I was back out again today with an old friend and his girlfriend all the way from Oklahoma. Christiane also joined us as we set out to catch some fish on a local lake. The conditions were absolutely horrible this time though and the temps were quite chilly. A light rain stayed with us till after noon and an east wind made it all that much more enjoyable to be on the water. Air temps were barely over 50 degrees and the water was just over 68 degrees as I set the lines hoping for a few walleye. It wasn’t looking too good but we finally had a reel fire and hopes were high until the fish neared the boat. A northern of around 8 pounds was what we had gotten and almost immediately after the line was back in the water, it fired again. Another large northern slightly smaller was our reward and I knew I was out of there. We immediately headed for smallies and Nancy was the one to lock up with a real beauty in the five pound class. Ronnie had a couple on, but couldn’t close the deal as we relocated once again. This time I tried the deeper water due to the stained shallows and came up with just a few fish in the 2.5 pound size. Into the shallows we went and Ronnie hit several up to 3 pounds as I tossed a top-water just searching for activity. One around 4 pounds inhaled the spook and brought a few buddies to the boat that scattered almost immediately. Although we did catch several fish, it really wasn’t an easy task and by 4:00 we called it quits. Winds from the NE caused the lake to be a little choppy and the run back was a little bumpy but smoother than Ronnie’s Bass Boat back home. I think there might be a Ranger in the near future for the two of them reel soon!!

Marie & Jim joined me for the weekend and what a weekend they had! Sunshine, no wind and air temps topping out in the mid 70’s was what we fished in for the entire two days. Smallies were on fire as they just pounded them on a variety of baits and the action was non stop. From top-water to slowly dragged tube jigs, they loaded the boat with the big ones. Every year in the past we have been faced with adverse conditions, but not this time. They left the hurricane behind! By the time the second day was over they had definitely caught their share of bass ranging from just a couple of pounds to over 5. It was surely a trip worthy of the 10 hour drive!

John & Ian were in Montreal for a business meeting and able to get away for a half day of fishing today. We hooked up shortly after 1:00 P.M. and went to a different waterway in search of the elusive smallie due to incredibly strong winds on the usual local lake. Obviously it was the right choice as we were fishing in a little over a one foot chop instead of the 4 footers we would have had. Although the winds were blowing 15 to 25 knots from the west, it was doable and caused me only a little trouble with boat positioning. John had several fish landed from spinner-baits before Ian finally contacted a few of his own on the jerk-bait when we hit the first location and I knew we were going to get them good! The weather wasn’t too bad with sun & cloud mix and temps in the 70’s for the most part. Water temps were about 67 degrees where we were but the fish were active. The next spot produced multiple hook ups from both when I changed up the baits. I had hit the nail on the head and now they were getting into them on almost every cast. It was impossible to keep track of just how many the were landing cause I think they were losing more than they caught! It didn’t matter though as there were plenty more to be taken pretty much everywhere we fished. They were just on fire and both Ian & John were having a blast! As long as the fish were biting I was going to hang in and let them enjoy themselves. What I didn’t realize was that the fish weren’t stopping and before I knew it, the sun had set. It had been a while since I had lasted until dark and found it strange to have to run back with the lights on. In fact on one of Ian’s last casts, he landed his best of the day at just over 4 pounds. It was all worthwhile and I was happy to hang in until we almost couldn’t see anymore! What an afternoon it turned out to be and to think their other co workers all went golfing! Wow, what a mistake! All I know is that today’s fishing had to be better than following a little white ball all around in a golf cart. Fishing rocks!!

Darren joined me once again today for more incredible smallmouth bass action. We hit a local lake around 7:00 and were into them before we knew it. With the weather an overcast one with light chop, I knew it would be good. Air temps were a little on the cool side and in the low 60’s but it was better than scorching hot! Water temps had been falling slightly every day with the nights getting cold and were now around 68.5 degrees. Smallies from 2 to over 4 pounds were being caught mostly on jerk-baits with jigs being a close second in choice. Unfortunately, the weather took a change for the worse by mid day and the afternoon had the winds increasing, causing the boat positioning to become more difficult. They went from less than 10 knots to almost 25 knots and were blowing S/E. Although we were still into good fish, it was becoming a little more difficult to feel the bites on the jigs and many a strike was missed. The lures were definitely producing more action but now mostly followers. By 4:00 we decided to call it a day and take our punishment running back to the ramp. Ironically, we were the only boat trailer in the parking lot and this made it a whole lot easier to take out. Unfortunately the winds were blowing directly into the launch and waves were rolling over the back deck when I loaded the boat onto the trailer. I was glad to finally drive it out and let the pumps drain out. Overall, it was a pretty good day with plenty of action and a roller coaster day of fun!!

Well I was back on local waters this morning, hoping that the weather forecast was going to be right. Fat chance as the waves were 2 footers at the start and they got even stronger the longer we stayed out! Although there wasn’t any sign of movement on land, the lake was rolling pretty good. Terry & his son Josh were joining me with great anticipation of catching some fish. They really hadn’t done too much fishing before and hoped to change their results today. The weather had us in an overcast sky with cooler air temps in the 60’s and winds from the SW blowing 10 to 15 knots at the start. To my amazement, the water temps had dropped considerably and were now barely 68 degrees. This was down over 5 degrees from two days earlier and had me a little worried. I knew the fish were still there but would they bite? I set the lines and began trolling over areas that usually produced multiple catches and waited. There were several drive byes and short rips before one finally locked up and sounded the reel. I quickly passed the rod to Josh and he began reeling in our first fish of the day. It was definitely the right species as a 3 pound walleye came aboard for their dinner that night. Skunk out! Several more short strikes and a relocation change later, another reeled fired and this time Terry was landing a decent walleye, slightly larger. Although it wasn’t fast & furious, I had the confidence to continue hoping the sunshine would change their attitudes. Well, more short strikes and a few good rips after the last fish, another reel fired and this one stayed pinned. Unfortunately it turned out to be a northern pike and was immediately released. It seemed that the fish were only nipping the baits as even the two landed, fell off in the net. They just weren’t eating and I wasn’t happy! I decided to change up completely and went to casting for smallies elsewhere. It was here that I taught both Terry & Josh how to handle a spinning rod and it didn’t take long before they were looking pretty good. Josh had the first bass hooked on a jig and for a while he was just nailing them on every other cast. Terry had several on but was having a hard time keeping them pinned but I’m sure it was just the attitude of these fish today. I even tried a few casts with a jerk-bait and had more followers than takers and that showed me that they were really not interested. By now we were feeling the winds increase and a slight drizzle was starting making the fishing even more difficult. Waves were building causing me more problems with boat control and they were having a hard time feeling the hits too. After a few more fish I decided to try another area hoping for better results. I really had a hard time here as we were getting waves from both a SW & W direction. It felt like being in a washing machine as we were twisting all over. I finally had to start the small motor and put it in gear to be able to hold where we needed to be. It obviously worked as Terry was locked up tight on what I thought was a good bass. To my surprise, it came to the boat as a 5 pound walleye! Wow, a bonus fish in this bass infested area! Several more casts later, Terry had another fish and this time it was a decent smallie. They caught a few more of different sizes before I decided to try trolling again. By now the winds had increased to 20 or more knots from the west and still had a south west blow as well causing a real difficult time trolling. This didn’t last long and after several rollers came over the bow, I called it a day. If it’s not fun, it’s not worth it! Although we had to battle many elements today they still came out catching some fish and that’s all that counts. Both Terry and his son Josh had learned many things with this day’s outing and hopefully it will aid them in their next father & son outing, wherever it may be. Tough conditions with pretty good results overall!!