I fished with Mike, Phil & Paul on a local lake, for another amazing day full of smallie action. We met at the ramp at 7:30 and were blazing across the lake to our first location soon after. At this time of the morning you expect a little cool air but the humidity still remained, with air temps at 74 degrees. Water temps were steadily on the rise and now showed above 71 where we began. The winds were light and from the west at only 5 knots, but a small chop was present when we stopped to make the first cast. I’m not sure who it was that hooked up first but I do know that everyone was hooking & mostly losing bass on almost every cast. The percentage of landed fish to lost fish was quite low to say the least! Of the three, Mike was managing to get a few more to the boat but still dropping a pile of his as well. I really don’t think they were eating well and possibly holding onto the baits without getting the hooks in their mouths. At one point, Mike hooked into one that didn’t act like a bass but had weight. I immediately knew he was into another prehistoric sturgeon and one hell of a battle. When we all caught a glimpse of this thing it looked like another legal hookup. He was able to control the beast but it still took time before he managed to bring it up enough for me to get a glove on the thing. It was pretty skinny and grabbing the tail wasn’t a problem. I figure it went around 10 pounds and the jig was definitely in the mouth but somehow the line was wrapped in the gill plate also making steering this fish a little difficult. A few quick pics and back she went to the depths where she belonged. Back to the bass and plenty of them were being both caught and lost in the next 45 minutes before Phil hooked into something rather large of his own. Oh no, another dinosaur! This one was double in size but he wasn’t as lucky as Mike, because it wasn’t in the mouth. The jig had landed in the mid section of the sturgeon and he was trying to bring it in backwards. This was going to be a while! The battle lasted over 10 minutes before I gloved her and Phil had his first ever sturgeon as well. After a couple of quick picks, she was released back to the depths again. Back to the targeted species once more and this time the fish had seemed to grow in size. Now instead of 2.5 pounders they were more in the 3.5 to 4 pound range and just on fire. We had slid into the major and it showed as they were eating much better and everyone was keeping them pinned a lot more. This was to go on for the next few hours, all the while moving along in different areas. Bass were abundant and Paul, the least experienced, was hooking up on almost every cast. Mike had pulled out the fly rod, in a strong west wind and thought he would give it a go. After over an hour of painful watching, he finally hooked up on what was to be his last cast. Although it was only a two pound fish, he was on the fly and that’s all that counted! The others were still catching bass on every other cast and he just couldn’t take it anymore. He finally broke and went back to the spinning rod and joined in too! They continued getting into bass for the next hour or so and I guess they had their fill because there was talk of trolling going on. Whenever this happens near the end of the day, I know they have gotten tired and it showed. Off we went to another area in pursuit of walleye and in 2 foot waves, began searching for old marble eyes. They had spoke of taking one or two home for dinner and had given me about 45 minutes to locate something edible. Well after a couple of bass and a small walleye, the board went back and an 18 inch eater was aboard. Too bad this was the last legal one but a couple of other smaller ones were caught in the process. Between the bass, perch and tiny 13 inch eyes, we had managed about 8 fish in this area in less than an hour. They had all caught their fair share of fish today with a couple of bonus ones thrown in for fun and were ready to throw in the towel. Back we went and a unanimous decision to call it a day was made. I’m not quite sure of the actual count today, but it was high. Everyone had managed to catch their fair share and were exhausted from battling all the smallies. It was definitely all they had hoped for and much, much more!!

Sam & his brother Hassan joined me today along with their friend Steph for another amazing day of smallmouth bass action. We met up just after 7:30 and were on the water shortly after. I knew we were in for heavy boat traffic when there were already 8 trailers in the parking lot this early in the day! Our first spot turned out to be an over 3 hour stop as the fish just kept biting. The winds were blowing out of the N/W at 10 to 15 knots and really creating a good chop where we were. Although a few of the first ones were taken on a spinnerbait, it was the tube jig that was the winner. Water temps were in the low 70’s and heavily stained causing the visibility to be almost none. Apparently it didn’t matter to the fish as they were biting strong! Steph even managed another sturgeon on the tube and this was another first for him. It really didn’t seem to matter which color we used as the fish ate them all. We held here for quite some time until we lost the wind and the bite died. It’s amazing how sensitive they are to moving water and how it effects their feeding! I decided to relocate to another area, change up tactics and troll for a while. I set the lines and began to fish in an area that had been fishing well but for some reason, they didn’t want to cooperate. The water was almost flat calm here and it was scorching hot with the dog pecker knats. Unanimously, we decided to go back for smallies and battled the waves to get to another area and fish. I was right this morning when I had said there would be a lot of traffic and now we were in it. Boats were travelling in all directions and some really big cruisers that looked like they belonged on the ocean in Florida were rolling giant waves. Once again it felt like we were stuck in a washing machine! I managed to escape the traffic and headed somewhere much further away for the bass. This part of the lake was also flat calm except for the ocean like waves that bounced us around from time to time. Even this area wasn’t saved from the traffic! The fish weren’t moving too much with the lack of current and now I knew we would have to go to a senko if we wanted to catch anything. Even these baits weren’t convincing the fish very well as they just refused to eat. We managed to get several more of the medium sized bass but the larger ones just didn’t want to know anything. Time to shift again and this time we hit them good. They were not only eating senkos but the tube bite was working once again. Everyone was into fish and there were numbers of quality big ones landed in the last couple of hours in the day. Despite the lack of current flow, we were able to hit an area that had volume and I guess they were active. When we packed it up and started running back I knew it would be a bumpy ride. Once more the rollers from all the cruisers were rocking us all over the water. Thankfully we were in a Ranger and it didn’t seem that bad. I pity the smaller aluminum boats as they must have taken a beating! On the way back we made one more stop in a small area and the guys caught a pile more bass before the waves & traffic made me throw in the towel. We were bouncing all over trying to stay in a small area and it wasn’t easy. Especially standing on one leg while the other controlled the electric motor! It was still a rough ride back to the dock but at least I was sitting and not twisting all over trying to hold the boat in position. I know my back will be feeling this tomorrow! A fantastic day for bass was had by all, with Sammy finishing on top once again. It didn’t seem to matter though as everyone had caught their share and lost a bunch too!!!

I was back on the lake once again today, with Richard and his son Josh, for more smallmouth action. We met at the ramp around 7:30 and headed out shortly after in pursuit of the bass. My first thoughts were to hit an area that had produced great the day before and let them get into numbers. There was a light chop on the water as we raced towards our first spot with great expectations. At 8:00 the air temps felt a little chilly, but I knew we were headed for another scorcher as they were going to rise into the mid 80’s by days end. Sunny skies and an occasional cloudy period would be expected, according to the weather reports, but you know how that goes! I set them up with spinnerbaits hoping for a quick bite and wasn’t disappointed. Josh unleashed the lure, letting it fly like a veteran angler and began cranking when it just stopped. He locked up to a decent 3 pound smallie while his father was still getting ready! Usually it’s not a good thing to catch a fish on your first cast but that doesn’t apply at his age. It’s the kid factor rule! He managed to get another one soon after and then his dad got in the game as well. We hung in here for a while catching a bunch more then hooked into a big fish that definitely didn’t feel like any bass. As it turned out, it was a sturgeon and Richard was happy to fight his very first dinosaur. While slowly dragging a tube jig, the fish had sucked it in and was now pinned to 10 pound line and a lengthy battle was in progress. I was eventually able to grab the tail and lift the thing aboard for a few pics. At under 10 pounds it was a rather small one but nonetheless a sturgeon! Now Richard had another fish species to add to his list. We hung in here for a little longer catching a few more smallmouth and then headed to another area not too far away for more smallie action. With absolutely no wind, it felt like the current had been shut off and the fishing got a little tougher. Now we had to work for each and every bite and slow was the only way to get bit. Senkos and more tubes had to be almost dead sticked in order for the fish to show any interest at all. A few more smallies were taken before another heavy fish was felt on the tube and ironically another sturgeon was on. This one however had the jig in the side of its head and this made it much more difficult to land. Eventually I was able to grab it once again and Richard now had another one even larger than his first. It would have gone somewhere around 15 pounds or so and just as prehistoric looking as the first. Another couple of pics and back the beast went. We stayed on this area a little longer then decided to try trolling a little as Josh just wanted to drive the boat. It was just as tough to get bit here as everywhere else due to the high heat & humidity and lack of wind under bluebird skies but we managed a few takers. Several pike later one of the rods went off and simultaneously another reel also started to scream as well. We were into a double and they were both walleye. Josh had landed one about 3 pounds and his dad one other slightly smaller. Into the livewell they went for their dinner tonight. By now it was getting on and the heat was starting to get unbearable so we decided to try another area just so we could get the breeze. I thought I would try and finish off a limit for them and immediately went to work setting the rods. The first reel to go off was a board line and soon after another walleye was joining his friends in the well. In the next 45 minutes we managed to finish out the limit and threw back a few smaller ones as well. It was almost 5 o’clock and really unbearable by now so we all decided to pack it in and head back. Plenty of other boats were on the water today and with all the sunshine it was almost as bad as last weeks holiday weekend fiasco. I was glad to get off the lake and all the rollers from every direction from other boats and head home to the air. Without the wind the 85 degree temps made it feel more like 100 and I was drained. Overall a much tougher day on the water but plenty of fish were landed making it a good one!!

Jeff & Mariann were with me today for probably the best bass action outing, so far this season. We met around 7:00 and were on the water soon after, in hot pursuit of smallies! The winds were from the N/W at 5 to 10 knots and the air was a chilly 69 degrees as we made our way to the first spot. Jeff had fished tournaments before so I knew all I had to do was put him on fish and he would catch them. Mariann hadn’t fished since she was a kid and the basics were where she was to start. While I was instructing her on how to handle the rod & reel, we saw a bass go to the air near the boat. Not to my surprise, it was pinned to Jeff’s spinnerbait and only on his second cast. It’s never good luck to hook up on your first and Jeff was aware of that too! I knew right then & there that we were going to have a fantastic day! Immediately after the first, he nailed another on the next cast and several more before Mariann even made her first cast. It didn’t take too long before she was casting on her own and both Jeff & I were amazed at how fast she picked it up. She was throwing a spinnerbait as well but not having the same results as Jeff. Every time I looked over, his rod was doubled over and he was fighting another fish. Now I know why they call him the vacuum back home! It took a while before Mariann got into one of her own and it wasn’t on a spinnerbait but rather a slowly fished senko. She was starting to get the hang of it and we weren’t even an hour into the day. I don’t think she realized just how strong these smallies actually were until she had one on the other end of the line. Although it beat her up pretty good, I was soon able to net her prize and capture a few “Kodak” moments before another release. We stayed in this area until the fish started being too small to enjoy and then shifted to another spot close by for more. Jeff was now on a tube and repeating what he had started in the first place while Mariann was still throwing a senko and getting use to the whole process. Round two was another turkey shoot as the vacuum was running on high and loving every minute of this day. He usually has to fish deep back home with a drop shot rig but was power fishing in shallow water today. Although Mariann wasn’t catching nearly as many, she was still getting into some of her own and enjoying fishing once again. The winds were blowing pretty good where we were, creating quite a chop on the water and I’m sure this had something to do with the activity level of the bass. I knew there were plenty more fish in the area so I shifted directions and Jeff casted a crankbait from a different angle. What a surprise, he locked up several more times, once again! It didn’t seem to matter what he threw, they just ate! Eventually we decided to relocate and run up the lake looking for less windy areas to fish. It was here that Jeff got a topwater bite with a spook and it was a bigun! Of course the fish had to hit at long range making the fight last even longer than it should. Couple that with the second hook pinning her in the side and he had a battle on his hands. Eventually I was able to slip the net under a four pounder and so far the best fish of the day. We fished this area for a while and both Mariann & Jeff were hooking up pretty good on a variety of baits. These fish were just chewing well today! The next three spots were carbon copies of every previous location, as we could do no wrong! When it neared the end of the day, we made one final stop on another spot looking for a few more biters. Well, this lasted about an hour when they just wouldn’t stop biting! Jeff began the ball rolling with several good ones on a spinnerbait and then switched to a tube for the slower biters. Mariann was matching him on a senko with plenty of others as well and it wasn’t time to leave. The cardinal rule is never to leave fish biting and I wasn’t going to break it today! We just stayed on the fish, pounding them right till the end. Even when we did decide to leave, there was a fish caught on the last cast. I think they had filtered through all the large & medium ones and were now into the smaller bass when we headed back. This was Jeff’s first experience with the lake but after today, not his last. Mariann on the other hand, has a whole new outlook on Jeff’s love of the sport and I’m sure will be joining him on future fishing trips. Words cannot explain just how good today actually was, so let’s just say it was insane and leave it at that!!

The lake was like a ghost town this morning as Scott & John joined me on the water. We were going to have a great day and I knew they were both going to have a “Grand Slam” when we were all done. It was like a mirror out there and without the weekend boat traffic, it looked like it would stay that way too! The humidity was still present and with the expected highs to reach the mid 80’s, it would be another scorcher. We began with a troll for walleye in an area that I had good results lately and it didn’t disappoint me again. Within 10 minutes the first reel went off and John was landing a pretty nice walleye of almost 19 inches. Unfortunately that was the only one to make it to the livewell from here and we needed to relocate. Oh we did manage to land several others but they were all just 15 inches and I knew we could do much better. Along with the short ones there was also a bunch of smallies and a few northerns thrown in for good measure! The second area produced a couple more walleye the same size, then nothing. It wasn’t going too good where we were but we were picking at fish about every 10 to 15 minutes. Both walleye and anorexic pike were coming aboard but not at the rate I was so accustomed to and I knew another change was about to occur. I packed up the trolling gear and pulled out the bass rods to change up the species and off we went. I guess this was the right decision as both Scott & John began catching smallies almost instantly. Senkos were once again responsible for the bulk of the fish but several were also taken on jerkbaits, crankbaits and an occasional spinnerbait. They were given the choice to remain on bass or switch back to the walleye trolling and both agreed to hammer the smallies for the remainder of the day. I covered all the best areas in the process and they managed to catch fish from each and every one that we stopped at. It had been several years since John had fished and he was right back in the game and on his “A” game too. Although he missed plenty of bass, he managed to catch more than he lost and in the process developed a love for the sport once more. It won’t be nearly as long the next time before he gets back out to tackle more of these powerful smallies! Scott and John are already making plans to hook up again for another spectacular fishing day and I’m ready for more! What a way to spend “Independence Day”!!