Greg and Randy: Rufus Woods - 7/8

Fishing was tough on Rufus Woods. We launched out of Seaton’s Grove around 845 AM and fished until 6 PM. We caught 5 walleyes, 4 triploids, 2 little smallmouth, and 3 sculpin (agressive little things). The few walleyes that we did catch were big and thick ranging from 20 to 25 inches. Randy’s 25 incher weighed 4.5 lbs and was released. A 20 incher that I caught had strange orange coloration around its mouth, pectoral fins, and belly. When I cleaned it, the fillets had an orange tint, and all of the internal organs and belly fat were orange like an ice cream push up. Weird!!!

We had bright sunshine, light wind, and a high near 90. The water temperature was about 60 degrees, and you could see the bottom in 15 feet. The flow was slow when we first arrived and gradually increased until we left. The bite improved as the current increased with our best success occurring later in the day.

More info for club members: Three walleyes were caught on gold or copper blade baits, and two were caught on crawler harnesses with metallic (flashy) Colorado spinners. Our time was spent about 50/50 with blades and trolling bouncers. The walleyes were in 30 to 40 feet in current seams near heavy current. Trout were in lighter current areas.

Randy with his 25 inch walleye (released).

Orange fish. Wish I would have taken a better picture of the belly.

Fillets from the orange walleye (left) and fillets from another walleye of similar size. All fish were bled out before cleaning.