Whopper walleyes on opener

[Lee Borgersen]

 Ely Echo 
 

 
Friday, May 16, 2008

Whopper walleyes on opener

by Nick Wognum

 
 
If you were looking for a wall hanger on your first cast of the season, the 2008 fishing opener was the perfect time to be out on the water.

Boats and canoes crowded current areas with numerous reports of whopper walleyes being reeled in, some still spawning.



Just short of the 10 lb. mark were Jesse Lake and Caleb Maki who reeled in a 9 lb. 7 oz. walleye on Basswood Lake. Entry came in from Voyageur North Outfitters.

A 9 lb. White Iron walleye was caught by William Hamm, Coon Rapids, MN who registered his fish at Silver Rapids Lodge.

John Fenske of Ely brought home an 8 lb. 14 oz. Basswood Lake walleye, stopping along the way at Skube's Bait & Tackle to enter the contest.

Fishing in White Iron Lake and pulling in an 8 lb. 1 oz. walleye was John Larrabee II, Hoyt Lakes, MN. He brought his catch in to Voyageur North Outfitters.

And Craig Burton, Coon Rapids, MN stopped in to Silver Rapids Lodge to register a 7 lb. 2 oz. walleye caught in White Iron Lake.

Fenske also registered a 27-inch walleye release on Basswood and Justin Vanderhei, Ely, put in an entry for a 27-inch walleye catch and release in White Iron Lake at Great Outdoors.

Two nice bass were registered this week, a 4 lb. 12 oz. Fall Laker caught by Erich Strache, Orland Hills, IL and entered on the lake at Packsack Canoe Trips.

Showing kids can fish too, Erik Haaverson, Ely registered a 4 lb. 1 oz. bass at caught in Shagawa Lake through Voyageur North Outfitters.

For those who braved the cold and wind on Saturday, they were glad they didn't wait to go out until Sunday morning.

A fresh four inches of snow fell in the Ely area Saturday night of fishing opener, something campers likely were not happy about but it gave them something to remember the opener by.