Walleye World!

[Fondueset]

It's been all about Walleye here lately. The water is warming up - a balmy 50F on the surface - 45 at 10-15 meters. Late in the day yesterday I spotted a Walleye in only about 10 meters of depth - they are moving in a bit as the water warms up. This is nice for pictures since there is a bit more color. Anyway - I took a few shots of that guy playing with the flash then (I like the way their eyes shine under the flash), on the way up spotted what I thought was a log with 3 walleye lounging around it.
Defnitely NOT a log!

check out the video
Walleye-O-Rama

The other still is a leviathan I found out a little deeper. The very mucky bottom here usually keeps me from getting the camera down as low as I'd like - I have to push it forward and take the shot before the silt swirls up.

Addendum - couple more shots from Today - Water was 43F and there were Walleye on every dive - all between 40-50 feet deep and quite large. I can't get enough of their faces!

 

[maytag]

Nice shots and blues! I couldn't get the video to play but it's probably the fault of the local computer. What did the log turn out to be?

 

[Fondueset]

A really hot mermaid! Well - okay - a REALLY HUGE walleye!

 

[spaghetti]

That's super, that's beautiful. Wish I was there. You're magic, I have no words. Great!

 

[Fondueset]

Thanks Guys - the video gives the best idea how big they are - you can see the huge one ovecoming intertia as it rises up off the bottom. I think they are spawning right now - so the fat ones are probably females.

 

[colt.45]

I love the surreal beauty of the underwater world and will often dive just to sight see but I don't but I cant help but wonder how you managed to take thaes pictures without spearing one. Walley is the best tasteing freshwater fish arround. great pics by the way.

 

[Jon]

I can keep from spearing one because it's highly illegal around here!

Chris,

You had way better vis than I did in Lake Michigan last week! I was diving in 3 foot vis on Monday night and less than a foot come Tuesday morning- after the storm.

Jon

 

[colt.45]

Illegal? why?

 

[Fondueset]

It is illegal to spear walleye here because the anglers are a bunch of hysterics and the DNR is their bitch. I avoided it by not bringing my speargun.

Jon - vis at the point of entry was crap until I got about 50 feet from shore - then it was awesome - approaching 100 feet. I could easily spot Walleye from the surface out to maybe 45-60 (from vertical) degrees in 45 feet of water. Bottom was a bit less but still a good 50 or 60 - more at mid-depth. The bottom there is very silty - a bad push off creates an expanding plume of silt that soon engulfs a huge area. I try to be careful when I take pictures - If I have the reserve I'll back away from the fish - then gently surface so as not to spook them. In the video I'm creeping in on my knees - typically I try to lower my profile as i approach and sink down behind the camera. It freaks them out when you rise up. Also bringing up the camera has to be part of a larger movement - they don't like parts moving by themselves. the canted lenses on my Cressi Matrix seem to help too - I think they reflect the bottom which helps avoiding eye contact. You can see the one above on the right looking at me with one eye - and off to it's right with the other - you can also see by the pectoral fin posture it is getting ready to swim off that way. they sit with their pecs flat - and when you see them start to move you know to stop and move very slowly. the silt was the limiting factor in getting close - I had to keep outrunning it.

The shot below gives an idea of the vis - with the sun behind a cloud. the closest fish is probably 15 - 20 feet away (HUGE!) and the camera maybe 3 feet off the bottom. All the Walleye were about 24inches or larger - the big one in the video was probably in the 30 inch range. Stuff allways looks smaller to me underwater.

 

[colt.45]

Just have everybody that you know sign a big petition and then have a couple people email them once or twice a week. They will finaly get sick of you and give in. That's what we had to do so we could spear at lake powell.

 

[Fondueset]

Got me a wide-angle lense

 

[monterey jak]

I wish were as brave as you I'll grab my wetsuit off the boat and maybe see how long I can last this weekend. After all, it's "warming" up. Good time to test my new-to-me camera!

 

[Mr. X]

Good pics, I've never seen a photo of a wall-eye before. Somebody told me that we have walleye & zander in the UK but I have never come across one, nor heard of them being caught. Pike-perch...looks more like a bass-perch to me.

 

[Fondueset]

I think of them as giant Yellow Perch - another amazing tasting fish but they run quite a bit smaller. there are earthlings that'll tell you Walleye is the best tasting fish on the planet.

Off topic but here are a couple shots of my daughter diving in the same area in her monofin

 

[marginatus]

I love them all but the second picture has something special...

 

[Fondueset]

I like that one too. That is an amazing area. It goes from just over 1 meter to 12-13 in a very short distance - with a beautiful sand bottom. Visibility there was approaching 30 meters.

 

[saskfish]

WOW that is great i have to find a place with vis like that cus for some reson i get really freaked out of my mind when the vis really low . great vid

 

[Amphibious]

Mmmmm, beer battered walleye.... Mmmmm......


great photos Chris!

 

[Fondueset]

Honorable mention for these guys - not as tasty - but allows lounging in the same area - generally right around 50 ft.

 

[Amphibious]

they are most delicious as fish cakes. hint hint wink wink....