The Best Trophy Walleye Bite In History? You Decide...

"Oh, What A Night, Late September Back in '96!" You Just Have to be There

Buck for the first fish, buck for the biggest fish and a buck for the most fish...standard stakes in boat-buddy tourneys nationwide. But what happens when the stakes are raised? What if you only get to count walleyes over ten pounds?

Pugnaciously preposterous, well-nigh impossible, heck most of us would never get to collect a dime from our buddies. Don't despair. It is possible, it does happen and on several classic trophy waters there's only one way to make it happen--you've just gotta be there! Where?

Great Lakes areas like Saginaw Bay, The Bays De Noc, Lake Erie, go there during peak bites in spring or fall and pray for big fish. So too, reservoirs like Tobin, Fort Peck, and the Columbia River impoundments...these waters also produce frighteningly good trophy fishing if you are lucky enough to hit a key bite. As with most walleye venues, plan trips for spring or fall if you want to increase your odds for wallhangers.

This Recent Columbia River 11.5 Pounder Gives You Some Perspective About That Night's Catch

What's it like to have trophy walleyes erupt into a suicide bite? What does it feel like to have lug after lug come over the gunnel? The Columbia River produced a great example.

It was late September, during the full moon period the night before the total lunar eclipse. Scott Kokenge, a boat dealer and friend from Yakima Washington, joined me on the Columbia River for some trophy walleye fishing.

We trolled big Bomber 25A's against the current at 3 to 4 mph on the old paddle-wheel speed indicator. The first few hours after dark we caught 11 walleyes from three to eight pounds. Then, well after midnight things began to get interesting.

I hooked a hog of a fish that fought with the electricity of a steelhead. It turned out to be an 11.25 pound 'eye. The next pass Kokenge hit a big fish that nearly wore out his forearms....12.25 pound walleye! That was two bites with two fish over eleven pounds on the scale.

Now I teased him, "The triple tenner is a walleye angler's dream. Very few people can boast of three eyes over ten pounds in one night. I've done it once and I should've retired then. Promise me you'll never fish again if we hit another over ten"

"No way, Boggs," Kokenge scoffed. "Not only are we gonna get that triple tenner, we're gonna do it the next bite. That'll be three bites with three over ten pounds."

"Yea, right." was all I said.

Just about then, he set the hook on another fish. Looking at the doubled rod and wide headshakes, we knew what was about to happen. Again, the fish fought like it was on steroids. Thank heaven for Excalibur treble hooks; they held up to the thrashing. It was another trophy just under 11.5 pounds. At this point we were dancing around the boat singing, "Oh what a night. Late September back in '96. What a very special time for fish. What a walleye what a night."

We had high 5'ved so many times my hands hurt. For the second time in my career I was a part of a triple tenner and this time on three successive bites!

We were at the bottom end of the pass with an exhausted walleye. Rather than stress her for a photo shoot, we temporarily placed her in the livewell and turned on the double aeration system. After finishing that pass, we planned to snap a few photos and let her go like the previous two fish.

But then I got a strong strike. After living on the Columbia for more than 20 years in my youth, big fish don't often make my knees wobble anymore. But this time my knees started knocking. I knew this fish would push the tally to four walleyes over ten pounds in just four bites.

Quite possibly the best consecutive four bites in the history of walleye angling.

The big girl was in no hurry to come to the net. Each time she sounded back to the bottom, I just watched the line peel from my reel while my knees danced a jig. My arm ached by the time she slipped over the gunnel -- exactly 11 pounds.

Not only had we pulled off the quad tenner, but in just four bites we had four over 11 pounds! Ecstasy is too tame a word to describe it. To compare the pleasure with my honeymoon would just get me in trouble with my ex-wife, so I won't go that far, but it was truly special.

We got another boat to pause and take photos of the two big fish now in my boat. Both 'eyes were released in great shape.

That's when Kokenge said, "Well Boggs, let's only count fish over ten pounds for our bet."

"OK," I quickly responded, "you owe me a buck for the first fish over ten."

"And you owe me for that 12 pounder, it's the biggest," he said with a puffed out chest.

"Yeah," I cracked, "but we've each caught two over ten so we'll have to catch one more to settle the bet. If you hook anything under ten now, I'll throw you out of the boat. If you hook up and you can move the fish, just shake it off and try for bigger."

He didn't listen very well and the next fish was a measly 7 pounder. Kokenge then stuck a 10.75 pounder on the next bite. The stats ended up with five walleyes over ten pounds in just six bites. Wow!

We docked the boat at dawn with appetites to match our smiles. After a hearty breakfast and an excited call to the Walleye Insider, it was time to pay up. I handed him a dollar bill for catching three over ten while I only caught two. Maybe next time I'll earn my buck back.

If you don't have access to the Columbia River, you still can make big catches happen. The Bay of Quinte, Fort Peck, Lake of the Woods, Seminoe Reservoir, probably a lake or two near you...all have the potential to produce multiple big fish in short order.

2019 11.5 Pound Trophy From a Missouri River Reservoir--The Columbia River is Not Required For Massive Walleyes!

Former PWT pro Tom Bruno tells of his first trip to Lake Erie.

"During pre-fishing for the PWT tourney on Lake Erie, most everybody was fishing East of the Bass Islands -- Kelly's, Sandusky. I was over on West Sister where fish from the nearby spawning reefs were coming in. During a one hour period I caught eight walleyes over 30 inches, the biggest 33 inches."

Though Bruno's fish weren't weighed, it's generally presumed that fish over 30 inches tip the scales at over ten pounds.

"I had a few of the biggest fish in the livewell," Bruno recalls. "They just sat there staring at me the day before the tournament. I tried to shoot video, but by myself I ended up with footage of things like my forearm and a big walleye head or a flapping tail. To get promo shots for the media, I tried to set up my still camera and use the timer for self-portraits. Of course, that famous Lake Erie chop just kept knocking the tripod over. I finally just let 'em all go and left the spot. All I had to show for it was a bunch of blurry images and a sore neck from shaking my head in disbelief."

Bruno caught his April trophies on a combination of Smithwick Rattlin' Rogues and Normark Husky Rapalas.

My big night that September came on deep diving Bomber 25A's.

Both spring and fall, it's tough to argue against crankbait presentations for tons of trophies. Still, the best option is always decided by the fish, so be willing to give 'em whatever they desire.

Catching fish is always fun. Catching big fish is loads of fun. And catching lots of really big fish is so doggone fun everybody ought to try it sometime. If you want to catch trophy walleyes, then by all means plan a trip to a regional trophy hotspot. It's the most likely way to collect bets from your buddies. Especially if you want to catch the first fish, the most fish and the biggest fish -- all over ten pounds, of course.

copyright 1996 by Ron Boggs