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I had a full boat today with Frank, Kevin, J.P. and Paul, all looking to get into some good fish. After yesterday’s outing, I could only hope for better results!

With flat calm conditions, I made a long run and quickly set up in the area to troll. It felt good to open the engine up for a change, on a mirror like body of water!

I don’t think it took more than 3 minutes to get our first bite, but as fast as it hit, it was gone. Visions of yesterday’s short striking fish went through my mind, but that was about to change. Soon after, another reel fired and it quickly turned into a double. This was definitely a good sign of things to come! In the next couple of hours almost every time a reel went off, another followed. We had mostly double headers and even a triple at one time too! Although they were almost all pike, there were several walleye landed as well and 3 of them even made it into the livewell for someone to bring home tonight.

After a while things slowed down and I decided that a move was in order. We had taken advantage of the morning bite and monopolized on a feeding period. We even had a good chop on the water throughout, but when it went flat, the bite just died. It was time to relocate!

I made another long run to deeper water in hopes of getting everyone into some bass action. I set up the rods with a couple of drop shot rigs and two jigs, just to mix it up. They would be drifting and I knew someone would soon be into a fish!

Paul was the first one to set into a bass and although a little on the small side, it still gave a great fight coming from the deep water. J.P. was the other drop shot rod and after missing several bites, he also managed to land a bass of his own. Unfortunately all the jigs could do was snag rocks and required multiple reties!

With each long drift the guys managed to pick at the fish pretty good at times. Eventually even the jigs got in the game and they too landed a few more bass. Frank almost had a keeper walleye from the same area but it fell short when I tried to net it and just came off.

With time closing in on us I made a couple of shorter passes over some fish and finished with another bass from Paul. He said he helped me out, by letting it jump off at the boat!

Today’s trip was a great one filled with lots of action, both on the troll and drifting the deeper waters for bass. Although more fish were lost or missed with the drop shot & jig technique, there were still plenty of fish caught. I don’t think they could have asked for a nicer day to be on the water and the boat traffic was pretty good too! Just another great day for fishing!

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Doug & his sons, Ben & Nick joined me today for a birthday fishing trip. Ben had celebrated his 23^rd just last week and this was his gift. Hopefully it would be a good one!

The winds had been just insane lately, with the cyclone or hurricane in the states and although they had diminished slightly, they were still hell today! I had to make a long run to our starting area and decided that less of a beating was the best choice. I took the long way around!

Trolling wasn’t going to be easy as I could see by the big waves and dirty water color, but I prepped everything and hoped for the best!

We trolled for several hours through all kinds of areas and managed only one keeper walleye. All the other bites we had may have made the reels fire but they didn’t remain pinned for more than a few seconds at best. I think the fish were hitting the baits with their mouths closed! We were done for trolling!

I decided to try a little drop shotting for bass & walleye in open water and headed to an area that had been good to me lately. Unfortunately after a few passes and adding the heaviest weights I had in the boat, I determined that it just wasn’t fishable. We were drifting at too fast a speed for them to be able to feel the bottom and I needed to change something up. After testing out a heavier jig and landing a really good smallie, I switched everyone up with the same thing.

For about an hour or so, I had them dragging jigs over this same areas and a few more bass were landed. It still wasn’t easy to feel any bites and they were also snagging up more than I liked. In fact, Doug thought he was caught on the bottom only to find out that he was actually into a big fish. Game on!

With help from me on the electric motor, we were able to bring the fish aboard, after the long battle. It was his first sturgeon ever and needed a few pics before the release.

After we had released the beast, I decided to try another area and hopefully be able to slow the drifts down enough to drop shot again. Once we arrived I saw that although fast, it was totally doable and set everyone up to fish. Moments later, Nick was into a walleye but unfortunately wasn’t able to land the fish. Several minutes after that, same thing! His fish just seemed to be coming off and I didn’t like it a bit! I knew that they hadn’t fished before but tough conditions were making it even more difficult today.

After missing just about everything, I tried one final area for the day. Everyone had shots at fish and eventually landed some bass from this final spot before we were done. Tough day for all!

Our trip today could have been somewhat better as far as the results go but the conditions definitely weren’t in our favor. This was the third day of big winds from the storm down south and the water was messed up terribly. This also made my job more difficult too! I had to switch areas and presentations multiple times to get the bites we did. In the end though, several fish were landed including a real beast and everyone had a great time. Hopefully the coming days will have the fish a little more active and Mother Nature will take a break from the wrath she likes to inflict on us. For a change, I’m looking for a calm day of fishing!

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What an absolutely unbelievable morning of fishing we had today! Keon & Hugo brought their kids, Lilly Rose & Nate out, hoping to get them into some fish. We did just that and in the pouring rain!

The conditions looked perfect as I headed to our first spot. With 2 children on board, we were going to troll and I expected plenty of action with the overcast skies we had.

Once we arrived I prepped everything and set up the roof as well, readying it for the rain we were expected to receive. I only hoped that the big SE winds they forecasted wouldn’t arrive too early. The rain began falling shortly after we began and pretty much never stopped the entire morning while we fished. It didn’t matter however as the fish were eating!

I don’t think we had the lines in the water for 3 minutes before one of the outside rods bent. Nate was about to catch his first fish ever and with the help of Keon, he reeled in a pretty good pike. Pics were taken and the northern was released shortly after and we continued to look for more.

Within minutes, another reel went off and Lilly brought in her first fish as well. It too was a pike and things were starting to heat up. With little to no wind, the roof kept everyone dry as we moved along. Some of the reels were going off but most fish were not even making a sound. I had to constantly monitor the rods in order to catch fish. We even had a few pike jump behind the boat signaling that they were on one of the lines!

Along with the pike, we were getting into plenty of big walleye and boating some real giants! They were definitely overs and needed no measuring! I think Hugo managed to get the biggest eye but Keon had several pretty close too. At one point the bite just got ridiculous and I was left with only one line in the water. I couldn’t keep up as the other 3 rods were still in the boat from fish being caught! I love it when chaos occurs!

Throughout all of the catching they finally were able to bring in a fat 20 inch keeper that made it into the livewell. We had released so many overs that I was beginning to wonder if we would ever catch one that they could take home! Nate had given them dinner!

With the rain getting heavier at times, it was only a matter of time before the winds started to blow. We were still catching fish but the kids were getting wet from standing where it fell and now wanting to leave. Although it was nearing the end, there was still some time remaining and I wanted to get them into more fish. In the last 15 minutes they were able to boat several more, both walleye & pike and add another keeper to the tank. We ended on a last fish as usual and Nate reeled in one more pike for the day.

As I packed everything up, Mother Nature decided to pour down on us and I left the roof up till the very end. Once it calmed down a bit, I headed back. We still had to contend with plenty of rain along the way but at least it wasn’t as intense!

Once we arrived back at the ramp I was glad that I had texted Don earlier. He was waiting with the trailer already in the water, making it easier to pull out. Gotta love the Valet service!

Today may have been a wet one but I’d take this over nice weather any day of the week. I think I can count on one hand the number of other boats we saw out and still have fingers to spare! After yesterday’s circus, it was a welcomed change! They had a great morning of fishing and tons of action for all to enjoy. Once again, this proves that fish do bite in the rain!

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Thomas & Mason joined me today for a very interesting day of fishing! Expectations were high as we headed on the water and hopes of big fish were on their minds. What would the day bring?

I thought we would start off with a little trolling to get them quickly into fish, but unfortunately it didn’t go as planned. The area I hit had tons of floating vegetation and once again, constant cleaning of the rods was required! Add to that, very inactive fish and we only stayed for about 90 minutes before we headed elsewhere. Although a handful of pike were landed, it was way too slow and too much work to fish this area. We were done!

I had wanted to show these guys a few different presentations today and switched up to casting soft plastics at our next spot. What was supposed to be a smallie area, ended up producing a nice pike that Mason sight fished. It had followed his bait to the boat and tried to grab it when he was finished his retrieve and I immediately told him to throw back. Next cast, fish on! The short line fights are like musky fishing when they hit right next to the boat and all hell broke loose when he set the hook! It was a fat, healthy fish and nice to see during the heat of the summer, in little to no water. Definitely feeding well!

Although they didn’t land any bass from the area, Mason had a couple of good ones blow up on his bait that only ended in disappointment. Soon after, we decided to just move to another area and hopefully better results. We made a long run to deep, open water!

I had wanted to fish some of my offshore spots that were much deeper and today was going to be the day! With the temperatures constantly rising, the fish were being pushed to more comfortable depths and we were going drop shotting for them.

Mason started off with me in the front of the boat as we drifted down current over the area. It didn’t take long after I explained what to do before he was tight to his first deep water smallie! He also caught several more in the 2 to 3 pound range before I decided to make some deeper passes. I was seeing average fish from the first range and hoped the bigger ones would cooperate better by moving out.

Again, it didn’t take long to see the results when Mason was tight to another fish from this new area. It seemed like a better one and when it came up, I knew it was. Although not a giant, it was definitely larger than the previous ones he had landed. While removing the hook and taking a few pics, Thomas finally hooked into a good one as well. I guess he had let out more line than he needed while we were drifting because it took a while to get it to the boat. This would be his biggest bass for the day as well as his personal best! She was released immediately after the pics and bolted right back to the bottom, as we saw her go down on the sonar!

We kept at the drop shotting and made several drifts at various depths. With each one, fish were being hooked and some of them even landed. When the bite slowed, we pulled out and hit another area but still remained with the same presentations.

For a change, this spot was better to Thomas than it was to Mason. He managed to land a few smallies and we even put a nice keeper walleye in the boat for Mason to bring home with him tonight!

Once again, after the bite stopped, I relocated to another area much further away in hopes of catching more fish. We made several drifts and although I was marking plenty, they were reluctant to eat. Mason did manage to land a small walleye from here though, that completed his slam for the day!

I had planned on finishing the day from here but with the way the fish were acting, I knew I couldn’t stay. I needed to get back out in the deeper, cooler water if they had any chance of getting bit!

By now it was quite late in the afternoon and the boat traffic was at its max. Despite the lack of wind, we were still in 2 to 3 footers most of the time and from all directions. Fishing deep was going to be a challenge, but I would make it work!

I can never understand why other boats, both big and small, have to run by fishermen so close and throw massive waves while they are fishing! It was next to impossible to stand comfortably and feel the light bites, with the rollers they created! Somehow we did manage to land several more fish in all this chaos before we were done for the day!

I wasn’t looking forward to taking the boat out and feared that the ramp would be a nightmare when we got back. I was right! People everywhere and boats just anchored up with nobody even around. This was going to be a challenge!

Fortunately I was able to tie up on the outside and had both Thomas & Mason hold the boat away from the dock with the waves rolling in. The parking lot was also a nightmare and I was barely able to get the trailer out, with stupid people parking their cars so close, in designated boat trailer slots. Guess I’m just gonna have to put another complaint in, again!

Despite all the obstacles that we encountered throughout the day, they still had a great time and even learned a few new techniques. Hopefully some of these will help them in their future fishing trips and add more fish to their results. Gotta love weekend fishing and the traffic it brings!

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Another day of double trips started out with Peter and his kids, Amanda & Michael this morning and Emma & her boyfriend Julian in the afternoon. I only hoped the fishing would be good!

We began the day by trolling for pike & walleye and covered a fair bit of water before getting our first bite. I had a feeling it was going to be a grind after seeing how inactive these fish were! Michael was up and landed his first ever northern!

With the lines back in, I hoped it wouldn’t take as long for the second bite as I noticed a big bend in one of the rods. Amanda was next and she too reeled in her very first pike as well. Things weren’t going as quickly as I had hoped but at least we were seeing some action!

By covering water I was able to pick at the fish pretty regular and managed to get the rotation going. At one point, we even had a double header, with a good keeper sized walleye and another pike. Things were finally picking up!

We trolled for a few hours this morning and they managed to catch a bunch of fish before I pulled the plug. We were going to try a little drop shotting further away, but not before they all took a swim in the water.

With less than an hour remaining in their trip, I stopped on a deep flat and things looked great. There were fish and bait marking all over the area! It didn’t take long to get the first bite and both Michael & Amanda were locked up immediately! Amanda had a small walleye that was immediately released but Michael was into a big smallie. After a few acrobatic leaps and drag pulling runs, I slid his fish into the net. This would be his first and obviously biggest bass!

The remainder of their time was spent making a few more drifts and someone was always hooked up. We ended the day with a triple header that came at the very last minute. What a way to finish their trip!

I headed back and made the switch, picking up Emma & Julian for the afternoon outing! I figured that I would head right back to where I had been and hopefully the fish would still be biting. Emma confirmed that with a walleye on her very first drop. Julian also managed to get into a big smallie soon after and I knew the fish were still on!

We spent most of the afternoon drop shotting in the area and they either caught, or lost, plenty more fish. I made many drifts over different sections until the well went dry! Once I started seeing an empty screen, I moved to another spot and managed to put them on a few more fish before switching to a little trolling.

With the roof up, I headed to an area a short distance away, but spent all my time clearing weeds from the rods. It didn’t seem to matter where I was, the floating grass was all over the water. I couldn’t troll for more than a few seconds without the rods being loaded. Not much fun!

Despite our efforts, eventually I just had to call it on the trolling and went back to another area to drop shot. The last hour saw a few more fish caught by Amanda but both of them had their chances. Too bad Julian couldn’t monopolize on the bites he had! In the end, Emma had caught the first, last, most, biggest and even slammed with a huge pike she landed earlier, while drop shotting the first place they fished.

Today was a bit of a roller coaster with the fishing, but I still managed to get everyone into plenty of action. I’m back on the water again tomorrow with another group and only hope that they too have a great day. It’s all up to the fish now!