Tennessee Jed
05-20-2001, 03:43 PM
Asked for some beer batter recipes a while back before I went walleye fishing on Greer's Ferry Lake in Heber Springs, AR, and one of the responders said the fish down here probably swam slower, drank Dixie beer, and belched with a southern accent. Since I had done a little bit of walleye fishing (and even less walleye catching) as a kid in Minnesota, I was intrigued by the comparison, and decided to post here if I was able to catch any walleyes at Greer's Ferry.
My trip with Barry Hardin of Arkie Walleyes was successful (see "Fishing Reports"), so I can make somewhat of a comparison. Let me tell you, southern walleyes strike harder, and actually put up a decent fight once hooked; much more sporting than what I recall from up north. We weren't catching huge fish (14-17"), but there were a couple of times when the strike was so hard and the fight was so lively that I thought I had hooked one of the many smallmouth or hybrid bass in the lake, which would have disappointed me, believe it or not! Walleyes were the mission, and nothing else was going to make me happy!
Of course, we southerners need harder strikes than our northern bretheren. After all, our senses are dulled by bass fishing and ten months of good weather each year. Fortunately, the southern fish tasted as good as the yankee walleyes I've eaten, and I'm looking forward to going again, and again, and again...
My trip with Barry Hardin of Arkie Walleyes was successful (see "Fishing Reports"), so I can make somewhat of a comparison. Let me tell you, southern walleyes strike harder, and actually put up a decent fight once hooked; much more sporting than what I recall from up north. We weren't catching huge fish (14-17"), but there were a couple of times when the strike was so hard and the fight was so lively that I thought I had hooked one of the many smallmouth or hybrid bass in the lake, which would have disappointed me, believe it or not! Walleyes were the mission, and nothing else was going to make me happy!
Of course, we southerners need harder strikes than our northern bretheren. After all, our senses are dulled by bass fishing and ten months of good weather each year. Fortunately, the southern fish tasted as good as the yankee walleyes I've eaten, and I'm looking forward to going again, and again, and again...