tjsa's walleye opener

[tjsa]

We went prepared, loaded boat night before, got up at 4 am, bud picked me up at 5:30 am. Off we go. Not 20 min, up the hwy. hit a major storm cell, rain came down in buckets(we need it up here for sure).

Traveled down the bush roads and around the wood chipper, to find they had dug a trench across the road for drainage, DARN!!!!

Oh well, lots more places up here, back out to the hwy., head north, discussing where to go next. Lots of choices, but not really anything we really want to go to. Decide to drive well north and check out access to a couple of lakes we heard about. Almost an hour later, its definately a lot colder up north, and we are running into freezing rain, and the slush is starting to collect on the trees, and the hwy.

You can see that there was someone ahead of us on the hwy.

Now, its getting nasty, and dangerous, speed is 80kmh here, we were doing 60 kmh, and losing traction, rear wheels were spinning going up hills. Truck started to slide toward the right hand side of the hwy., steering to the left did not work, slowing down to 50 kmh worked.

Fortunately, we did not have more than 10 kms left to get to the road we wanted to go down. Drove in, and looked for the trail. Found it, and it was a 5 min. walk in, but with the sleet still coming down, and the wind up, we decided against it. Checked out another access, which was shorter, but not good for my 12 ft. boat, tight trail, bad footing, better for the canoe to be carried into.

So, what to do, been on the road now for 2 hrs. and no where near fishing yet. Our alternate plan was for a lake well south of us, but there are a couple within 25 km of us, stocked lakes, brookies and rainbows.

Off to find the brookie lake.

Its now almost 10 am, driving in, GPS's are on, and in the rear view mirror, there is someone behind us, lol.

We talk to him about the lake access, and he is hesitant to speak, until we show him our GPS info, and he realizes we are going to get into this lake regardless. And he finds out we know who the area tech is, since we fished with him a month ago, and he helps us get in there a little easier.

Pack on, spinners packed, some worms also, and off we go bushwhacking toward the lake. Only takes us 10 min. to get into it, all downhill.

I take the southeast side, my bud goes on the north, and northwest side, its a small lake.

10 min. later, after I was casting around some trees in the water, I slung a cast straight out, and slowly reeled in my brass # 3 Mepps spinner, was within 15 ft. of me, coming up the drop off, .......................BAM!!!!!!!

Hard hit, then little struggle, that was until it got near shore, then it went on a run toward the trees. Stopped it, and moved along the shoreline away from the trees. Now, its bulldogging me, but it gave me time to drop my pack, and extricate my camera, and hook extraction tools. Was a 5 min. fight, mostly one handed, set the drag perfectly, and took a couple of pics with my free hand.

He's in there somewheres,

A better image of the near end of the fight, with my Mepps in his upper right yap.

And finally, a pic after I got the lure out, its visible in the water just down to the right. I didn't measure it, but it was probably near 18", the girth I will not speculate on, but he was a football for sure. Probably near 3 lbs.

Even though this is a stocked lake, I decided not to keep him, let him go for someone else to have the experience of getting a big speck on.

We went on to circling the lake, my bud fishing off of nice wood structure.

The other angler, and his son, trolling around the lake.

We did not have another hit. The other angler and his son did not either. So we trudged our way uphill out of there back to the truck, and discussed what to do next. A walleye lake is not to far away, but with the cold front, and winds, we decided to try a lake we tried in the winter that had been stocked with rainbows. It was stocked 2 years ago. One report from a party that went in there last summer, they did not catch any. So the guys that stocked it went back in with trap nets. Found a few fish in it, some up to 6 lbs. I made a report late march about it, but we did not catch any that day. So, it was a longshot, but whatever. Using the GPS's and compass again, we wanted to hit the bottom end of the lake. That meant bushwhacking again, downhill, steep downhill, through blowdown. Did it, and hit the very bottom of the shallow end of the lake.

Moved up the west end, fighting blowdown all the way(I am getting to old for this crap, lol)

I spotted a small point, and fancasted 3 times, not too deep there, my bud went around the swamp near it, and up onto the high ground to avoid the steep drop to the lake.

I waded through the swamp, and saw an opening near a point, pick my way down, wade into the water, just enough room for casting, and sling a 30 yd. cast out into the lake. Lure hits the water, and I engage the reel to close the bail.

 

................................................SLAM!!!!!!!............................

 

Caught me completely off guard, the lure couldn't have sunk more than 4 ft. if that, and I had not even started to reel in any line, and I see silver flashes way out there. Yelled to my bud, but he was out of range. I did not fight too hard, and I got it within 20 ft. of shore, guiding it between all the wood in the water, got it about 10 ft. away, and thats when it decided enough is enough, and went on a run straight back out to the lake, then went right, toward the tips of the trees in the water, AAARRRGHHH!

The line missed the first tree, but not the second tree. I was frantically picking/tripping my way along the shoreline brush, got past the first tree, and saw my line one direction, and the fish 15 ft. to the south of the tip of the 2nd tree tip flashing near the surface.

It then made a 2nd run straight out into the main body of the lake, line clears the tree tip, WHEWWWW!!!, but it ain't over yet. Still lots of wood to negotiate to land this fish. Got it near shore again, looks like a 16-17 in. thick fish, and it dives down on another run under another bloody tree. Don't know how, but it also ran out toward the main lake body, and the line was free again, must not have been any limbs left on it, all rotted away.

Now I am at the point 20 yds. from where I started, and I had to deal with one more tree, got the fish by it, and thought all is good, shallow water, 2 ft. at most, only one dead tree in the water, on bottom................but, as I discovered, it had one branch left, and the bloody fish found it .

But, it was only 8 ft. out, so I stuck the rod tip down into the muck, and reeled, and dragged it under that branch, and patiently directed it into the back bay, into the weeds, into a little channel, and I blocked its escape route, should the lure come free. It did not, but after I had it on shore, the lure fell out.

 

What a fight, haven't experienced a fight with a fish like that in a long time(and the majority of those I have been on the losing end).

OK, here he/she is, approx. 22 inches long, haven't measured it yet, probably around 5 lbs. another football of a fish.

 

My bud had lost one after a bit of a fight, about 4 lbs. before I got mine, then about 20 min. later, had a brute of a fish on, he figgers near 9-10 lbs., but in both cases, the hooks just popped free.

 

I ended up going 2 for 2, my bud 0-2, we both think we had a couple of other hits without hookups.

 

 

AND..............both this fish, and the brookie I caught earlier today, were caught on my new Shimano Clarus 7 ft. medium light fast action rod, which I won in the aution for Chuck, graciously provided by Glen(Greencoachdog).

 

What a way to break in a new fishing rod.

[TangerineDream]

Great fish.... What a way to make the best of the weather.... Good choice not going for walleye. Cold front is brutal. Nice pics.

[crappiesteve]

Tom,that,still a good day out,even with the 2hr drive that white stuff flying around you, you can Keep.With some awesome fish caught to WTG.

 

Steve

[aplumma]

Nice fish but why do you live in a place that has white stuff in the end of MAY. Thats just plain not fair to have such great fishin and such a short season to play.

 

 

Art

[Motorhead]

GREAT report and nice fish....

 

thanks for posting

 

Doug

[PatrickGG]

Man seeing the slush on the ground is making me cold , nice pics and great report.

[mattyk]

very nice fish, sorry about the bad weather!

[Daplumma]

Tom actually caught a fish or two...Wow!Great report bud.

Joe

[canadian_copper]

FORGET THE EYES BRO THATS SOME SICK LOOKIN CHROME THERE!!! I'D BE BACK AT THAT TOMOR LOL

[tjsa]

Scott(CC), that rainbow was caught in a stocked lake, well and far away from any trib into superior, over an our away inland. Still, I didn't cough at the experience, was a blast fighting both the speck and the rainbow. The rainbow was the most challenging this day, given the shoreline structure with many old trees in the water to get by, but the brookie wasn't a slouch either.

Could've easily gone 0-2 with both of these fish, just got lucky to land both of them. As I said, I had the drag set perfectly for hookup, and fighting, were it not for that, trying to make adjustments on the fly, I may have lost both of them.

Despite the long hours yesterday, my CUE was perfect, for fishing basically longshot waters,

Only fished for 4 hrs. probably over the 10 hrs. out, but made the most of it, landing a near best brookie, and getting that football of a rainbow.

[Greencoachdog]

Dang Tom!!! I screwed up and sent ya the Trout rod instead of the Walleye like you wanted, just bring it with ya to Lakair and I'll swap it out for a nice Walleye for ya. I'm glad ya finally had a chance to break it in, a good quality can be the edge you need sometimes between landing and not landing a nice fish... and may have been why you landed fish and you bud didn't. The Good Karma that goes with that rod didn't hurt either

 

Excellent report and pics!!!... but that snow skeered me!!! I've been workin' on the fence all weekend without a shirt on and gettin' a nice tan, and there you are with wool gloves and snow. I sure am glad I live where I do!

 

That Rainbow is a dang football!!!

[tjsa]

Dang Tom!!! I screwed up and sent ya the Trout rod instead of the Walleye like you wanted,

 

Darn good screwup as far as I am concerned,

 

No worries, this rod is good for multiple species, just glad I broke it it in on a couple of decent fish.

I think it was about 10 casts before hooking into the speck, know it was the 4th cast on the other lake for the rainbow.

Lots of guys I know would kill for landing a speck like I did yesterday, nevermind the rainbow. This rod is a trooper for sure, I bashed it through the bush hard, all day, and it performed when needed.

 

SHIMANO ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!

[bucktail]

Beautiful trout, especially the speck!!!

[b2kptbo]

Couple healthy lookin fish, sure was a full day...

[Smokey]

Great report Tom. Looks like lovely fishing weather. Thanks

[Puckhead]

Great read - thanks!

[FinS]

great report and nice fish we got hit hard here up in kirkland lake

getting ready to go try a few casts

wtg and congrats

[OhioFisherman]

Great pictures and report, LOL maybe you will see spring by August?

[Roy]

Great report Tom. I agree with Dawg on the good karma thing.

[BLACKFISH88]

Awesome report that other fish had beauty colours!!

[MuskyBill]

Outstanding report, Tom. I really felt (& wished) I was there. Both fantastic fish, with some adventure mixed in for good measure...

[solopaddler]

Man, those are some nice looking trout, that spec is like a little football!

Sounds like a great trip and one I can relate to!