Mark & his son Owen, along with John & his son Noa, were with me this morning for a difficult bite. I probably should have gone deep like yesterday but with all the bodies I had, boat control would have been difficult. We opted for plan B and started out with a troll!

The first fish went to Noa when the reel went off and he soon had a big walleye under his belt. Obviously the fish wasn’t really aggressive as the hooks just fell out while in the net! Owen was up next and not long after and his first fish turned out to be a decent northern.

With both kids having caught fish, it was the parents turn next and a couple more pike were boated. I had to cover plenty of water to find the fish and despite the almost perfect conditions of overcast and wind, they just weren’t eating. It seemed like every time a fish was netted, the hooks weren’t staying in. I was actually surprised that we hadn’t seen a few drive byes!

The numbers were definitely not there this morning but we did manage to catch several more fish including a nice double that consisted of a keeper walleye and a pike. After a couple of hours of this pain, I just pulled the plug and headed elsewhere to try a little drifting with the drop shot.

Although it would have been difficult to fish deep like yesterday, with 4 people, I found another area where I was able to drift sideways. This would allow all 4 to fish effectively!

Our first spot only seemed to be having perch biting, despite seeing a lot of walleye on the bottom. We finished up the morning on another location with a few more smaller walleye and one bass before we were done. I had an afternoon booking and needed to be back to pick him up! I knew that the better fishing was taking place in deeper water and couldn’t wait to get back out!

Val joined me for the afternoon trip and we experienced more difficult fishing. I probably could have found some better fish in the deep water, but after dropshotting a bunch of areas unsuccessfully, I switched it up to the shallows. Unfortunately there was only one fish landed and another one missed from here! The bass was a giant however, but it came from my rod while showing Val where to cast. It figures!

With Val wanting to bring some fish home again tonight, we decided to try a different place and drop shotted the area for walleye. In about an hour, we managed to put two keepers and a handful of small bass in the boat. Not great, but at least he had something to take home!

The half day trips are always tougher when searching for active fish and today was no different. Limited time in both halves pass quickly when the fish aren’t biting, causing you to make many quick moves.

We ended the afternoon in big waves, in open water, trying to get a few more bites. Drop shotting midrange depths for walleye wasn’t as productive as I would have liked. Although I marked plenty of them, their jaws seemed to be locked. We would have to end the afternoon with what we had!

Today wasn’t what I had expected but there were still fish caught. Tomorrow I will have plenty more time with a single trip and hopefully be able to focus my attention longer in areas that I feel confident. I know we will be fishing deep for most of the trip! Better fishing ahead!

Mike joined me today along with his two kids. Ryan & Chloe are all grown up now and look quite a bit different than they did some 10 years ago. Time surely flies!

We hit several areas at the start hoping for quick bites, but the lack of wind and current wasn’t helping. Both Chloe & Ryan managed to get into some bass at the first place, during the tough bite. I knew it was going to be a grind today with intense heat & humidity, along with absolutely zero wind!

It didn’t take long before I realized that deep was the place to be. With surface water temps closing in on 80 degrees, the bigger bass would definitely be relating to cooler water. I quickly relocated offshore, setting them up with the drop shot rods.

Within a few minutes after starting the drift, they began to understand, as everyone was now catching fish. Mike had struggled in the first few places but quickly rebounded with some quality bass. Both Ryan & Chloe also had multiple bass attack their baits and managed to land over half of the ones they hooked. Not a bad average for someone never having fished deep!

With the heat becoming almost unbearable, I decided to raise the roof for a little relief. These over 90 degree days always make it a challenge to stay cool and I needed some shade. Ryan on the other hand took a different approach, by jumping in multiple times throughout the day. Not a bad idea!

We continued the deep water fishing for a few hours making several long drifts until the wind began. Unfortunately when it started, it was coming from the SE and the fish just shut down! I was also having a hard time keeping them vertical with the cross current winds. Time to relocate!

After fishing deep for so long, it was going to be a nice change to try a little shallow casting with soft plastics. It would also be much easier fishing, if the fish were there!

I think Ryan hooked up on his very first cast and it was big! Too bad he wasn’t ready and lost the fish when it took to the air in a spectacular jump. Mike was into several others afterwards and Ryan rebounded with more of his own. Chloe however was having a hard time getting bit and ended up without a strike. I tried to help her out by passing the rod when something hit, but unfortunately it didn’t stay on long enough for her to get a hook set.

After a while fishing shallow, the winds finally began to blow a bit harder. They were also coming from the SW and visions of walleye fishing once again crossed my mind! We were going back to where we had started in hopes of getting a few fish for them tonight!

In the last hour or so, they managed to catch a couple of decent walleye and miss a few others. It wasn’t what I had hoped for but at least they had some fish for dinner!

I’m glad I made the change to deep water early today, allowing everyone to have plenty of action. These dead calm, hot days are never easy to fish. After the early morning bite, fish just seem to shut down and nothing moves. Deep water at least gives you plenty more options!

It was nice to have Mike and his family back out again today and see them all grown up. Hopefully they will be back later this fall for another kick at the can when the smallies move back shallow. Plans are already being made!

Sabrina treated her boyfriend Andre to a day on the water, for a birthday gift and this was the day. We headed out at the usual time and directly to another area to troll. I wanted to get them into good fish as quickly as I could!

With the lines in, only minutes passed before the first pike appeared. Andre brought to net a small northern, but it was only the start. Surely they would get bigger!

The next pike was also on the small side, but at least the fish were biting where we were. I knew it was only a matter of time before they would be into some walleye and covered the water in anticipation.

Sabrina was up again when the down rod screamed and I could tell by the way it was fighting, this was the one! It was staying down and did so, all the way to the boat! I netted her fish and also knew that it was going to be too long to keep. After a few pics, she was released unharmed to fight another day!

Many more pike were caught by both, including a nice double, before Andre was into his first walleye. It was while Sabrina was doing battle with another fish, but unfortunately the hooks pulled out before I could net it. Too bad too, because it was big!

We continued the troll and picked at the fish for a few hours, before it finally it happened! Andre was officially into a nice walleye that fought him all the way to the boat. Once in the net, the hooks just fell out. I guess I netted it just in time!

When the action died where we were I decided to make a long run to see if they could get into some bass. I wasn’t sure if I was going to go shallow or deep, but opted for the shallow waters fist.

I had both of them throwing soft plastics and they had many bites in the time we spent here. Although new to them, the presentation was working and eventually they got into the rhythm. They both missed and lost plenty of fish, but they still managed to bring many decent bass into the boat. Andre even landed a small sturgeon from this area as well.

With only a couple of hours remaining in the day, I decided to try for a few more walleye before we were done. Drop shotting was up next and although we didn’t catch anything on our first spot, I definitely marked plenty of fish. The high sun and flat calm conditions seemed to have these fish in a really negative mood and it was showing. The perch were hitting our offerings but the baits were too big for them to even get in their mouths. Time to make another move!

I had brought the sturgeon rods in hopes of anchoring up somewhere, but never really found a good looking spot to fish. In fact, very few of them were even jumping, anywhere on the lake! I had to eventually settle for a deep reef and hope to get into a few more bass or walleye.

Andre was tight to a big bass almost as fast as we stopped, but it threw the hook when taking to the air. Too bad as it was definitely the best one of the day! He quickly followed it up with another bass loss when the second one pulled free during the battle. His luck continued too as the next couple of fish did exactly the same! Sabrina managed to catch a couple of smallies on one of the many drifts we made and we brought another good keeper walleye and a couple of unders in the boat as well. At least they had two in the livewell now, making for a great meal tonight!

The time had passed by so fast today with all the running around we did but they had caught fish. They had also learned a few new techniques that hopefully would come in handy when fishing on their own. Without realizing it, both had slammed as well with the three species they caught! All in all, it was a pretty good day!

Steph & his boys, George & Michael were with me this morning, for another banner day. Although tough at times, the kids managed to catch their fair share of fish by trolling. For a change, the conditions were just perfect!

A slightly later than usual start had me setting lines by 8:00 and shortly after, into the first fish. With a good chop on the water from the SW, we were able to fish in relatively weed free water, or so I thought!

The boys were excited to be catching, but the bites weren’t great. Plenty of the fish were short striking the lures and getting off before we ever had a chance! Even the ones that were being landed weren’t hooked well. Many of them were just falling off in the net!

I managed to pick at the pike & walleye throughout the morning with both George & Michael reeling in good numbers. Although it could have been more, the fish just didn’t seem to be all that active and I was just happy to get the ones we did. They even had a couple of walleye in the box for dinner tonight!

The floating weeds were starting to become a problem and constant cleaning of the lines was required. Eventually I just tried trolling out of the area I was fishing, but found everywhere to be the same. Weekend boat traffic sucks! Time for a change!

Early in the afternoon I pulled the plug on the troll and ran to some open water areas to try a little drop shotting. With 4 lines in the water, we surely could catch a few more!

The first spot yielded nada but not for lack of fish. The sonar was loaded and they didn’t want to bite! A couple of passes later, we moved to another area, hoping for better results.

The kids were now wanting to leave, but Steph wasn’t ready just yet. He hoped to be able to catch a few more fish before we were done! Schooling walleye were showing at times on the sonar and we were drifting right through them without even a bite. Eventually we just held on top of the fish and dropped right on their heads. This only produced a couple of missed fish when they bit and came off almost immediately after. Except for one perch, we weren’t having much luck! Eventually after several drifts, they called it a day!

The boys lasted longer than Steph had expected and with over 5 hours of fishing, he was fine with leaving. I know that if we had more time, I would have been able to pick some fish from the reluctant schools of walleye. Oh well, they’ll still be there, for the next guests to catch!

I think we got off the water at the perfect time as rain clouds were beginning to move in as we pulled out. For a change, I was able to get the boat covered at home before the skis let loose. Wow, I’ll have a dry boat to start tomorrow’s trip!

Michael and his family were with me this morning, for another incredible day of fishing! With two trips scheduled, I knew I would have to get everyone on fish and decided to begin with trolling. Hopefully it would all work out!

With lines set, we started covering water and the first reel to fire went to Greta. She got the ball rolling with a walleye that was unfortunately too big and released after a couple of quick pics. Next up was Justice and it didn’t take long before he was battling a nice northern. We were in an area that obviously held fish and it was producing! Michael and his other son Linus also managed to bring a couple more pike on board and the rotation was completed.

The surface water was full of torn up vegetation, due to all the boat traffic recently and without any wind, a real pain to keep the lines clean. I spent most of my time going from one rod to another, just to maintain the lures. A small price to pay for the action we were having!

When Greta’s turn came around again, she somehow brought another walleye to net. This time however it was in the slot and immediately went into the tank. Now we just needed a few more!

For several hours we covered the water and many fish were landed by all. When the sun got higher and the bite slowed, I opted for a change and another area to fish. We were going deeper to try some drop shotting!

The lake was a complete mirror now and little to no movement was present. It would require a much slower presentation, just to get bit. I idled over the open water and scanned the bottom with my electronics, looking for schools of fish. I angled the boat so that everyone could get a good drift and it wasn’t long before Justice landed the first one. It may not have ben what we were looking for but it was a big perch and went into the livewell, adding to their catch. Michael soon followed with a nice keeper walleye and the others also added a few more too! There was even a quality smallie boated by Justice amongst these fish, completing his slam for the day!

Time had passed by quickly and before we knew it, we had to go. I was once again dropping off the morning group and exchanging them for Nikko & Dimitri for the afternoon. I only hoped that the afternoon would be as good as this morning’s bite!

With the new guys now in the boat, I thought we’d try a close area and some drop shotting to get them into quick fish. Well that didn’t work out as planned and before we knew it, we were heading to another spot, equally the same!

I was jumping around, looking for some active smallies and eventually put them on a couple of fish. Too bad both were missed as one of them was a real giant by the way it fought. We never actually got to see the fish but based on where it came from, I knew it was big!

I decided to make a long run to a shallow spot to see if they could get into fish and this turned out to be the last area we would fish! With soft plastics they had many bites from active bass and beat on them for several hours! They may not have been huge, but they fought like they were!

Both Dimitri & Nikko experienced a slower than usual fishing day, but they landed more than enough bass to keep them happy. Plenty of others were seen, missed or just lost all together as well before the day was done.

We made the long run back in almost zero wind, but 2 to 3 foot rollers from every direction from all the boat traffic. It was a little bumpy going back!

Today was another success, with everyone catching fish. From the morning gang to the afternoon guys, good times were had by all. Who knows what tomorrow will bring, but I’m sure it will be another great day for fishing!