Since moving to Florida six years ago, our fall semesters have been all work and little play. This year we decided to get away to fish Lake Erie over Purdue’s October Break. Ohio is not noticeably different from Indiana. Plenty of corn, soybeans and one can probably find pie served 24/7; but it does have walleye fishing!!
Our land destination was Port Clinton, a fishing town and home to Wylie the Walleye. Wylie is a 600-pound, 20-foot icon in northern Ohio (and perhaps beyond) made of wood and fiberglass. No hooks, artificial lures on this fish; Wylie rules. This version of Wylie has been around since 1997, replacing a much more fragile one made of papier mache. I can’t imagine that the papier mache Wylie lasted more than one drop, but I don’t know. The highlight of Wylie’s year is on New Year’s Eve and Wylie is the star of the “Walleye Drop” to ring in the New Year. No Swarovski crystal ball here, Port Clinton has Wylie!! Here is a clip of Wylie making his nosedive, ringing in the New Year in downtown Port Clinton.
In addition to his spotlight, starring role on New Year’s Eve, Wylie is busy the other 364 days of the year and not just “flopping” around at the marina. He makes appearances at minor league hockey games in Toledo, sport shows, festivals, parades, and county fairs. He’s travelled to Chicago, Toledo, Cleveland, and Virginia and appeared on the Jay Leno show!! I’m still trying to figure out how he does a parade wave with non-moveable pectoral fins. Maybe he has a posse to wave for him.
Although Wylie is sporting and pretty tough, he had reconstructive surgery in September. The face work was done by a taxidermist who did the work for $4,000, more expensive than Botox, but probably less than a boob, butt or nose job. Similarly, Wylie’s “fixer-upper” wasn’t covered by any insurance for his “male enhancements”. However, Wylie does have support from a non-profit group which covers his “medical” needs (and perhaps his travel arrangements). I’m not making this up!! The photo above is of Wylie, post-surgery; he looks so much younger, don't you think?
Wylie also gets around town a lot, spending much of his time outdoors. According to the local newspaper, Wylie is moved every week to a different location. The first one to “eye” him can go to a website and provide contact information and Wylie’s location and win a prize. Yours truly managed to stumble (no, alcohol was not a factor) on Wylie perched proudly on his wagon, across the street from McCarthy’s Pub!! But I found out about the contest long after the sighting. But if you ever travel to Port Clinton, be sure to seek out a photo op with Wylie!
Next story: Fishing for Wylie’s relatives.
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