She's Catchin' Lunkers!

My darling wife had an extraordinary fishing outing two days ago. We took the boat out just before lunch to a different area of the lake than we normally fish. After locating some suitable underwater terrain, using our trusty fish finder, we started hurling minnows out for whatever might bite. Kathie started with a couple of nice crappie. Then, she hooked something big and, after fighting it for about 10 minutes, landed a seven pound Northern (about 28-1/2" in length). We didn't keep that fish, and we didn't have our camera along! Within about 15 minutes she hooked and landed a very, very nice Walleye (about 18-1/2" and 2-1/2 pounds). We kept that one! Then again within the next 15 minutes or so, she hooked another large Northern (about 25" and 4 pounds). We kept this one also. Here are those two fish at a later point in time when we got home.

This picture will give you a better idea of the size of these fish. Too bad we didn't keep the seven pound Northern so as to impress you further. I was impressed with how well Kathie played the fish, especially the two Northern. Considering that we were using our standard monofilament leaders and jigs with minnows, instead of steel leaders, it was amazing that she was able to keep the two Northern from cutting the line with their teeth. In both cases, fortunately, they were hooked in such a way that the body of the jig and the leader stayed outside the mouth. Still, it would not have taken much for them to nip the leader and escape.

Meanwhile, I was catching a few crappie, though nothing to write home about. A few days earlier, I had caught my largest Walleye of the season, which you can see below. It was only half the size of the one Kathie caught as described above.

I had been cleaning fish at our basement utility sink, but that has not been very satisfactory--a little too messy, I thought, for that area, and the lighting and work space were not great. So, I found online a very reasonable and portable fish cleaning table and ordered one. Our local UPS delivery person brought it the same day that Kathie caught the lunkers, so I had a chance to try it out for the first time. It has a place to attach a plastic bag for disposal of remains, places to put knives and other containers, and two nice cutting surfaces. I like being able to use it outside, where I can keep the hose nearby and keep any mess away from the house. In warmer months, I may need to surround it with a simple screened-in tent/gazebo, because insects are not always cooperative, but this time of year, it is not an issue.

In consideration of the faint of heart, I won't share pictures of the entire process, but here you can get some idea of how nicely the table works.