The One That Didn't Get Away!

[Click on the heading above to open a webpage with better graphics, a comment field, and email sign up field.]

Last weekend Mary Ann and I travelled to the US to visit our friends Dan and Mary Jane.  They live in the Cleveland area, and bought a lake house near Sandusky a few years ago.  We had been trying to get together with them for most of the summer, so we decided that last weekend was the best time to go.

Also visiting was Mary Jane's sister Joan and her husband Joe.  The six of us have known each other for years, and had a great time over the weekend.

The lake house is much more than a cottage, and can be used year round.

 The lake house is on a small island across the bay from Cedar Point amusement park.  The island is home to wildlife, especially herons and bald eagles.

Johnson Island has a very interesting history.  The island was used during the Civil War (1862 to 1865) to incarcerate Confederate Officers who were prisoners of war.  After the war, the cemetery was abandoned and the grave markers had fallen into disrepair.  In 1905 the lands were purchased by the United Daughters of the Confederacy and marble grave markers were installed for the known graves.  Over 200 graves have been positively identified, but many are not.  In 1932 the preservation of the site was assumed by the US Veterans Administration.

Dan is a big boater and fisherman.  One of the highlights of our visit was the fishing.  This time of year, the perch are running in Lake Erie.  Dan, Joe and I managed to head out Saturday morning and we caught about 30 perch, which was enough for a fish fry on Saturday evening.  Perch are not large fish, so we were fishing with ultralight rods and 6 pound test line.  While reeling in a perch, something big and heavy hit my line, and nearly bent the rod in half.  But it quickly released the perch, and moved on.  The first time, I caught the perch, and sure enough, it had teeth marks across it's midsection.  The second time something hit, it stole the perch from my line and I was empty handed.

But the third time was a charm.  I managed to hook and reel in the biggest walleye (pickerel) that I had ever seen.  It measured 30 inches and weighed an about 10 pounds.  Not bad for 6 pound test line.  Dan had to scamper to find the net, which doesn't get much use catching little perch.

And here is the one that didn't get away!

We had a great weekend, and look forward to next year's invitation...

If you are reading this blog for the first time, don't forget to review the archives at the right side for earlier entries. And feel free to add a comment, as well as share this blog with your friends. If you have not already done so, please enter your email address in the "Follow my Blog by Email" box on the right hand side. It will be much easier for me to stay in touch with you. If you don't see a signup box on the right side, then click on the blog heading and that should take you to a webpage with better graphics. You should then see the signup box on the right side.  If you have trouble signing up, send me an email at mark.girard@rogers.com.

Thanks for reading...


Mark