Powerful walleye., Almost full moon fishing.

Not full yet but the fish were hungry.

Fished from 6pm until 4am. Neighbour caught a muskie earlier so did not think the fishing would be very good. After dark an owl decided to hit me on the top of my head. Been fishing almost my whole life, 56 out of 61 years. Have had two chickadees land on my toque while fishing in the woods. This was different, it was like my mom or dad smacking me if I was being bad as a teenager. The owl came swooping down, no warning, no sound, right on top of my head. In a split second my body recoiled and I stumbled backwards. The owl was gone as fast as it hit. Can't believe my toque and headlamp were still on my head. I felt it's talons on my skull and how it didn't snag and steal my lucky toque will be a mystery forever. As for the fishing it was good. A few small and medium size walleye and two big walleye. That's it, no crappie bluegill or rock bass etc.

When this fish hit, it felt huge when setting the hook. Thought for sure I would surpass my PB 31.5 inch walleye. It took the line out screaming four times, what a powerful fish. Had to adjust the drag twice, and still was waiting for it to finish it's fight. I kept wondering just how big this monster walleye was going to be. 29 inches? 30 inches? 31 inches? 32 inches? Turns out it was just under 23 inches but very heavy for that length. Just a very angry walleye that did not want to give up, get netted and end up on the BBQ.......I let it go, a fish that strong will make millions of baby walleye eggs over the coming years. This arched back predator was a beast for it's length, must be eating well with this extended summer.

No crappie last night. I wonder why????

Thats hilarious Jamie. I am glad he did not grab hold......those talons can do some bad damage. Great fishing and a great adventure story. Thanks for the hoot.....your descriptive writing made me howl.

Arnie

Hey Arnie. Thank you (hoot) that's funny. I just edited it a bit now. Hate when I write something and forget to add a detail or two. I could only feel it's right talon. It was so fast, was not sure how to react. Just stood there for a minute wondering if it would come back, and why it did it in the first place. I live on a country road and an owl would dive bomb me sometimes, when riding my Harley home at night. Owls like to play games with humans. Your next big fishing trip is only days away. Good luck to you and your friends.

Wow! That is something! I have had owls land on branches beside me while sitting in my tree stand. They fly silently and scare the "you know what" out of me! LOL

Those are also some very respectable walleye! Nice outing!

Thank you Brooktrout. The great outdoors has many surprises for all of us. Many times a Marten or Mink have tried or succeeded in stealing a fish right out of my bucket, fishing from shore. Even the odd Otter has tried to get in on the fun. 2023 was the last time a bear was sniffing around for a free crappie snack. There has been a few interesting/delicate nights over the years. Thanks again for the comment. Good luck next time you are in the trees or out on the water.