triple every now & then. Action was nonstop and there was very little down time! We barely had a chance to eat lunch and even that was quite a bit later than I was use to. During our sandwich break both Jason and Garon witnessed a fish go airborne right behind the boat. Immediately after, the long line started screaming and they were into another big fish. I hadn’t seen the original jump but apparently it cleared the water completely and was now attached to one of the lures. Moments later we were looking at another lunge. This one was a juvenile and very silver in appearance. I saw that it was barely hooked and released it quickly, beside the boat. These guys were planning on taking a few fish back to Texas with them and kept some walleye for a friendly fish fry. Only problem was that they had no means to clean or store the fish as they were staying in a hotel. Problem solved! They would come back to my place and we’d take care of everything there. We fished till almost 4:00 and ended the day with another double header. Perfect ending to an incredible fishing day! I also gave them the option to eat fresh walleye on the BBQ and they gladly accepted. Fresh fish and a few cold beer, how could it get any better? We had a relaxing dinner of « Blackened Cajun Walleye » and they even got to take some fillets home. I’m pretty sure when they decided to fish in Montreal that they never imagined it would turn out like this. Talk of a return trip is already in the making for summertime sturgeon and of course more of those tasty Walters. I’m looking forward to having them back for more incredible action! Great day all around!!

Nick and Dan fished with me today on one of the nicest days of the year, so far. Two weeks in a row now, Thursday has been spectacular. The rest of the days, not so much! We met at 7:30 and headed to an area I had scouted out the day before. It was loaded with big eyes and plenty of them were mixed in with pike as well. I found out when we arrived that Dan hadn’t fished since his youth and even then, not very much. He was in for the experience of his life as I was sure that it would be another high numbers outing. Once the rods were set, I gave instruction on how to remove them when the fish hit and let the games begin. Well it didn’t take long before the first reel went off and Nick was fighting a fish. This one was a pike but they didn’t care as long as they were catching. Another soon fired and Dan was orientated in what to do from start to finish. He would be getting plenty of practice today and I wanted to teach him correctly from the start. Two pike in less than 2 minutes, not bad! We had a bunch of other fish including small walleye in the first hour but I could see that they weren’t hitting great. Drag was going off the reels very lightly as they attacked the lures. Water temps were back down to 59 degrees and I figured the drop had them somewhat lethargic. Once the day got on and the water began to warm, I was sure they would come alive. We picked at them for a few hours and had good numbers already landed when Nick hooked up again. This time however the fish seemed quite a bit larger and I decided to bring the other lines in just in case. My thoughts were quickly confirmed when we finally caught a glimpse of what was on the other end. This would be the second lunge of the year and although not in season, Nick’s very first musky. I took a few pics of the fish in the water and then managed to release it quickly as only one hook was barely in the lip. He was real close to losing the fish with any more pressure. High fives all around and back to trolling again. As these fish were looking like they were starting to wake up, I decided to slide back to where we began in hopes of more eyes. Good choice as we began to get doubles and even a few triples when I concentrated on specific zones. By now they were completely comfortable with everything and like veteran pros handling the rods. It’s amazing how fast people catch on with a lot of practice! We combed the entire area focusing on certain places more and constantly were hooked up. Eventually I decided to try another spot just for a change of scenery. I usually don’t leave fish to find fish but due to all the dog pecker knats and no wind, thought we’d get a little air. The next place was more trouble than it was worth with all the Poplar fluff on the water. This crap is a real pain in the butt when it comes to fishing line. I was forever picking it off the guides and line in big clumps. We stayed here for about an hour and managed to catch several more fish including the longest walleye of the day. Too bad it was so skinny from the spawn as it would have been huge! When we couldn’t take it any longer I decided to move to hopefully cleaner waters. We spent the last couple of hours just hammering the fish once again and this time the majority were big Walters. Although a few pike did get landed, it was nice to see so many walleye here. Somewhere around 3:30 we pulled the lines but not before another double. We found out during the day that Dan was celebrating his birthday and this was the perfect gift to him. Fish after fish and perfect weather conditions to do it in. He took a few walleye back for a family birthday dinner that I’m sure would turn some heads. I may have created another fishing junkie after today. There’s a pretty good chance that I will be seeing him again with one or more of his family in the not so distant future. As for Nick, well let’s just say that after last year’s sturgeon battles, he’s ready for more. Today was just one of those days when all the stars aligned and everything went as it should. Even « Mother Nature » had a soft side for the birthday boy! Hopefully it’ll continue for many more days to come!