While the N/E winds continue to plague me, I hit the lake again today for another shot at redemption. This time however, Norm & his faithful companion Buddha were to join me and hopefully our luck would change. I thought I would try a different section of the lake and see if we could get something started. Air temps were a balmy 38 degrees at the start but at least the sunshine made it feel less painful. The winds however were a different story as they were blowing from the N/E at 15 to 25 knots. Although it was suppose to reach 60 plus degrees, we weren’t there yet as we began our troll. Fly rods and deep sinking lines were set and the waiting game began. Tons of baitfish were present, along with plenty of fish arches but nothing seemed to be moving. I swapped one deep line for a high line and tried again but with the same results. Another change to lead core and planer boards for a while with only a couple of bass to show and I went to the downriggers and controlled depth fishing. The lures were running straight through the fish but still nada. Lure changes from small stick baits to spoons and finally a line released. Unfortunately the lake trout fell a little short at 19 inches and was immediately sent back to where he came from. This was to be the story of the day as it seemed like every fish that came aboard was either too short or just the wrong species all together. The only thing good about this was that at least we were catching fish! Sometime in the afternoon we decided to try slower jigging with minnow baits and hit the sand drops and edges hoping to change our luck. Well, it didn’t work as the same thing was happening all over again. To make matters worse, the winds were at their strongest and boat control was a real treat. Shortly after 4:30 P.M. we decided to call it a day and just packed it in. We had covered all kinds of water, seen all kinds of bait & fish arches and tried several methods all in vane. Tomorrow I will try a different section of the lake once more and hopefully this time, hit the mother load. Maybe this time I can find water temps better than the 43 degrees that these cold winds are creating and hit some silver in the process!!

Bobby & Chico were with me today on what had the makings of a beautiful, sunny, fish catching day. They arrived around 8:30 and we headed right to the honey hole for some silver bullets. Although the air was cool for the run, the sunshine was nice to see again. Unfortunately the clouds seemed to be over powering the sky and the N/E winds that began at less than 5 knots were increasing as we trolled the area. Water temps were 41 degrees in some areas all the way to 47 in others, but the fish were not active. All the bait was pressed to the bottom and no signs of life were present. Oh there were plenty of fish showing but they too were deep and nothing we did seemed to make them eat. Time to move and off we went to another area in search of activity. The water was a bit warmer here with 47.5 degrees being pretty stable all over but the water was a whole lot dirtier. Debris was floating everywhere with a brown, grayish tint as well. Once more it wasn’t working out here so off we went once more to an off shore location when the first reel actually fired. We were fishing a deep drop along a rock pile and were hooked up with a bass. Go figure! This little two pound ice cube hit the minnow bait and just crushed it in two foot rollers. The winds had picked up and now they were blowing at 15 to 20 knots from the N/E or straight north depending on the mountains. Although I usually get lake trout in this section, it looked like the bass were in as the next reel that fired also had a smallie attached to the lure. Along with the lure was another line with the fly in his mouth too. What a pig! Off we went again and another deep area also held bass causing us to relocate further up the lake to our original spot hoping that the salmon had gotten hungry. We encountered three foot rollers on our run and some areas had even larger waves making me thankful we were in the Ranger. I passed an aluminum boat along the way that was just taking a pounding in the waves and I’m sure he wished that he could change boats. The winds were strong where we were now and blowing on the shore but after an hour of trolling with nada, we decided to pull the plug. Water temps had changed and the north winds had blown all the warm water out and apparently the fish too. Not much to show for our efforts today other than some brown fish and that was a surprise. I guess tomorrow I will have to try something different in order to change the outcome. High water is definitely making it more difficult this season as I should be averaging at least a dozen or so niche by now. Better days ahead!

Norm & I hit the water today for our final boat voyage of the year. Just like last season, December 3rd and still on the water catching smallies! We launched around 9 o’clock in overcast skies and air temps around 31 degrees. A light snow fall was present as we raced to our first stop of the day. Water temps were right around 42 degrees and thankfully the wind was barely present. I figured that if we could manage 15 bites today we would have had a good day but never anticipated what was about to come. Slow was how we would have to fish and there was no room for day dreaming as the bites were incredibly subtle. Just detecting something at the other end was difficult and as with the last outing, you definitely had to have patience. Strike too soon and they’re gone! We managed to get into a bunch of decent bass in the first hour or so but missed plenty more as they seemed to be dropping the baits more than retaining them. Location change and fresh fish to harass, so we moved again! By covering some water we managed several more good fish and then decided to try something different. Time for walleye and oh boy, were they there! Norm’s first fish was a big one and they just kept coming after that. Plenty of big fish were caught in the next few hours before we decided to hit the bass once again. It wasn’t fast & furious but we did pick at them pretty good on this cold, damp day. That is until the blizzard hit and we were in a total whiteout! This freak snow squall lasted almost a half hour and blanketed the entire boat with Styrofoam beads of snow. I told Norm to be careful as the deck was about to become real dangerous for the rest of the day. Fortunately, the fishing picked up and we were back to catching plenty more fish afterwards. I’m not really sure what the final count was but it definitely surpassed our expectations in spades. Seeing as we were able to stretch our time on the water this year into December, who could ask for anything more! By 3:30, we called it a day and headed back to the boat ramp on this final day of our open water fishing season. Despite the bitter cold chill in the air today and lack of sunshine, I think we finished with a bang. Only 4 more months until the boat is back on the water and it starts all over for another season. I can’t wait!!

With the roller coaster weather patterns we’ve had lately, I wasn’t able to get out until today. Norm joined me with his bear, Buddha and we hit the water by 8:30 full of anticipation. This day was supposed to hold no wind, sunny skies and temps around 45 degrees so why not bring him! He had missed out on the last outing but this time he would get to enjoy this picture perfect fall day. We began casting jigs under a mix of cloud & sun and air temps around 38 degrees. Water temps were holding in the low 40’s and the bites were subtle. The first few fish were swung on too soon and contact was never made, causing us to make an adjustment. The count of three was to be today’s theme and it held true all day long! By waiting those extra few seconds we were able to hook a much larger percentage of the fish that bit and swear a whole lot less. A few areas held several more fish than others and by covering water we were able to monopolize on a bunch of quality smallies. Once the sun came out I thought things would come alive but found the exact opposite effect. It actually got a little tougher until I changed zones and we began getting into them once again. Buddha was having a blast as he took part in every release with a light licking of the fish’s tails. What a ham! He’s gotten so in tune with fishing that he knows when a fish has been hooked just by hearing the drag. If either of us happens to say, “There’s One” before we set the hook, he’s right there waiting. Unfortunately the air temps are getting a little too cool for him, even with his fleece coat and this will most likely be his last outing. We on the other hand will surely be back out for another kick at the can before the water becomes hard and steelhead become our target. Hopefully, sometime this week after the forecasted floods of rain have subsided, we’ll be able to wet another line and tangle with more of those big, bronze beauties!!

One week later and back out with Norm once again! Unfortunately due to the weather, his faithful companion Buddha remained back at home. Norm did however get quite a dirty look when leaving with rods in hand! Although it may have been raining pretty hard for most of the morning, the action was great as plenty of fish were boated. We drove through fog and lots of precipitation before arriving at the water and even launched in the rain as well. Fortunately for us, the air temps were above freezing and eventually topped out around 55 degrees. Winds were from the SW at around 10 knots for the most part until late in the afternoon when they more than doubled. With the heavy cloud cover and wetness upon us, we made our first drift in the 46 degree water. Almost immediately I had a hit and instantly was swinging at “Nothing but Air”. Those damn lunge are on our bass spot again! While I was re rigging, Norm got violated as well and he too was back tying on another jig. All I could hear from him was how much he loathed those hateful creatures and why they wouldn’t leave him alone. Ever since his first encounter with a Muskie, he has had nothing but anger towards them. It ate his bass and all 50 plus inches were landed on the jig! Moral of the story, “Don’t mess with Norm’s Bass”! After retying, we moved into a slightly shallower area, began casting to isolated areas and as luck would have it, Norm locked up. “Not again” was what I heard from him and all I saw was a giant of a lunge coming towards the boat. I think most people would love to be in his shoes with all this bad luck, but not Norm. He just hates them to death! It came to the boat like a big old log and we both got a great look at this beast. It was over 50 inches and had an enormous girth to her. She turned and disappeared to the depths, leaving him once again in awe. Was this going to be the last encounter today? We finally started getting into the smallies and quality fish were coming in on almost every other cast. We covered the area thoroughly and just kept pounding big bass! Eventually the rain let up and we were only fishing in the clouds for a while. This was great as there was no need for the hoods and we no longer felt like horses with blinders. The action slowed down a bit and now we had to work for each and every bite as we continued moving along. Eventually we found another area holding some good fish and we got into them once more. I’m not sure at what point in the afternoon the sun came out but not long after, the winds really kicked up and we were now fishing in 2 to 3 footers. It was definitely a little tougher to feel the subtle bites but we did manage a few more good ones before we called it quits. The sun was getting low and the air was starting to cool off so we decided to go back to the ramp and head home. It was nice to get back out again and get a bunch of big bass. Hopefully this won’t be the last outing but at this time of the year, you just never know. At any time, Mother Nature can shut us down completely and the boat can go into hibernation for another winter. Let’s just hope she holds out a little longer as I think there’s still plenty of great fishing to be had!!