Nick & Depeche were with me this morning looking for a few big fish. I had discussed the day with Nick and we were heading directly for the monsters. Running in low 40 degree air temps felt more like below freezing and I wore gloves for the first time this season. The water temps were still holding at 64 degrees but the air was only expected to reach upper 50’s by afternoon. Winds were out of the NE once again at 5 to 10 knots and sunshine was forecasted throughout. It was going to be a great day for fishing! We set up quickly and played the waiting game in hopes of a quick bite but it didn’t come. This was the first time I had hit them so early and I wasn’t sure how it would be. I think we had been there for about an hour or so before Nick was locked up and loving it. He battled his dinosaur for quite a while, feeling the burn the entire time. The first sighting had him in awe when he finally brought it to the surface. Soon after it was in the net and hoisted aboard for a few pics. Although not a real monster, he was quite happy with the overall size and released it back to do battle again. We regrouped and set up for another shot, hoping that Depeche would also have his chance. Well not long after, he was tight to one and began the battle with his beast. As he was new to fishing, I instructed him on several of the do’s & don’ts for the fight. I knew he would wear himself out long before the fish would and hoped these tips would help him conserve some of his energy. The burn was hitting him early and the size of this fish wasn’t helping! He was locked up on one of the above average giants and it was taking a toll on his strength. I knew that this was definitely going to be the largest fish he had ever landed and wanted him to succeed. Eventually we began to see bubbles and I knew it was nearing the end. When he finally saw the size of this thing, he was in total shock! I even had a difficult time getting it in the net! Once it curled, it was all over! I lifted the sturgeon aboard and prepped Depeche for the photos. He had a really hard time getting a hold of this thing but managed to lift it up for a few shots before turning her loose. We resumed fishing and I knew he was just praying that he didn’t hook up again. Nick on the other hand was ready and just dying for a really big one. They both had a few shots in the next couple of hours but either missed the strikes or lost them soon after hooking up. These fish were hitting weird and keeping them pinned was becoming an issue until Nick locked up with a beast of his own. This time the battle was a long one and a great workout for him as the fish really fought hard. Three times he brought it to the surface only to have it sound immediately after. It was definitely a struggle for him but eventually he won the battle. I slid the net under the fish and had a hard time lifting it aboard. This one was going to be the largest one of the day! Even he had a difficult time gripping hold of this slippery prehistoric animal for a few pics. Once released we saw it swim off and head directly down to the bottom. Instead of setting right back up, we took a small break and headed to land as Depeche wasn’t feeling well. In fact, we only got to fish for about another hour after returning, as he was feeling even worse. Nick landed one other fish and lost another one as well before we called it a day. It wasn’t fair to continue fishing while Depeche felt like he did so we finished up and headed back. Despite the early departure, it was unbelievable while we were there! They had both caught personal bests and had a great time while fishing. I only wish we could have remained there for a couple of hours longer as I’m sure they would have landed at least a few more. Oh well, there’s always next time! I just hope that it wasn’t anything too serious and that Depeche will be able to make it back out for more of this insane fishing. There’s still plenty of time left in the season to do battle with more of these monster sturgeon and I wouldn’t want him to miss the action, again!

It was definitely the coldest morning so far this season, as I launched the boat in only 38 degree air temps. Add a north wind blowing around 10 knots and it felt like below freezing. My niece had just tied the knot and instead of taking a honeymoon, they decided to head south this winter. Cristina and Shawn were going to spend today with me in hopes of catching a few fish. Christiane also took the day off work to join us as this was her niece and she didn’t want to miss the newlyweds fishing. Dressing warm to begin was necessary and I handed out a bunch of clothing so they could remain comfortable. We headed out and I couldn’t believe the 58 degree water temps when I hit the throttle! I didn’t want to run far and take them out too early, so I let off soon after and dropped the lines in for a troll. The water temps had gotten a little warmer where we stopped, but I wasn’t sure how these fish would react. I tried a section that should be holding some fish and was surprised that it wasn’t loaded! It took a while for the first reel to fire but we finally got bit. Shawn was right beside me while checking the lines so I immediately handed him the rod. We were hoping for a few walleye to sample before dinner but this one was an over and wouldn’t make the cut. All we could do was snap a few pics and release the four pounder back to the water. Christina had the next rod and she landed a decent northern around 5 pounds. We covered more water in the 2 footers and managed a few other fish with only one of them being a keeper walleye. Shawn had landed one that fell just under the high end for legal size and we were having fish for dinner! I wasn’t really seeing too much activity trolling and decided to change areas completely. All these fish were marking on the bottom and didn’t seem to be moving up to hit the lures, so we were going for sturgeon! When I set up I knew with three lines in the water it wouldn’t take long before one of the rods was bent. About ten minutes went by before Cristina was locked! She had no idea of what to expect and could only hang on for the ride. With much coaching and plenty of burning in the arms, she finally managed to bring the fish up for her first visual. I really don’t think she had any idea of its size until now and absolutely freaked. I was lucky when netting the beast as it turned and curled immediately after entering the bowl. Several pics were taken, but Shawn had to hold it for the shots. There was absolutely no way she would be able to grab the fish nor did she want to! A quick release and it disappeared back to the abyss from where it had started. We resumed fishing in hopes of locking the others up and Christiane nearly got her wish. She had one on briefly, but seconds later it was gone. We spent some time before she finally contacted another and fortunately this time it remained pinned. After a lengthy battle of pain and burning, I finally slid the net under her fish. She definitely wanted a few pictures of her largest sturgeon but wasn’t able to lift it up for the photos. As with the first one, help was needed so I jumped into the picture to lend a hand. Another release and all that was left was Shawn to complete the rotation. They had a few more bites without hookups but then he finally got into one of his own. It may have been the smallest of the day but he still felt the burn from the fight. I was really hoping one of them would hook into a real dinosaur but we would have to settle with only these ones for today. Shawn needed no help in holding his and I was able to take several great shots before the release. As all three of them had caught what we were after, I decided to pull the plug here and try for a few more fish trolling. The floaters were just insane and constant cleaning of the rods was needed every few minutes from the north winds. Although we did manage a couple more fish, they were both pike and we called it a day. I had restaurant reservations and one fish to clean before heading out, so by 3:30 we were done. I’m not sure what the highlight of the day was but between the fish appetizer & the "River Monsters" they landed, life was good! A few tasty beverages, good company and a great meal topped off an absolutely perfect day. It may have been their first time fishing, but I don’t think it’ll be their last. I expect the next time I offer to take them out, there won’t be any hesitations. After today, all they’ll want to know is what time and where! Another great day for fishing!!

The final day had us trying our hand at some early musky that ended unsuccessful. We had decided to start with them and never even had a rip. Although I did mark several that looked like the real deal, it just wasn’t meant to be. I really didn’t want to waste too much time on these hateful creatures and pulled the plug to pursue easier prey. We were off to get Andrew a big sturgeon and hoped for a quick bite. Fast wasn’t in the cards but big was as he battled yet another giant. He had two back to back that nearly took him out from the fight. I thoroughly enjoyed the pain as I wasn’t on the receiving end of it! His dad got in the game a little later with a couple of his own and we were up to four landed by early afternoon. Several misses later Howard latched on to probably the largest one this season. The fight was a long battle as this fish just didn’t want to leave the bottom. When we finally caught sight, we could all see why. I don’t really know just how big it was but only the head would fit in the net when I tried to land the beast. Twice I had her and both times she escaped and went right back down. Eventually the line just popped from too much pressure and she was gone for good. I think we were all a little heartbroken when this happened as it took a while to get over the loss. I don’t even want to estimate its weight but I know it was up there. We went back to sturgeon fishing for about another hour without any takes and decided to pull the plug on it all together. Anything hooked would have just been disappointing after that loss anyway! We spent the last hour or so trolling up a few walleye & pike before calling it a final day. In three days of fishing they had battled a number of big fish and managed several personal bests along the way. As with all good fish stories this one was about the one that got away! I’m sure we’ll all remember that one as it felt like a scene out of "Jaws". Next time I’ll have a bigger net!!

Day two in the quest for big fish saw us on a different body of water, targeting smallmouth. I wanted to have both of them land fish in excess of five pounds and had plenty of places to try. We were faced with the dreaded cold morning once again but this time it would hopefully work in our favor. With water temps between 55 and 64 degrees, it really had the fish spread out. I headed to a fairly shallow area to begin and instructed them on how to fish the twitch baits they were using. Once I was satisfied that they had it down, we moved in to the zone. Howard was working the bait pretty good and had the first take on it as well. Although not the trophy we were looking for, the 3.5 pounder was still a welcome treat on the light tackle. He immediately went back to fishing once the bass was landed and not long after had an even bigger one on the line. This time it was over 4.5 pounds and things were looking up! After a great fight, I was able to slide the net under her and he finally had a fish worthy of pics. In the next couple of hours Howard managed to have several more on, landing most. He even had another 4.5 pound smallie to add to the one he caught earlier in the morning. As I had live welled them, he was able to get a few nice double pics before being released back to this area. Andrew wasn’t as lucky with his fishing and only managed to land one small bass just under 2 pounds. Although they both had several more follows, I decided to pull the plug when the sun appeared. The overcast skies had given us the advantage but now our presence was known and all we could do was watch the fish swim. I made a long run and decided that they were going to continue with the same baits. In the next place, both of them hooked up almost immediately but too much pressure was applied and both fish were gone. I think Andrew was the only one to land anything here but Howard had his chances too. Light line and tiny hooks require finesse but too much pressure caused early releases! We kept moving and I stayed pretty shallow hoping for quicker action, but only a handful of fish were caught. I had wanted to try deeper and headed to another area a little further away to give it a try. They dropped down to the abyss and once they got back in the groove, the games began. After several misses, they hooked up in tandem and both good fish. A couple of four pound bookends came aboard and were put back quickly due to the pressure change. At these depths, you don’t want to keep them out too long as fizzing would be required. We stuck it out in the deep for the balance of the afternoon with only incidental fish here & there. I think more fish were lost than landed as it proved difficult for them to keep tension on the rods. We ended with a fish Andrew landed and called it a day. Although no fives were caught, they still had a fair share of quality bites and Howard managed another personal best, twice! Tomorrow I think I just might take them back for more sturgeon action. Who knows, maybe they’ll get another personal best one more time!!

Howard & his son Andrew were with me all the way from Virginia for three days looking for personal bests. They said they were up for anything so I planned on giving them everything! They had also brought a cold front with them and we began the first day with air temps below 50 degrees. Maximum water temps were 66 degrees and warmer than the highest air temps for the day. Along with the cool air we had major cloud cover and winds from the NE blowing 10 to 20 knots. Not ideal conditions to say the least! Two days before, I had 71 degree water and over 70 degree air to fish in, but that was all gone now! I started in an area trolling for pike & walleye and after about 90 minutes we had only a handful of fish to show for our efforts. Although Andrew did manage to land a really nice walleye of 5 pounds and his personal best, I wasn’t satisfied and decided to switch gears completely. We headed elsewhere and targeted the sturgeon for several hours, in hopes of a few big bites. Well as luck would have it, they both managed to land monsters and a few hours resulted in most of the day. We stuck it out here as this seemed like the smartest thing to do. These fish were somewhat active and we were hooking up every half hour or so. Never leave fish to find fish is my motto and I wasn’t about to change it today! About mid afternoon I needed to show them a technique for the second day of fishing and thought it would be a good idea to orient them. We relocated to another area and I instructed them on drop shotting the depths. We were over smallies and walleye and I knew someone would catch a few fish while class was in session! It was a little tricky with boat positioning due to the wind direction and this made feeling the bottom for them difficult as well. Eventually everything fell into place and they were able to fish correctly. So much so that they both missed a few bites before Andrew finally locked up on his first deep water bass. He followed it up with a walleye and gained the confidence he needed, when adjusting his line over various depths. Although Howard didn’t land anything here, he at least had the basic knowledge for tomorrow. We would be fishing much deeper water and feeling the bottom properly was an absolute necessity. As the day was getting on, I thought I would drop the lines back in and try another troll in hopes that the fish were more active. Due to the windy conditions and direction it was blowing, my biggest nemesis was to be the floating weeds. They were everywhere and constant cleaning of the lines was needed to ensure the lures remained free of them. It took a while but we eventually got to an area that produced a triple header. All three rods went off simultaneously and they were locked! To my amazement they were all different in species. They had caught a bass, walleye & pike from the same general area. A little while later we had another double and two walleye came aboard. Although we weren’t crushing them like I had hoped, we were picking at them and that was alright. As Howard still hadn’t caught a big walleye, I combed the area for a while searching for larger eyes. Eventually a deep line went off and I knew he had exactly what we were after. A good walleye about 4.5 pounds was soon in the net and his personal best too! We trolled a little longer and only had one small walleye which I found attached while bringing in the lines. The weeds were just a pain in the butt to have to contend with and I decided to call it a day. They had experienced a pile of different things today and tomorrow would be the same. Different lake, different techniques and hopefully bigger fish. I would be heading somewhere looking for personal best smallmouth for them. Today Howard had landed one about 3.5 pounds and thought that was great. It was also his biggest, but I knew he would get bigger! This was a great starter day for them and with any luck, it would only get better. Another great day for fishing!!