Merlin, his wife Cheryl, & their son Benjamin, have a working studio - New Salem Stoneware - in the heart of beautiful Cook Forest. If you are ever up that way, be sure to check it out and stop to see Merlin. In the meantime, visit their website - http://newsalemstoneware.tripod.com
Merlin also documents many of his adventures with wonderful essays - I thought you might enjoy this one as much as I did -- it is titled BIG FISH! .............
Erie trip 2011
Early May 2011, a week into walleye season, I found myself on a placid Lake Erie on my new best friend and neighbor’s 26 ft boat. We left Walnut Creek launch late afternoon hoping to score some perch before an evening of walleye trolling, even though reports at the bait shop were that nobody was catching any. After a few futile attempts to harvest pan fish, Captain Bill decided to rig for Walleyes. Perching rigs were stowed and six bait casters loaded with 30 pound test line and line counters were hauled out of storage. Planner boards were deployed and four rods, two on the port side and two on the starboard side, were mounted in rod holders and attached to the planners. The two remaining poles were mounted on the stern attached to down riggers. All lines were tipped with the famed Renoskie stick bait. These according to Captain Bill were sudden death for walleyes. The 454 V8 power plant pushed us along at 2.5 miles an hour, moving closer to shore and shallower water with each pass. As it gets darker, Walleye move to shallower waters to feed. Unfortunately due to cooler water temps the fish weren’t very active. The only Chatter on the marine radio was someone wanting to know if anybody caught anything. He got no response. Four hours into an 8 hour troll, Bill saw a port side rod dip and told me to grab it, give it a hard jerk freeing it from the planner line and reel it in. He asked me if I had a fish but I couldn’t tell, the familial throbbing on the line that the plug creates was not there, but neither were the pulsating gyrations of a fish try to free himself. But something was on the line; it turned out to be a white plastic kitchen trash bag. The only thing caught all day. I had my picture taken with it, commented that if I hooked into a 30 gallon puppy I’d have it mounted, and wandered if this was the only thing a Polish lure could catch. As the sun dropped below the horizon so did the temperature and I was glad I had brought a jacket. As midnight approached and we were on our final run of the evening, Sherri, Bill’s wife, an attractive 30 something brunette who was blessed with the gift of hospitality, always making everyone feel welcome and supplying us with an endless supply of beef sticks, jerky, chips and dip, shivered and chatted on deck while Bill headed us toward shore. It was then that a port side rod tip dipped almost even with the deck. Sherri grabbed the rod, upon realizing she had hooked a Lake Erie leviathan, and fearing being pulled over the stern she cried out for help. Always ready to aid a damsel in distress, especially if they are a babe, I relieved her of the rod, and thanks to my years of experience and innate abilities fighting everything from blue gills to blue fins, I adroitly brought the catch of the day along side of the boat. By now Captain Bill had relinquished the wheel to Sherri and arrived at my side with a net. Together we landed my first Walleye. It was the perfect ending to a not so perfect day as far as catching fish goes. Bill and Sherri were glad I caught something and I was tickled with my first Walleye. Merlin
