We now have a place to relive those memories.  The Classic Ron Column page will be an updated page of past stories from the legend himself.  Have a favorite?  Email us your favorite and we will bring it back to life for all to see.  Enjoy!

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Talmoon, Minn.
 
What a difference a year makes. Call it Minnesota's opening day music.

 

A year ago, the weather was miserable for Minnesota¹s fishing opener; on Saturday a gentle walleye chop greeted anglers.

 

A year ago gas was relatively cheap; yesterday not so cheap and fewer boats were about or so it seemed on the sunny waters of Bowstring Lake.

A year ago walleyes were huddled somewhere on the bottom with their fins over their eyes. Yesterday, if you fished at the right depth, there were walleyes willing to play the opening day game.

 

So...what's it all about? It means the fine art of angling has not changed, and never will one year to the next. Every fishing day is a puzzle to solve no matter what.  Some openers are diamonds; some are coal (with apologies to the late singer, John Denver.)

 

How about a change in tune?
 
The bait of the day, as usual, were shiners, an expensive minnow that often dies at the sight of a minnow bucket, but which now may be cheaper by the dozen than premium fuel.

 

Anglers seeking northern pike on Bowstring were rather giddy. The pike love shiners. There are so many pike in Bowstring, it keeps the bait shop owners giddy, also.

 

By late afternoon, the walleye count in most boats didn¹t include many limits but a walleye or two or three was apparent.

 

Joe Moravec, of Plymouth, Minn. including son, Joey, and Dick Kendall, of New Prague, Minn., kept drifting here and yonder and finally gathered a walleye and umpteen northern pike.

 

At the boat docks at Bowstring Shores Resort, owner Jerry McLane said anglers who started shallow had slow fishing. Indeed, the walleye catching secret yesterday was go deep...15 to 25 feet.

 

Bro Robert Schara, of Hutchinson, Minn. dropped a shiner into 25 feet of water and nailed the catch of the day, a dandy 25 incher that will be worth money from his relatives who tossed $5 into a big fish pool. It was a fine
fish but nothing's finer than taking money from relatives.

 

Daughter Simone Schara, of Ramsey, Minn. may have had the chance to win but the fish escaped at the boat, an event that was witnessed by your reporter.  The biggest fish always get away at the boat. That never changes either.

 

The Matt Hinrich family, of Buckman Lake, west of Marcell---numbering 11 anglers---managed many northern pike on Bowstring but only one walleye, thanks to 10-year old, Caleb.

 

The annual Schara Fishing Opener Bash, attended by relatives and hangers-on, experienced fair success.

Thankfully, the can of Spam donated by Uncle Charles Schara, of Austin, Minn., will not be needed for the annual fish fry and will go unopened.  The menu will be fried walleye and perch with a taste of magnificent morels. 

 

Uncle Bob Dickens and Al Klein, a pair of Wisconsinites, caught the nicest stringer of five walleyes and are expected to brag about it mercilessly.

 

Bob Johnson, of St. James, Minn. and his son, Brian, of Plymouth returned with a humble look. Correction: Brian had the look; Bob outfished his son and was very happy.

 

Fortunately, now that the fishing season is here, there's always tomorrow so all anglers may catch a bit of happiness.

 

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Wind from the east, fish bite theŠ.well, you know the rest of the story.

A pesky blow with sporadic strong gusts---and all from the wrong direction--- hampered anglers for the start of Wisconsin¹s fishing season Saturday.

If there was a hot bite, it was over early on a gray overcast dawn. Mike Henricksen, of Big Mike¹s Outdoor Shop in Siren, Wis, said walleye seekers who started at midnight, the official opening hour, reported excellent fishing.

After that, anglers who gathered on Yellow Lake had to battle the east wind while searching for walleyes that acted like they had a case of lock jaw.

Nevertheless, the game went on and an unscientific check of boats suggested a walleye or two but three fish limits were rare. Wisconsin also requires that any walleye kept be 15-inches or more. In other words, it was possible to catch walleyes but return to shore empty-handed.

The slow bite yesterday was a bit of a surprise considering the lake's surface water temperatures were ideal, 53 to 56 degrees, a range that typically inspires walleye to feed.

Marion Obszarny, owner of the Ike Walton Lodge on Yellow Lake, said the fishing was slow. ŒFishermen told me it was tough holding your boat in the wind, she said.

A pair of Minnesota anglers, Mark Bundgaard and Andy Webber who had invaded Packer Country boated a couple walleyes but none over 15 inches. The largest walleye seen yesterday, a 21 incher, was hooked by Steve Schara, of Anoka, Minn. This was both good and bad news. Good that he caught the fish; the bad news was he also won the big fish pool, consisting of dollars donated by his Minnesota relatives, including his dad, Robert, of Hutchinson, and two uncles, Rick Schara, of Fergus Falls and this writer.

The winning fish was fooled by a 1/16th ounce Fireball jig, tipped with a
fathead minnow.

By late afternoon, Rick Schara reported catching two keeper walleyes, a 17 and 18 incher, by switching from minnows to leeches for bait. His partner, Steve Herth, of Alexandria, Minn. stayed with fatheads but couldn't catch anything but perch and northern pike.

In my boat, Twin Cities radio personality, Dave Lee, of WCCO, wet a line for the first time in his adult life and claimed two firsts: first walleye and first perch.

Is it okay to brag about catching a big perch, Lee asked?

In this case, it was. The 12 inch perch, a couple of walleyes and a pike or two were headed for the frying pan and an opening day fish fry tradition.

Which only proves that a wind from the east doesn¹t always halt a fish fry feast.