Big October Crappie, Big October Pike!

We've had some unbelievable days down the stretch in October. We've caught and released some of the biggest Ontario crappie you'll run across anywhere. A couple pike trips have also turned out really well, too! Fall pike in Ontario get big and they use pretty predictable structures.

​The photos above show a couple real beauties. Travis and his dad, Tom, did a split-guided fishing trip with me recently. We did crappie all morning, then switched to pike, after lunch. Travis stuck this 42 inch whale on a Drifter Tackle 10" Jake over a shoal that tops off around 16 feet deep. What a trolling rip, what a fight! And of course, a nice, clean release .

​Right below, Dan, from Markham, ON shows off a crappie longer than fifteen inches. He caught two of them, that day. That's great fishing! The crappie bite was nuts that day. We caught 89 or 90 and did not see one less than 11 inches long.

​Was Dan's fish really was over 15 inches long? Here's a shot of her on the bump board. The fish isn't even being measured fully and the numbers don't lie!

The crappie fishing has been hard to believe, most days, We're working huge schools anywhere from 24 to 29 feet deep and getting them at more than one level, in the water. Some days they're hugging bottom, some days they're only half way down. A variety of vertical presentations have been working, using both live and soft plastic baits.

​Here's a few recent crappie pics: 

Here's a solid pike Travis caught on a jig and swimbait combo. Nice one, buddy! Lots of our casting pike have been eating right at the boat, this one was no different. Big strike!

Speaking of pike, check out this dandy Adam and Cam caught ion their trip with me the other day! Lean and mean! I spotted this one suspended 27 feet to the left of the boat, using my Side Imaging. What a deadly technology for a fishing guide who's on big water a lot of the time. I scrolled my cursor over directly on top of her, dropped a waypoint and spun the boat around to troll right over her head. She bit immediately. I sound like a broken record here, but it was the 14" Jake in Real Image Walleye that got it done, once again. What a bait.

​Here she is on the Side Imaging, and here's Adam with her just before a quick release. The winds on Georgian Bay were as bad as you'll ever see them, that day. Way to stick it our in tough weather, boys!

Beauty!

​These huge winds and colder nights are going to get the fishing cranked right up, what a time to be on the water. Happy Guests = Happy Guide! Let me know if you want to go!