Corey Clark and his dog Duke. / Corey Clark/For Wisconsinoutdoorfun.com
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They usually start out as our family pet. With a little work they begin to develop into hunting machines with a passion to please their master and bring back the latest duck or pheasant that was just brought down with a beautiful shot from your most trusted shotgun. The bond some of us share with our dogs out in the field is a story in itself.
Well I have the privilege of not only spending days hunting in the field with my yellow lab Duke, but he has become one of my greatest fishing partners.
Duke is a 4 1/2 year old yellow lab who has brought some of the slowest days of fishing for me to a day full of smiles and laughs. It’s always an adventure that’s for sure.
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Dukes fishing days started 2 years ago when I had just bought my new boat. I wanted to take a quick ride down the Fox River just to get it out. The ice on the landing had opened up maybe 2 days prior. So Duke jumped up in the truck and I figured, "Why not?"
As we were going down the river we came to one of my favorite river fishing areas for early walleyes. I grabbed a rod out of the storage box and slipped on a gulp minnow for a quick first cast out of the new rig. As luck would have it the walleyes were stacked up and I started hauling them in, one after another. Duke joined me in the front of the boat with his ears perked up and muscles twitching. I knew it was just a matter of time before he went in after a fish I had returned to the river.
Well after about an hour or so of fishing I figured I better be on my way. I dropped my jig one last time and instantly a nice walleye slammed it. I brought the fish to the boat side and began to flip it into the boat like I had all the others. All of a sudden the fish kicked and my jig left his mouth. Before I knew what was going on Duke was in the air and with a quick snip he has the walleye in his mouth. I couldn’t help but bust out laughing, as I helped him back in the boat with the walleye trying to free itself from his jaws.
That was the start of it. Now sometimes I wonder what he likes more. Hunting or fishing. I don’t get him out in the boat with me all that much, but come winter time he is with me just about every time I hit the hardwater. He gets in the way a lot, and I have lost some really nice fish because of it, but it sure is worth it. I’ve never seen a dog that can be in a deep sleep or running around outside the shack, and as soon as he hears the drag slip on a hookset, his nose is at the hole waiting for the fish to appear.
Through the years I have made some great fishing buddies. But none give me the laughs that good ol Duke can. It’s always a great adventure when I’m with my “man's best fishing partner.”
Corey Clark is a life long resident of Wisconsin and avid outdoorsman. On the water or in the woods is where his passion lies.
