My First Walleye

I have been fishing since I can remember and I have certainly caught a wonderful variety of fish in my day. But I had never caught a walleye…. until tonight!!

My dad (Steve Root here on IDO) and I were able to get out fishing tonight, pitching jigs on Pool 2. We’ve been trying to get me on some walleyes for some time now, and I’ve caught a fun variety of fish on Pool 2, but little did we know tonight would be the night! It started off slow for me, as Dad was catching all of the fish. It’s a different technique than I’m used to and I’m much more familiar with fishing lakes vs. rivers. Dad caught an absolute beauty of a walleye as well as several others and I just kept getting more and more excited. I was learning about the importance of casting up into the current seam and letting the river do it’s thing and trying to get a feel for where my jig is (and not getting stuck ). I was lost in thought when I realized I wasn’t snagged on a giant log – I had a fish on! There may have been some hooting and hollering and it was an absolute blast landing my first walleye! I was using a purple moxie when I caught him – I’ve always liked purple. What a night to remember!

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GREAT!!! Congratulations

Nice going Sharon…Way to catch your first Walleye.

You also caught a beauty of a Walleye Sharon!

Congrats!

How you made it to 28 ( ) without catching a walleye is beyond me, but congratulations! That’s a good looking fish. How big was it? And how about your dad’s fish?

I love this post! Thank you for sharing. You certainly have worked for your first Walleye, as I have noticed how often you get out and fish based on your posts here in the forums. Great work, and glad to see you were able to get out with your dad. Priceless!

Ralph we didn’t measure any fish last night. A quick picture and then back in the water. There are a lot of 22-24 inch fish in the Pool right now, and Sharon’s fish was in that class. Just a gorgeous fish.

SR

Nice work both of you!

With Steve as your Dad, I’m a bit surprise that it’s your first. But HEY! At least you can and will always remember it!

Now you need a frame that holds two photos for your wall.

Congrats, Sharon! Nice fish. Careful, that night time river fishing can be addicting.

-J.

Way to go Sharon! That’s a nice first.

Good work team Root!!! I like your pick in color Sharon. Winner for sure!

Very nice.

awesome job, don’t forget to tip the guide!

Way to go Sharon!

Congrats!! Beautiful fish to boot!

Good for you! It’s fun getting a feel for how to work a jig/feel out the current in a river, isn’t it?

Great Going Sharon on your Walleye,
As long as you’ve been on Here, I’ve never
made the connection that your two were
a Root Connection. Wow.

Maybe HE is mainly a fly rod Bass guy, but
know he has been pitching Pool 2 for a while;
KNOW you both be at it again soon. Should be
picking up nicely as the water keeps cooling.
Congrats again Sharon,
Jack

Great job Sharon!! only problem is,the flame has been lit and there aint no putting it out!!!
trust me,I know,thirty five years of fishing northern Mn lakes,did okay was but never satisfied with how I did.
then I went and done it,I hired that Fellegy fellow,wished I had done that a long time ago!!!
kudos to dad for getting you on them!!!

Welcome to the club!

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Thanks, everyone, for all of the fun responses and cheers! I feel honored to have my article featured on the front page of this fabulous site. Of course I couldn’t have done it without the help of my amazing Dad. I enjoy learning from him and love spending time together fishing. And as they say, you never forget your first walleye!

Steve Root wrote:

Ralph we didn’t measure any fish last night. A quick picture and then back in the water. There are a lot of 22-24 inch fish in the Pool right now, and Sharon’s fish was in that class. Just a gorgeous fish.

SR

Back in the day (whatever day that was? :???:), fish such as that were destined for the frying pan, pretty much all of them. How things have changed? Sharon, too bad you didn’t enjoy it’s flaky, moist, delicious fresh caught goodness to savor the eating to celebrate the catching. I remember well how wonderful my first walleye was…on the plate! Long time ago…since you didn’t eat it, I have sent you this!

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Congratulations on your first walleye.

Way to go Sharon! Sometimes it takes awhile to get the feel of jig fishing. Pitching is tougher than vertical jigging but when you get the hang of it it’s a blast! Now catch some more.