September 27th 2018

Bill & Dan were with me this morning, both looking for a new species of fish to catch. Sturgeon were our target and I hoped they would bite! Due to big winds, it had been about a week since I tried for them and It just felt great to be back!

I was surprised to see that there weren’t any other boats fishing when we arrived and quickly got everything set up. With rods baited all we could do was wait and hope for a bite. I don’t think we were anchored for 15 minutes before another boat arrived and of course, it set up so close to us that I could have hit them with a cast. Idiots thought there’s only one area holding fish I guess!

After about another 10 minutes I pulled out and re anchored elsewhere, just to get some distance from the other boat. I guess it was the right choice because we were on more fish and bit shortly after. Dan was about to battle his first sturgeon! The fight lasted about 5 minutes with several surges but the fish acted a little strange. It had gone into a roll in the beginning and the line had tangled around the pectoral fin causing it to come in weird. I netted it regardless and Dan held it for several pics before the release. Time to get Bill one too!

I had remained on the same spot due to all the fish and was pretty sure we would have another bite. About 15 minutes later, we were locked up! This fish was quite large by the feel of it and confirmed when it breached. Bill fought it like a champ and although it almost wore him out, he never gave up. It even went above the boat and over the anchor rope, causing me to do some fancy manoeuvring! After another jump and several more runs, I was finally able to net his beast. Easy part over, tough part to come!

Bill was exhausted from the fight and thought he was done, but holding the fish for a few pics was next. He was going to require the help of Dan just to lift this thing! Between the two of them, they still struggled but managed to get it done before torpedoing it back into the water. Now they were both spent!

I reset the lines looking for more biters but had to make another move in order to get one. I was marking some good fish and anchored up for almost 10 minutes before we were bit. Dan was up next and we cleared the other lines to give him plenty of room for the fight. Although it didn’t jump, she did take a lot of line and remained on the bottom. Dan seemed like he was in control for the first 5 minutes but then the fish took over. It must have tangled somehow and was now just taking line. It ran so much that I was forced to unpin from the anchor and go after it. After about another 5 minutes or so, we were finally over the fish and I could see why. It was a giant and the same thing had happened as the first fish this morning. The line was around the pectoral fin, but the hook was firmly in the mouth! Dan just couldn’t turn the fish during the fight, allowing him to bring it back.

With his monster securely in the net resting, he too took a small break before the pics. Although it wasn’t easy, he managed to hoist it up for several good shots before the release. I couldn’t believe how far we actually were from my anchor as we idled back to tie up.

In the short time we were gone, another boat had moved in and I could see him circling my float from a distance. Last season I actually had someone tie off on my rope! Unbelievable how big some peoples balls are! This guy just kept fast idling, creating lots of waves before he finally settled on a spot, right next to us! It always amazes me when I see this!

After re grouping and getting the line back in, we waited in hopes of one more bite. It took about 15 minutes and with rod in hand, Dan set into another good fish. He passed the rod to Bill and we cleared the other rods so that he could fight the fish. With the line rising in the water, it breached and everyone saw what he was pinned to. It was large and about to create pain! Bill knew what he was dealing with, having practiced on another big fish earlier. Many runs and one more leap later, I was able to slide the net over his monster sturgeon. He knew what was coming next!

While the fish was resting in the water, Bill too was resting in the boat! Afterwards we helped him hoist his fish up for a few quick pics and let her go. We were officially done for the day! I took a few minutes to pack everything up and we were on our way.

Bill & Dan were musky fisherman that had caught all kinds of big fish in their lifetime. The sturgeon had never made it to their list until today and what a way to get initiated! They had both landed a couple of dinosaurs in just a few short hours and were feeling the burn. To make matters worse, they would be heading out later this afternoon to do more musky fishing with a buddy of mine. Talk about masochists! They would be casting giant baits, looking to get beat up again! Better them than me! All in all though they couldn’t have asked for a better half day of fishing!!

September 26th 2018

Round two with Jim & Marie and another hurricane like day locally. This had us taking a road trip, back to the waters we fished yesterday. Would we have a repeat, or would the wind shut us down there too?

The drive was similar with heavy rain falling, right at the start. The only difference was that the air was a whole lot warmer when we arrived. Lighter clothes were definitely necessary as the temps were suppose to feel more like 80 degrees by afternoon.

We headed right to the area that gave us the better fish yesterday in hopes of similar results. Unfortunately the fish weren’t very cooperative and Marie landed the only one from here. She also lost another that threw the bait when it jumped. That one was a real giant!

We made a long run to another spot after, hoping for better fishing. Here too it wasn’t great but Marie did land another huge fish. Too bad it was the only one though and we were forced to move again due to the winds.

The bites weren’t great with them picking a fish here & there and I was scrambling to get them more. At one point, Jim even managed to catch his first ever goby minnow. Not the 6 pounder he was looking for! I switched them up to the jigs and even tried deeper water in hopes of finding a school of active fish. This is where they had lots of action, but most of their bites were snags, ending in lost jigs. Jim did however manage to land a decent smallie and miss a few other bites as well.

At one point I thought I’d try some real deep water hoping for a drop shot bite. It wasn’t easy in the cross winds to keep the boat drifting and baits vertical and after about 30 minutes of fighting the conditions, I just pulled the plug. Time was passing by quickly and I needed to make a move!

I ended the day on the same spot as yesterday, hoping for better results. The winds weren’t in our favor but at least they were able to cast! Marie hooked into a quality bass shortly after arriving and landed another photo fish. The caliber today was great, despite the number of fish they landed! She also managed to catch a couple more big ones afterwards by switching up the baits. Although I would have liked to see more fish caught, the results just weren’t there. We could see another storm on its way and we were done!

Their two days with me saw some big fish caught with a slight adjustment in plans. Their track record for bringing hurricanes when they come up is still bang on! I may not have changed locations if it weren’t for the giant winds locally. Despite the horrible conditions, there were still some great fish caught and that’s all that counts. We had made the best of a bad situation and fended quite well in the end. Although Jim didn’t get the fish he hoped for, it wasn’t for lack of trying. Marie had stole his thunder by landing , “The One”! Maybe next time will be the charm as he continues to search for his Holy Grail!!

September 25th 2018

After several cancellations due to high winds, it was nice to get back on the water today! Jim & Marie were with me and I had to do a road trip with them in order to escape the hell winds once again. Smallmouth were the target and I hoped they would bite!

By the time we arrived and began to fish, it was almost 8:30. We had also driven to the water through showers and it was still raining! This had the makings of a wet & miserable day, but at least it wasn’t windy!

Our first spot saw Marie hit quickly on a blade but the fish never got pinned. I immediately switched her to a different lure and this is when everything changed. She had locked up on a nice smallie in the current and eventually brought to net a quality bass. I guess this lake was the right decision, as they were about to find out!

Although Jim wasn’t having much luck, he did have several hits. Marie on the other hand, managed to land 3 really good fish before we made a slight move to another area nearby. This was where things were about to get interesting!

I had them both working the same minnow baits and fishing a current break. Marie kept hooking up while Jim was still struggling to keep his fish pinned. After several other garbage fish were landed, he finally broke the ice with a small bass and the skunk was officially off of his back! He soon added to that another nice one that was also photo worthy. Marie through all of this, kept catching more as well and was way over Jim in numbers and size. Time to give him a fighting chance!

I made a long run to an area that I knew held big fish in hopes of getting Jim that elusive 6 pounder that he had been wanting for several years. On the first pass he nailed a good one that although wasn’t his targeted size, was welcomed nonetheless. He was on his way to bringing up the count and adding to that some big ones too!

Our second pass had me changing the boat direction so that Marie could also get a shot at the angle and she added a few more smaller bass to her count. Jim managed to get a couple of giants soon after that and they definitely required pics!

Between them, they managed to bring in several nice fish each and right before I was about to call it a day, Marie was fighting another. This fish turned out to be the big bass of the day and definitely a quality giant. We were ending on a high as she released the beast after several pics.

Despite fighting the elements, they were able to get their trip off to a bang with many nice bass today. We will be back out somewhere tomorrow again for their second attempt at the Holy Grail and with any luck, Jim will have his wish. If not however, they will be boating many others worthy of photos and enjoying each and every one of them too! Crossing my fingers that the weather holds out and we can get it done!!

September 20th 2018

I had a full boat today with Alex, Mark & John, all wanting to catch sturgeon. We were going to devote the entire day searching for the river monsters and hopefully it would be a success!

The winds were out of the NE and put a pretty good roll on the water as we headed to the area to fish. I idled over the spot briefly and anchored up when I began to see some good marks. With the wind blowing opposite the current, I was forced to use the aid of the drift sock in order to remain straight.

I wasted no time setting up and had three rods prepped and ready, for the first sturgeon! Fish were bumping into the lines constantly but we weren’t really having any luck with actual bites. This went on for a while but eventually I noticed one off the rods bounce and reared back on some weight. We were officially locked up! John took the rod and although new to this, fended quite well with just a little coaching. It fought real hard and put him to the test by making multiple runs and remaining on bottom almost the entire time. Close to ten minutes later, he managed to bring it to net and was totally exhausted. I told him that he had completed the easy part, but now he had to hold it for the pics! Although he struggled some, he did manage to hang on to it long enough for several shots before the release. Now all I needed to do was get the others into one of their own!

I reorganized the boat and set the rods once again, hoping for another big bite and wasn’t disappointed. I did have to move and re anchor in order to do it, but it didn’t take long afterwards. This time Mark was up and immediately after I set into his fish I realized it was big. I never even moved it when I lifted up on the rod. Might as well have been the anchor by the weight!

He struggled from the start with this fish as it just pulled. He couldn’t lift it off the bottom and it took him for a ride several times once again. I really don’t think he was expecting such a strong fight but it was normal to me! I always love watching people get beat up for the first time! After what seemed like forever (10 minutes) he had the fish beside the boat for me to net. It was going to be interesting seeing him lift it for the pics!

Totally exhausted and physically beaten, Mark held the fish as we took a few quick pics. It took every bit of strength that he had left just to hang on to the monster. It was even funnier watching him attempt to toss it back, but he somehow got the job done. Mark would definitely be needing a rest now!

Up next was Alex and I prepped everything for the wait. We remained in the same spot as I was seeing more fish on the screen and was sure it wouldn’t be long. The goby minnows were plaguing us in this area now and I had to re bait the hooks many times before we finally got a bite. It was Alex’s turn to fight one of these things and we all hoped it was giant! Despite our wishes, it was just average as we found out when it jumped. Regardless, it still gave him a great battle and he was happy to land it in about 5 minutes. They had done a full rotation now and I hoped that we would be able to do another one before the day was over.

After changing areas due to those pesky gobies again, we were finally able to concentrate on getting another bite. John was back up and soon after he was battling another big one. This time however, it took to the air behind the boat in a spectacular leap that ended in a rolling dive back to the bottom. It had completely wrapped itself in the line and John reeled the fish back to the boat without any fight. I had informed them before what had happened and told everyone what I was about to do when it got close enough. I took the rod and quickly untangled his fish before it went nuts again. John was handed back the rod and battled it for almost ten minutes afterwards. Although I could have just netted his fish, she was still green and I wanted no part of that! I waited until it was tired and came to the boat properly before bringing it aboard for more pics.

We still had plenty of time remaining and I was sure that I would be able to get the others into at least one fish each but luck wasn’t on our side. Despite relocating many times, it was only Mark that got to do battle with another fish. Slightly smaller than his first one, it was still quite large! It beat him up again but this time he was more capable of lifting it up for the pics before the release.

The balance of the day saw a few more moves but the fish just didn’t want to cooperate. In the end, we were one shy of a double rotation but the fish we did land were quality. They all got to feel the power of these beasts and now have a better respect for our river monsters. They also all left smelling like a fish market from bear hugging their catch! By 4:00 we were done and I headed back to take out. This day could have only been better if we had landed one more fish, but they all had a great time regardless. Just one of these things each would have been a success and we had a couple more as an added bonus. This was definitely a very successful day with plenty of poundage landed and released. Hopefully they will be back out again before the season ends as talk of a return trip was passed around while we were out. Who knows, maybe they’ll see even bigger fish their next time out!!

September 19th 2018

Ray & Greg joined me today on yet another major cold front outing. Ray didn’t want sturgeon, but was looking for bass and maybe walleye instead. I brought the tackle along just in case!

We headed out in a big NE wind that had me fishing a current break from the opposite direction. It seemed that the wind was stronger than the usual speed of the current, pushing us upstream. Although tough, it wasn’t impossible and Ray managed to get a nice smallie, tossing a blade bait. Greg was new to fishing all together and wasn’t having much luck. I made some casts and hooked up several times while we were there. Most of the strikes were short but I was able to land a few fish regardless.

After trying the first area for quite a while in overcast and big winds, I decided to make a move to another area further away in hopes of better results. We were going to fish shallow to try and get away from the winds!

As soon as I arrived, I knew it would be better as the water was a whole lot calmer. They both had several bites on soft plastic baits but again it was only Ray that landed anything. Greg was having a hard time setting the hook and missed several. I tried to show them what to do and ended up landing 3 or 4 in as many casts. The fish were definitely here! I also tried to explain the cadence of working the baits and once Ray changed his rhythm, he set into a nice one almost immediately.

We had been at this for almost the entire morning now and I wasn’t really seeing great results anywhere. I would have to go out to deeper water and try drop shotting if we had any chance of better fish. After fishing a couple of other shallow areas, they asked if we could try for sturgeon instead as they both needed a break from casting. I gladly obliged and we were off to fish for the giants!

I didn’t have to look for long before I managed to locate what I wanted and anchored up quickly. The winds were still out of the NE and I set the drift sock in place to keep the boat firmly holding straight.

With lines in, we began our wait for the first legitimate bite. Several false hits were had from the fish bumping into the lines before I set into a real bite and it was game on! Greg took the rod and we cleared everything in order for him to fight his fish. It was a strange battle as the fish came in rather quickly for its size. No jumps or long runs, just docile and cooperative by comparison to all the others I’ve landed. In less than 5 minutes I netted his catch and readied him for a few pics. By the size of the fish, it should have taken a lot longer to bring in but for some reason it didn’t. Oh well, he got lucky this time!

After a few pics and a release, we were back in the game, wanting more! With fish still marking on the screen, I knew it was just a matter of time before we had another bite. Eventually I saw the rod bounce and was able to lock them up on another good fish. I thought Ray was going to take the rod but instead he insisted that Greg fight the fish as he was from France and wouldn’t get another chance to do this again. No problem, round two for Gregory!

This time he wasn’t as fortunate with the battle as the sturgeon acted more normal, beating him up pretty good. Still no jumps but plenty of good long runs and bottom hugging from one side to the other. I had to take the rod from him several times as she went under the boat often. It took Greg over 10 grueling minutes of punishment to finally bring the fish close enough for me to land. Now he knew what the fight was suppose to feel like! Easy part over, hard part about to come! When he held the fish for the photos he realized just how big it was and struggled just to hold on. We made it quick and shot fast before releasing his beast back where it belonged.

I reset the lines after and knew we would have another bite as there’s never two without three! Unfortunately the next fish was on the small side and a real baby. I showed them the sharp back bones and side scoots and they were amazed at the difference between adults and juveniles.

I really wanted to get Greg another one and set the lines one more time in hopes of something really big. Well not too long after, I reared back on a good bite and knew this was the one. I barely moved the fish on the hookset! She made several long runs and took out over 150 feet on the first one. Greg was in for a long battle! I would have liked to see her jump but this was another fight done entirely under water. This fish was so heavy that all he could do was hang on. Many times he would gain, only to lose all the line and even more when she ran. I’m sure the fight lasted close to 15 minutes before she was boatside. I coached him on bringing it closer and was finally able to net this giant. Relieved that the fight was over, he wasn’t looking forward to the pics. Ray actually had to help him hold the fish as he wouldn’t have been able to do it alone. Several quick, painful shots later, she was returned unharmed. What an absolute beast!

After all of this, they decided that they were done for the day, I packed everything up and readied the boat, happy for the outcome of this day. It may have been a challenge for bass in these cold front conditions but the sturgeon were a different story. They cooperated just fine! In just a couple of hours they were able to get into some really nice fish that ended with a bang. I believe that this fish may have been the largest one so far this season! Both Ray and Greg got to see what the waters surrounding Montreal hold and these dinosaurs are big! Greg will be heading back to France soon and bragging about the river monsters of the St. Lawrence. Now he’ll have plenty of pics to back him up too!