Herm was back for a couple of days, and this morning we headed out in search of some walleye. I had been getting them pretty good lately, but today we had a hateful north east blow. I only hoped that we would be able to fish the open water areas effectively and put a few of them in the boat!

The wind and waves weren’t going to make this easy, but I had a few methods that might help. There was to be no proper drifting, but we did manage to slowly drift against the current. It worked somewhat, but casting up current while drifting worked even better. We managed to put a limit of walleye in the boat in the morning and released plenty of shorts as well as a pile of perch. When the fish began to refuse our offerings, I decided to make a move. This time however, we were heading for bass!

We had been dropshotting all morning and I continued with the same presentation where we were. Herm also wanted to catch a big bass on an ultralight rod and was into one on his very first cast. Too bad it didn’t stay on when it decided to jump! I knew there would be plenty more chances and not long after he was hooked up again. This one was even bigger and it did stay pinned all the way to the net. He had gotten his wish with the largest bass of the day and did it on an ultralight rod & reel!

We continued in the same area for a few hours and managed to get into lots of bass. Not all of them were big but plenty were and Herm had a blast with his light tackle. When this place slowed, I decided to head back to the open water once again to see if we could add a few more walleye to the livewell.

The waves hadn’t gotten any better when we arrived, but I knew it was fishable after enduring the hateful NE winds this morning. We finished up the last hour of the day here and were lucky enough to put a few more keepers in the box before we were done.

Today was an interesting one to say the least, with no rest from the wind. We fished through the big blow and managed to make it work for both bass & walleye. The entire time was spent out in open water rocking and rolling! It would be nice to finally get on solid ground, as we headed back to take out. Despite the not so perfect conditions, today was still a great day and Herm caught plenty of nice fish. He also managed to get a few to take home. Who could ask for anything more!!

Karen was back again today with her father Richard and son Liam. Her dad loves fishing and looks forward to their annual trip with me each year. Hopefully they were going to have a good time today!

We began a bit later than usual but were into fish almost immediately. I had stopped on a shallow area and Richard was tight to a nice bass on the first drift. He also followed it up with another one soon after and things were stating to heat up. The weather was also beginning to warm with a slight NE wind and bright sunshine. With each pass, someone was fighting fish and we even had a couple of doubles as well. Karen managed to land a walleye that fell short of the cut and was returned to grow. Liam was also getting bit and finally managed to keep a few nice bass pinned. He had missed the first few, but these ones made it to the net!

I had made several passes with the aid of the electric motor, due to the slight breeze from the NE and things had slowed down. It was time to make a move! I ran to an offshore area in deeper water in hopes of getting a few walleye for them to keep. Richard wasted no time locking up but it turned out to be a nice smallie instead. Not what we were after, but fun to catch! In the next couple of hours there were several walleye landed including one big over and a few keepers. Plenty of smaller ones were returned, along with a bunch of perch and more smallmouth bass. It wasn’t easy fishing this area as we had literally no wind and floating weeds were everywhere. Keeping the lines clean was becoming more and more difficult so I decided to pull the plug. We were going to try for sturgeon instead!

I had planned on fishing the usual area but kept going when I counted almost 15 boats anchored up for sturgeon. I decided to try another spot instead as this weekend parking lot was way too busy! At least we would be alone where I decided to fish. With lines in, we waited for the first bite that never really happened. Not long after we were anchored, the wind got stronger from the NE, rotating the boat sideways. W were now rocking from the waves and this made it almost impossible to see any bites. I relocated a few times and each time marked plenty of fish. Too bad we couldn’t remain positioned to take advantage of them! At one point, we were actually turned around 180 degrees with the electric motor holding us in a downstream position. It was then that I pulled the lines and threw in the towel!

I decided to finish up the day closer to the ramp area and was pleasantly surprised to see only a slight wind from the NE when we arrived. It would be a slow drift but at least it was fishable. The last hour saw several smallmouth and a few walleye caught before we were done. It had been an interesting day to say the least! Despite the difficult conditions, they still managed to catch a good number of fish today. In the mix were a few walleye for them to take home as well. Overall, it was a pretty good day of fishing!!

Andrew made a long drive this morning in hopes of catching his first ever sturgeon. I told him that the fish were on the smaller side so far and that the big ones had been nonexistent. It didn’t seem to bother him much as he was on a quest to catch as many species as he could in his lifetime. This would be another bucket list check!

I had marked a few small fish and decided to set up in the usual area to see if we could get a bite. Well, it didn’t take too long before we did and he quickly added another fish species to his already huge list of fish caught. Although not big, it was a sturgeon and his first one ever! Plenty of pics were taken to add to the database of fish pics he already had before we resumed fishing.

The second bite came shortly after the first and this fish was a sturgeon as well. Right on cue, the second rod fired and I set into another fish and placed the rod back in the holder for him to reel in. He swapped rods with me and managed to catch a double. Although both small, they were sturgeon! It also made for a great pic, holding the two juveniles! He managed to catch another small one a little while later, along with a decent smallmouth bass. Seeing that this area was like a daycare, I decided to try a move to another spot hoping for bigger fish.

I was pleasantly surprised to see plenty of marks on the bottom when I arrived. I immediately set the lines hoping for a quick bite, but was surprised when Andrew reeled in another smallmouth bass. The fish I was marking were definitely sturgeon and I knew that if we were patient, we would be rewarded.

It took a while before the first sturgeon bit a line, but at least it was a bigger fish. In the last few hours, we had many more bites and Andrew landed quite a few others, including a personal best channel cat. We also had two other double headers that he boated himself as well. Andrew may not have landed the giant today, but he definitely felt the power of these fish. Several times he had drag screaming runs from sturgeon, making him want more. He definitely will be back in the future for another shot at a true river monster and I can’t wait to see him do battle with the beast. Today was just a sample of what these things feel like. The best is yet to come!!

Tim & his wife Michelle joined me today, looking to get into some bass & walleye. We began in an area that was putting out lots of both and hoped for the best. Almost immediately, confirmation was made and Michelle brought to net, the first smallie. I knew it wouldn’t be the last!

With almost perfect conditions present for drifting, we made multiple passes over the area and plenty of fish were hooked up. Some of them made it to the boat, while others unfortunately came off. Oddly enough however, they were all bass! Michelle was on fire and managed to catch several good bass before Tim kept his first one on. Eventually though, he figured it out and things turned around for the better. More fish were now coming in the boat than being lost and they even had a few double headers too!

After having stayed in this one rea for a few hours, I decided to make a move when the winds died off. Our drifts weren’t working as well and I wanted them to get into some walleye. They were going to cast the second area and hopefully it would put more fish in the boat!

We were now in deeper water and there were plenty of fish all over the area. They were still dropshotting, but casting the rigs instead of drifting them. Right on cue, Tim hooked up and brought his first walleye to the boat. In the next couple of hours there were plenty more caught by both, along with lots of big perch. Both of them even managed to get a few nice bass from the same area as a bonus!

With practically zero wind now, the fishing was getting tougher and I decided to make another move to one last spot before we were done. Tim had just informed me that they would be calling it at 1:30 and I was just about out of time. I decided to try a rocky area nearby!

In the last 20 minutes, they both managed to land fish and we called it soon after. They had a great time and wanted to do a few more things this afternoon, while in Montreal. This day passed even quicker than expected with the early departure, but the fishing was great! They were into fish the entire time we were on the water and we ended on a high. Great times and even greater company today!!

I was back out again, with Richard and Kevin today, in search of something big. Bass and walleye were the targeted species and hopefully we would see both!

The first location proved to be a good one as Rich managed to land a really nice eye while jigging. It was definitely the biggest one he had seen in a while and possibly his personal best! Kevin was into many perch and also landed a big fish from here, but it turned out to be a northern pike. He opted for no pic! Several smaller walleye and perch were taken from this spot but the bite wasn’t great. We decided to make a move!

The next couple of areas saw plenty of fish swimming but not very many takers. In fact, short strikers were leaving partial baits on the hook, without getting caught! We jumped all over the lake and had similar success from most. Flat calm and high sunshine had brought back the summer heat and everyone was feeling it, including the fish!

The last couple of places we fished saw more bass being landed and Rich even managed to catch another big walleye. It was tough but we grinded it out till the end.

Although not what I had expected, today did have some big fish. Rich caught a couple of great walleye and Kevin landed a big northern on light tackle. Many other smaller fish were also caught but it was still a tough bite. The cooler nights will surely trigger better activity soon enough and the fall fishing will begin. I can’t wait!!