Navigating the narrows leading into Dog Lake’s 57 Bay is pretty gnarly. With the channel constricted by subsurface rocks, and hairpin turns delineated by iron posts sticking up out of the rock-strewn waters, I’m hoping the passage will be worthwhile.
Francine and I arrived at Ernie’s Campground and Cottages yesterday afternoon, and spent the evening catching walleye over the abundance of structure a stone’s throw from the campground.
Today we venture further, into Dog’s easternmost section. Safely through the narrows, I head toward a prominent mainland point. It’s deep close to shore but we discover an elongated hump rising up to about 12 feet just off shore.
I’m pulling an inflated worm behind a slip sinker and get one of those solid bites: no nibbling, just weight. I set the hook and connect for a brief second before the hook pulls out.
We’re right where the 12-foot edge drops into deeper water, and for the next 15 minutes I work the edge until I get another solid hit. After last night’s 14 to 16-inchers, I know this is a good one—confirmed when Francine lifts the net from under a healthy 26-inch ’eye.
Although we would catch and release many more walleye under the warm July sunshine, this would be the largest we would catch. Although an even larger walleye would eventually rear its head.
- James Smedley