A View From The Lake

Dennis talks of a time years ago when he was duck hunting, one fall, that he watched a fisherman catch big walleyes drifting in shallow water near a bunch of weeds. That is where we go to start. I begin with jig and minnow but the boat is moving so fast with the wind that I find it hard to keep contact with the bottom so I switch to a bait rig.

I had just lowered the bait rig into the water when I feel a hard rap and I pull back setting the hook. It feels like a snag and my spinning rod is doubled over and then I feel a thumping. It is a fish and it is a big fish. I yell to Dennis. The drag on my reel begins to give out line and the spinning rod is jerking as the fish pulls away. The fish doesn’t seem to move and then I will get two or three spins on the reel. Then the fish pulls away again and I can feel the drag paying out line. Dennis has brought his line in and is standing ready with the net. The wind is blowing us along and at one point we are getting close to another boat. Dennis yells to over to the other fishermen that I either have a tire or a big fish on.

I feel the fish is getting closer and I can see the sinker from the bait rig in the water but I still can not see the fish. I can feel the weight of the fish and I can feel it pulling against the rod. The rod is doubled over and the tip keeps plunging in the direction of the fish. I finally get the sinker out of water and I am standing up in the boat trying to see the fish. I pull up and I can see a long golden brown shadow in the water. It is a big walleye.

The fish is now close but it pulls away and I turn the fish again trying to lead the fish toward the net. The fish turns again and tries to dive but the rod stops it. I see Dennis pull up with the net and the fish lays across the net. It is one of those rubber nets and the fish does not sink into it. As the net clears the water the fish flips, throwing itself out of the net, splashing back into the water. I feel the fish for an instant yet and then the rod springs back. I have lost the fish.

We guess that the fish was probably somewhere in the five to six pound category. I would have liked to get a photo of the fish but other then that I am not disappointed. I would have had to release the fish anyway. It was over the slot limit for this lake. But damn, it did put up a great fight and I had that. As far as I was concerned it was a caught fish; I just did not have the photo.