The Walleye
The Walleye- Sander vitreus
If ever there was a fish I just like to catch, walleye would be it. I liken them to cats, fun to play with but you always come away with your hands torn to ribbons. Most of the lakes I fish don't allow retention of walleye due to over fishing and habitat loss from industrial development, but catch and release fisheries still exist, for now. Occasionally I make the trip to an open lake to get a few to remind my self of the taste but lake whitefish have filled and culinary void and I'm content to just play with the walleye so others can share the fun.
Badger Reservoir Walleye
My fist experience with the Walleye was in Northern Manitoba where I honed my skills on Paint lake, Setting lake, the Burntwood river and the north end of lake Winnipeg. I suffered a bout of fishing culture shock when I moved there. Being raised on the lakes, streams and coast of British Columbia I knew trout and sea life. I had only read about walleye and Northern Pike or seen American T.V. shows like Michigan outdoors and Babe Winkelman where they caught these fierce looking fish. Gone were the days of light trout tackle, instead beefy rods and reels with large jig heads tipped with a minnow on a deadstick or jigged. To me it was exactly like jigging for Rock cod on the coast with minnows instead of herring only in fresh water. The same twitching motion associated with a cat string is often the best jigging motion for not so hungry Walleye. I was hooked.
Waiting
My first impression of walleye was kinda frightening. The thought of this toothy beast being in the same lake I swim in was unsettling to say the least. I had handled rock fish in the Pacific so I was no stranger to sharp fish spines but the teeth/spine combo was a new one for me. They have a unique smell that once you get a whiff of will always recognize, not overpowering just unique. They fight hard and over the years I've seen some amazing color variations from deep green to bright gold. But the teeth, oh my!
Where nightmares come from
Walleye like to feed in transitioning light so early morning and late evening are best but they also feed through out the day and night. Night fishing for walleye is popular across North America and I've spent many nights soundly sleeping in a shack or my ice tent only to be awoke by the loud and aggressive ringing of a bell as a walleye screams off in the night with the line. I always end up sleeping for 2 days after an over nighter.
If you live in an area where you are lucky to have access to fresh walleye then you are quite indeed fortunate. Walleye are one of the tastiest fresh water fish out there. Maybe not as versatile as Lake Whitefish, Walleye offer up something a little more special. Firm sweet flesh it lends itself to a variety of baked and fried dishes but hands down the best way to eat it is a shore lunch of basic flour& spices fried in butter. The simpler the better.
24" Badger Walleye
Over the years I've become quit proficient at catching these toothy devils. This past year has been one memory after another with personal bests broken on Travers, McGregor, Badger and Crawling Valley lakes. My most recent catch on Badger is one highlight that I'll be talking about for a while and with any luck these lakes are starting to rebound and produce some better fish for the next generation.
Sunset on Badger Reservoir
If ever there was a fish I just like to catch, walleye would be it. I liken them to cats, fun to play with but you always come away with your hands torn to ribbons. Most of the lakes I fish don't allow retention of walleye due to over fishing and habitat loss from industrial development, but catch and release fisheries still exist, for now. Occasionally I make the trip to an open lake to get a few to remind my self of the taste but lake whitefish have filled and culinary void and I'm content to just play with the walleye so others can share the fun.
My fist experience with the Walleye was in Northern Manitoba where I honed my skills on Paint lake, Setting lake, the Burntwood river and the north end of lake Winnipeg. I suffered a bout of fishing culture shock when I moved there. Being raised on the lakes, streams and coast of British Columbia I knew trout and sea life. I had only read about walleye and Northern Pike or seen American T.V. shows like Michigan outdoors and Babe Winkelman where they caught these fierce looking fish. Gone were the days of light trout tackle, instead beefy rods and reels with large jig heads tipped with a minnow on a deadstick or jigged. To me it was exactly like jigging for Rock cod on the coast with minnows instead of herring only in fresh water. The same twitching motion associated with a cat string is often the best jigging motion for not so hungry Walleye. I was hooked.
My first impression of walleye was kinda frightening. The thought of this toothy beast being in the same lake I swim in was unsettling to say the least. I had handled rock fish in the Pacific so I was no stranger to sharp fish spines but the teeth/spine combo was a new one for me. They have a unique smell that once you get a whiff of will always recognize, not overpowering just unique. They fight hard and over the years I've seen some amazing color variations from deep green to bright gold. But the teeth, oh my!
Walleye like to feed in transitioning light so early morning and late evening are best but they also feed through out the day and night. Night fishing for walleye is popular across North America and I've spent many nights soundly sleeping in a shack or my ice tent only to be awoke by the loud and aggressive ringing of a bell as a walleye screams off in the night with the line. I always end up sleeping for 2 days after an over nighter.
If you live in an area where you are lucky to have access to fresh walleye then you are quite indeed fortunate. Walleye are one of the tastiest fresh water fish out there. Maybe not as versatile as Lake Whitefish, Walleye offer up something a little more special. Firm sweet flesh it lends itself to a variety of baked and fried dishes but hands down the best way to eat it is a shore lunch of basic flour& spices fried in butter. The simpler the better.
Over the years I've become quit proficient at catching these toothy devils. This past year has been one memory after another with personal bests broken on Travers, McGregor, Badger and Crawling Valley lakes. My most recent catch on Badger is one highlight that I'll be talking about for a while and with any luck these lakes are starting to rebound and produce some better fish for the next generation.
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