A Surprise Catch

Lake Erie is known for fantastic walleye fishing. According to reports, it’s even better than fantastic this fall. Size and quantity of catch have been unbelievably strong. Even fishermen working the rivers for steelhead are reporting walleye catches. With first-hand experience I can confirm those reports.

A couple of days ago I went on a hunting mission in an attempt to determine if any steelhead have made it past Painesville on the Grand River. With little rain, the Grand hasn't been able to get a big push of water since August. Well, the hunt went on for a couple of hours and I finally got a take on a white woolly bugger. I was surprised when I realized it wasn't a steelhead. It was a walleye. Not big, but a walleye none the less. This was my first walleye ever on a fly rod.

A surprise catch three miles upstream from Lake Erie.

A toothy walleye.

(Click on image for larger view.). 

A great time of the year to be on the water.

Oh, by the way, on my second cast after landing the walleye I did hook up with a steelhead. Unfortunately, after playing it for about a minute, and after three jumps, the hook pulled loose. I examined the woolly bugger and the hook was bent. Oh well, that’s fishing.

Go out and fool a fish!

Fall Colors And A Little Fishing

Nothing screams “Road Trip” like warm weather and fall colors. My wife and I have a favorite spot in the fall. When the opportunity presents itself we head south to Mohican State Park. We’ve made the autumn drive four or five times and have never been disappointed. Catch the maples just right and Mohican shines as bright as any other destination.

As for fishing, it is secondary on these trips. Oh, I’ll fish for a few hours, but the setting on the Lower Clear Fork is right out of a magazine or book. Pools that look like glass, and reflect the yellows and reds of the maples dominate the landscape. So, I forgive myself if a hookup is missed.

There's an old saying "A picture is worth a thousand words". I can't describe the day better than using pictures. Enjoy.

Go out and fool a fish!

View upstream from the covered bridge.

Do you think there is enough structure for the largemouth and smallmouth bass?

(Click on image for a larger view.) 

(All photos courtesy of Chris Zimmer.)  

I did not want to wade into the water.

The dam area always produces.

Mist on the water and a bass on the line.

 Just another mirror view.

Water so reflective there's two covered bridges.

I'm just a bit player in this scene.

From Another Time

I know the phrase “catch and release” has been around for a long time but there was a time when “catch and keep” was popular. And I am old enough to know about it.

Growing up in the 1950’s fishing with my dad he always made sure the stringer was handy. Whether it was perch or catfish from Lake Erie, or walleye when we took trips to Canada, we would keep what we caught unless there was a size requirement. We would catch and my mom would clean the fish. The catching and keeping helped put some food on the table.

About the time I began high school my family used to take fishing trips to Canada. It was an area north of Peterborough in the Kawartha Lakes region of Ontario. The lake we fished had bass, walleye and muskie. I always liked those trips because we got to fish from a boat as opposed to pier fishing in Lake Erie. And there was a chance to catch some big fish. One big fish stands out from all the rest.

Our last fishing trip to Canada was 1969. On one of the last days of the trip I hooked and landed a 48” muskie. It was by far the biggest muskie of any we caught in the four years we’ve been going up there. Immediately my dad wanted to have it mounted because back then that is what you did when you caught a fish like that. So, being almost second nature to keep a fish, we had the muskie mounted. Little did I know but that would be the last fish I would catch for 40 years. And, looking back I am amazed I caught it. If anyone could see the knots I tied back they would also be amazed. I used to make 5-7 overhand knots when attaching the lure to the line.

This muskie was caught 50 years ago. 48" length, 28 pounds. 

By far the largest fish I've ever caught.

(Click on image for a larger view.)

Now, 50 years after catching it, that muskie still hangs on my basement wall. It reminds me of another time. Not a better time, just different in many ways. Thankfully, making replicas by taking several measurements and a photo is now available. I would definitely do it differently now. Saving the resource is important.

Here’s hoping everyone has a chance to hang a fish on the wall.

Go out and fool a fish!