OUTDOOR Tales and Trails

BY DAVE BECK

During this time of year, I usually get a somewhat severe case of tunnel vision in that it is all about bow hunting. However, last Monday I was on the Mississippi River near Red Wing fishing for saugers and walleyes. The reason for trading my bow for a pole was an old friend Jay. The last time we saw each other was trout fishing and it was so many years ago that neither one of us could remember exactly when. Jay happened to be in Red Wing for a few days and he was more than happy to jump in my boat and spend a few hours casting for supper.

The details of one of the times I fished with Jay have faded a little because it was so long ago, or maybe the details are a little sketchy because I cracked myself in the back of my head with my own lure. Regardless, neither of us could remember how many fish we caught, but both of us remembered that it was a good thing that I was wearing a hat that day.

When we hit the water recently it was no surprise that there were so many boats on the river. I wondered out loud how many other anglers besides myself were feeling guilty about fishing and not being in a tree stand. When Indian Summer comes so late in the year, all forms of recreation see an uptick and that is especially true for Red Wing walleye anglers. What was surprising was the lack of fish. The first couple of hours on the water were pretty slow with only a few stripers being caught.

When some cloud cover and the afternoon arrived, that all changed. Jay and I moved back upriver and fished within sight of the dam and in between stories we alternated catching saugers. Saugers are the smaller cousin of the walleye but just as tasty. It’s always a treat reconnecting with old friends but to do it on the river on a glorious fall afternoon while catching fish makes it a Top 10 day for sure.

The signature moment of the outing happened just before we caught our last fish of the day. It brought our reunion full circle and created laughter almost to the point of tears. I had turned to look just in time to see Jay reaching around the back of his neck and when he asked me for help, I busted out laughing. His own lure was hooked onto the back collar of his shirt. We both recognized the irony and the humor in the moment.

I know that Jay and I will remain friends no matter how much time passes between our visits but it’s a good thing that we were fishing for walleyes, not muskies.

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