Northern on Walleye; fishing at Metionga Lake

Last week the Shultz party experienced a relatively common spring occurrence at Metionga Lake. After they spawn, Northern Pike will hang out around the river to aggressively feed on Suckers and Walleye as they finish their spawn. It is quite an experience to hook a small walleye and then almost have the rod yanked out of your hands when a northern decides he wants the walleye more than you do.

This is the note Bill sent to us.

"Brad/Karen,

As promised, this is a photo I took of a large Northern chomping on a 16 inch Walleye while fishing last week on Metionga. This was one incident of a dozen our party of four encountered during our 6 day trip. In some cases, we were able to net both fish together. We had numerous other incidents where Northerns would take a stab at walleyes when attempting to bring the walleyes into the boat from the water's surface. This sure added drama to the otherwise routine task of reaching over the boat to unhook/release walleyes back to the lake! Luckily, we all returned home with all our fingers attached.

Thanks for another great fishing adventure. We'll be back to wrestle the hungry beasts next year!

Regards,

Bill Schultz"

Keep in mind that if this happens and you land both fish, the northern must be released. The hooked walleye may be kept.