Port Burwell, Lake Erie, July 12th

[rainbow]

Junior and I wanted to see the new ramps that Greg (and Sam) put in. This was our first trip to Burwell and the first outing with the boat this year.

The day started out slowly but picked up REAL FAST when Troopers downrigger dips almost to the water before releasing. He immediately started to yelp about a lot of weigh so I told him it was just a sheephead so don't get too excited. Five minutes later, he is still fighting this thing so I am pretty sure it is not a farm animal. After razzing him for about the third time, I got a look at the fish and almost wet my pants. It was a huge walleye. I tried to net it but got the net all tangled up. He is flipping out and yells at me just to grab it with my hands. One look over the side at that mouth full of snaggley teeth and THAT was NOT going to happen! Finally, the walleye rolled over and I got a clear shot at grabbing by lower gill opening but not until that damn gill plate sliced me. Into the boat it came and the kid practically sat on it to make sure it did not get away. HaHaHa!!!

We are home now so we weighed it on the postal scale. The old scale on the boat said 12 pounds but that scale is as old as I am. Put it on the postal scale here... just a hair under 10 pounds. Still....by far the biggest one he has ever caught. He did not stop grinning all the way home.

Taking my son out fishing in his great uncles boat (now mine) was worth the 3 hour round trip. I'm going to remember that grin for the rest of my life.

[metalbuckle]

Wow Randy... My heart was pounding just reading that!

Fantastic catch, that's a trophy walleye in anyone's book...

Glad you made it out and had a successful outing.

[oogie8]

10 lbs is a big number in the walleye world, i guess theres no looking back for your son now, great story

[Longshank]

that was a good read

memories of a great outing