Every year there’s a day that reminds you why you do all of it.
This was that day.
We hadn’t been out yet, not for fishing anyway. The lake time leading up to this had been
wedding prep, hard labor, and not nearly enough casting. But Saturday morning came around,
the sun was up early, and somebody said might as well go fishing.
So we went.
The Water Was Unreal
I’ll be honest. Even if we hadn’t caught a single fish, it would’ve been a good day.
The lake was dead calm. Glass flat. The kind of water you don’t find very often, and when you do, you just slow down and take it in.
We were cruising to spot one and I remember thinking: I don’t even need to catch anything
today.
That thought lasted about ten minutes before I started worrying about which bait to use.
The Spots and the Search
We had a few places in mind. Old spots, half-remembered from last season.
You know how it goes. “I thought it was over there.” “No, it was around that point.”
We were after walleye. We’d take bass. We did not want pike.
Spot one gave us a baby pike.
It’s a fish. You’re not skunked. You move on.
Spot two gave us nothing worth writing home about.
Spot three is where things got going. Started picking up smallmouth bass, one after another.
Seven of them by the time we moved on.
Nothing huge, but consistent. The trick that day was slowing it down. Let the bait slack halfway through.
These fish weren’t chasing, they were following. Stop reeling for a second, give them a reason to commit, and they would.
The Walleye (Finally)
We kept moving. Changed spots, changed baits, changed jigs.
Classic fishing logic: if you’re not catching, tie on something different. Doesn’t always work, but it makes you feel productive.
Eventually switched over to jigging with a minnow and the Crush City The Mayor. Sat back in the fishing boat, cracked a Diet Coke, and let it happen.
First walleye of the year came in at 18 inches. On this lake anything over 16 and three quarters has to go back, so back she went.
First day back. Plenty of season left.
If you’re just heading out for a short walk or light day trip, this might feel like too much pack.
It’s built for more than that.
The Best Part
Around mid-afternoon the ladies texted from the cabin. Pontoon ride time.
So like good husbands, we packed up the fishing boat and went back to get them.
Got out on that flat water and spent the rest of the afternoon just cruising around on the best lake conditions we’d seen in years.
Nobody casting. Nobody switching baits.
Just good people on good water.
That’s the thing about days like this. You go out thinking it’s a fishing trip. And it is. But it’s also just a really good day.
Might as well go. You know?
Gear From This Trip
- Jointed swimbait (dive tongue)
- Crush City The Mayor (swimbait)
- Blue jig
- Minnows (bought locally)
- Pliers
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