Marble Eyes

The light was fading and the skies turning into night. Bruce and I were still working around an island shoreline intent on hooking into some of the toothy marble-eyed critters that prowl the waters of Sprague Lake. We’ve probably made over 500 cast in just a few short hours with our baitcasting gear and Rapalas in hopes of a bite. Time was running out and we thought the magic hour has come and gone. We’re on our last stretch of shoreline and then it happened. We get into four fish, 2 each, in a span of less than 10 minutes.

I’ve never seen or caught Walleyes before. I wasn’t sure what to expect. All I could remember from the TV fishing shows is that they have very sharp gill plates and that the dorsal fins are prickly. As far as how they bite and feeding patterns, I had no clue. I finally got some answers when I caught my first ever Walleye.

The bite was definitely distinct. Usually with a bass, it’s a decisive thump when they hit a plug. This time, as I steadily retrieved my Rapala, I felt something like a snag. Until I realized that my line was now moving in a different direction. I cranked quickly and finally felt the fish on the other end of my line.

The fish didn’t fight hard until I got it close to the boat and then all hell breaks loose. Whoa! Mental note: don’t let the fish’s head above the water. Bruce finally scoops the fish with a net and then hands it to me as he goes back to fishing. I quickly grabbed the fish and unhooked the plug. I examined the fish for a few seconds before I realized that the bite was on and that I should get back to fishing.

It really had marble looking eyes. And those teeth! Cool. It’s a very “aggro” looking fish. A few minutes later and I feel that snaggy line stopping feeling. With a sweeping hook set, I’m into my second Walleye. I’m thinking to myself, “This is cool.” I look over at my partner and he’s also into his second fish. All four of the fish we caught were sub-legal and were released immediately. Now I was wondering how the bigger Walleyes would behave if hooked. Unfortunately for this trip, the big ones eluded me.

I did however, get into five fish with three of them being legal all at one spot and only using one plug. I was using a deep diving crankbait and throwing parallel to a bluff bank. I felt the plug ticking along the bottom as I worked the stretch of water. I finally dialed in on the mushy bite and was able to hook-up five times. Now, if I can just get into the bigger Walleyes...