My Dad's Trophy Walleye  I'm fishing in a river with my friend Matt Yams, my dad, and another man. We've never fished in this area. It is a pretty river, with a few small rapids, some deeper pools, and some weeds on the bottom in deeper places. I cast a sucker minnow with a hook through its lips. We seem to be on a dock or floatation device. I cast downstream towards the rapids and slowly crank the minnow in. I'm using a bait-casting reel that has two handles and looks like a Zebco 33. Matt is in the water, very close to my bait. He is looking at my bait, like it is in a good spot to catch a fish. He watches it. I can't really cast off to the right because there are other lines out there. My dad is fishing with a gray square bobber. The bobber goes under a bit and moves across the surface: he has a bite! We watch his bobber. I'm in the water on the left side of the dock. I see a big northern pike, heavier than five pounds. It is the one with my dad's lure in its mouth. Very slowly and calmly I tell him to take up the slack line and set the hook. I see the treble hook is on the right side of the pike's mouth. I motion with three fingers, on the side of my mouth, trying to communicate with them that now is the time to set the hook! My dad takes up the slack line. The fish is lifted out of the water: Matt is lifting it up. They didn't set the hook, so I'm worried the fish will shake the hook loose. The fish seems to be paralyzed as they lift it up. They lift it by the line, and the fish hangs there. When it is out of the water, Matt grabs it. I look and see it is a huge walleye, seven or eight pounds! I grab a net and hold it under the fish in case the fish shakes the hook free. I tell dad that this fish would be considered a trophy to some people. My dad wants to let it go. I grab my camera to take a photograph.