Jen Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 (edited) The summer seems to have been somewhat of a blurr... After arriving back from a week away with the kids I needed to get into some real fishing, the kind where you actually catch fish instead of just removing them from your childrens line all day. Which is when opportunity knocked... Sonny was fishing a walleye tournament on the weekend... I figured it was a sure bet if I invited myself along... not so! It seems he had already invited a friend and wouldn't have room. Which is when I got invited to join Fishmaster on the Remington J... The cost was reasonable to say the least... as it included food and two days fishing. Chances of winning the Derby on this boat were high. There were only six of us and we would fish from Sun up to Sun down on Saturday and till weigh in time on Sunday. With a pre fish on Friday night! How much better can fishing get then three days in a row out on the water, nights sleeping peacefully in a tent on the side of a dirt road and only yourself to worry about... now this is definately roughing it! NOT! Friday night we caught somewhere between 8-11 walleye, ranging in size from 4 to 9 lbs. It was looking like we would have an awesome weekend. From dock to dock we were only out on the water for 2 hours. Still rather late when the alarm is going off at 4:45 the next day... Morning came and with it atleast 25 cars driving past the tent, towing boats, on their way to launch ( I didn't need my alarm to wake me up). The air was damp, fog thick yet it was looking like it would be a gorgeous day. (not a wave in sight) A quick set up and we were on fish... by the end of the day, returning to dock just after 10pm we had 15 walleye in the boat, biggest being somewhere over 9lbs. We had heard that the winner at this point was somewhere around 11... so nothing to run into the scales. The Remington J is like being on a house boat! We stopped for a couple of hours in the afternoon to take a break from the heat. Fish fry, sandwiches, and a swim off the side of the boat made for a perfect breather...By the end of the day we were all exhausted... Sonny who was running close to us most of the day wasn't even able to spend the night. Hot sun, and the water beating against your boat and body all day takes a toll definately, specially in a smaller vessel. I was very happy to have ended up on a bigger boat. Morning came again rather early with Scotty Dog showing up before my alarm... thank you for the trip to Hortons! I definately needed a coffee... we were on the water by 6:30am... and boy was it wavey... Not having done a lot of rough water fishing I have to admit to being rather nervous to say the least, however Bowen, Fishmasters first mate assured me that all would be fine and he was right... no sea sickness... thank goodness for small miracles. Sunday the fishing was a little slower, with the waves pounding the boat we had a few tangle ups but still managed to bring in fish. This is where the day gets interesting... as final weigh in for the Derby was to be at one oclock, and as you all know , time on the water goes by rather quickly... and we hadn't been weighing fish. When fishing got slow we checked the cooler and lo and behold we have a walleye in there that is 10 lbs. Ooops, guess we should have checked, but who would have guessed... it wasn't as long as the 9lb'ers we caught the day before, but its girth was rather impressive. Called the weigh in station and found out it may take 2nd. This is when we looked at the clock. Dang, it was noon and the Remington J only goes 10 miles an hour on a good day. There wasn't a chance of making weigh in till Sonny came to the rescue. He pulled up all his lines and ran in beside us, with waves pounding both boats Brandon stepped off the Remington J with the cooler and they were off. Sonny's boat goes somewhere around 30 miles an hour so we figured we may still have a chance. Long story short, Brandon made it to the weigh in station all of 2 minutes late...but what an exciting end to an unforgettable weekend. (The fish that didn't win) In no way shape or form can I share with you all the moments, those filled with disappointment at lost fish and prize money, or the elation one feels when reeling one in and you seeing it break water... knowing that its a rainbow rather than a walleye and realizing you are fishing in one of the most diverse bodies of water when it comes to fish species... Every moment was an adventure... I also had an opportunity to fish with some amazing people. It was nice meeting Scott (scotty dog) and Kevin, as well as fishing yet again with Brandon, Bowen and Steve. There was no shortage of learning this past weekend. Thanks so much for including me. Cheers, Jen Edited July 31, 2007 by Jen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatherof3 Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 wow, great report and sounds like you had a blast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solopaddler Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 That was great Jen! So what would you guys have won if you were able to weigh the fish? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelley Cooper Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 Awesome report and pic's.. 2 minutes late.... grrrr What was the weight of the second place fish? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pikehunter Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 Fantastic report Jen. A lot of nice fish were landed. We were on the Grand and on Erie on Sunday. My wife pointed out a pickup with a tent in the bed as we went up the canal to give it a try around the lily pads. I guess it must have been yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowshep Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 Nice report Jen There were alot of smiles in thoughs 2 days. Sonny sorry man l know you did your best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b2kptbo Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 Great report, well done, thanks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whopper Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 (edited) Great report Jen! Some very nice fish landed, we haven't been able to break the eight pound mark this season in the western basin but we keep at it. Fishmaster's boat is awesome, and the depth finder on the transom is a great touch. Whopper Edited July 31, 2007 by Whopper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PERCHER Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 Great report Jen!Looks like a fantastic time.Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbayboy Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 Great stuff Jen. Sounds like a pretty exciting weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen Posted July 31, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 Lady Walleye : The fish we were running in would have fit either for second or third and those were cash prizes of 500 and 1000. Either way it truly was exciting... and yes Pikehunter... that was my tent you saw on the side of the road... I do so love how easily it sets up... All and all a great weekend ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dustink Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 What a great report!! Gotta love being able to spend time like that on the water.......thanks!! dk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lunkerbasshunter Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 wow that was alot of big walleye! Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishindevil Posted August 1, 2007 Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 WOW!!!!!! great report,and pics,they are very nice sized fish,man it makes me want to go walleye fishing right now, too bad about not making it in time to the weigh in station,man you should have been watching the time especially when you know it might be a money fish....oh well better luck next time jen....you guys still caught lots of huge walleyes for sure....great fishing/camping trip....cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccmtcanada Posted August 1, 2007 Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 Great report as always Jen!!! Sorry to hear about being 2 minutes late for the weigh in though. Some real nice walleye there and that 10 pounder is VERRYYYY nice indeed! Love those black and white shots too...there's something about those shots I really love. Sounded like an awesome weekend out there...congrats! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easton13th Posted August 1, 2007 Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 Looks like an amazing time! Remember opening weekend I would have thought leason learned LOL. BUT it looks like a great time and some amazing fish. Easton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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