Russell & his son Thomas were with me this morning, looking for a day of lunge fishing. Thomas had caught a few on his own up north and wanted more! We would begin by trolling for them in overcast skies and hope for the best. They were aware that these were hateful creatures and there were no guarantees that they would cooperate! We spent a total of four hours in broken periods without even as much as a rip. Gotta love washing lures! The only thing we had to show for our efforts was a 6 pound northern that hit a bait, trolled at 5 miles an hour. We did however get into some decent smallies both in the shallows as well as deep drop shotting. The lake was like a mirror but fortunately there was no sunshine and the temps were almost comfortable. Late in the afternoon after the pike, we switched up completely and spent a little time trolling for walleye. This was a welcomed treat as the reels fired often in the short time we fished. They were able to get a few fish to take home and landed several others in the process. Just before we were ready to call it a day, another reel went off and it didn’t stop. I wasn’t positive but had thoughts of what it was. I decided to clear the other lines just in case and we just waited. We had trolled for these hateful things for over half the day and Thomas was locked up on one with the lighter tackle. Go figure! He had the fish on for a few minutes and I actually thought it was going alright when it made a last run and came unpinned. I had only caught a glimpse of it in the water but it was definitely a good muskie. Like I said before, hateful! We licked our wounds and decided to call it quits. It was definitely not going to happen today and throwing in the towel seemed like the best thing to do. They were however taking home a few fish for dinner if that was any consolation. By losing this fish, Thomas only wanted more and the fever will continue until the next time he hooks one. More, more, more, bigger, bigger, bigger is the saying and the disease never goes away! Good luck to him on his next endeavor for the most hateful creatures on the planet!!

Lee had contacted me the day before, hoping to get out with his parents for a half day of fishing. As luck would have it, I was open and we met up around 8:00 this morning, in hopes of their very first fish. They hadn’t fished before and I thought the troll would be the easiest method for everyone. I set the lines and began searching open water, looking for the first bite. It didn’t take long before we were into them as a combination of Walters, pike and smallies attacked our lures. A few of the walleye were over 5 pounds and made for some nice pics. Along with these fish there were also a couple of greedy perch whose appetites were bigger than they were! With a light breeze out of the north, the air temps were quite comfortable this morning and the floating weeds weren’t bad either. I was able to keep the baits relatively clean through most areas allowing us more strikes. In the four hours they were with me they must have caught a total of 20 or more fish and mostly quality as well. For their first time fishing, I think they really enjoyed themselves, catching a variety of species. Seeing as how I had the rest of the day open, I thought I would head back on the lake with Christiane, after dropping them off at the dock. No sense in cutting the entire day short! We immediately went back to a troll and her first fish of the day was a 7 pound walleye. Not a bad way to start! After getting a couple of smaller ones for our dinner, I thought we’d switch it up and go target smallies. She hadn’t fished them much this season until last weekend and definitely had the bug. We hit a few shallow spots and managed to get several good ones with a couple pushing 5 pounds. The remainder of the afternoon saw a mix of trolling walleye & casting smallies before we headed home. I was glad I hadn’t pulled the plug after the morning trip as many more fish were caught afterwards. To make matters even better, the ramp was relatively free and I was out in no time flat! I wish more days could be like this one!!

Cliff had planned a friend’s bachelor party and a half day of fishing was geared for the start of today. We met up at 8:00 and hit the water in search of some walleye. The water was flat calm and with the sun, would trigger plenty of those pesky, little bugs. We took advantage of the lower light and caught several walleye & pike in the first couple of hours before heading for bass. At least they had a few in the livewell for a later meal! The flat calm conditions were like the kiss of death as absolutely nothing was moving! We hoped the bass would react differently and ran to another area to give it a try. It was here that we had more action and the guest of honor locked up on several nice ones. The others were having a hard time getting the hooks to the bass and unfortunately missed all of their chances. We covered plenty of shallow water but only managed to land a handful of bass in the process. With time not being on our side, I decided to head back & try for a few more walleye. I had hoped that the sunshine would have moved the fish to cover, making them easier to target. Well we didn’t hammer them, but we did pick up a few more along with some pike and bass. They had additional plans for the afternoon and called it a day. At least they were able to fish for part of it and get into some decent fish in the process. Although the morning was fun, I’m sure their second half of the day will be even more enjoyable!!

Ray & Enzo were with me this morning and they brought along a third person, for a change. Enzo had been teaching his mother to cast just last week and today was her initiation into the fishing world! Winds were blowing from the N at 5 to 10 knots and the air temps suffered because of this. The water color had also gotten slightly stained and I wasn’t sure how the fish would react. We hit the water just after 7:30 and I decided to run to an open water spot. I wasn’t too confident when I got there but thought we’d try nonetheless! Enzo was throwing a spinnerbait to try & locate some fish when his mother locked up on a jig. Isn’t it always the way? She not only had the first fish, but it was a real beauty. It was definitely over four pounds and she had drawn first blood with her very first fish ever! Although there must have been others in the area, we were unable to get another one and decided to move on. The winds were terrible for boat control here and I hoped we would be able to fish it again later in the day. Our next spot produced a few more fish, but none the likes of Muriel’s, earlier. We were also plagued with wind in this area and the overcast skies weren’t any help either. Time to relocate again and off to the deep water drop shot bite! With winds opposite the current, it wasn’t easy to make a proper drift but we managed to get a few fish regardless. I couldn’t get into the big ones so we wasted no time relocating when the sun began to shine. Off to some shallow water and hopefully a little more activity. Well it didn’t take long before we had our answer when everyone began hooking up on soft plastics. Enzo & Ray were with me in the front and Muriel was all alone in the back, with her rod bent often. They couldn’t believe how well she was doing as a novice but I wasn’t surprised. We found some quality bass in the shallows here and I thought we’d check out a few other areas nearby. Apparently it was a good call because we hit fish in each & every one we fished. Enzo had the hot hand in one and hammered some fish in the four pound range. Ray even managed to land a small sturgeon slightly over 10 pounds in the same place. With the sun shining the air temps climbed and by afternoon we were in much warmer conditions than we had at the start. The winds hadn’t switched but they felt a whole lot warmer now. We pushed on and stayed shallow for the rest of the day, all the while catching bass. Towards the end of the afternoon I decided to try the place we had began in and see if we could get into a few more big ones. Enzo was once again throwing a spinnerbait and getting a few hits on the blade. Unfortunately they weren’t getting hooked and I decided to change him to a jig. Now everyone was throwing a slower presentation and the very next cast, Enzo hammered the hooks to a bruiser. It fought like a champ and ended up bringing a few friends in as well. Unfortunately the others weren’t as lucky and the school disappeared soon after. Enzo had just landed big fish of the day! After a few quick pics he was right back in the game. On almost the very next cast, he was locked again. Another biggun and it too had friends! Although it was difficult to position the boat correctly, there were some fish cooperating and Enzo was in heaven. Ray & Muriel had a few hits of their own and did get some fish but not the likes of the ones Enzo was pounding. As with all good things, they did come to an end. After working the area for a while, the fish caught on and we were no longer getting bit. It was time to wrap it up and call it a day. They had managed to get plenty of bites today and some really good ones too. They had also gotten another person hooked and I think she’ll be coming along in the future as well. Kids and women always make out better than most and I think Ray will have his hands full from now on. He’ll really have to step up his “A” game in the future if he wants to compete with them. All kidding aside, it’s great to see a family enjoy the sport as much as they do and I look forward to having them back out with me again soon!!

Max & Denis were back with me today and this time they brought a new guy. Skip had heard the stories before and just needed to experience it for himself. We hooked up around 7:00 and proceeded to the boat ramp for a quick start. First up was a troll for some eyes and food for the table! I set the lines and we landed several decent fish and a few larger ones in the first couple of hours. The bite was slow with a lack of wind and I decided to switch to bass in hopes of more activity. Sunshine was out, flat water was upon us and the “Dog Pecker Knats” added to the torture! We drop shotted for a while and they managed to get into fish of various sizes in the deeper water. Several attempts at locating bigger ones fell short and we moved to the shallows instead. They caught a pile of medium sized ones with a couple of big ones as well. Another shift and finally a few good ones were seen. No real giants but quality 3 to 4 pounds was welcomed. I wanted to try deep again late in the afternoon and we gave it a college try. A few more fish were added to the overall total and after a double, we pulled the plug. Off to try for walleye again and hopefully now that the wind was up, the fish would cooperate. As if on command, the reels began to fire and a few more fish were brought to net. I think they managed to put about four or five more walleye in the boat along with a few northerns and bass. After about an hour or so, the wind & bite died and we called it a day. Although it wasn’t one full of numbers, it was still a very productive one with loads of laughs. They were also taking several walleye home with them and happy to be doing so. For Skip’s first time out, he thought it was fantastic. I can’t wait till the next time when hopefully I can show him what fantastic is! For me it was just an average day but great company made it even better!!