A day on the water

OUTDOOR

BY DAVE BECK As the days start to stretch out and the winter lessens its grip with milder temperatures, it’s easy for my mind to wander to the river. By the river, I specifically mean the Red Wing dam and the border water that separates Minnesota and Wisconsin. Fishing down there is always a welcome distraction from winter and anything that gets me closer to spring and that also involves walleyes, well, it can’t be bad at all.

The last time I was down there it was a mild winter day and per usual, the milder it is, the more boats are out on the water. As much as I enjoy fishing down there, I struggle a little when it starts to get too crowded. To rectify that situation, I tend to scoot downriver where the competition for water is minimal.

I fished a couple of spots without anything noteworthy happening so I headed to the top of the drift by Bay Point Park in Red Wing. If you chase walleyes at all on the river, you know exactly where that is. I was chucking a quarter ounce jig with a blue twister tail when I felt the light tap on my line. It wasn’t a big hit but you can’t judge the size of a fish by how hard it hits the bait. I quickly set the hook and a milli-second later, the fight was on.

After setting the hook, I assessed that I had caught a threepound walleye. I was so sure that I would have put money on it. I was actually pretty close in that I had a three-pound dog fish dangling from the end of my line. Now if it would have been a three-pound bass or something like it, I would have probably saved it for supper. A three-pound dog fish has zero chance of catching a ride home with me. I gave it back to the river after experiencing a small bit of pleasure when I thought it might be a walleye.

Soon enough it was time for a new spot so I eased down river and settled in just below the high bridge. At certain times of the year that’s a great spot but not on this day. The key to making the best out of a poor day of fishing is to keep moving around until you find fish. Some days it takes longer than others and some days you end up with Mrs. Paul’s Fish Sticks.

The afternoon wore on and before I got mixed up in the twilight boat ramp bottleneck I headed towards the landing. Just before dark is when everyone on the river decides to leave at the same time. I actually got off the water without incident. So why did I tell you about this day and why it was so special to catch a three-pound dog fish? Because any day on the water, catching anything, is better than a day of sitting at home when you can’t go fishing.

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