Personal best
Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 3:46 pm
My spouse Debbie and I were out on the Rideau last Sunday primarily looking for pike along the weed edges and creekmouths. We were using a run and gun style, throwing spinnerbaits in all the places that looked right.
In this one place, there were these very aggressive perch chasing and nibbling at the spinnerbait skirts so we thought, lets change the pace, anchor here for a while, switch to light spinning tackle with slip bobbers and worms, and catch some perch.
There were hundreds of panfish of all types and sizes.The catching was non-stop. They were like teenagers at the midway, all lined up waiting their turn on the death-defying ride. Debbie hooked this particularily small sunfish which produced this inappropriately huge swirl in the water. Something large and toothy had come up from the depths and tried to steal this poor bluegill off her hook. This is quite common on the Rideau. The commotion caused by all those thrill-seeking panfish will attract a large predator into the area which will then take advantage of the situation to get an easy meal.
Debbie promptly picked up her baitcaster with the spinnerbait and started fan-casting around the boat. On her fourth cast this rather large walleye slammed the bait. This had to have been the best fight between woman and walleye I have ever witnessed. I half expected to see a crowd of people on the shore with all the screaming and yelling that went on. Fortunately, we managed to land the great beast successfully. Congratulations to you, Debbie, on catching the biggest darn fish of your life.
In this one place, there were these very aggressive perch chasing and nibbling at the spinnerbait skirts so we thought, lets change the pace, anchor here for a while, switch to light spinning tackle with slip bobbers and worms, and catch some perch.
There were hundreds of panfish of all types and sizes.The catching was non-stop. They were like teenagers at the midway, all lined up waiting their turn on the death-defying ride. Debbie hooked this particularily small sunfish which produced this inappropriately huge swirl in the water. Something large and toothy had come up from the depths and tried to steal this poor bluegill off her hook. This is quite common on the Rideau. The commotion caused by all those thrill-seeking panfish will attract a large predator into the area which will then take advantage of the situation to get an easy meal.
Debbie promptly picked up her baitcaster with the spinnerbait and started fan-casting around the boat. On her fourth cast this rather large walleye slammed the bait. This had to have been the best fight between woman and walleye I have ever witnessed. I half expected to see a crowd of people on the shore with all the screaming and yelling that went on. Fortunately, we managed to land the great beast successfully. Congratulations to you, Debbie, on catching the biggest darn fish of your life.
...and I can't wait to!!