Took off just before 6 and set up on the line in 50` just before the last hill, with 3 rods in a 4 lb. King took an aqua flie behind a yellow "Spin Doctor" down 30`. The water clarity wasn`t the best, supposedly there is run off from all the flooded rivers and streams, up around Milwaukee entering the Lake. I brought it out to 100` and turned Southwest marking plenty of bait fish along the bottom 20` and noticing constantly changing currents. I reached 80` about 1 1/2 miles South and angled it back out Southeast. This is where I spent the morning turning it back to the Northwest as I neared 115`.
We took a few fish on the same dodger flie, and also on full cores of lead with magnum purple and green dolphin spoons. There were plenty of marks 60`-90` down and we took a few hits with a Smurf and Black Fin Tuna. On one of our passes out the lead took off hard, I was checking the drag when the fresh 30` Power Pro backing snapped sounding like a gun shot. The drag was fine, but the debris on the water from the cottonwood trees built up and couldn`t get thru the guide on my level wind. Fortunately the waves were less than a foot and we were able to track the "Walleye Board" (which remained on the line) as it scooted across the water. I turned around and as we closed to about 75` from it, the board dove under reminiscent of the barrels being pulled down in the movie "Jaws". I heard over my shoulder "She`ll never take down the board" (Yep Jaws) I couldn`t figure this out as I had a full core 300`, plus the leader and the backing had to have it close to 400` and we were in 105`. There was another boat in the direction the fish was heading that not long after netted a decent sized fish. I figured he snagged the lead and I was hoping to see if I could get my board back but we never got close enough to ask.
We continued in the same area through out the trip and the deeper `riggers now with a "Hot Lobster" and "Kevorkian" doing most of the work. It was getting near the time to pull rods and as I had 2 in the lead did a couple of light clicks (again like in Jaws) and I grabbed it to feel a strong pull with no head shake, similar to a big Laker. We couldn`t gain anything so I brought in all the other lines as fast as I could as well as slowing the boat down. I didn`t want the same guy to loose another fish. After all the lines were in (except for another that was tangled with the lead) I had the boat just about dead in the water and we finally reached the leader, then sadly I saw the spoon in the air, stating the fish must have been able to pull itself off by getting leverage on the other line. As the other tangled line neared, my lost "Walleye Board" popped to the surface (Jaws one more time) we snagged the one that broke off earlier, and I said "What are the odds"? Then as we brought in the line had over hand I saw my spoon and thought wow I didn`t loose any gear (other than the tangled lead). At that point I heard "Hey, there is still something on the other end of this line" (the other line in the tangled mess). Back to the hand over hand and to our amazement the King that hit and snapped off the lead was still hooked. The spoon I thought was on the original core that broke was similar, and in the mess I didn`t realize it was on the third line involved.



After having time to think of what happened, the lead I had out snagged the one that broke off earlier in the trip mid way between the board and the fish. We unhooked the snagged lead, putting the rod that caught it aside, then the board popped up followed by the spoon. This spoon was on the end of the second rod involved in the tangle, that I thought was on the original one that broke off earlier in the morning. I`m confusing my self trying to explain this, but basically we snagged the line that broke off a couple of hours earlier and caught the fish. But we didn`t know we had the fish until the last minute. I thought things were looking good when I got my board back, and then what I thought was the spoon. Then to get the fish back as well was... let`s just say I as well as the other guys on the boat are gonna` buy a lottery ticket tonight.



"Wet Nets"
Captain Jim