MAY 26

Walleye fishing charter Ballards Resort Lake of the Woods, MN
Walleye fishing charter Ballards Resort Lake of the Woods, MN
Hey Sportsfans  –
 
Back again with another weekly update…
 
The start of the week was promising (#killerbite) but as high winds and low temperatures rolled in, fishing was tough. 
 
Dirty water, stirred up by high current, has turned the close to home bite off. When the SportCrafts could, they spread out across the lake… some still bopping around the islands, others heading west. 
 
As we creep into June, we can only hope the fishing heats up as fast as the temperatures. 
 
That’s all for this week. #SETTHEHOOK

EPISODE 17

Fall fishing special Ballards Resort Lake of the Woods, MN
Fall fishing special Ballards Resort Lake of the Woods, MN

Part SEVENTEEN – continued from last week’s episode –

There was one chance! Rusty reached with left hand to his pant leg and felt the knife against his calf held by a Velcro sheath. If you recall the lunge into the helicopter “boob incident”, he was not masterful with maneuverability when it came to reaching for objects in clutch situations.

Then there was the high school collapse on the sideline, a football nightmare that forever lingered in his mind. “Flathers! You’re in!” Followed by BOOM… Paralyzed by fear as if someone had cut him at the knees he crumbled to the turf.

That moment in life secured his position as a bottom feeder in the dating pool. When spring prom season rolled around there was no corsage to pin on some would-be-darling of the dance.

The best he could muster was a “boy night out.” Singular, as he avoided the event entirely, and chose to spend the evening wetting a line on the banks of the Duckabush River with a bottled six pack of Hornyhead Ale ponies.

Unfortunately for Rusty there had been heavy rain earlier that day. As he ambled down the bank with pole in one hand and six pack in the opposite, he found himself sliding on his ass toward the river edge. It was only when he spun a 180-turn and flopped to his belly that he looked like a beaver having a wee old time on a mud-caked water slide.

At this point he lost the six pack and watched them collide against the Rock of Gibraltar exploding into foam. The night eventually grew darker… He sat soberly and somberly (with cotton mouth) soaking bait in mud-churned-water that produced the number of bites you could count on less than one hand.

The snowmobile began to decelerate, and Sally felt the ride begin to ascend. Leaning forward to stay balanced on the sled there was a final rev of the engine before flattening out with an abrupt stop. As the engine went silent there was a LOUD backfire BANG from the machine and Sally screamed, fearing a gunshot. The voice standing above her burst with a belly laugh.

Unlocking the handcuffs… Wrestling her arms behind her… She was hauled off the snowmobile with legs dragging behind in deep snow.

With the knife secure in his left-hand Rusty thought, “What would my father do next?”

-To be continued – 

EPISODE 16

Walleye fishing Ballards Resort Lake of the Woods, MN

Part SIXTEEN – continued from last week’s episode –

The action of Sally releasing her grip on Rusty’s pant legs caused the most unfavorable chain of events. His right thumb on the spool of 180# BIG GAME monofilament fishing line was poorly positioned with the drag set too tight. The result had sling-shotted him into the icy waters.

Rusty’s descent continued… His mind flashed to a youthful day with a rope tied around his waist. Perched like John Rhodes (National Rodeo Hall of Famer) he had lassoed a boar-hog in the barnyard and was promptly paraded through mouthfuls of manure.

This not-well-thought-out endeavor (his first of many on a long list) was a bet naively taken with twin cousins Skip and Scoop. The latter came up with the idea that whoever could lasso and win a tug-o-war against the boar would get out of the group chore of shoveling the lot. Rusty had drawn the long straw giving him unfavorable honors.

His next descending thought… Rusty and his two cousins were racing downhill on bicycles at the city park. The finish line was the backstop of the Babe Ruth baseball diamond.

This ingenious challenge (his second most recent not-well-thought-out-endeavor) demanded the first-place finisher crash head-on into a chain link fence. The “WINNER” would be gifted a slushy of his flavorful choice at The Coolhouse Creamery downtown on the square. His favorite was the lime green / dark purple mix. One part ice and a thousand parts liquid sugar.

Rusty assumed it was a close race… But never looked back to see by what lengths. As the youngest of the cousins, he was under the loyal impression that Skip and Scoop were pedaling with unabashed velocity.

First to the finish line, eyes the size of baseballs, his victory included a not so athletic vault over the handlebars of the Schwinn. The judges (Skip and Scoop) scored his dismount a meager 2 out of 10. His severe racking of “the family jewels” had earned him those two excruciating points.

The awarded slushy was never tasted. Instead, it served the purpose of reducing swelling in the crotchal region. Speed kills. Lesson learned.

Back to the existing dire straits of velocity… The slack of the fishing line which occurred with the reverberation of the sling motion had cinched a half-hitch loop around the big thumb on his right hand. Anyone in this situation would gladly swallow pig poop or collide with a fence.

Rusty was being plunged toward the bottom of a 200-foot hole with eardrums popping like a Presto Poplite Hot Air Popcorn Popper. His association with this smoke show brunette, her worldly outdoor fashion model glamour, and notable generational wealth was nearing its end.

Sally was blindfolded and handcuffed to a wildly racing snow machine. She could have been six miles or a million miles away from Rusty. A single tear (her last) fell to her cheek and froze. With a deep breath she silently vowed this devil stealing her away would meet their maker.

– To be continued –

Walleye fishing Ballards Resort Lake of the Woods, MN

ISLAND TIME

Walleye fishing Ballards Resort Lake of the Woods, MN
Walleye fishing Ballards Resort Lake of the Woods, MN


Hey Sportsfans!
 
We were packed to the brim this week thanks to a bunch of old time friends who made yet another trip up to see us.
 
We had a big ole fishing contest running this week. Someone claimed the grand prize for largest walleye with a 30.5″ fish… can that be confirmed Capt. Dunn??
 
One of the groups up here this week, towed up their own boats, lodged with us, and reeled in a bunch of fish… including Brian’s 29″ walleye.
 
According to Milton, Captain of the charter in slip #14, pack the extra bag of shiners… fishing is good and you’re going to need them to pick through all the saugers.
 
The guides have been on island time this week… Knight Island and Bridges Island that is. Fishing in 25-28′, the guides are starting to see slot fish rolling in.
 
Water temperatures are warmer than usual for this time of year (mid 50s). QUESTION OF THE WEEK… when will we see the mud bite explode?
 
That’s all for this week. #SETTHEHOOK
 
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