06/24/2026
Our first day of pre-fishing on Winnie this past weekend produced exactly one perch. Big water, hard wind, a front pushing through, and one perch in the boat to show for all of it.
Two days later, Keller and I weighed a second-place walleye stringer. That makes three straight years of placing in the Women on Winnie tournament. Winnie made us earn every fish, and that is part of why I keep coming back.
What still amazes me is that we have done it three completely different ways. The first year we chased roaming fish with crankbaits. The second year we pulled Scatter Raps over shallow weeds. This year we found them in 10 to 15 feet of water and caught them on slow spinner rigs with Slow Death hooks and crawlers. Same lake, same two women, three completely different answers. That is fishing. The fish are always teaching us something.
None of this happens without Hart. More than twenty years ago, Judi had a vision and built something far bigger than a tournament. She built a community, and every year that community shows up for one another. Thank you, Judi.
Thank you also to Greene for emceeing, Lodge for hosting, Gebhardt for the photos, and all of the volunteers who keep this event running year after year. Beverly, you are a terrific partner on the water, and I am grateful every time we share a boat.
One moment from the weekend still makes me laugh. I donated a copy of my new book to the raffle, and several fishing friends gave me grief because they assumed my first book would be about walleyes. Instead it is Start Smart Money Basics: 10 Money Principles Every Young Adult Should Know, the book I wish someone had handed me when I was young. The fishing book will have to wait.
Next month the season continues at Women's Week at Narrows Lodge in Ontario. Until then, be kind, be patient, and keep casting.
