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October 21st 2018

After a couple of cancellations due to giant winds recently, I was finally able to get back out this morning. Glen, Tony & Todd were here to do battle with the beasts and I just hoped we would be able to fish for them. With the big blow still happening, a slight change in direction was our only hope. We were going all in!

The run to the area was not a great one but with the new motor on the boat, it was safe & dry. Winds were still blowing pretty good from the NW but the waves weren’t too bad, yet! We arrived and to my surprise there were rollers from two different directions. We had wind & waves from the W/NW as well as some bigger ones out of the west. It looked more like what I see in the summer with all the boat traffic! I still wasn’t sure if I would be able to fish, but got everything ready to try.

After idling around for a bit, I finally found what I was looking for and dropped the anchor. I was also forced to use the electric motor’s anchor feature in order to securely hold. Unfortunately after everything had settled, I realized that we weren’t exactly where I wanted to be. The winds had pushed us off the spot and also the fish I had marked. After about 30 minutes of not seeing anything, I pulled up and idled again. The next time I dropped the anchor, I compensated for the angle the winds were putting us at and set up right on the fish. I knew this was going to be a lot better as I kept seeing fish while we were parked.

We had been positioned for a while before Tony set into something big. They had been holding their rods as the bouncing made it just impossible in the rod holders. Instead of bringing in the other lines, I decided to leave them out in hopes of a second bite. Good thing too as Tony battled his fish for about one minute before the hook just pulled free. It was definitely a big one, but how big we’ll never know! Almost on cue, Glen reared back on a second fish as quickly as Tony had lost the first. This time it stayed pinned and fought him for a while. Although it never jumped, there was definitely some weight there as the runs were long ones. Roughly 5 minutes later, I brought the fish aboard for a few pics. At least we weren’t skunked today!

Todd was the next to hook up and we all thought he had a junk fish until the baby dinosaur appeared. It was just so cute that they both made fun of its size! Todd had been out with them on previous trips and still hadn’t landed anything big yet. His luck continued with this fish but I still needed a pic!

I had made one or two additional moves afterwards to get back on the fish and eventually it paid off. Glen had locked up on another good one and it was acting even bigger than his first. He was having a hard time lifting it off the bottom and controlling his animal. Multiple long runs were brought back only to go right out again. This thing just didn’t want to give up! Eventually though, I was able to net the sturgeon and again more pics were taken before the release.

Despite the miserable cold winds from two different directions, they were having some action. Although not what I had expected, at least fish were being hooked into on this hateful day! Several snow squalls were also happening on & off throughout the day but fortunately none of it gathered in the boat. Best thing however was that we were alone! I guess no one wanted to be out other than us on this beautiful day!

We were well into the afternoon now and I was hoping for more fish when Glen set into another good one. He passed the rod to Tony as he hadn’t managed to land anything yet. Tony’s short battle this morning had ended in heartbreak when the fish just came unpinned. He was now looking for a little payback!

I believed that this sturgeon was the biggest of the day so far as Tony had absolutely no control over the beast. It was taking line at an alarming rate on the first run that had him thinking it was foul hooked. I knew better though and eventually the fish turned and began heading right at the boat. Now Tony was reeling back all the line he had lost and more. As the fish neared I could tell that it was about to breach and almost on cue, it took to the air. It was large and definitely not foul hooked! It felt just like the one he had lost right out of the gate this morning and now he wanted redemption!

The fight had gone about ten minutes before I actually had a shot with the net and slid her into the giant bowl. This fish may not have been the fattest thing I had seen, but it sure was long. A true dinosaur! Tony had gotten his payback even if Glen had hooked it. I told him that it was no different than having the rods in the holders and being handed a line.

Multiple shots were taken from different angles before she was torpedoed back into the water. The only thing left now was to get Todd a giant! As luck would have it, just before we were ready to leave, he sort of set into a fish. Todd had gotten a bite and set the hook, only thinking it was gone. What he had done however was loosen the drag with his gloves making it seem like it wasn’t there. As soon as I tightened it up he was tight to the last fish of the day. We had all hoped for another biggun but as Todd’s luck would have it, not! Although the fish was larger than his first one, it was still a juvenile. You just never know when you get bit!

They needed to be at the airport by 4:30 so we began to pack everything up at 3:30, after Todd’s fish. I would need a little more time running back in these waves and didn’t want to rush them. I also sent a text to Don who was nice enough to drop us in this morning and would be waiting to take us out when we returned. With the docks having been removed a few days earlier, it definitely helped!

The wind and waves were not great for the return, but the boat ran smooth and dry. The weight of the new motor and adjustments on the hydraulic jack plate had us running comfortable, even with the waves. I still can’t believe the difference this Verado makes and how the boat handles now!

As we approached the ramp, I could see Don arriving and within minutes we on the trailer and out of the water. It wasn’t the first time this year that he had provided Valet Service and I’m always grateful for his help!

Glen, Tony & Todd may not have had the banner day I was hoping for but after experiencing the winds, I was thankful for the few bites we did have. They had landed some really nice fish under the most difficult conditions I had ever faced, anchored up for sturgeon. It’s not a wonder that there were no other boats out there today! Just us four crazy guys! In the end, I wouldn’t have changed a thing!!

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October 17th 2018

Pierre, Francois & Sebastian picked another miserable day to go fishing today. It’s not hard when it’s always blowing 25 to 30 knots and there’s nowhere to hide! I just hoped that they would be able to feel the bites in this wind!

We hit the water about 8:30 in a strong westerly howl and headed to our first spot to fish. As I approached the area I realized that we would be able to fish there due to the angle of the wind. I had high hopes for them under these conditions and quickly showed them what to do.

For about 45 minutes they casted lures in current and managed to get several bites. A few fish were landed but most were either missed or just lost before we slid into the best area. It was here that Phillip stuck a really nice bass that fought great. Several jumps and plenty of surging runs later, it was finally in the net. This may have been his largest smallie ever and the day was just beginning!

We resumed fishing after the pics and release and that’s when everything changed. The winds picked up, switching from a west to a W/NW and just crushed us. I now had to use the kicker along with the electric motor just to hold in place. Apparently the fish didn’t like it either as they just stopped biting. Waves were crashing everywhere! I had to try something different and somewhere else if they were going to catch any more fish!

I had switched to a slow troll hoping for better line control but apparently this was more difficult that I realized. Between all the floating weeds and tangled baits, it was impossible to keep the lures in the water. Eventually I just held with the two motors and tried casting the areas instead. This too proved next to impossible as they were still getting tangled with each other somehow and I spent more time retying. Between the wind and weeds things were getting more & more difficult.

We tried a variety of areas and presentations throughout the morning but to no avail. Eventually they requested a lunch break back, back at the ramp and I agreed. We were going to get out of here for a while and re think our options!

They had taken about an hour out of our schedule in a sheltered area and wanted to head back out for the remainder of the day. I tried a different place behind an island and despite marking all kinds of bait and several fish, we still came up empty. I finally decided to head back to where I really wanted to be and grind it out for the remainder of the day!

Despite the big waves getting there, it actually seemed somewhat better when we arrived. I still used the two motor approach but it was doable. Sebastian was casting from up front while Pierre & his brother Frank were fishing from the back. A few hits were had by everyone but the wind still had too much slack in their lines for them to detect the bites. Sebastian was the only one that actually landed anything and unfortunately they were all fall fish. I had wanted to try a couple of other areas before we called the day and ran to the first one to troll.

We covered plenty of water and didn’t have anything to show for our efforts but tangled lines and weeds. A few hits were had but unfortunately all fish were missed! One last stop and we would end the day afterwards!

I held on a big current break with both motors again and fortunately this time they did catch a couple of fish. Francois landed two nice smallies before we finished up for the day. At least they went out with a bang!

The conditions have been insane lately with all the giant winds but I’ve still managed to get people into fish every day. I know that whenever we finally catch a break, the fishing will improve dramatically. Until then however, I will be forced to deal with Mother Nature’s idea of a joke! With plenty of days still remaining in this season I’m sure it can only get better!!

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October 16th 2018

Today was a difficult one to say the least! Mike & Corey joined me but we had to relocate to a different body of water due to the giant winds. Fishing anything else would have been next to impossible!

We arrived around 8:30 and headed out in 2 to 3 footers hoping it would be better where we wanted to fish. Fortunately the wind direction did reduce the size of the waves somewhat but it was still gusting at over 25 knots. This was going to be a challenge!

I Thought that a troll might make things easier but soon found out that we were unable to go very far without gathering floating weeds on the lures. After close to an hour of this torture, I decided to try something else. I had been marking fish throughout and thought we’d try casting some of the same areas that we had gone over, but the results were still the same. Plenty of floating weeds due to the strong winds! We eventually slid into one deeper hole and I switched them up to the bottom to try a little drop shotting.

I had wanted to anchor up with the electric motor but found this to be difficult as well. In the end, I had to use the small engine along with the electric motor just to hold in these winds and current. Not the first time and probably not the last! This would at least allow us to remain where we wanted and focus on the fishing!

Both Mike & Corey were slowly fishing the bottom now and at one point Corey got snagged. While trying to free his line, something hit the bait and he was immediately locked up. Although strange, it did show just how inactive the fish really were. This thing was a tank and remained on the bottom almost to the end. When he finally brought it up for me to net, I could see why. Definitely a good fish to get on a day like this!

After a few pics, we resumed fishing, but they unfortunately never had another bite. I was forced to pull out of this area and try something else. We were going to try drifting a little deeper with the drop shot and see if this would be any better. After a few tough passes, I realized that this wasn’t the way to go as I couldn’t reduce the speed enough to get a proper drift. Time for another plan and off to a heavy current break!

I had been getting big fish from an area lately and although difficult to fish, thought I’d give it a try. I would have to use the two motor approach again as the wind was not going to make it easy to hold! I did manage to position the boat properly but they only had a couple of missed strikes in the time we held and I was forced to move once again.

This time I went shallow and had them cover water with some faster moving baits, looking for any active fish. I even switched one of them to soft plastics when I sighted a few big bass just cruising the area. Nothing seemed to change though and the results remained the same!

We had fished through the morning and into the afternoon and finally took a short break to eat. While anchored up with the electric, I decided to make one cast and slammed an absolute giant! Apparently they do occasionally eat too!

After lunch I switched them up to slower presentations and covered the water that I had hooked the fish. They worked it for almost an hour without any success however and I eventually pulled the plug. Another relocation was made!

While drop shotting a bunch of deeper places, Mike finally hooked into a small bass and brought it in the boat. I thought we were going to get into several others as well as I was seeing many on the screen. Too bad this was the only one that wanted to open its mouth!

With time winding down, I decided to go back to where Corey had landed his big fish earlier and apparently it was the right decision. It was here that Mike hooked up almost immediately and it was another giant. After several jumps and powerful runs, I netted his best fish of the day. It was an absolute beast! I only wish that there had of been more just like this one but all we could manage were a couple of decent ones afterwards.

This was definitely not the typical day that I am use to seeing at this time of year and although tough, it was still rewarding. Big fish were landed but no quantity! I only hope that the winds diminish some or at least change direction so that I can get back into the great fall bite again. Definitely better days ahead!!

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October 14th 2018

Darren, Mark & Dave were back with me again today but this time we were searching for smallies. We had decided to go elsewhere, looking for some big bass and took another road trip. Hopefully it would be the right decision!

By the time we arrived and hit the water we were looking at about 8:30 before the first line was in. I had stopped on a current break and all three were tossing baits to the same area. Dave managed to hook into a couple of fish but was only able to land one smaller bass. Mark on the other hand, hooked into and landed a really nice bonus walleye that surprised everyone. We weren’t really fishing for them but you just never know!

With the fishing rather slow, I decided to switch it up a bit and headed shallower. Darren wasted no time, hooking up on his very first cast and it was a giant! They had a little competition going on again today with a three fish limit and this was definitely going to help. Nothing was to be kept in the livewell , only weighed and released! A little while later Mark also hooked up on a good fish but wasn’t able to bring it to net when it jumped and threw the hook. Dave did however match the fish that Darren had landed, with another of equal size. This bumped up his total slightly with his previously landed bass.

I mixed up a bunch of different techniques throughout the morning , depending on where we fished. Pretty much every one of them caught, but it was one in particular that was producing the best. With plenty of other boats in the area I had to do something different if they were going to catch fish! Today was too beautiful of a day and everyone was taking advantage of the conditions. Nice weekend weather always brings out the people!

The morning had seen a good amount of action but I still wanted more and moved off shore to find it. I held in one area for a while and it seemed like someone was always tight lined here. Although not all big, Mark did manage to get a really good one that put him in contention with the others. Darren and Dave had bumped up their weights several times with larger fish, but only slightly. It was still anyone’s game!

Throughout the afternoon, I hit many places but unfortunately not the ones I really wanted. It seemed like there was always a boat or two where I hoped to be. I had to settle once again by fishing secondary spots instead! One of them was pretty kind to Darren, giving him another big fish that took his total way up. The others were really going to have to bump up their game if they stood a chance now! I thought Darren was going to close the door completely but somehow he managed to lose two more big ones in a row. We eventually pulled out when the action just died from this place and tried once again to fish a spot I really wanted to, all day!

I was shocked to see that the area was finally clear and made my way over to try. I stayed slightly above it as I planned on fishing my way down slowly, when another boat ran right in ahead of us. We just couldn’t catch a break today! I was forced to settle once again and although they did manage to land several more bass, they weren’t really the ones I wanted to see. Darren did however bring to net another huge walleye in the final few minutes. Dave also had a couple of good chances at heavy fish that unfortunately, just came unpinned. We were officially done for another day!

The numbers may not have been great today but the quality of the fish definitely were. In the end, Darren won out over the other two and for the second year in a row! Everyone had their chances at a big bag if they could have kept the fish pinned. It didn’t really matter though as it was all for fun and only bragging rights. Regardless, there were still plenty of fish caught in their two days together making for another successful trip. They may be done, but I will be back looking for more of those fall football giants, many more times before the year ends. Who knows, maybe I’ll even be able to fish the places I want and not just settle on other areas instead!!

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October 13th 2018

Darren, Mark & Dave joined me again today for their annual fall fishing trip. We were going for walleye and would hopefully have better success than I had recently. If the weather would hold, I was sure we would hammer them good!

The water level was much lower as the dam upstream had been shut down to be able to remove boats from marinas. I also had very little current and didn’t know how the fish would react as they dropped their lines in. My drifts were quick ones over the flat as we were moving across the area instead of along the entire length. This made for much shorter drifts until the wind started to pick up!

We had made a few unsuccessful passes, despite marking all kinds of fish and I was happy to see the wind finally start to blow. For a change it was from the direction I wanted and as if on cue, the fish realized it too. Everyone started locking up and walleye were being landed often. We had singles, doubles and several triple headers in the next few hours and the net got quite a workout. Most of the fish were in the slot and several were placed in the livewell as they all wanted to take some home. Although not many were overs, there were a few unders that were returned for future fishing. Amongst all the Walters, several smallies and a few northerns were also landed, making this a great combination spot. They even caught several big perch in the mix as well before the winds grew even bigger, making it tougher to fish.

We all knew that sometime in the afternoon, the lake was going to roll and took advantage of the fishing before it arrived. I had gone from a perfect drift to a very fast one with the increase in wind and fewer biters were present. I was still marking lots of fish however and stuck it out when I saw this. The last couple of hours were more difficult to fish and less & less bites were had with each pass. Talk of an early departure was even tossed around! I think everyone was feeling the cold as they were bundled up with more clothes than usual for this time of the year too! Only thing left to do was call it and head in!

It had been an interesting day to say the least with zero flow in the morning followed by three footers when the winds picked up. I had gone back to an area I tried this past week in a big east wind and knew the fishing would be better. As soon as we had movement, the fish turned on! Plenty of good ones were landed by everyone and they even managed to bring several keeper eyes back with them. Tomorrow we will be back out again for another shot at success but this time targeting the smallies instead. Hopefully they too will cooperate, giving them another successful day of fall fishing!!