Fan Mail from Ken Shaw

My two boys and I go away for a fishing trip each year. It is usually a fly-in to Northern Ontario where we only catch Northern Pike and mosquitoes. This year we did something different. Friend Leo Stakos convinced us to go to Deep Water Lodge on lake Temagami. One of the boys, Ryan, is an avid fisherman. Chris and I have only a vague idea of what to do. A friend gave him a homemade lure to use and wished him luck.

We managed to make our way from the lodge to an inlet on Lake Temagami. I drove the boat while trying to use a fish finder for the first time.  We tried to cruise an area around 20 to 25 feet deep just before a drop off to deeper water. Chris was casting and announced very quickly that he had a fish on and was asking for some assistance. We were a little slow in providing some help to the excited angler and he already had it by the side of the boat by the time I got the net. I scooped in from the tail end but the fish was too large to fit in. Ryan started yelling as soon as he saw the head “Whoa! That’s a trophy fish there!” Chris and I only knew it was pretty big. It barely fit in the live well on the boat.

We continued to fish the area without much more success (just small mouthed bass) then headed back to the lodge. No one else was there when we returned. We put the fish on a chain in the water over the side of the boat. When the others arrived, they saw it and first thought it was a carp. Then one saw the fins and recognized it as a Walleye and led the group screaming with excitement. Chris and I are just learning what Ryan spotted right off the bat … that it’s a once in a lifetime catch.