Another Day, Another Big Fish

I caught smallmouth today. They weren't very big. The best of them was maybe 16 or 17 inches. But, it was a strange outing with the weather alternating between a hot summer and a chill, drizzly day. On top of that I caught a fish that one never equates with fly fishing--walleye, a good sized one too. They are they best eating fish. I usually don't keep fish but if I had a way of transporting this thing today I would have bonked it, fried it, dashed it with hot sauce, and let my digestive system go through the precesses rendering it into a turd. But, I let it go. It is still sitting at the bottom of the Beaver Pond.



I finally caught a pike that was big enough to take a picture of. Too bad you can't see the set of nasty teeth on him. I put the fly, a Clouser Minnow, down next to some water lilies and he shot out and inhaled the fly, then he ran all over the pond before I got my hands on him. He tore up my left hand while I was trying to unhook him. I have a nice collection of gashes on my thumb and fore finger.


Then I caught that damn walleye. It's our state fish. It's the state fish because we like to eat it, fried--which is why Minnesotans are a bit broad in the beam.

I love the big, fly-caught smallmouth.