My buddy and I arrived at TX Rapids at about 4:30 PM. It was a beautiful day and we both decided to take the morning easy and not get going until the afternoon. About Sprague Lake, I remembered that I left Lowrance Fish Finder at home….. I still have a basic fish finder on the dash of the boat, that I rarely look at, but will give you an honest depth. I decided that I knew the “runs” enough, that depth would be all that was necessary. However, I would end up complaining about it all evening. “Where are my contour lines? I feel naked!”

We launched my boat at 4:30 and immediately headed up river to the dam. We got to the Glory Bush which is a half mile below Marker 43 and started trolling Bandits in 20 foot of water. When we started our troll, we could use just the outboard and we averaged 1.7 going uphill, against the current. By Mile Marker 43, I had to use the main motor and the trolling motor at 50% speed to keep us at 1.2 mph. The rods were bent halfway over just due to the current resistance against the Bandits that we were trolling. Nothing is gonna hit in this current……we moved. The Dam isn’t a viable target yet……….

We hit the “Point” at TX Rapids trolling downhill and zero action. This used to be one of my favorite spots, but I think it has been hit really hard over the last few years. I won’t be focusing there, this year.

We then, headed down to mouth of the Tucannon and trolled through there, going down hill, at 2.1 with only enough trolling motor speed to steer. I was going over the ridge/shoulder (if you fish the Tucannon mouth, you know what I’m talking about) and had a huge take down. I set the hook, and it felt like I had an 8+ Walter on the line. I warned my buddy that this one was big. After a few minutes, it surfaced and I was heartbroken to see that it was a big ol’ channel cat that I snagged in the tail muscles, just before the tail fins….. No wonder, it felt big. The cat went about 5 lbs. I was disgusted, but my fishin’ buddy is a garbage disposal and all he could see was breakfast, “2nd Breakfast”, “Elevenzies” lunch and dinner. (For you Lord of the Rings fans)……… Fine, you can have it, Knowing full well that I was still going to have to fillet that dirty beast, for him……..

After the ridge, we continued down hill along the South Bank and we picked up one eater, about 16 inches. (keep in mind that a 16 from the Snake will yield almost double what a 16 from Roosevelt will) Then we headed down to the Grainery. We started on the bottom and trolled uphill, averaging about 1.7. On our first pass, my buddy picked up a fat 23” and a fat 17”. He was ecstatic, because he got to keep a big fish, that measured just below my mandatory release measurement which is 24 inches. If it’s 24 or +, it gets a picture, a kiss and is released…….No exceptions. He was faithful to remind me of it’s measurements and was already planning his next week’s menu……..

You don’t leave fish, to find fish, so we cycled back down and hit the same pass again. (at this point, the sunwas still fully in the sky, but had lost it’s heat intensity. That is Key, to Snake River Walleye and in my opinion is the start of Magic Hour on the Snake) Knowing this cycle, we switched to our evening crankbait patterns and hit the “run again” Halfway through the run, I got a hit and set the hook. I immediately knew that I had a big girl on told my buddy to get his line in, as this was going to be a big fish with a big fight. And….it didn’t disappoint. A lot of bigger walleyes will initially struggle but then slack off during the middle of the fight; This girl didn’t. She fought hard and stayed down all the way to the boat. I was 260 back and when she got to the boat, she was still 15 feet down. I warned my buddy again that this girl was big and to not try and net too early! That’s a big mistake that a lot of anglers make on a big fish that still has plenty of fight. Once they see the boat, they reinvigorate and muscle down, and she certainly did. My buddy tried to net her twice, but she spanned the mouth of the net, which is 28”. He would get her in there and start to lift and she would thrash and get out….. On the 3rd try, we were able to get her firmly in the net and my buddy struggled to lift her into the boat. ( I do have a heavy rubber net)

We got her in the boat and then pulled the trebles out of her. She was (luckily) hooked very well, which means that she wanted it. We got her loose and put her in the live well, so that my buddy could clean up the chaos and I could take a breath. After that, we pulled her out and put her on the bumper board. She measured just under 31 but she was THICK! Then we put her on the hand-held scale…… She settled in at 13 lbs. even……which is my “Personal Best” to date….. This is a bit surprising but adds credence to genetics….. previous to this fish, my personal best was 12.46 lbs. and was a full 32 inches…… “It’s not your weight/height, it’s how you carry it”………. In this situation, I clearly caught the “Marshawn Lynch” of the walleye team…….. I couldn’t be happier.

After some High-5’s and a bunch of pictures, she was released, so she is still out there! She might be a bit sore, but she’s alive and available to you club members, to chase! Go get her’ take a picture and let her go, again…….. They carry the future of the Snake River Fishery………Which we all enjoy……

We didn’t catch any other fish after that, but I’m working on a theory as to what happens on that body of water, when the sun is down and we all know that the walleye are active……..

Travis: Snake River - 6/12/2021