There's a reason they don't call it "catching." Fishing, for me, is about more than bringing home dinner. It's mist burning off the lake as the sun creeps up the back of my neck, it's the gentle loll of the waves, and it's the quiet, oh the quiet.
On those mornings a fish, like a good idea, is payoff for attention and patience, experience and luck. Sure, the knowledge of equipment and technique -- "drift bags" and "jiggers," spawning rituals, contours of the lake -- all of that helps. But it's both the waiting and watching that I love as well as the sudden surprise of a "bump" and the ensuing tug and reel-bending fight. Even on days we have to release a small catch, or reel in no more than a suntan, I love to go out and fish.
This weekend, with the annual opener, all eyes are on walleye, the prize. Though it's sometimes called walleye pike, it's not a pike at all, but a member of the perch family. Because there's very little commercial walleye fishing in our state, most local walleye must come from the angler's hook. The fishing opener falls just as the walleye have finished spawning, they're exhausted, hungry and fierce. They rest in the shallows in early spring and seek deeper water through summer's heat.
Walleye meat is delicate, nuanced, flinty and sweet; it's like eating the pure icy lake itself. The best way to prepare the fish is to do as little as possible -- and don't overcook. Like Dover sole, which it's often compared to, walleye is renowned for its firm, buttery texture and pearly white flesh.
If you get back to shore with no more than a story, know that fresh walleye from Canada and Lake Erie is available from several very reliable sources such as Coastal Seafoods (www.coastalseafoods. com) with retail stores in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Coastal supplies many members of the Twin Cities Natural Foods Co-op. It's a great source of information, too.
Tips for the catch• Walleye should be iced immediately after capture to retain the delicate flavor.
• If you're purchasing whole walleye, avoid those with cloudy eyes. Don't buy any fish with a strong odor. The fish should be firm, not spongy.
• After the walleye has been cleaned, rinse it thoroughly in cold water, wrap it in plastic and store it in the back of the refrigerator where the temperature is the coolest.
