If you weren’t convinced about September being a “time for trophies”, let me once again try and convince you. It’s been two of the nicest weeks we have experienced all season. The sun is high, the skies are clear (sorta) and the moon is fuller than fisherman’s tale about the big one that got away. Summer is finally here and the walleye have decided to hit their summer patterns. Better late than never I guess, eh? Most of our guests are finding these beauties on deep humps and reefs in cooler waters. They are attacking schools of baitfish with a vengeance and anything else that swims.

Just ask Jason of California about his 26-inch golden eye that he landed on the trusty “Mepps Syclops” (my favorite lure) at ZigZag. The ol’ fire tiger color scheme fooled em’ again. Not to be outdone was Eric of San Jose, California fishing with the “Doctor” lure that produced a 41-inch hog from the depths of ZigZag. These big pike are going on the prowl trying to fatten up before the season ends.

Jim found this out while trolling a Daredevil right around the corner from Striker’s Point Lodge on Whitewater Lake. He landed a lengthy 43-inch toothy critter with guide Ryan Lacey. Not only are these pike big, but they are in great numbers once you locate the baitfish.

As I mentioned in last week’s newsletter, I was looking forward to getting out to Striker’s Point and visiting with a few guests and see if I could land a lunker myself. With the help of my boat mate, Katie of Missouri, we were able to land this 48-inch monster on a jig and minnow while hunting for large walleye. After a 30-minute battle, we were able to get her tangled in the net and brought on board. Notice I said “tangled”. She thrashed so hard that the net broke and chaos ensued. When all was said and done, we had her in the boat for a few pics and back in the water to fight another day. This is the reason that I love late season fishing. Not only can you land large numbers of fish but the chances for monsters are always there.

This has been a great season for trophy fish at almost every camp we have and a very enjoyable first season for me. I want to thank everyone that I had the pleasure of meeting this year and look forward to seeing everyone next season.
Cheers, Joe Pichey