Val was with me again today and we headed out for walleye to start the trip. He always likes to bring a few home to eat and I knew exactly where to get them! The winds were blowing pretty good but less than yesterday and I was sure we wouldn’t have a hard time catching fish.

The drifts were absolutely perfect and we remained in the area for several passes. Each one yielded both bass and walleye and several of the Walters made their way into the livewell. A few others were overs and some smaller ones too that were released!

We ran around the lake afterwards and hit plenty of spots catching both bass and walleye again. Most of the fish were a little deeper today but Val did manage to nail several smallies in the shallows as well. Only one fish pic was taken as Val would rather fish than take photos!

Overall it was an interesting day with the winds big then non-existent then big again! It was a roller coaster ride for sure! Plenty of fish were caught and he was able to take a good limit of tasty treats back with him in the end. Who could ask for anything more!

I had the pleasure of fishing with just one person today. Richard was flying solo and we spent the first hour trying to get him some walleye. Unfortunately the trolling bite was slow, but he did manage to land a really nice one, along with a northern. I relocated areas but found similar results here too! Eventually I just pulled the plug and headed to spot to show him how to drop shot. It was here that he started landing fish, both bass & walleye. With a little coaching he was able to feel the light bites and picked it up quickly. Unfortunately the action didn’t last very long and we were forced to relocate once again.

With time not on my side, I wanted to try a couple more places before his half day was done. The first one was a bust but the second one proved to be the right choice. The winds had some good sized rollers and the fish were active! In the last hour we managed to land over a half dozen good sized walleye and a couple of bonus smallies. Several bites were missed as well telling me that we should have made the move sooner!

Despite the slow start to the day, the fishing picked up in the end and we finished with a bang. Richard got to learn a new technique and two variations for fishing it. I’m sure he will be able to use this the next time he fishes from the shore. Hopefully he will land a few more on his own too!

Dominic & his son Justin joined me this morning for another cold front of fishng. The roller coaster weather patterns this year have been just insane! Our first area saw practically zero life while chasing the bass with aggressive baits. In fact, even the slower baits in the shallows saw very little action as well. It wasn’t until I decided to go deeper with a dropshot that they began to land fish. Both bass & walleye were caught and things were beginning to look up!

As the day passed, I hit several other shallow spots and found fish in almost every one of them. Too bad we had to resort to extra slow baits in order to get bit! One particular area saw some numbers but very little size. They did manage to get a few larger bass but the bulk were medium at best!

I finally pulled the plug on the shallows and decided to try a little deeper with the dropshot and similar results were had. A couple of good ones were brought to net but overall the fish were smaller here as well. We eventually pulled the plug on this too and headed back to the ramp.

This day was filled with plenty of action but limited when it came to the big fish. Having to fish as slow as we did was also strange but the fish didn’t want to chase. Adjusting baits and presentations at least changed their outcome and that’s all that counts. In the end, plenty of fish were landed today!

Karen was back again this year with her father Richard and her son Liam. We spent the entire time trolling up all kinds of fish including some impressive walleye for them to bring home. The morning bite was great with a NE wind creating a good cop where we were. Too bad it had to die off making the bites less aggressive. I covered plenty of water in the afternoon and managed more fish but they were mostly pike. With the flat calm conditions and high heat from the sun, we were grateful to be in the shade, under the roof! It was also nice to be back on the water with Karen & her dad again!

Jonathan & his wife Stacy were with me today after arriving in Montreal on a cruise ship. What had started off in Boston a week earlier had finished here in the city. A quick Uber to our meeting location and we were on the water soon after. We were fishing by 8:00 and I hoped to get them into plenty of fish throughout the day!

As luck would have it, one of the reels fired and Stacy took the rod. Luckily for her, it wasn’t small and this was a good battle! I knew right away what she had and instructed her on what to do. She not only was into her first musky but also her biggest fish ever. I eventually netted the beast and hauled it into the boat just before the hooks fell out. Jonathan had to hold the fish for a couple of pics and a quick release was made soon after. Now that’s how I like to start the day!

We trolled up several more fish from the same area, both walleye and pike, before moving on. The winds had increased now and were expected to get bigger as the day went on. I wanted to see if they could get into some smallies and made a long run to deep water with the wind direction we had. Too bad the area I thought to be calmer wasn’t! We fished there regardless and only a few fish were landed. There were also several missed opportunities, but that’s fishing!

By early afternoon the boat traffic had picked up, making several spots difficult to fish. I tried one place anyway and Jonathan did manage to boat a couple more walleye from there. It was tough to stand up with the winds but even tougher with all the giant boat waves! I decided to move from here and headed shallower. It was here that they both managed several more bass and a few good ones too. Although it wasn’t on fire with the high dirty water, there were at least fish somewhat active! After hitting one more area close by and Jonathan landing another walleye and bass, we were done. They had to make a flight back home and needed to be at the airport by 4:00.

The run back really showed how bad the winds were as we headed with waves. It was sort of like surfing! I may not have been able to do everything I wanted today but with a few adjustments I was at least able to let them fish somewhat comfortable. It seems like there’s only two kinds of wind this year. Hurricane or zero! Oh well, that’s why I have a big boat I guess! Great day for fishing!