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This morning saw a much better start to the day for Jim & Marie. The winds were totally gone and I knew we would be able to get around a whole lot easier! Hopefully I would be able to fish some of the areas I wasn’t able to go to yesterday and land more fish.

With the nice weather it also brought out the weekend traffic and our first stop wasn’t to be! There was already a boat on the small area I had planned on starting and I had to hit another place instead. I decided to try a deep spot and immediately Jin was locked up on a small bass. Shortly after, Marie brought in a sauger which was the first for me this year. Several passes over the spot produced more fish but they were mostly small. Jim however did manage to get into a really big one that somehow got off soon after he hooked it.

I decided to hit a shallow rocky flat next and had Marie toss a blade bait to see if there were any active fish nearby. Jim was throwing soft plastics and they both covered the area thoroughly without even a touch. I moved in even shallower and changed Marie to another soft bait as well and she hooked into a big smallie. It was definitely worthy of a photo! Unfortunately it was the only fish from here and soon after, I relocated again.

I shifted to another rock shoal nearby and they caught a few more fish. There didn’t seem to be any sort of a concentration here, so I decided to move on. Off to another shallow area and here they both managed to get into many more bass, but no real big ones were seen. A combination of soft plastics and jigs accounted for the bulk of the hookups but Marie did get a few on a drop shot as well. Jim definitely had the big fish of the day when he snagged a sturgeon while fishing a jig. What he had thought was bottom soon started moving and I immediately knew what he had on the line. We spent a few minutes chasing it down but eventually pulled the hook out so that we could resume fishing.

Today was a day for moving and I decided to make another one when the action slowed down. I ran to a distant place in hopes of some bigger fish. They tossed the soft plastics to weed and rock patches and both land bass quickly. Marie’s however was the only one that was picture worthy! I covered plenty of water afterwards and despite our efforts, came up empty! We did see several huge bass cruising the water, but never really got any of them to take. Time to move on!

It was now midday and I decided to hit an area that I was sure to be holding. We had fished it yesterday in the hurricane winds and managed to get all of the fish from there. I hoped today would be even better with the lack of wind and ran there to give it a try.

Jim was the first to hook up and his fish brought in about 4 others even bigger. Unfortunately none of them were hooked into while he was fighting his! Marie had tossed her bait into the group without any luck and eventually they just dispersed. We spent a couple of hours on this spot continuously moving around and both Jim & Marie landed plenty more quality bass from here. Just like yesterday, this place accounted for the bulk of the big bites! When the action died, I decided to make another move. I wanted to run to an open water area and try our luck at some bass & walleye.

The next stop was to be in the middle of nowhere in deep water and as luck would have it, there was a boat right on the spot. Not to educate them, I decided to go to another area instead. These places are too hard to find and I wasn’t about to let them see us catching fish from there!

Weekend traffic is always a problem and I had to make another change when I was running to our next spot to fish. Just like the previous one, there was a boat fishing close by and I didn’t want them to see us hooked up either! Plan C it was going to be!

This was to be our last stop for the day with limited time remaining and I hoped it would be a good one. Once I arrived, I had Marie toss a blade bait and Jim was back on the soft plastics again. I decided to drag a jig while we were drifting to see what the fish wanted. Once I neared my waypoints, Jim slammed into a nice bass telling me that they were definitely here! As he brought it to the boat another one followed and it was even bigger! We tried to get it to eat as well but the fish wasn’t interested and just swam off instead. I immediately spot locked the motor and held here while I netted Jim’s fish. It was another picture worthy one and I knew there were going to be more!

In the last hour we adjusted our position several times and many more quality bass were landed. There was even a good keeper walleye that was added to the tank for me tonight! Both Jim & Marie managed to catch some really good fish but it was Marie that had most of the pics before we were done.

The last couple of days were interesting to say the least! One was like an ocean and the other one was just thick with boat traffic! I guess everyone is trying to get that last day of summer in before the cold weather chases them off the water for the season. Who could blame them though in this crazy Covid Year! All I know is that I will be sticking it out until Mother Nature tells me different. It’ll take ice on the ramp to keep me from fishing and hopefully there will be plenty more time left before I am done. Lots more great days of fishing ahead!!

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Sam & Garret were with me this morning looking for a few big bites. We were going to try our luck at sturgeon and hopefully it would all work out! We headed to the area in a very light mist that fortunately was about to end. All I was concerned about was the winds that would be following and hoped we would have enough time to get it done!

I idled over the spot and found a few smaller marks where I thought we’d see big ones. Desperate to get them into sturgeon, I decided to try regardless and set the lines to await the first bite. As predicted, it was a small sturgeon and Garret reeled it in. He also managed to get another fish but this one was a walleye. Shortly after however I set into a much heavier fish and Sam took the rod to do battle with a bigger one. This fish peeled line from the reel like it was a giant but I knew better. Five minutes later it was in the net and Sam had officially added another species to his list.

We made a move and were set up on another place when I noticed one of the rods getting bit. I cranked down on the reel and was immediately tight to a good one! This time Garret took the rod and began the long fight! This fish didn’t want to move much at first but soon after, it took to the air and I knew it was big. He would have his work cut out for him on this one!

Plenty of runs were made as the fish wanted to remain on the bottom. Too bad it couldn’t make up its mind as it went from one side of the boat to the other multiple times. Garret had to do the sturgeon shuffle often so as not to hit the motor with the line. Eventually after ten minutes or so, he managed to bring the fish up for me to net. It was going to be a tough one to hold!

Fortunately Garret was able to pick up the beast and we shot several pics of his catch before releasing it back into the water. I was glad that they had both landed a good one but wasn’t sure if we would be able to remain here much longer. The winds had started with the clear skies and it would only be getting worse!

We hadn’t been set up for more than a few minutes when I realized that it wasn’t going to work. I quickly packed everything up and switched to another species and technique to finish off their trip. We were going to try a little open water drifting with these winds and hopefully catch a few more fish!

The lake was getting big now and the drifts we made over the open water were fast. Fortunately they were able to hook into a few fish before we had to head back. Garret nailed a nice walleye that unfortunately fell off right at the boat and Sam managed to get a good sized pike. He also had a few other bites and something with substantial size that came off as well before we were done. I had an afternoon couple next and needed to pick them up soon!

As we ran back I realized that the winds had gotten much worse and wasn’t looking forward to the afternoon. It wasn’t going to get any better!

Sam & Garret had a great time this morning with their first ever sturgeon and finished with a bang! Jim & Marie were next and I only hoped that they would be having as much luck with the bass in these giant winds. I told them to put their rain gear on and we headed out in the big winds and waves to an area far from the ramp. I thought we could be somewhat protected where I wanted to go and made the long run first!

They began by tossing blades to find the fish but this definitely didn’t seem to be what the bass wanted. Several followers and short strikers were all we could find. I soon switched them to soft plastics and slower moving baits to finally get the first fish on the board. Marie landed a two pounder that was quickly released! She soon followed it up with a fish over twice the size and this one was photographed before being let go. She was in the zone now and managed plenty more bites as well as fish from the same area. Jim on the other hand was having a much harder time getting bit but that was all about to change!

I held the boat spot locked in the area and tried several different baits. The cold front conditions had the fish in a very negative mood and the slower they could fish, the better it was. Eventually Jim got into a few fish and all was good!

I really didn’t want to leave this area where we were and covered it thoroughly with slow moving baits. Both Jim & Marie managed to get several more fish from here before we were convinced that it was time to go. With not many options or time left, I decided to hit the open water and see if they could catch a few fish from the deep spot I had tried earlier today.

We ran in bigger waves than we had come out in and I had to tack a few times in order to get there safely. They were three to five footers at times and it looked more like Lake Ontario! I was going to attempt a drift in the adverse conditions regardless!

We made 3 or four passes, quickly and despite our attempts at catching more fish, it wasn’t to be. Jim did have several shots at something but wasn’t able to keep them pinned. It was officially time to pull the plug on today!

The run back to the ramp was epic with giant waves from the wind. I’m sure I would have swamped the boat several times if it wasn’t the Ranger! Fortunately we stayed safe & dry all the way in!

Both trips today were successful, despite the weather and everyone had a good time. I only with that the winds could have been a bit lighter, so that I could have moves around more. With any luck tomorrow will bring better conditions and I’ll be able to get to all the places I couldn’t today. I know it couldn’t get much worse!

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Felix scheduled the afternoon with me but due to a free morning, I suggested that we start earlier. He was game for a 10:00 meet time and we would fish until 2:30 instead of the usual 4:00. I had also taken the liberty to head out a bit earlier to target some walleye for tonight’s dinner. I ended up putting 4 nice keepers in the well in less than 30 minutes before I received the text that he had arrived. I headed back to the ramp and picked him up to fish!

We ran out in a SE wind that made for a twisty, bouncy ride! He had wanted to fish for bass as he had never even seen one before. Felix was from Sweden and also had never caught a walleye either. We both decided that the walleye would be where we started!

I immediately went back to where I had been earlier and located some nice marks on the sonar. It didn’t take long before Felix had his first walleye, but it was too big to keep. I still took a few pics before releasing his catch! We moved around and managed to get a few more fish including a couple of big perch. He would definitely be having fish for dinner!

The quest for smallmouth bass was next and once the walleye shut down, we made the move. I headed to a spot that I was sure would produce and he hooked up on his very first cast. He was impressed at how strong these fish were and hoped to get a few more before the day was done. What he didn’t know was what was about to happen, would be epic!

I had set Felix up with some soft plastic baits and he had fended well where we were. I guess he had landed about 6 or so bass and missed about the same. As I moved to the last area, the fishing just got stupid! The last 90 minutes of the day was like the Olympics! He had chances at fish on practically every cast and boated so many smallies that I sat down until the net was needed. These fish were also all quality and nothing under 3 pounds was seen! I know he definitely got his fill of bass, having boated an astronomical number of these bronze beauties. I guarantee that he will be remembering this day for the rest of his life. In fact, he had mentioned that this was by far the best day of fishing he had ever experienced! One last cast and one more quality smallie and we were done! Yes, we actually left them biting!

Felix came all the way from Sweden for a vacation and managed to catch a couple of new species of fish. In fact, he had experienced smallmouth action like not many have before! I still don’t know how many bass were in the area we were but I will definitely be finding out in the weeks to come. With any luck Felix will be back to try his luck at a giant sturgeon next time, as we had planned on fishing for them as well today. The infestation of big smallies had changed all of our plans though, as I never leave fish to find fish. I only hope they remain there a little longer so that more of my guests can experience similar fishing. I definitely can’t wait to get back out there again and soon!

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Chad, Charlie & Megan joined me this morning and we headed out for sturgeon to start the day. We were going to fish them for a few hours and end with bass & walleye, or so we thought! Sometimes plans have a way of changing!

The first couple of hours were pretty slow with the nibblers being the only things biting. I made several moves trying to locate some active fish but each one was eventually greeted by more nibblers. With limited time for the half day trip, I started to bring the rods in, thinking of another species move when that all changed. One of the rods took a big hit and I set into some serious weight! I handed it to Charlie and coached him on what to do. I also told him to relax as this was going to be a long battle!

With everything cleared from the back of the boat, Charlie began the fight. This fish was strong and within minutes went to the air with a spectacular leap for everyone to see. It was definitely the largest thing he had ever been hooked up to and quickly learned how to conserve his energy for the battle. Multiple long runs were had and each time he reeled the fish back to the boat, it took off again. This happened several times before he finally brought it close enough for me to net. The fight may have been over but the hard part was about to begin. Now he would have to hold it for the pic!

I realized quickly that Charlie wouldn’t be able to hold the fish alone so with the help of his father, they both lifted it up for a few pics. Back it went after, unharmed as usual!

I had planned on switching to bass & walleye but when I gave them the option, it was unanimous. We were going for quality over quantity! Back in the lines went and once again the wait began.

In the last hour or so, they managed to get one more small sturgeon and a hateful eel. Not what I had wanted but you never know what you’re going to get when the baits are down in the deep!

Timing it just right, I headed back to the docks to exchange clients and pick up my afternoon party. The morning trip was a bit slow but we managed to make it work. I was glad they at least got to land one giant in the short time we were out!

Chris, Mark & T jumped in the boat and we headed back to where I had left off. I was sure they would enjoy catching something large and only hoped the fish would cooperate as well.

I don’t think the lines were in the water for even three minutes before we had our first bite! Mark was handed the rod after I set into something small and he landed his first juvenile sturgeon. Although cute, it was not what I was searching for! The next couple of bites also came quick and two more small sturgeon were landed again. Following them was a keeper sized walleye that made into the livewell for them to take home.

We had been anchored for a while after the earlier flurry when I finally reared back on some weight. Chris was handed the rod and was about to do battle with a much better fish. I didn’t think it was a true giant but after the day care bites we had earlier, this would be welcomed!

Soon into the battle his fish went to the air and we saw that it was a god one. It peeled line from the reel multiple times and gave him a great fight before coming to net. Quick pics were taken and the fish was released.

I knew that we were in the right area for a big bite and we eventually got one. When I set into this fish, it didn’t move! T was given the rod after only landing little ones earlier and felt the difference immediately. It didn’t allow him to reel any line for the first minute or so and just took line out. Although it didn’t jump at all, the battle was epic! T had never felt anything like this before and had to be coached so as not to burn out. The runs were long and often and each time he thought he was gaining, the sturgeon took it all back and more. Fifteen minutes later and a whole lot of burn, I was finally able to net his beast! He was relieved to have ended the battle but the hard part was going to be the hold. He struggled to get the fish up and after a few quick belly pics, the others stepped in. They aided in the hold and several more shots of the group were taken before the release.

We reset the lines and in the last hour, managed to land a few more juveniles before I called the day. They had spent the entire afternoon on sturgeon and had a blast catching all kinds of fish. Although we could have gone for bass & walleye, they were quite happy to try for the big ones!

Today was all about quality and both groups saw just that! They had witnessed the power of these creatures and seen true River Monsters! Overall, today was a great success, with a few of the better ones being landed. I can’t wait for cooler weather and bigger bites!

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A rescheduling for today’s client had Christiane & Dan in the boat instead! I headed out with Dan for a couple of hours first in pursuit of walleye and we got on them big time. When I went back to pick up  Christiane, we know exactly where they were. We actually had left them biting in order to get her from the ramp!

Once the three of us started casting, we filled the livewell in no time. We were on a quest for eaters and had no problem getting a couple of limits, with many others released as well. There were even a few jumbo smallies caught from the same area too. Now it was time to switch gears!

I had wanted to focus on bass after our morning success and headed to an area to pound on them too. Unfortunately as I neared the spot, I realized that there was another boat exactly where I needed to be. Plan B was immediately made instead and we headed there hoping for a few good bites.

Christiane slammed a big one quickly, right after I had missed two good bites. After I missed a third fish for no apparent reason Christiane landed yet another one. There wasn’t a lot of fish where we were, but they were good ones!

I had covered plenty of great looking water and only come up with a few bass, so it was time for another move. I idled over to where I wanted to be and almost immediately Christiane was into another bass. She also missed a few others and landed a couple more too! I managed to get a few myself but Dan was struggling just to get bit!

I had left just enough time in the day to check out one last spot. It was the first chance I had to see if it was holding bass and was it ever! They were all over the area and each time we casted, there were fish following. Several good smallies were taken from here by all of us. Although it took Dan a while to get in the game he finally changed to what we were throwing and hooked up. He even had a chance at a big musky from the same area, but luck wasn’t on his side. We continued casting for bass and everyone managed to hook up multiple times before we were done.

Overall today was a great success with plenty of fish being landed by all. We even managed to take a couple of limits of walleye. All this and I was off by 3:00 too! I’m looking forward to getting back out real soon!