Dock Demon 101Littlest angler offers big lesson
By Darrell Pendergrass
Of all the walleyes caught in Canada during this past trip there is one that’s more memorable than all the other ones combined.
It wasn’t the biggest that we caught. Arguably, it didn’t put up the best fight. But it stands out.
In our crew there were 24 anglers who went to Lac Seul, about three hours north of International Falls, and only one of us was a girl. Paige is nine-years old and comes up here with her dad, Mike. Mike fishes a lot here in Wisconsin – a whole lot. And often he takes Paige along, so she’s fished before and is no rookie on the water.
Paige is a veteran of these Canadian trips. She’s been here many times; in fact she’s the only female that’s ever come along. Paige fishes as much as anyone when she’s here; it isn’t like anyone is babysitting her. Not really. Seriously, Paige is a good fisherman with many fish to her credit. Don’t let her youth fool you.
Here’s the scene. It’s a windy day; earlier in the morning the waters had been white capping to the point that it’s a little scary. Lac Seul is a big body of water and can turn into boiling cauldron when the winds kick up. But there are a lot of bays and inlets and islands, so there are some places you can sneak into to get out of the way. Off and on rains have marked this day. It’s gray and cloudy.
Honestly, the fishing had been somewhat slower than we’d expected. It’s still pretty darn good. My nephew Hayden Bonk had been the king in our boat on the first day, landing several 20-plus-inch walleyes; his biggest topping out over 25-inches. Ryan Schick of Mason had the biggest to date at 26-inches.
It’s Mike, Paige, Brian and me in the boat in the late afternoon. We’ve got part of the canopy up in case we need to duck out of the weather. We’re bobbing along near a high cliff that’s coughed up plenty of walleyes through the years. It’s a given that we’re going to catch fish.
Along side the Loomis rods we’ve got a $9 Zepco Dock Demon. It’s a two-foot long fishing combo that would seem to be designed for the angler concerned with economy. It’s a little wispy thing that doesn’t have much backbone. We brought it along for a joke.
Anyhow, the men in the boat are doing our thing, casting with big rigs and looking to hook up with a large fish. Paige picks up the Dock Demon.
After hooking a minnow on Paige slips the jig over the side of the bobbing boat, the line hangs limp directly and completely underneath the boat. Then she hangs the rod from a rope that’s tied off under the canopy; the Dock Demon is hanging loosely in the middle of the boat and the wave action is doing the jigging. Mike and I laugh out loud.
A couple of minutes pass. Suddenly Paige grabs the little rod and sets the hook. “Wow,” she says. Now, I’m not bad-mouthing the Dock Demon, but it isn’t made for big fish. As Paige cranks on the reel you can hear the gears grinding. It’s loud – like a car engine going bad. But, the fish is there. “Wow,” she says. Mike and I are laughing.
Paige keeps at it, pumping the fish up and reeling in line. Minutes pass. Mike looks over the side when the big bronzed walleye comes to the surface, his eyes are wide. “It’s a big fish.”
In the clutter that perpetually litters Mike’s boat Brian comes up with a net and lands the walleye. It is a big walleye. It’s huge and broad. Paige punctuated the moment with a little dance.
When the fight is over and the photos taken this big walleye comes in at 25-1/2 inches. It would arguably be a half-fish bigger in weight than a lot of walleyes caught closer to home.
And our own Dock Demon caught it, with the little pole.
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| "Wisconsin angler Paige, 9, shows daddy Mike and the rest of the Badger crew how it’s done in Canada with a very big walleye taken on the lightest of equipment.” | |
Darrell Pendergrass lives in Grand View