Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Grande Nighttime Walleye


I was planning to night fish for trout with a friend tonight, but when that plan got cancelled I chose the next best thing. I walked to the pond in the shadow of a collapsing storm. Until the sunset I cast dragonfly nymphs and a Heifer Groomer. Then I switched to slim bright streamers. The first two were big articulated ones, and though I felt some bumps and takes no hookups resulted. I decided to change to a smaller fly. The third cast with a white Woolly Bugger lead to a violent take. I set the hook and was immediately certain that this was a big fish. What species it was I could not tell, but it was fighting hard, taking line regularly then thrashing at the surface. My mind was going through the possibilities: catfish? Bass? Pickerel? I didn't think it could possibly be a walleye until I saw it, they aren't supposed to fight that hard. But this one did, and part of the reason was...

...it was massive! Long, thick around the midsection and with a big head full of teeth! I love walleye. They just have that nocturnal predatory monster look.


I'm not sure I'll be able to outdo this one for a while, after all this is only my third one on the fly, and the biggest I have seen in person.

8 comments:

  1. Rowan, that is a big fellow.
    Very nice.

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  2. That could very well be a record! GREAT photo of you and a night monster. WOW! White wooleys are great.
    Tie, fish, write and photo on...

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    Replies
    1. I hope not, I've seen some pictures of huge fat fly rod walleyes!

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  3. Nice walleye! To think that only a short time ago you were still trying to get on the board and now you're already catching mammoths! Funny how things work out. They do have a cool almost dinosaur-like look to them.

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