Eyes on the Wall
The transition from winter to spring makes me think of Trout. The transition of spring to summer makes me think of Walleye. I have always had mixed feelings about walleye; they aren't the greatest fighters, it doesn't require the most interesting techniques to fish for them, but Dad and Nate are obsessed with targeting them and they are (by far) the most delicious freshwater fish fillets out there. Here are the other points of my own (and really only) fishing dilemmas and biases.
I'm hoping that I can get out a few times with Dad on his new pontoon on Pymy. I don't know what he named his craft, but I call it the Wally Wagon because I know there is only one goal and three rules when you hop on board- Rule 1.) land walleye Rule 2.) Think Walleye 3.) WWWWAAALLLLEEEYYYEEE. Fishing from Dad's new boat also means dealing with new tech and new gear. Dad became obsessed with Gogal Publishing's Topographical Map app. As great as it works, I don't think Dad realizes that it isn't live action, showing the other boats as we gurgle like a tank towards the groups of Perch jiggers. "For more effective deep trolling" Dad purchased thick bait-casting rods and reels equipped with thick lead-core weighted line. I never thought walleye were much of a fight on a lake as it was, but this is reminiscent of fishing for bluegill with a surf and pier saltwater setup. But it does make for a wonderful day, and Connie enjoys being out on the boat. This also means that there is enough room for us to sit, talk, and even play euchre while we wait.
Nathan, on the other hand, wants to fish the Dam. It is there that you fish side by side with an eclectic mass. Shoulder to shoulder with Bubba Beercanovich chucking chicken livers for channel cat, William Driflenly the Third Duke of Clark Township trying to shadow cast for held-over brown trout, Bill "Muskyrat" tossing pool toys and live mallards trying to land a state-record muskellunge, and a myriad of city kids who like to see how high and far you can throw carp and still have them survive (at least I'm looking for the survival rate which drastically goes down when they decorate the concrete of the dam with golden flakes of scales). For a bassfisherman, for an ethical outdoorsman, this becomes a hostile environment for me. But the benefits come with the disappointments, for the prepared this means that you can catch and land walleye, bass, cat, carp, muskie, and trout on a good day, making for a great day.
