Muilenburgs reel in tape-measure walleyes

Zach Muilenburg, pictured above, and his mom, Christine, both plucked 23-plus inch walleyes from White Iron Lake in Minnesota. (Photo submitted)

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Students go to school to learn. A Morris family etched a memory this summer, hitting on a school of fish in northern Minnesota. Which resulted in Zach Muilenburg and his mom, Christine, both netting catches they will remember for a lifetime. Zach and his brother, Kyle, accompanied their parents, John and Christine, for a family vacation that was highlighted by fishing. “We were fishing at White Iron Lake, near Ely (Minn.), in late July,” said John. “We have been going up there for six years now. I have been going up to Minnesota to fish for a lot of years now. About the only time I missed was when the kids were still in diapers.” Which is about the time Zach and Kyle got their indoctrination to the sport. “I started fishing when I was around 5 (years old),” said Zach. “So I have been doing this for a long time. I like fishing because I like being outdoors and I love to be on the water with my family.” The Muilenburgs were on White Iron Lake, late in the afternoon after being on the water since lunch. “It was around 5 (p.m.) and we started hitting the fish,” recalled Zach, who was 12 at the time. “All of a sudden, we hit a good spot,” added John. “We caught a bunch of fish, probably about a dozen. We threw the big ones back.” The ones involved in the catch-and-release included a walleye that measured 23 3/4 inches snagged by Zach “and one almost the same size caught by Christine,” said John. “I was using an octopus hook with a size 4 pink hook,” Zach related. “It was neon pink with a couple of split shots. Once I hooked the fish, it didn't take me very long to reel her in.” The “her” part also was a part of the catch-and-release equation. “It was a big female and those are definitely the ones that we need to put back in the water to help keep the species going,” added John. “And then, about 10 minutes later, Christine hooked a fish almost as big.” “It is one of the largest walleyes I have caught,” said Zach. “I have caught other fish that were quite a bit larger. I have also caught carp, Northern, largemouth and smallmouth bass, bluegills and sunfish.” Zach also fishes Heidecke Lake in addition to several other lakes in Minnesota. He has also fished Lake Michigan and the Ohio River. Zach and Kyle both attend Saratoga Grade Sch-ool. “I like playing basketball, football and soccer,” Zach said. “And I used to play baseball.” John and Christine have lived in Morris for the past 15 years, after moving here from the Hanover Park area. John is a parts and service manager for Hyundai.