Lake Minnetonka Walleyes
Travis Frank
For most, this cold weather means it's time to hunker down by the fire, or find inside activities to pass the time. Not for this guy! While I find massive cold fronts to slow a bite down drastically, I do know one thing. You cannot catch a fish while sitting on your couch. Yes it has been cold, but it has been cold for several days now. With that being said, I just had to get back on the ice last night. I considered it a mini vacation from the hustle and bustle of the holidays and happenings.
Dusty and I headed out to Tonka in search of ol' marble eyes. Until this recent cold snap, most of the lake had only minimal ice, and 1 to 2 inches was the norm. Last night we were able to get to any spot that we wanted to fish. I chose a honey hole that I have been anticipating all year. Last season we spanked 'em on this particular weed edge, and I was hoping for more of the same.
After about 30 minutes of trying to thaw the frozen gear, we were finally fishing. Soon after, the sun hit the horizon and I was battling the first fish of the evening. Regardless of what Dusty will tell ya, I do think this fish was on steroids, and I don't believe that it was a walleye. 
A quick blip on the vexilar, and the set-line almost flew under the ice. As quickly as the bobber popped, the rod was following right behind. I caught it as it was heading down the hole, and that was pretty much my hook set. I battled it for a bit, and then it got off. Chaotic and exciting, but left us wondering. A few minutes later, I calmly landed a rather unhealthy looking 28 incher. A normal fish out of Tonka is usually super fat, so this was a rare sight.
Since Dusty and I were enjoying the peace and quiet of the fish house, we hung out for a few more hours. A couple lookers came in during that time, but they were not takers. Shortly before we called it an evening, Dusty finally landed his first walleye of the season. I laughed when I heard that was his first one, but I'm glad it finally happened. Now that we got that bad luck out of the house, we may start catching them like normal. You'll have to stay tuned to see if I am right. Until next time, Keep on Livin' The Dream!