A late afternoon fishing day was what we had as Greg could only manage to get away after lunch. We hooked up just before 2 o’clock and headed out to see what we could accomplish before sunset. High heat & humidity was at max as I dropped the lines in & began the troll. Greg was from down south and never had any experience with pike or walleye before and very little smallmouth action as well. My mandate today was to give him the slam that he wanted by completing all three species. With the air temps in the mid to upper 80’s we were grateful for the 15 to 20 knot winds from the west. Water temps were climbing and were now almost 73 degrees. The first reel to go had managed to hook into a small northern around 4 pounds and he was on the board. Next to fire was another of about the same size and shortly after, a walleye almost made it into the net before escaping just inches away. Not a problem though, as I was sure we would have others! I wasn’t happy with the results so far and widened my search, looking for a concentration. By covering water I was finally able to figure out what the fish were relating to and focused on a specific area when the reels started to go. Greg was now landing fish every few minutes and finally got his walleye, closing in on his slam. In fact, he managed to land several more walleye and bumped up the size to nearly 5 pounds. I kept trolling this section and expanded on the area until I was sure I had reached their outer limits. Several more northerns, a few walleye and the final smallie completed his slam soon after and his expectations were met! All that was left now was more & bigger! Things had slowed slightly but we were still picking at them, when the short line started screaming. By the time he popped it from the holder, there was over 50 feet of line gone from the counter and it was still going! I knew this was a big one and immediately brought in the other line. When he reached over 125 I realized I would have to back up to regain some of the lost line. Heavy head shakes and blistering runs were constant and I was pretty sure what he had hooked into. We were finally able to get within 20 feet or so and then she surfaced. Yuup, it was jaws! He was tight to what looked like another giant lunge and tickled to death about the possibility of a Grand Slam. The big waves made it difficult to manage this beast and careful maneuvering was needed in order to get the fish close enough to the boat to land it. I actually had to get up wind and drift down towards her before I finally got the boga in her mouth. Greg was elated when he held her up for a few quick pics! She immediately went back in the water and shortly after, swam off no worse for wear. What a day he was having and it wasn’t even over yet! We went back to trolling and I informed him that it was all down hill after that one! Fortunately it wasn’t and he continued landing several more fish of all three species once more. As it was getting on, I decided to pull the plug on trolling and head to an area where he could cast for some smallies instead. I tried him on a spinnerbait, but the fish were just bumping the bait signaling that they weren’t interested. Immediately I switched him to a senko and it was game on! He was getting bites frequently now and landed several decent bass up to almost 4 pounds. Now he realizes what all the interest is about when it comes to smallmouth. He loved the overall power they all have and the fight they give compared to their brother the largemouth. After wearing out our welcome and landing about ten or so we moved once more and switched to a drop shot set up. Now I had him casting a deep break and it didn’t take long before he landed a small walleye. With the sun getting close to the horizon I knew we didn’t have much time before departing and held him in the sweet spot. A few more bites later he landed a nice walleye of 17 inches and that was all she wrote. We packed it up and headed back to the ramp to take out. This had been a trip to remember and he had experienced it all in a brief period. Not only did he accomplish what he had set out to do but he added the bonus fish to the mix. Who could have asked for anything more!!

Phillip joined me early this morning and we were looking to fish another half day before the major heat arrived. A 6:30 meet time had us on the water quickly and we were off to the first stop of the day. Water temps were hovering around 70 degrees still and a west 10 put a nice chop on the lake. Cloud cover made the already 75 degree temps bearable at least for the present time. Later in the day however, the 90 plus temps may not feel the same! Phillip had wanted to learn a few techniques and today he would accomplish this. As with yesterday though, he began on a spot throwing spinnerbaits to aggressive smallies. Several mid sized fish hammered the blades and the action was fast & furious for a while. We refined presentations and managed several more fish with tubes & senkos when they refused the blades and bumped up his numbers. Drop shotting would be the next technique and he was about to get a crash course in fishing it. Multiple hits resulted in a few smallies and a couple of walleye and he was convinced of its effectiveness. I worked the area thoroughly before shifting presentations and going tighter to the weeds for more. Now we would be working tubes and hopefully picking up the ones that weren’t on the deep drop. Well as if on cue, they bit! Both walleye and bass were eating the offerings and another crash coarse in refining the area was experienced. In a short period he had learned two new techniques and both of them had resulted in many more fish. I hadn’t fished the next area yet this year and wasn’t quite sure what to expect with the low water levels. A combination of spinner baits and senkos were used to entice more smallies but none of the really big ones were landed. I kept moving, hoping I would stumble onto the mother load of giants but never really found them. We picked at the fish, covering plenty of water before moving once more and going back to the drop shot technique. Although it wasn’t fast & furious, we still managed a few more bites from larger bass and all was good. The air temps had really climbed now and the high sun & humidity made it almost unbearable. Add the dog pecker knats and it was way over the edge. We needed to fish while moving due to the lack of wind and shifted gears to the troll. He had wanted to take a walleye home and I was on a quest! I dropped the lines in and started covering water in search of dinner. First rod to fire had a northern of 5 pounds attached to the bait and so did the second. I moved away from this area but was soon to return when we went a long time between bites. On the way back he did manage to land one walleye around 17 inches and definitely had a meal for two! I still wasn’t satisfied and kept at it despite the fact that we were only to fish half day and reset the lines back in anticipation. The next reel to scream definitely had the winner of the day and he was soon to bring a 24 inch walleye to net. A personal best for him and a quick pick before the release. Back we went and just as before, more reels went off bringing a couple more larger walleye aboard. One was 18 plus and the other was a fat 22.5 incher that got returned. He had only wanted to bring one fish home so the smaller 17 incher went back to the lake as well. We spent a few more minutes catching a couple of other pike and then pulled the plug on this heat wave day. Phillip had accomplished what he had set out to do by learning a few new techniques and was bringing dinner home too. We had also managed to turn a half day into a full one & that was a bonus. Overall, a very productive day on the water!!

I hit the water this morning with Buddha & his faithful companion Norm, or was it the other way around. We were on a quest for smallies and it was to be the first time that I fished for them, exclusively this season. The walleye bite has been way too good to change up completely! It was going to be a hot one and I knew we wouldn’t be lasting the entire day with the big guy on board. Air temps were to reach the mid 80’s with high humidity and the winds were to diminish to almost nothing by mid day. We stopped on our first location and Norm started slinging spinnerbaits for the brown bass in hopes of a few violent hits. Well, first cast he was crushed and loved the feel of being violated again! This carried on for over 30 minutes on just about every other cast before it slowed enough to warrant a change up. When we began throwing tubes, it started all over again & many more smallies came aboard. Back to spinnerbaits and a location change and Norm was back in the grove. We hadn’t moved very far but it was enough to get a few more aggressive fish to react to the blades once more. I hadn’t been able to introduce Norm to the “Drop Shot” last season and decided now was the time to let him see it in action. I had a place nearby that broke to deep water and we were going to cast the drop. Well as luck would have it, he caught on as quickly as I had anticipated and it wasn’t long before we were doubling up. Both walleye & smallies were falling victim to the offering and it was a blast! When the action slowed, I decided to move once more and get him right back on the blade bite as he enjoyed the hits so much. I tossed a tube jig to the outer drop as Norm began chucking the spinnerbait to more aggressive smallies. We were both catching, but I was the only one bringing in walleye as well and then it happened. Norm knew by the boil and hit that he wasn’t in Kansas anymore! What he had hooked into was a nightmare in his eyes and he wasn’t happy. Most fishermen would have been thrilled, but not Norm as he was locked up with a big old lunge. I knew by its size & the tackle he was using that we would be here a while and settled in for the long awaited bitching. Norm has a history with muskie that initiated a few years back when a lunge ate his bass while he was fighting it. Although he did land the beast, the bass became history and thus began the feud! This time however, it was direct on the spinner bait and considerably larger. When I was finally able to get the boga on her, I realized it was a fifty plus. The battle wasn’t as long as I thought it might be. Norm muscled her to the boat quickly but not for the fish’s sake. He just wanted it off his line so that he could get back to casting for smallies. It was a win, win situation as the muskie wasn’t stressed out as much as she could have been with a lengthy battle. Although I held her before the release, I could feel the power and knew she was ready. Off she went to harass more of Norms bass another day! When Norm finally stopped complaining about those “Hateful Creatures” we went back to fishing. Poor Buddha had worked up quite a sweat during the fight and needed to be cooled off before we relocated. He got a dunking right where we were and came back a new animal! We hit a few more areas and Norm caught a couple more smallies before we pulled the plug completely and headed in .By now the heat was unbearable and we were ready. The wind had died completely and the damn dog pecker knats were in full force. Although we had only fished a half day, it was a productive one and we were satisfied. Well mostly, except for Norms beast! Gotta love the unexpected!!

After yesterday’s insane half day on the water, Christiane was just dying to get out and have one of her own. I had clients scheduled for both weekend days, but unfortunately cancellations happened! It’s been a tough year for these and I hope it doesn’t continue throughout the season. Our intentions were to hit the water early but we had to change plans when the pool needed maintenance. No big deal as the fish would wait! We finally were on the lake around 10:30 and the lines were set when a reel started to scream that lovely sound. It was a deep walleye zone, but unfortunately turned up an 8 pound northern instead. Three minutes in and already a snake! We did manage a few more small walleye and a couple more pike before I hit the main area once again. What had started out as a day with light winds from the NE had ended abruptly and now we were in flat calm. I hate flat calm! Wind creates movement and movement means activity. Along with the lack of wind also comes the “Dog Pecker Knats” and they too added to the misery! I wasn’t sure how this would affect the area but thought that we could get a few walleye despite the lack of flow. The usual 1 to 2 footers were what I preferred, but you can’t always get what you want! I was soon to find out that I was right as I covered lots of water and only had a half dozen or so walleye to show for it. Most of them were under the usual size too and I knew it was time to begin the search once more. I had an idea of where they were and headed to deeper water in search of the mother load. Well it wasn’t gang busters like the two previous days but we were getting them. We were also getting a few northerns and many big smallies in the mix that obviously were recovering well as they had bulked up nicely. The water was warming up with the sun & cloud cover and was around 68 degrees, but I was hoping for more. Plenty of floating vegetation was also present due to the previous northern winds and boat traffic and rods had to be placed down to compensate. Once I found what I was looking for, the reels began their lovely sounds once more. I had located the big ones and took full advantage of this situation hooking up frequently. Between big northerns, big bass & big walleye, we were into them big time! A couple of the walleye were over 25 inches and ironically fought quite well. As quickly as I could get the rods back in the water after netting a fish, another reel would go off. Talk about a chaotic experience! I love chaos and crazy fire drills too! We fished the area and fanned out looking for more and were rewarded for our efforts every time. It’s amazing how a small refinement can increase the end results when the conditions change like they did. Although it’s only mid June, the 80 plus degree temps made it feel more like a full blown summer day and I think the fish felt it as well. I found myself adjusting constantly just to stay on the fish. By 3:00 we decided the heat was too much and pulled the plug after another double header. I usually don’t like leaving the fish biting but lately that’s what I have been doing. It’s different with clients as everyone always wants more, more more, bigger, bigger bigger! I can’t argue with that and tend to milk the areas for every bite they can get. We weren’t sure what the boat ramp situation would be like and gave ourselves plenty of time as the previous weekend traffic had delayed take out plenty. As luck would have it, nobody was around and we were out in no time. Talk about a perfect end to a perfect day!!

What a week of fishing it was! A couple of cancellations saw me on the water every day for 10 days straight. I decided to take advantage of this situation and start using my electronics for what they were designed for. With the structure scan on the HDS10 unit, I refined many areas and expanded my search grid to locate even more new spots. It’s amazing to see the intricate detail that these machines actually put out, not to mention the power they provide while in this mode. From sweet spots holding small clusters of rocks to thick patches of weeds on deep edges, I saw it all. With every new find there were also fish and big ones too! I don’t think places like these get fished much or maybe at all as the walleye were on fire. Along with the walleye, there were several large northerns up to 10 pounds and some post spawn smallies, just recuperating from their spawn. Although the weather was a bit of a roller coaster ride, it did let me figure out where these fish moved to when conditions changed. I had high humidity and flat calm. NE winds blowing 10 to 15 knots and cold fronts. Even huge water temperature drops and pretty much everything in between. With all of this, came plenty of adjustments just to get them to bite. As bad luck would have it, the only tough day was Wednesday and I had a father & his two sons out. Barry brought Cole & Pierce on the lake and it was a rough one. The NW winds had 3 to 4 footers on the lake from the 15 to 25 knot blow. Along with the big seas, were coffee colored water and tons of green algae throughout the water column. It was practically impossible to keep the lines & lures free of this stuff as I had to be on the rods every couple of minutes. I knew the fish were there, I just couldn’t make them bite. I have a feeling they didn’t like this mess either and just weren’t moving to eat. It was the only day on the water out of all that I struggled to catch fish and I had to have clients. What are the odds of that! Despite the tough fishing, they still managed to land several walleye, a few smallies and some perch. Not a banner day to say the least! The following couple of days had the fish back on the chew and it was just insane once again. Thursday I fished alone and located several more new areas holding fish and Friday I was back out with a family member just pounding them once again. Tom had fished with me a few times this season and always seemed to be a day early or a day late but not today. We started out with a bang and had a couple of 19 inchers in the live well in less than 15 minutes. We picked at them for a while and then I took him to the sweet spot. With rising water temps, high sun and a wind from the NE at about 10 knots, I knew he was in for a banner day. As anticipated, the reels began to go as soon as I got to the area and for the next three hours, never stopped. I just kept covering water and Tom just kept reeling fish in one after the other. Every time we heard a reel scream, I knew the other one was about to go too. Doubles were the order of this day and I lost count on just how many we had. Although most of the fish were in the 18 to 21 inch length, some of the walleye were even longer. There were a few that were 23 to 25 inches and he was elated. This was definitely his best day out with me by far! We decided to pull the plug around 1:00 but not before Tom landed his last fish of this incredible day. One of the two reel s fired and he soon had another walleye over 23 inches in the net. I’m not sure exactly how many fish were caught today but there were many. There were also plenty of northerns, smallmouth and some really jumbo perch taken in the mix, making today just insane. I don’t think he’ll forget this one for quite a while and was glad it finally happened to him. Over the season he had heard tales of days like these and now he finally experienced one of his own. What an absolutely unbelievable day of fishing he had and now, can hardly wait to get back out and relive today again!!