A visit to the secret hole
Headlights lead me through the darkness as I wind through country roads. I see deer darting across the roadway yet I find myself watching the skyline as it begins to show signs of life. I have a plan of action for the day and for once I’m ahead of schedule. As darkness fades and the sky begins to brighten I pull into the boat launch, and leap out of the truck with my golden lab Duke right behind me. His passion for catching walleyes is just as great as my own. A few final preparations and the boat hits in the water waiting to be brought to life. I step onto the front deck of my 621FS Ranger and a shiver goes through me. This is my first time taking my dream boat on a solo trip. Duke runs to the back of the boat full of excitement. I push my code into the key pad, hit the start button, and the Mercury 300 Verado growls to life. I can’t help but smile to myself. As I pull away from the Dock the sun peaks over the trees with a bright orange glow. It’s a cool crisp morning so I put on my Striker Ice jacket and call Duke to my side. With my arm around my best fishing buddy, I scratch his head and whisper, “I sure do wish dad was here to see this.” The lake is calm, the gas tank is full, and I am on a mission. Life just got good.
I make quick work crossing the shallow, Lake Poygan. As I hit the river channel and make my way up through the sharp corners of the Wolf I can’t help admire nature at its finest. I slow down at I approach one of my favorite stretches to drift the river, but something makes me throttle back up and pass it by. I could have launched upriver and saved time and money, but as I said, I have a Plan. Due to the water level being so high, I have to go through a lot of “NO WAKE” zones the closer I get to the Fremont area. As I idle past Redbanks, I watch 2 boats simultaneously catch walleyes. The Wolf River has been on fire the past couple weeks with healthy little males in that 14-17 inch range. Duke gets excited and runs to the bow of the boat. “Not yet buddy”, I tell him as his legs shake with anxiety. Again I consider stopping but I stick to my guns and keep going.
I round the final turn, trim my Verado up, and drop the bow mount down so I can navigate through the shallow water. I can feel the bottom of the boat bumping submerged logs. This area was found from a story I once heard at a local restaurant about years ago. Rumor has it the man who once owned this property dug a ditch with a small pond at the end. The ditch caused current to flow and walleyes to follow it up. When the water dropped the walleyes would get stuck and he would go in and net them out. So I searched maps, and took boat rides to find it. Then one day out of pure frustration I vented to the right person and he told where to look.
I reach down and grab my 7FT HMG Fenwick rod rigged with a ¼oz jig and a white 4” paddle tail swim bait. A fallen tree has my path blocked so I can’t quite get where I need to be. I search for an alternate route but nothing looks wide enough to get my boat in. I can see ahead of me the clearing I need to be in. I reach back and fling my jig under the fallen tree toward the hole. My bait falls short of my target by about 5 ft. I crank fast to keep the jig above the snags but apparently not high enough. Just like that my first jig is gone. The Next jig I tie on is a little heavier and makes it to my mark. After a few cast I have my first bite but miss. The next cast again finds its mark. I twitch the rod to get the paddle moving and I feel the “THUMP”. The next few seconds are filled with panic as I set the hook and see a thick golden back with a white belly come up over the first log laying across my path. Halfway to the boat the fish dives down and turns. Like a fool I drop my tip and my excitement is over. That was my chance, and I blew it. For your sake I won’t repeat the words I called myself. Duke looked at me and I swear he called me a name as well. After a minute or two I regather my thoughts and again begin making casts. Finally I feel the magic thump again, set the hook and the challenge is on. It’s me against her, all that stands in my way is 3 stumps, 2 limbs that are just underwater, and the fallen tree that has my path blocked. Somehow I beat the obstacle course and have a beautiful walleye at the side of the boat. Duke is standing at me feet trying his hardest to get out of the boat. Next challenge, net the fish with a rod in one hand, and an overly excited golden lab in the other. I give Duke a push to the side and quickly swipe the net under her sagging belly. First solo fishing trip is officially a success. Nothing else matters the rest of the day, I just landed a 27 inch Walleye that probably goes 8 or 9 pounds. Duke slams into me and dives at the beauty laying in the net on the front of the boat. I grab him and pull him into my arms. “We did it buddy”. I unhook her and give her a kiss on the nose. Duke tries to bite at her as I lower her towards the water. With a few kicks of her tail she disappears into the fallen timber. Duke has a very perplexed look on his face, and I’m not sure yet but he may try to push me in. “Snack Time”, I say. I reach my hand into the minnow bucket and pull out a few fatheads and toss them into the air. Duke is in his glory as he catches them 1 by 1. Yes, he prefers minnows over milk bones. The next few cast cost me another jig. That’s 2 now I have lost on the same branch. Now I don’t want to sound cheap but I could see the jigs stuck in the fallen timber. I knew deep down I could get them if I really wanted to. I step off the boat and onto the fallen tree that blocks my path. I can literally walk up the side and climb down another to get to my jigs. Then it hits me. I reach down and grab my rod.
As I reach the tree I have to climb back down I can’t seem to find a way to hold myself and my rod at the same time. So I take a chance and drop it into the water. The rod falls perfectly over the branch that has my jigs. This is just going to perfect. I lower my way down and am now standing on a old stump inches above the water. I use the tip of my rod to retrieve my lost jigs. I am now perfectly positioned to cover the entire hole I came here for. Three cast later I set the hook and out comes a nice 18 inch walleye. I hear a splash and to my surprise Duke is scrambling to get to my side. I toss the fish back into the water and grab ahold of duke. I pull him up onto a pile of brush. I’m sure it’s not too comfortable but he will just have to settle. I make another cast and feel a thump, I set the hook and a feel nothing but dead weight. Oh my god I have on a monster. A second later I learn my monster walleye is nothing but another branch I have hooked. I flip my jig back into the deeper hole. For the next 5 or 10 minutes I pull a lot of brush out but no more walleyes. It is my best guess that I have now ruined what chance I had for another bigger fish. I evoke the “One more Cast” rule that we all live by, and about 5 cast later I feel another branch thump my jig. No, wait a minute the branch is fighting back this time. I reset the hook and start to laugh. No way is this happening right now. I see the fish as it comes over the first downfallen branch. My heart begins to race and I panic when I realize I now have on another giant and no net in sight. Apparently I am not the only one who seen the fish because out of the corner of my eye I see Duke leap back into the water. I do my best to keep the line away from duke as he heads towards where he last spotted the walleye. Duke now is circling the area searching until he sees the fat back surface about 10 feet from where I am standing. He heads my way like a rocket through the water. I have to act fast and lift my rod high into the air causing the beautiful big girl to surface just below where I am standing. With a quick decision I reach and pull the fish against the stump keeping me dry. Without thinking I drop my rod and slide my finger into her gill plate. She is another fat 25 incher full of life inside. I admire my catch and lower her into the water. Duke is circling me like a vulture. I release her tail and grab ahold of my sidekick. Back up the tree I go, step onto the fallen timber that has blocked my path, and make the walk down to my boat. Duke follows in the water keeping a close
eye on me. I call him to the back of the boat and help him inside where he shakes off and covers me in the cold water. I should be angry but I just laugh and give my partner in crime a pat on the head. Slowly I maneuver the boat out of the ditch I had taken back into the main river. Again I bring the Verado to life with the push of a button and we idle down the river. The day has started out great, my plan had some bumps, but it worked.
I make my way back down to Redbanks and drift a couple passes vertical jigging. I can’t stop thinking about what just happened. I stand and wonder if there are more. Like a little kid searching for his easter basket I quickly secure the bow mount and again take off down river searching. Every corner I come to I stand and look for an opening or what looks like a deeper ditch heading onto what will be a woods when the water drops again. I search for a few hours and decide the day has given me enough, and not to push my luck. I pin the throttle down and shoot down the river tucked behind the windshield. I look down and duke has his head held high enjoying the fresh air hitting him in the face. I laugh a little as I round the final corner before I again am on the Lake. A flock of mallards rise in front of me and disappear over the marsh. The rest of the day I have an extra pep in my step. I just caught 2 trophies in the same day in a spot that probably has only been fished by a handful of people in its time. Life is good.
