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Chai & Daniel joined me today, for another annual fishing trip. This time however, we were going to troll for pike & walleye instead of the usual dropshotting they were use to. Hopefully the bite would be as good as it has been, the last several times out!

The winds were blowing out of the NE this morning, creating a good chop on the water. Overcast skies also greeted us, making for a great shallow bite combination. I set the lines and began searching for both bait and marks over the vast area we were on.

Although it took a little longer than I was use to, the first reel to fire was a walleye and Chai fought a beautiful over to the net. We were officially on the board! I continued searching for more and despite not seeing much, another reel went off and Daniel landed a pike. We covered lots of the usual water but I eventually moved further away due to only a handful of fish. They were really scattered and I needed to find a concentration.

I eventually went to an area that hadn’t been great this season and we began hitting many more fish. I focused my attention on a small section and just kept going back in forth. For quite a while, fish were coming frequently, but that eventually came to an end. Time to move on!

After picking at them for a bit longer, I decided to try deeper and many more walleye and pike were caught. In fact, they were able to put several of them in the livewell as well as releasing plenty of overs too! The sun had come out and these fish were now active where we were. I was marking both bait as well as fish and we were getting into many from this area.

I hadn’t planned on trolling for as long as I did, but the bite picked up considerably as the morning passed. As I always say, “never leave fish to find fish”! We remained on them until they stopped and then we pulled the plug and changed up to bass. I put away all the trolling gear and pulled out a few rods with soft plastics for the next species.

The winds were blowing pretty good now from the SE and I went to a section of the lake where we were somewhat protected. I would have liked to go offshore but the waves were bigger there, making it more difficult to fish. We stayed shallow and they managed to get into several bass as well as miss a bunch more. I hit a few other rocky spots close by, but was beginning to see a weather change happening. Clouds had moved in and the radar was showing possible storms all around. We were also getting sprinkled on now and I needed the raingear, just in case it got worse! They picked up a few more bass from the areas we fished and then I decided to try a couple of other spots further away.

The winds were getting worse and the skies were getting darker when we stopped on the first one and despite their best attempt, they came up empty. I thought we’d give one more place a try and when I arrived, I knew what the result would be before they began. It was rolling pretty good here and almost unfishable! Within 5 minutes the winds picked up even more and we saw lightning. Time to go!

The run back to the ramp was a roller coaster of a ride, with 3 footers out of the SE. It was a twisting, pounding one and we were glad to get back, safely! The waves were rolling onto the ramp as well and I got the boat on the trailer as quickly as I could. Not before having gallons of water roll over the back deck though!

Today was a very interesting experience, with multiple changing weather conditions. Several adjustments were needed to stay on the fish and make this a great day. Mother Nature may have tried, but this time she didn’t win! She may have sent us off he water a bit early but not before all the damage was done. They had caught plenty of fish today and even had a limit of walleye to go home with. In the end, we even got off the water before the big rains began and that’s a first! This was a very productive and satisfying day for fishing!!

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Pietro was in from Italy and asking about another person to share the day and expenses. I immediately thought of Rich and he accepted! The three of us headed out in a good NE wind and overcast skies. These were good conditions for a troll and they agreed to give it a try for a couple of hours. I knew it would be worthwhile!

Once I arrived at the spot, I set the lines and was sure with this chop that we would get bit. It didn’t take long for a reel to fire and Pietro landed his first ever walleye. They were rotating on the rods and both of them were getting into fish now. Pietro Landed his first northern soon after, giving him two new species. At one point, the reels were going off every couple of minutes and loads of pike and walleye were coming aboard. Pietro even managed to land his first ever Musky, making this, 3 new species of fish!

Once the trolling bite slowed down, I thought it would be a good idea to try casting for smallmouth and shifted locations. They were now tossing soft plastics and Rich was the first one to hook up on the new spot. Pietro wasn’t far behind and soon the 2 were both in the game. This would be the 4^th species for Pietro today! They fished the area thoroughly and plenty more bass were landed before we moved on. I did this for hours and every time we hit a new place, it produced! Right through the afternoon, all kinds of bass were being caught and plenty of others lost as well. It was a high numbers kind of day!

Late in the afternoon I made another stop and change up and Rich and Pietro landed a few sturgeon. This was also the first time Pietro had caught one of these dinosaurs and brought his total to 5, for new species of fish.

The time had passed by quickly today with all the fish and before we knew it, it was time to leave. I packed up and headed back under flat calm conditions making for a smooth ride. I’m not sure Pietro had ever expected today to be like it was and land 5 new species, but he left with a big smile on his face. He also went back with aa couple of walleye that would make for a great dinner with his girlfriend tonight! Rich on the other hand just enjoyed spending time on the water, pounding on all kinds of fish! You could say that we all had a great time sharing each other’s company and loads of laughs. Oh yeah, the fishing was pretty good too!!

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Today was a busy day with both a morning trip and an afternoon one as well. Jessica and her parents John and Alice were with me early and despite the flat calm conditions, we still managed to catch plenty of fsih. I decided that a troll would be best, with the little experience they all had and it was the right choice. A mix of walleye and pike were landed by everyone and a few of them were brought home to be eaten. I would have liked to get them into a few more keeper eyes but unfortunately most of them were overs and released. The time passed quickly and by 11:15, I was heading back to exchange groups.

Mirror like conditions made for a smooth ride back and I dropped off Jessica and her family at the docks. The second group consisted of Robert and his wife Holly and we were back out in no time.

I had decided to try areas closer and with a different technique. They were about to learn how to dropshot as I made my way to our first spot to fish. Although the lack of wind wasn’t in our favor, I was able to move along quite well with the help of the electric motor.

It didn’t take long for Hollie to hook up and she landed her first smallmouth of the day. Robert soon did the same as we passed over several good-looking marks on the screen! Multiple passes over the rock and weed area had fish coming aboard frequently. Bass, walleye and even a big northern were landed from this starting spot. Once it slowed, I relocated to another area nearby and they continued catching fish. It was on fire with bass and walleye and Robert & Hollie were having the time of their lives! As with the previous area, this one also slowed and I decided to try one more area before we were done.

I made a longer run and they began fishing more rocks and weeds on a shoal. Alost immediately fish were being hooked and many bass came to the net. Just like before, a few good-sized walleye also fell victim to their offerings and many more fish were landed. The last couple of passes saw probably the better walleye, but unfortunately, we ran out of time. I almost wish I had of moved to this spot a bit earlier as the fish seemed bigger and more active.

The half day trips always pass quickly and today was no different. Fortunately, the fishing was good for both and everyone landed their share of quality fish. I think Hollie had the best time of everyone as she left with a big smile on her face, saying this was the best fishing day of her life. So much so that she gave me a big hug before they left! I’d say that this was another successful day!!

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Tom, Alex & Bill had another banner day with me today as they all slammed again! We fished in almost zero wind, unlike yesterday when it felt more like Lake Ontario. Today’s conditions were flat calm with sunshine all day and plenty of boats all around. The start of the construction holidays is upon us now and I anticipate that the waters will be even busier in the next couple of weeks.

We began with a troll and as usual, it didn’t take long for the first reel to fire. A big walleye was on the line and was instantly ticked off Tom’s list. These guys were from Texas and had never caught them before. They had also never caught pike and I was sure that I would be able to change that too!

We trolled for a good part of the morning covering plenty of water and everyone managed to land several of pike & walleye before we were done. With the exception of one walleye, all the others were big overs and loads of pics were taken of the fish.

I shifted gears after the troll and managed to tick another species off of everyone’s list, by getting them all into sturgeon. The fights were incredible and they couldn’t believe just how strong they were!

Most of the afternoon saw us hopping around and fishing for smallies, as largemouth are the usual ones they catch back home. Everyone had their chances and managed to catch some of the ones that bit.

We fished until just before 3:00, when we decided to call it a day. They had surpassed all their expectations on this trip and boated three new species each. We had action pretty much all day long and they had worked up quite the appetite. It didn’t help that they hadn’t brought any food on board! Another incredible day of fishing with these three guys from Texas!!

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Norm & Dan were back this morning for their annual trip and looking forward to catching some fish. We headed out in a big SW wind that had three footers greeting us on the run. Fortunately, they weren’t as big when we arrived and I set the lines in for a troll. With these big rollers, it would have been tough to do anything else!

It took a little while but I finally located an area where we were getting bit and both pike & walleye were landed. For the remainder of the time out, we focused on trolling up plenty more good-sized fish. In years past, they had done mostly dropshotting and casting for bass, but this time around they were catching much bigger fish by trolling. Although we talked about trying somewhere else to cast, we soon gave up the notion of a move. This was the best chance they had for catching the most and largest fish today!

Time flew by quickly, as it always does on these half day trips and before we knew it, we were packing up. I made sure that everything was put away for the run back in these rough conditions. The boat handled well and the smooth moves seats gave even more comfort in the rough waters.

Norm and his son Dan had a great time catching this year and by trolling and it allowed me to remain on the bigger fish. It’ll be another year before I see them again but they will have plenty of memories from today with all the photos taken, to carry them over for the year. Great fishing day!