The Walleye Are Here

I got out fishing last night for the first time this year. The Detroit River is one of the best walleye spots in the country this time of year. Yesterday, we headed out about 4pm, and within about 20 minutes, one guy landed a whopper ... one of the biggest walleyes I have ever seen. He was nailing them and the rest of us were relegated to working the net for him.

But alas, about 7:30 or so, I got on a little streak and managed to get five in the boat within about thirty minutes or so. We ended up with sixteen between the four of us. The wierd thing is that I do not even like fish. I am in it for the fun of catching them. If it were up to me, the river would have sixteen more fish than it does now. But I brought a few home for the wife and dutifully hacked them up. It's been so long since I cleaned a fish that I have forgotten the easy way. But fish guts are cool ... and we have some walleye filets ready for the stove.

Years ago I used to fish with a friend whose high school job was cleaning fish. He got paid by the pound, and he could clean fish like you can't believe. So I was the designated scaler, and he was the cleaner. And I could not keep up with him, even with an electric scaler. But fresh Lake Erie perch deep fried with some biscuits makes a good sandwich, and that's about the only kind of fish I will eat.

It is relaxing to be out in the fresh air with the spring breezes blowing in your face. However, since we were on the Detroit River, we just enjoyed the coolish breezes and watched the factories belch into the evening air.