Twas a gorgeous day on the Pymatuning today and plenty of people enjoying it, including me. Launched at Snodgrass about noon, setting sail for twenty foot of water where I stopped the motor and tossed a 1/2 oz walking jig, wearing a 3 inch black twister tail, overboard. I let the jig drag on the bottom, as I laid the rod against the gunnel with a very loose setting on the reel drag, and began preparing my trolling rods.
I kept a close eye on the rod tip as it bent and relaxed, letting me know the jig was bouncing along as the wind from the NW pushed us while I tightened the first reel loaded with leadcore, into the rod seat. Wasn't long before the Helix began chirping and showing little fishy pictures 19' down in 20 FOW and and by now, I had tied my lure of choice to the leader of the leadcore.
I barely set the trolling rod into it's holder when the tip of my jigging rod bent over and the drag began paying out line. Quickly lifting the rod from the gunnel I knew I had a fish and it was a heavy fish too. Shaking it's head and trying to stay down in the deep water I slowly reeled in line, not allowing any slack, hoping to prevent the fish from "spitting" my lure. Several times I lost ground as the fish shook it's head and headed back down from where it came but each time, I was able to regain control and head the fish back toward the surface.
I began having flashbacks of walleye caught in the past, one in particular, when my buddy Outasync and I was fishing and I was using the same rig and style of fishing. Then, Dave was there to help net a beautiful 25 inch eye that I hooked and this fish, was acting the very same way but this time, no Dave.
It wasn't until it dove again when I got a quick glimpse of a white belly and my heart started to pound, man this was a fish I'd be taking pictures of and posting on the boards, if I can just get it in the boat. Then suddenly the fish gave up, no more fight, still deep I began reeling the heavy fish up, dropping the rod tip to the surface of the water in anticipation of lifting the rod bringing the fish to my net which, I am now trying to grab.
Dipping the net into the water, I raised the rod tip attempting to lead the fish but, it never made it to the net.
No sir, not in my net, nope not gonna happen, stupid catfish.
All in all, it was a great day as I eventually boated Bass, Crappie, Perch, and yes two Walleye that unfortunately, were just 13 and 15 inches.
With the exception of a face full of hooks, no fish were harmed in the making of this long winded adventure.
Good times and tight lines.