43
Salvaged by a big walleye
Anglers know some days on the lake are better than others and some days are a jumbled mix of highs and lows.
Last weekend, I had one of those off days that was salvaged by a brief encounter that totally made up for the scratchy results my efforts produced over my previous four hours on the water.
Despite my anticipation of catching a boatload of chunky largemouth and smallmouth bass, it had not been a great morning when I fired up the Merc for a short dash across Shenango Reservoir to a spot I’d saved for high noon. It’s a small bay festooned with anchored Christmas trees and a steep concrete launch ramp.
I switched off the outboard and glided in toward the ramp on the electric motor, cocked a cast and fired my crankbait to a spot from which I could pull the wiggling lure down the length of the concrete pad. Four or five turns into the retrieve I was rewarded with an all-out load on the line. My 7-foot stick bowed into a big arc.
For a moment, I gained nothing. It felt like my line was tied to a rock, but the rock was bucking. Finally I gained on the battle and worked the still-unseen fish nearly to the surface.
I was pretty sure I wasn’t battling a bass because the fish never broke water. Expecting to see a big old catfish or hybrid striped bass, I was stunned when I identified the creature. It was a walleye. But not an ordinary walleye.
With no net on deck, I had to kneel to hand-land the behemoth. It was a struggle just to pull the walleye’s head up where I could survey for a good place to grip. My crankbait was deep in the fish’s mouth, but we all learned long ago that it’s not cool to put a lip grip on a walleye thanks to their needle-sharp teeth.
My experience with lots of Mosquito’s northern pike and West Branch’s muskies came in handy as I slipped two fingers under the gill cover, being careful to avoid damaging the feathery red tissue that enables fish to pull oxygen from the water.
I freed the lure from the walleye’s mouth and dropped the fish into the livewell to buy time to set up my scale. I carry a very accurate electronic Brecknell scale, the same model used by boat judges in Major League Fishing competition. The digital read-out settled on 7 pounds 6 ounces.
It was the biggest walleye I’ve ever caught. And it was quite a surprise on an otherwise slow day of fishing. I snapped a photo with the successful lure and a measuring board alongside the lunker walleye to show perspective.
After a morning of fishing that resulted in only a few bass, that big walleye had made my day. It’s the kind of experience everyone should enjoy, so I released the fish to give another lucky angler a thrill some day.
Erie Walleye Fall Brawl sign-up
Ranger and Mercury walleye pro Sammy Cappelli of Poland reminds area anglers that sign-up for the annual Lake Erie Walleye Fall Brawl is underway.
The big derby is for anglers fishing the Ohio waters of Lake Erie. It starts Oct. 21 and continues to Dec. 4. The official weigh station is at Erie Outfitters, 5404 Lake Road, Sheffield Lake. Anglers are gathering today at Erie Outfitters from 1 to 3 p.m. for sign-up and competition information, food, drinks and raffles.
Anglers can register in person at Erie Outfitters, online or by mail. The registration deadline is 11:59 p.m. Oct. 19.
Cappelli said he and hundreds of others will fish to see who catches the heaviest Erie walleyes this autumn. “It’s a super competition and Frank Murphy does a great job putting it all together with fantastic sponsors and great prizes,” he said.
For additional information and online registration, visit www.lakeeriefishingderby.com.