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Rick and Danny were back for their annual trip and this year it fell on the bass opener. We would spend it targeting smallies and hopefully Mother Nature would be kind!

Our first stop was a disappointment as not one fish was caught. In fact, not one strike was even had! I quickly adjusted locations and soon after presentations as well. We were forced to slow down with the water being below 65 degrees and the results soon changed.

Rick drew first blood but his brother soon followed with a few good fish of his own. As much as I wanted to have them throw crank baits, it just wasn’t working. We ended up on a much slower technique that seemed to be working. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

With each move we made, more fish came aboard. I was actually surprised to see that they were in such good shape right after the spawn. Most of the ones caught looked more like summertime fish than post spawn. They were thick and not all beat up!

Later in the morning the winds began to blow and the easy fishing soon ended. Now we were going to have to make another move to try and find an area a little more sheltered. Unfortunately, there weren’t any, where we were! The winds were out of the west and blowing straight down the pipes. We would have to take the punishment where I wanted to go!

This area proved to be a good choice as the bulk of their fish came from here. We spent a couple of hours refining certain sections and fish after fish came aboard. Most of them were pretty good ones too!

With the skies looking a little threatening I made one final move to another spot nearby. Unfortunately the winds picked up even more and in the distance rain was seen. After a few more fish, we packed it up and headed back in the direction of the ramp. I had planned on stopping on one or two more areas before the end of the day but things soon changed. The west winds had big rollers and we all decided to call it a little early.

Despite the dangerously low water this season, I was still able to find some fish for them to enjoy. It’s too bad that we weren’t able to get an aggressive bite going but at least we adjusted quick enough to change the outcome. Plenty of bass were caught in the end and overall this was a very successful opening day to the bass season. I can’t wait to get back out again tomorrow for round two!

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Richard & his wife Jasmine were with me this morning, for some pike & walleye action. With today being his birthday, I hoped to get them into a bunch of fish and even some walleye to take back home.

Within 2 minutes after setting the lines, we had a strike and Richard reeled in the first walleye of the day. I had to cover plenty of water to get more bites but both pike & walleye were caught from this area as well. Jasmine seemed to only be landing pike while Richard added another walleye to the livewell. It should have been two but one of them didn’t make the cut. It was a half inch too long and returned after a few quick pics! Even a few bass were caught while trolling for the pike & walleye!

We stayed fishing the area for several hours and despite catching a bunch of fish, it really should have been more. Plenty of short strikes were had and a few fish even came off while being reeled in! The cold water definitely had these fish inactive and I really had to work for every bite we got!

Sometime late morning I decided to change areas and headed to another place further away. It was a change but apparently quite similar to where we were. Here too we had more short strikes than actual fish landed. Many more pike & walleye were taken and even more fish short striking the baits. I guess they really weren’t in a feeding mood!

With weather moving in, I decided to get closer to the ramp and try a little drop shotting. On the very first drift a couple of walleye were landed but both fell short of the slot. Two drifts later we were forced to pack it in when the storm began to cover some of the nearby shore. Waves had built as well with the wind increasing and we were done. Just in time too as it began to rain during the take out!

Despite all the missed fish today, Richard and Jasmine had a great time on the water. Many fish were landed and they were able to take a limit home with them in the end. I guess they’ll be eating fresh fish, for dinner tonight!

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Darren brought along his family this morning for a tougher than usual outing. We hit several areas and never really got on a great bite! Some of the fish that actually hit, even fell off either in the net or while reeling them in. Our first good bite made it all the way to the net before throwing the lure from being lightly hooked. Add to that the flat calm and cold water temps and it wasn’t surprising that it was tough.

We did manage to get into some good fish before they were dropped back at the dock at noon. I just wish that there could have been more!

Darren & I headed back out for the afternoon in similar conditions and again struggled to get bit. Although we did catch fish everywhere we stopped, we had to work hard at getting bit. In the end, the last hour proved to be the best as the wind began to blow from the SW, causing a few more fish to become active. We called it before 4:00 and headed off the lake for the day.

The ramp was once again a real shit show as idiots were out in full bloom. Between people not knowing how to launch, take out or even park, I was glad to be out of there. I couldn’t even pack everything up when I was out and had to drive halfway up the street and as far away as I could in order to get things done. I think I am eventually going to stop fishing weekends until the fall as I may wind up in jail if I don’t! Absolutely total chaos! This ramp is out of control!

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Joe & his brother Charles were with me today for another good day of fishing. We began on almost flat calm waters with a slight NE wind. Soon after setting the first lines, the wind just died and the morning became still. Apparently so did the fish, as we covered a lot of water with very few bites! The water temps weren’t helping much as they were down around 66 degrees causing me to fish slower than I really wanted.

After scouring an area and having more short strikes than fish landings, I decided to make a move in search of warmer waters. It was here that I actually hit temps in the 70’s. In fact at one spot I had over 74 degrees! Well it didn’t take long to get the reels firing and numbers of pike & walleye were landed. No short strikes here! Joe & Charles boated plenty of fish and were even able to put 3 nice keeper walleye into the well. All the others were overs and had to be released!

With flat calm conditions and blazing sun, it wasn’t long before the roof was erected! We spent the remainder of the day in the shade and were thankful for the relief! The fish bites slowed down some but we managed to pick at them throughout the afternoon until we were done. Ironically, the last hour or so saw the winds increase and we actually had a few more aggressive bites when it did. A straight west was blowing and made for one to two foot chop where we were. It also blew the warm water out causing me to chase the temps again!

The day wasn’t a banner one but with several adjustments, I kept them on fish throughout. I’m sure that with the water warming the fish activity will increase too. The next couple of weeks should have them setting up into their summer areas and more & more fish will arrive, making for a better drift & casting bite. I should be trading in the trolling rods for a more hands on approach soon. Drop shotting here we come!

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Jean Michel, Stefano and Ron joined me this morning for an interesting day of fishing. We hit the water early with the conditions flat calm, but I knew it wouldn’t last!

We grinded it out for several hours, but only picked at the fish under these conditions. Eventually however, the wind started to blow and the action soon changed. We had a number of pike & walleye eat our baits but with the water temps still on the cool side, their aggressiveness wasn’t high. It took until the afternoon for them to finally begin to wake up, but unfortunately the pleasure boats did too!

The best fishing was had in the latter part of the day with frequent reels firing and more fish coming aboard. Everyone had many chances at fish but Stefano managed the catch of the day with a nice bonus musky! As it turned out, this was also his first one too! He was in awe of its size and power but pics weren’t to be as I informed him that the season was still closed. It didn’t matter as he had the memory!

With the afternoon sunshine and heat, I think every boat within 50 miles was on the water! This made trolling a little more difficult as there were boats in every direction. Add to that the big waves from the SW at 25 to 50 winds and it wasn’t easy. I somehow managed to make it work though and they boated fish right until the end. I knew the ride back would be a little rough and took my time prepping everything for the run.

Once back at the docks, it was a shit show as usual, being the weekend! There were people & boats everywhere and the parking lot was an absolute nightmare! So much for designated trailer parking after June 1^st as cars were pretty much parked in every slot, where the trailers should be. They definitely need more security doing their jobs & policing the parking lot! What do we pay for?

Today was a good day with plenty of action, but still not the easy days that I am accustomed to seeing at this time of year. With temps on the rise, it shouldn’t be long before the high numbers are the norm for a day of fishing. Hopefully the winds will give us a break, so that I can raise the roof on another scorcher of a day! Pretty soon I hope!