People well-versed in any subject are interesting to talk to, but a fanatic, to me, is simply irresistible.
Fanatics become dynamic, larger than life. They simply swell up talking about their passion.
Their eyes glow, their motions become quick and jerky, their ideas and observations pour out of them in a frenzy, one theme of thought being replaced by another without a breath being taken. They are like volcanoes, simply overflowing with enthusiasm for their beloved subject.
It was my great pleasure to speak to a young person who definitely fits into my favorite category of fishing fanatic. This young man’s name is Grayson Linderman.
Grayson lives in the Smethport area, which is a wonderful place to live if you’re a fisherman. Within a reasonable bike ride lies Potato Creek, Marvin Creek and the Allegheny River. Grayson can fish for trout, smallmouth bass, walleyes, pike and muskellunge on any given day and trophy fish of all species swim in those waters.
I called Grayson, having heard he’d caught a lunker walleye. But the oversized fish was oddly marked, casting some doubt whether it may have been the walleyes close, but smaller cousins, the sauger.
Carla Acker ran into Grayson in the Port Allegheny Sheetz and she related Grayson was glowing, radiating a huge electric field as he excitedly told her about his giant fish. When Carla mentioned she knew me and I would be interested in writing about his trophy. Grayson seemed to levitate off the floor in a dazzling burst of iridescent energy.
You’ve got to love a kid like that, he could have been me decades ago. Carla gathered his information with a phone number and I left a message the same evening.
Grayson’s father returned my call and after a pleasant conversation and some loud shouting and family message relaying, Grayson came on the line.
Grayson is 11 years old and it only took seconds to discover for myself what a live wire this young man is. His passion for fishing’s simply overwhelming and, as we talked, I could sense how frustrating human language is for him.
It takes far too long for the mouth and tongue to spit out your thoughts! He talked as fast as humanly possible, his mind racing along at an incredible speed, the poor tongue lagging far, far behind.
When dad’s hunting, Grayson goes fishing. This year’s low, clear water and beautiful, warm fall afternoons were custom made for this and Grayson took full advantage.
Fishing a deeper hole, Grayson was using a shad minnow. Out of nowhere, a giant walleye swirled up, looked over his offering and retreated into the depths. Grayson thought his knees would buckle.
What a monster! He couldn’t believe it. So, for the next four days, Grayson returned hoping for another chance at the trophy.
Each day the big fish showed interest, actually sucking in the lure several times, but spitting it out so fast it was impossible to set the hook. I’ve experienced this often myself, especially with oversized brook trout.
In and out of their jaws before your mind can tell your arm to set the hook. Amazing.
This afternoon, Grayson started with a shad minnow, jigging it just below the surface. The huge fish shot up, grabbed the lure and spit it out instantly.
Frustrated, he switched to a perch-colored jig. Again, the big fish quickly tasted the morsel, spitting it back out quicker than thought.
OK, not to be deterred, Grayson started at his tackle box, then snapped on a white paddle tail minnow. Jason was using a spinning rod with 10-lb. braided line.
Screwing himself up for immediate action, he swam the paddle tail over the lurking monster. Suddenly, the fish shot up and grabbed the minnow.
Grayson reacted instantly and this time, though the walleye spit the minnow out quickly, the hook caught the side of his jaw. The water exploded, the pole was almost jerked from Grayson’s hand and the battle was on.
The power of a big walleye on a light pole is unbelievable, but even though young, Jason knew better than to try and horse the fish in. For twenty minutes, the see-saw battle raged, the big fish repeatedly diving for snags and sunken logs. Matthew, his brother, was at his side yelling advice when Murphy stepped in.
All the activity stirred up a wasp’s nest and, suddenly, the two young men were battling the nasty insects, as well as the fish. Wasps can sting multiple times and making use of the opportunity. Luckily, this was during the last of the battle.
Finally, the fish tired, Grayson slipped a hand in the gill plate and, dropping the rod, nabbed the tail. The huge fish was about 30-inches long and probably weighed at least 10-lbs, but the wasps allowed no time for congratulations.
Grayson held the fish up for quick photos, then released it as a wasp fell into his boot, making things really interesting. Then they ran.
What an adventure. Congratulations on a real trophy fish.
But what was it? An oddly marked walleye?
The bottom tail section was missing making ID difficult, the markings odd, but not pronounceable that of a sauger, besides the fish was too large. Could it have been a sauger-eye, half walleye, half sauger?
Whatever, Grayson, that fish, Pennsylvania record or not, was really something. You’re a man after my own heart.
