Great day out on the water with friends and family. It was a foggy, hazy day.  The smoke from the fires in Canada hovered over the lake all day.  

We put in at Spring Creek and ran across the lake to Stony Point. We started on the North side, but once we moved to the south side of Stony Point, we started catching lots of little guys.  We had to throw them back, but it was still fun to catch them. 

Don was baited up with minnow and plain hook, Michele was using a spinner and nightcrawler and I had one of each out.  We caught some on both. The bite started out strong on the crawler, but by afternoon, the minnow seemed to be the choice.

We left Stony Point with only 7 Walleye and headed back towards Spring Creek.  One of my favorite spots is the tip of Spring Creek.  We stopped to try a few passes. We did four passes and had fish on each pass - two got away before we got them to the boat.

P.S. The wife made me keep the bass. 

It had been a long winter but ice is out finally and the fish are biting.

Del, Kelly and I had a great day enjoying the sunshine and water. We headed out late morning before the wind picked up and had lots of action in the back of a bay.  

Sorry, I am sworn to secrecy to not reveal the exact location.

I can tell you our secret to baiting the hook.  They didn't seem to want to bite on the large smelt.  So we loaded up the treble hook with small smelt. Using the quick strike double hook leader, we created a little school of smelt to draw in the big fish.

A few got away - they were feisty, but here are some of our finer catches.

We tried a little Northern fishing from shore just as ice was going out of Cow Creek. 

We didn't have any luck, but this young man just down the bay from us got a beautiful one.

This father/son team from Duluth, Minnesota had a great fishing trip with us this August.  The fishing is still fantastic at West Bend.  

Craig had a rare fish in his hands, and proudly held it up for a picture only to have it fly away. Those flying walleye are tricky!  

So, here is today's lesson .... when posing with a slippery, wet, fish be careful how you hold it. When it starts to wiggle, don't squeeze too hard.  Or, it will could pop out of your hands and straight up in the air, plopping into the lake before the camera could click.  

Thanks, Craig, for another great story about the one that got away!

Two boats. Two teams.  Antelope Creek on Lake Sharpe.  Tom & Jerry vs Gary & Billie.  Who can catch the most fish.  

Tom & Jerry were up 3-0.  

Soon, Gary and Billie with the help of their guide, Brad Richardson, passed them by and it was 3-5.  

Both teams struggled a little, then Tom & Jerry got a double and tied the score 5-5.  

Now, the heat was on.  Guides Brad Beeler and Brad Richardson could feel the pressure.  Who would get their limit first......

Tom caught one, Gary caught one.  Still tied.  

Time was running out - happy hour started soon.  

Finally, Tom & Jerry found a honey spot and finished off their limit.  They headed in to clean fish.  

Gary & Billie weren't to be outdone.  They struggled on to catch their last two fish.  

Three o'clock was the deadline; had to be done by then.  Gary caught the last fish at 2:59 and the day was complete.  

Now, to Spring Creek for a fish fry and drinks!  Another Great Day!

Yep, two in one day ......Tom and Billie both caught a sturgeon.  Dinosaur fish caught by prehistoric men.  That is a story for the history books.

Deserved or not, the pallid sturgeon might best be known as one of the ugliest fish in North America (I'm talking about the fish, not the men!!)

With its flattened shovel-shaped snout, bony plates and long reptile-like tail, the pallid sturgeon even looks like a dinosaur.

The pallid sturgeon is one of the largest fish found in these river systems. Old reports and photographs document fish weighing more than 80 pounds and reaching lengths of six feet.

Populations of the pallid sturgeon are now so small that the big fish are rarely seen or caught by anglers. The primary reason for their decline is believed to be habitat loss caused by man.

Pallid sturgeon evolved for millions of years in a natural river system. These waters had meandering, braided channels and backwaters that provided different depths and flow velocities. But today, the pallid's habitat is altered by dams that modify flows, reduce turbidity and lower water temperatures. The river habitats of the Missouri and Mississippi also have been altered by various channels and construction of dikes that narrow the rivers and cut-off backwater areas.

The pallid sturgeon might be considered ugly to some, but to most its recovery would be nothing less than beautiful.*

How do you show your employees that you appreciate them? 

Digger Doug of Stuart, IA takes his two favorite employees on a fishing trip every year.  This year, he came to visit his old high school buddy, Brad Beeler.  

They had some fantastic days of fishing.  Nate and Ryan joined Doug for some excellent Walleye fishing and some great evenings at The Outpost Lodge.  They traveled to West Bend for a couple of days and spent one day on Lake Oahe.  They went home with plenty of fish to share with their family and friends.  

They were joined for the weekend by another high school buddy, Jim Nelson and his group of friends. Their trip started out a little slow, but once Brad got them on the fish , Curtis had luck with a nice small mouth bass, and the walleye bite was good too. They had more fish than the board down at West Bend could hold.  

Arnie is already planning a return trip in August, and Curtis is hoping to come again too.  

The walleye are biting on anything, just stick your hook in the water and see what you can reel in! 

 

 

We are catching a lot of little ones, but usually catch our "over 20 inch" too.  The little ones are just as tasty as the big ones!

 

Dr. Matt and his son, Cooper, came up from Des Moines, IA for a couple of days of fishing.  

 

 

Cooper had a great time reeling in the fish and learning to tell whoppers like a real fisherman.  

 

He didn't have to tell a story on this one -- nice catch, Cooper!

 

Dr. Amy came from Colorado.  Dr. Chuck came from Iowa.  It was the perfect Father's Day get away vacation!  The Father/Daughter team met in Pierre and had a great weekend reeling in the walleye.  

   

Amy showed her dad how to catch the big ones! 

She was the winner all three days for the largest fish - although day three was a Northern, not a walleye.  They each took home over 10 lbs of walleye and some wonderful memories. 

They slept at the Governor's Inn in town and enjoyed the continental breakfast each morning.  We packed ham sandwiches for lunch, and saved a couple of fresh walleye to broast at Spring Creek each night.  Life was good!