Dougy has the touch...

Sometimes one man just has the touch.  Whether it's a big fish, a limit, several limits, or just a unique event, someone always manages to stand apart.  This trip was no different, and this time it was Doug's turn.

Friday evening we gathered the troops and headed up to the big pond.  It was a guys weekend away so to speak.  Not that I have a shortage of these trips, but its still nice to get away from town for a day or two.  Our group consisted of 6 dudes, Dusty, Bails, Dougy, Dingy, Pauly and yours truly.  We had two big shacks and a few portables, so basically we were ready for anything.  Our plan was to have base camp and venture around in the predicted warm temps. 

Saturday morning came and we were busy catching.  Not a ton, but we were still catching.  My patience lasted for about 15 minutes without a bite and the truck was already warming up.  When I'm on that lake, I know they are always biting somewhere and I can't stand sitting around waiting for them to come to me.  Shortly into our morning we abandoned the home base and left Dougy as the dude watching the house.  Helping Dougy hold down the fort was his mother Lucille who lives just outside of Garrison.  She came early Saturday morning along with her Daughter Janet and son in law Vic.  This was the way it was scripted and we left the fabulous foursome alone in the house while we went out to play.

Every once in a while the phone would ring and we would get a fresh report from the shack.  A few here and a couple misses there was the voice on the other end.  Not earth shattering, but action nonetheless.  We experienced similar results on our end while on the move.  We had a mixed bag of walleyes, perch and tullibee.  This was all good, but the highlight came when we returned to the shack for a freshly made home cooked stew from Grandma's house.  Does it get any better in the fish house?  I think not!

That afternoon we pounded holes in the ice looking for untouched territories and aggressive fish.  We found little of either and had to really work hard on the crowded ice to find what we wanted.  We managed a few nice walleyes and several others on the small end.  This was ok, because we were about to experience a memory that will likely never fade. 

As we approached the house on our way back for the evening, the phone rang.  Dougy was frantically asking where the ruler was.  "Grandma has a good one" he said loud enough for me to hear through the phone.  Nice, was all I thought.  As we walked in the house, it was a little bit chaotic to see a pale with several walleyes, and Grandma with a big smile.  At 87 ripe years of age, she managed to take the rattle reel and go into hand to hand combat with her dinner.  The house was alive, and Dougy was the happiest son on Lake Mille Lacs.  It was awesome just to be a part of it, and they relived that moment several times over with us.  To make it better, grandma Lucy took her 16 1/2 inch walleye home, cleaned it herself, cooked it, ate it and then called us to tell us how great it all was.  Now that is cool!

Saturday night we moved home base to a fresh area we scouted out.  We felt good about it, and hoped for a good Sunday morning bite before we were to head home for the Vikes game.  Again we went outside exploring, and again and again, Dougy kept coming out to show us about the ones he was catching.  Not that we weren't catching them too, but he was definitely putting on a clinic for us "young boys."  To top it off he opened the door one last time and was all smiles with a fat 25 incher in his hand.  Big fish for the trip and icing on the cake.  A few moments later we finished our limit and called it a day.  A perfect one at that.  Congratulations to Grandma Lucy and Dougy for a weekend never to forget.  Also thanks to everyone for all the laughs and fun.  You are the best.  Until next time, keep on livin' your dream!