03-25-2019, 08:41 PM
"We should have TD recount some of the stories of the infamous "Geneva Dry Fly "days."
[#0000FF]The warm outflow from the now defunct Geneva Steel plant was a fish magnet...for all species. Also for happy harvester type anglers. When the walleyes were "in" the whole atmosphere changed. The night shift came on and the masses went wacko...slinging their "dry fly" rigs out into the darkness. These rigs sometimes were merely standard jigs. But many times they were big treble hooks with a bit of colored yarn for extra visibility. And the retrieves were seldom what you might call "finesse". They were more like someone trying to hook and land the fish on one wild sweep of the rod.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]In all fairness, some walleyes were caught fairly...at least the hook was close to the mouth...or not too far back on the body. But almost all of the bigger females caught were "side smackers", "dorsal diners" or "tail takers". Amazing how aggressive those walleyes become at hitting lures during the spawn.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]Also amazing was the lack of DWR interference in the melee. But when a CO or two did show up, the glazed-eyed wallie wackos still kept slinging their rape rigs. What was even more hilarious was when someone was caught blatantly bringing in a snagged fish...and keeping it...they were totally ticked when the officer refused to let them keep the fish. They seemingly didn't care about the ticket, but did care about having to forfeit their ill-gotten fish. And there were fistfights that broke out over who had actually caught a fish that two people had both snagged.
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[#0000FF]I was grossed out when a "friend" first took me there to show me that great fishery. I bravely fought my way out into the wading warriors and made some casts. Wonder of walleye wonders, I actually caught a small male...fairly...in the mouth. But when I left my place in the lineup to put the fish in a cooler I lost my spot. No worries. When I began to fillet that fish later my nostrils were assailed with the stench of creosote...from the foul-smelling discharge from Geneva Steel. I did not ever fish there again...until well after Geneva Steel closed down around Y2K.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]And the rest of the story? When I got back to my car it was covered in soot and ash that had fallen out of the sky from Geneva Steel's furnaces.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]Not exactly a postcard for pristine fishing.
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[#0000FF]The warm outflow from the now defunct Geneva Steel plant was a fish magnet...for all species. Also for happy harvester type anglers. When the walleyes were "in" the whole atmosphere changed. The night shift came on and the masses went wacko...slinging their "dry fly" rigs out into the darkness. These rigs sometimes were merely standard jigs. But many times they were big treble hooks with a bit of colored yarn for extra visibility. And the retrieves were seldom what you might call "finesse". They were more like someone trying to hook and land the fish on one wild sweep of the rod.[/#0000FF]
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[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]In all fairness, some walleyes were caught fairly...at least the hook was close to the mouth...or not too far back on the body. But almost all of the bigger females caught were "side smackers", "dorsal diners" or "tail takers". Amazing how aggressive those walleyes become at hitting lures during the spawn.[/#0000FF]
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[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]Also amazing was the lack of DWR interference in the melee. But when a CO or two did show up, the glazed-eyed wallie wackos still kept slinging their rape rigs. What was even more hilarious was when someone was caught blatantly bringing in a snagged fish...and keeping it...they were totally ticked when the officer refused to let them keep the fish. They seemingly didn't care about the ticket, but did care about having to forfeit their ill-gotten fish. And there were fistfights that broke out over who had actually caught a fish that two people had both snagged.
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[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]I was grossed out when a "friend" first took me there to show me that great fishery. I bravely fought my way out into the wading warriors and made some casts. Wonder of walleye wonders, I actually caught a small male...fairly...in the mouth. But when I left my place in the lineup to put the fish in a cooler I lost my spot. No worries. When I began to fillet that fish later my nostrils were assailed with the stench of creosote...from the foul-smelling discharge from Geneva Steel. I did not ever fish there again...until well after Geneva Steel closed down around Y2K.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]And the rest of the story? When I got back to my car it was covered in soot and ash that had fallen out of the sky from Geneva Steel's furnaces.[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]
[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]Not exactly a postcard for pristine fishing.
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[signature]