How a rookie caught her first Minnesota walleye (and the angling bug)

Grand Rapids, Minn. — The first half of this year has brought many first experiences for me: eating pickled northern pike, shooting a 12-gauge shotgun, spending a weekend chasing turkeys, and, most recently, catching my first Minnesota walleye.

And the walleyes in Deer Lake on Wednesday, June 11, didn’t make it easy – for me, at least.

When the people from onX invited me out on a fishing trip in the Grand Rapids area last week, it was hard to say no, especially with weather forecast as sunny and 70.

Once I got on the boat with the photographer of onX’s fish camp, Matt Addington, and well-versed and renowned fishing guide Tony Roach, I was feeling a bit nervous.

That feeling stemmed from my belief such company demanded I catch something, so that Tony could go home knowing he’s a great guide and Matt can get some pictures.

Rest assured, not much time passed before I caught my first fish. And by first fish I kind of mean first Minnesota inland lake catch. The few other times I’ve caught something after moving here from Chicago was near-shore sunnies, which is something anglers in Minnesota have been doing their entire lives.

Regardless of the species or size, I felt pure excitement once my prize at the end of my line breeched the water line. I couldn’t keep a smile off my face, and that’s really how I deemed the day a success.

Aside from the one walleye, which I thought was a decent size, I primarily caught rock bass and a few smallmouth bass.

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There was one point in the morning when Tony situated us next to a rocky structure where we caught fish after fish finding the pockets along the rock structure where the bass were staging.

Surprisingly, I only snagged the rocks or the bottom a few times. Every other time the tip of the rod bent, there was a fish hanging on the end.

Tony monitored his forward-facing sonar unit as we trolled through some areas, so he knew we were on top of them, making it easier for a very green angler like me. After reporting on FFS in my time at Outdoor News, working with it on the boat was an eye-opening experience in a couple of ways.

The first is that the device tells a story in a different language that I don’t fully know how to read. Each time I’d cast, Tony would point at a spec among dozens of other specs and say, “That’s your lure right there.”

At the time I was saying, “Oh yeah,” but I was really thinking, I’m going to have to take your word for it.

The second is throughout covering the industry’s debate about FFS, I’ve heard many times that even if you drop a baited lure right in front of a fish’s face, that doesn’t mean said fish will bite.

There were several times I cast right on top of a pile of them with a leech or nightcrawler, and none were interested enough to sniff my presentation.

I can understand the hype around using the software because it was fascinating to see the real-time interest (or disinterest) in what I cast out. In moments of disinterest, Tony switched up the bait or presentation to try to see if that would entice them.

I enjoyed watching the gears in Tony’s fishing-guide mind of adapting to catch a fish. It sparked personal interest in trying to hit some lakes near my home … and probably failing miserably at catching fish.

All in all, it was a great day. I’m sure by other anglers’ standards, the dozen or so fish I managed to reel in may not be seen as remarkable, but it really was memorable day for me.