Sometime after midnight,
when the boat traffic ceased and the wind abated, calm fell over the floating
village.
The only motion was the swirl of the Wolf River; the only sound was the hiss of gas lanterns.
A half moon hung high in the black sky.
Life was reduced to essentials - sleep and fishing.
Casey Schalkowski of Weyauwega, my host and fishing partner, fluctuated between the two.
"If you don't mind, I'm going to catch a few," Schalkowski said, stretching out on the south bunk.
Not at all. I sat along the north wall, watching over three rods as the moonlight shimmered on the Wolf.
That's the beauty of raft fishing. The home-away-from-home is sleeping quarters, kitchen and fishing vessel rolled into one.
I joined Schalkowski on the fishing raft he built and co-owns with Eric Peters, also of Weyauwega.
They call the 18-by-21-foot structure "Da Fish Barn." It's got a steel roof and red sides like many structures in the agricultural heartland.
But this barn comes on floats. And it's designed for one purpose - to house anglers on the Wolf River during the spring walleye run.
Hundreds of custom-built rafts are launched on the Wolf each spring. It's a colorful part of the local outdoors culture.
These aren't your spur of the moment, Huck Finn-like floats.Buying a Cheap Woolrich Jackets Parka Clotings from seller in another country.
The rafts require an annual $5 permit as well as an initial $20 inspection. They must have an outhouse, a fire extinguisher, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and life jackets.
Schalkowski and Peters built theirs on the frame of a raft handed down by Schalkowski's father and uncle.
"We were sitting around in late winter 2009, time on our hands, thinking about what we could do,Designer coats outlet collection carried a strong graphic element." Schalkowski said. "The walleye run was coming. We decided to build a raft.,moncler clairy parka are available from selective retailers all across the world."
Two months later, "Da Fish Barn" was ready. It features a stove, floor heater and lanterns. The walls are insulated and paneled. The floor is carpeted.
Four cabinets hang from the back wall, four bunks are set on the sides. A pair of 5-by-4-foot picture windows line the front, or river, side of the raft.
Fishing tackle is stored in the ceiling. A propane tank fuels the stove, heater and lanterns. A portable generator is sometimes used to power the lights and radio.
A welded steel railing surrounds the raft. Rod holders are clamped to the top rung.
Schalkowski, 23, and Peters, 26, tether their raft about a mile downstream from Gill's Landing.
The river makes a long S-turn in this stretch, carving out a 30-foot deep hole close to shore. The raft sits on the edge of the hole.
In another unique local custom, the raft anglers typically use long cane poles to fish crank baits.
"The rule of thumb is 20 feet of line for a 20 foot pole," said Schalkowski. "Depending on the current, we'll use from a half-ounce to 4 ounces of weight to keep the lures at the desired depth."
About 1 a.m. the middle cane pole started jumping, and then its white tip was pulled beneath the water's surface.
I bolted out of my chair, ran onto the front deck and grabbed the 15-foot pole.
"Fish!" I yelled through the open door.
Schalkowski joined me outside and 30 seconds later slid the landing net under a 23-inch walleye.
It was a spawned out female, dropping back to the lakes after completing its mission.
Anglers here refer to "up" and "down" runs as the walleyes migrate from Lake Winnebago to the spawning marshes and back.
The first comes as the ice melts and the river rises in spring, spilling into the marshes, and drawing tens of thousands of walleyes up from the Lake Winnebago system.
The fish spawn along the edges of the river and in the marshes. The females deposit egg masses and are the first to head downriver.
The male walleyes fertilize the eggs and typically stay in the marshes for several more days.
Once the males begin descending to the Winnebago system, the fishing on the Wolf - at least for action and numbers - can peak.
With the warmer than usual weather in March, the spawning run peaked early this year.
According to Department of Natural Resources reports, the 2012 walleye run is dominated by 22- to 24-inch females of the 2005 year class and 15- to 17-inch males from the 2008 year class.
The catch energized Schalkowski and me. We set out three more rods and watched as lightning began highlighting advancing clouds.
"The action often comes in flurries," Schalkowski said. "You never know what time it could happen."
Schalkowski works third shift at a foundry in Waupaca. His normal schedule allows him to fish in the evening until about 9 p.m., then motor back to the landing and drive to work.
After his shift, he returns to the raft, catches a few hours sleep and then starts fishing again. Since he and Peters put it in the river March 15, he's spent at least part of each day on the raft.
Schalkowski's girlfriend, Mindy Young, 23, of Weyauwega, often joins him on the raft for dinner.
Peters, who raises beef cattle and works a construction job, gets out to the raft as many evenings and weekends as possible.
Some folks like to travel to Florida for spring break. Others take a week of vacation to fish on their home river.
Schalkowski schedules one week of vacation for the first week of April.
"It's raft time,canada goose jackets" Schalkowski said. "No place better to be."
Over the next four hours, we landed three more walleyes and lost one. Two of the three were spawned out females,Men's Cheap moncler outlet parka shop is the the necessary coat for any handsome man in both spring ang autumn . which we kept. But one still had eggs and was released.
About 4 a.m. the storm moved in; hail rattled off the raft's steel roof. The lightning stayed mostly in the clouds.
At dawn, the sky began to clear and sandhill cranes called from the nearby marsh.
Boats began to ply the river again as anglers headed to their favorite spots. The sun had yet to rise, but we decided to call it a day.
When your fishing vessel is your lodge, time takes on a different dimension.
The only motion was the swirl of the Wolf River; the only sound was the hiss of gas lanterns.
A half moon hung high in the black sky.
Life was reduced to essentials - sleep and fishing.
Casey Schalkowski of Weyauwega, my host and fishing partner, fluctuated between the two.
"If you don't mind, I'm going to catch a few," Schalkowski said, stretching out on the south bunk.
Not at all. I sat along the north wall, watching over three rods as the moonlight shimmered on the Wolf.
That's the beauty of raft fishing. The home-away-from-home is sleeping quarters, kitchen and fishing vessel rolled into one.
I joined Schalkowski on the fishing raft he built and co-owns with Eric Peters, also of Weyauwega.
They call the 18-by-21-foot structure "Da Fish Barn." It's got a steel roof and red sides like many structures in the agricultural heartland.
But this barn comes on floats. And it's designed for one purpose - to house anglers on the Wolf River during the spring walleye run.
Hundreds of custom-built rafts are launched on the Wolf each spring. It's a colorful part of the local outdoors culture.
These aren't your spur of the moment, Huck Finn-like floats.Buying a Cheap Woolrich Jackets Parka Clotings from seller in another country.
The rafts require an annual $5 permit as well as an initial $20 inspection. They must have an outhouse, a fire extinguisher, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and life jackets.
Schalkowski and Peters built theirs on the frame of a raft handed down by Schalkowski's father and uncle.
"We were sitting around in late winter 2009, time on our hands, thinking about what we could do,Designer coats outlet collection carried a strong graphic element." Schalkowski said. "The walleye run was coming. We decided to build a raft.,moncler clairy parka are available from selective retailers all across the world."
Two months later, "Da Fish Barn" was ready. It features a stove, floor heater and lanterns. The walls are insulated and paneled. The floor is carpeted.
Four cabinets hang from the back wall, four bunks are set on the sides. A pair of 5-by-4-foot picture windows line the front, or river, side of the raft.
Fishing tackle is stored in the ceiling. A propane tank fuels the stove, heater and lanterns. A portable generator is sometimes used to power the lights and radio.
A welded steel railing surrounds the raft. Rod holders are clamped to the top rung.
Schalkowski, 23, and Peters, 26, tether their raft about a mile downstream from Gill's Landing.
The river makes a long S-turn in this stretch, carving out a 30-foot deep hole close to shore. The raft sits on the edge of the hole.
In another unique local custom, the raft anglers typically use long cane poles to fish crank baits.
"The rule of thumb is 20 feet of line for a 20 foot pole," said Schalkowski. "Depending on the current, we'll use from a half-ounce to 4 ounces of weight to keep the lures at the desired depth."
About 1 a.m. the middle cane pole started jumping, and then its white tip was pulled beneath the water's surface.
I bolted out of my chair, ran onto the front deck and grabbed the 15-foot pole.
"Fish!" I yelled through the open door.
Schalkowski joined me outside and 30 seconds later slid the landing net under a 23-inch walleye.
It was a spawned out female, dropping back to the lakes after completing its mission.
Anglers here refer to "up" and "down" runs as the walleyes migrate from Lake Winnebago to the spawning marshes and back.
The first comes as the ice melts and the river rises in spring, spilling into the marshes, and drawing tens of thousands of walleyes up from the Lake Winnebago system.
The fish spawn along the edges of the river and in the marshes. The females deposit egg masses and are the first to head downriver.
The male walleyes fertilize the eggs and typically stay in the marshes for several more days.
Once the males begin descending to the Winnebago system, the fishing on the Wolf - at least for action and numbers - can peak.
With the warmer than usual weather in March, the spawning run peaked early this year.
According to Department of Natural Resources reports, the 2012 walleye run is dominated by 22- to 24-inch females of the 2005 year class and 15- to 17-inch males from the 2008 year class.
The catch energized Schalkowski and me. We set out three more rods and watched as lightning began highlighting advancing clouds.
"The action often comes in flurries," Schalkowski said. "You never know what time it could happen."
Schalkowski works third shift at a foundry in Waupaca. His normal schedule allows him to fish in the evening until about 9 p.m., then motor back to the landing and drive to work.
After his shift, he returns to the raft, catches a few hours sleep and then starts fishing again. Since he and Peters put it in the river March 15, he's spent at least part of each day on the raft.
Schalkowski's girlfriend, Mindy Young, 23, of Weyauwega, often joins him on the raft for dinner.
Peters, who raises beef cattle and works a construction job, gets out to the raft as many evenings and weekends as possible.
Some folks like to travel to Florida for spring break. Others take a week of vacation to fish on their home river.
Schalkowski schedules one week of vacation for the first week of April.
"It's raft time,canada goose jackets" Schalkowski said. "No place better to be."
Over the next four hours, we landed three more walleyes and lost one. Two of the three were spawned out females,Men's Cheap moncler outlet parka shop is the the necessary coat for any handsome man in both spring ang autumn . which we kept. But one still had eggs and was released.
About 4 a.m. the storm moved in; hail rattled off the raft's steel roof. The lightning stayed mostly in the clouds.
At dawn, the sky began to clear and sandhill cranes called from the nearby marsh.
Boats began to ply the river again as anglers headed to their favorite spots. The sun had yet to rise, but we decided to call it a day.
When your fishing vessel is your lodge, time takes on a different dimension.
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