Crankbait tuning hack, Green Bay teener, Zander make nests?

And no doubt you’ll recognize the dude who caught her = The Next Bite TV’s Chase Parsons. Little insight from the man, the myth, the walleye-catching legend:

> Chase: “Well, all my life I’ve said it’s gonna take 15 lbs to go on the wall. Today was the closest I’ve ever been. After catching several around 13 lbs at Bay of Quinte years ago and a decent amount of 10-12s throughout the years, it almost happened on my home body of water [Green Bay out of Oconto, WI].”

She measured 30.5″ long x 20.5″ girth and weighed a hefty 14.2 lbs on the scale (twice). Nothing against trolling, but I LOVE that he caught it in hand-to-hand combat. Said he was pitching a 3/8-oz hair jig (purple) in skinny water. BIG congrats, man! 🤯 Now here she be:

Released to get even more bigger-er, if that’s possible lol. But it gets better:

> “To be able to catch a walleye of this caliber is once in a lifetime, but to do it in a big-fish side bet [$100 a pop] with friends Korey Sprengel and Tommy Kemos, makes it even better!”

Hahahaha love that. Korey has been a little quiet 😜 but Tommy Kemos dropped a quick comment under Chase’s post:

> Tommy Kemos: “Awesome fish! Still furious though!!”

Don’t feel too bad for Tommy…he got himself a consolation prize to the tune of 11 lbs:

Incredible stuff!

Next up they’re headed to the Missouri River out of Chamberlain, SD for the next NWT event on Apr 28-29. Last time the NWT was there, Chase took home the win and left with one of those Billy Madison checks. Was even nice enough to let Tommy (2nd) hold it:

Do your thing, fellas!

Side note: I had to poke a little fun at Tommy above seeing as he came out on top in this walleye fishing meets Yellowstone pic I made last month lol.

Okay this is sorta wild. A tiny detail, but wild. Came across this post by Wild Dakota back in 2019 and somehow it’s the first time I have EVER heard anyone talk about it:

> Mike V: “How many of you actually tune your baits? It doesn’t matter if you’re casting or trolling you should. Here’s a little trick that Bill from Walleye Nation taught me.

> “Sometimes it’s not the front eyelet on the bait that needs adjustments, it’s actually the front treble hook.”

> “Look at the two baits pictured, the one on the left is installed properly and the one on the right is not. The eyelet, split ring, and hook are all 90° with each other. This allows 2 hooks of the treble to straddle the bait and the third hook will be centered below. The bait on the right is not 90°, this will make 2 hooks want to favor one side of the bait. This will make your crank bait want to pull to whatever side the hooks are favoring

> “It doesn’t matter what brand you use, a lot of them come out of the package this way. With everything being mass produced it’s very easy for this to happen. So next time you have that bait that wants to run to one side or the other check your front treble. It might be as simple as turning your hook around.”

Did some more digging trying to figure out why I had never heard this talked about, and was able to find a TacticalBassin Youtube video from 2016 going over this. So maybe I’m just late to the party?

Here it is for you visual learners:

Small sample size but that’s what MN DNR’s Tom Jones found when comparing the 2 hook styles on Mille Lacs:

> “…circle hooks killed 12% of fish landed whereas J-hooks killed 27%.”

Pretty interesting. No doubt circle hooks seem to get way more fish in the lips instead of the throat when rigging live bait. Buuuut if nearly 1/3 of the walleyes you catch are dying, then you must be taking way too long to set the hook…. 🤷‍♂️ Just saying.

Btw every single time I hear about “hooking mortality” it makes me think of that one Stumpy quote from the movie Out Cold lol:

Mentioned this once before, but way too fascinating not to bring up again.

Here’s another difference between walleye and their muscle-bound cousin: Zander make/protect nests whereas walleyes just sprinkle their eggs across rocky bottoms. Imagine fishing a minefield like this:

Sorry, I had to! 🤣

I’ve also mentioned before we maybe need to take a closer look at what our European friends are throwin’ for zander, and bring some of that flavor over here. I’ve always had this feeling that westernorthern Europe (Sweden, Finland, Germany, etc) is basically the Japan of walleye fishing.

Let me explain: In the bassin’ world, Japan is known for their crazy-detailed, durable, down-right exciting baits that catch the snot outta fish. Designs and techniques that we don’t see on this side of the Pacific until years later.

Just sayin’ you know our walleyes haven’t seen much for this kind of stuff. #TargetZander

Interestingly enough, TW reader Christian Drost from Holland started doing the reverse of that 👀 and trying some of our stuff over there:

> Christian: “Unreal how many fish the Impulse Smelt Minnow has already caught. The slim profile, look and smell…they love it! I fished it on a 3/8-oz jighead with a #6 stinger – works great!”

Still want me a zander….

If you’re from central MN, you’ll recognize the name from Christopherson Bait Shop in Alexandria. Magical place. I worked there for many years growing up, and it’s a big reason I had that “spark” for wanting to work in the fishing industry.

To this day, I still say an energetic “Yo!” when greeting someone…because that’s how Al would always sound off when flying into the bait shop with a flat of crawlers and massive smirk on his face. Someone so special will not be forgotten. 🙏✝️ Thoughts & prayers to Denise, Dana, and the rest of the family.

2. WI: Some walleye reg changes in the north country.

> Anglers may keep a daily bag limit of 3 walleye at least 15″ but less than 20″, or they can keep 2 walleye 15-20″ and one over 24″. The change will be in effect for the May 7, 2022, fishing season opener.

3. MN: John Hoyer’s doing a walleye seminar at Frankie’s TOMORROW.

At noon in Chisago – will be talking how to catch your limit of walleyes this fishing opener.

4. Z-Man hired a new bait designer.

Jose Chavez is the new director of product development. He has a background in microbiology and previously “helped transform brand identities for 13Fishing and Savage Gear, creating numerous groundbreaking fishing lures and winning several ‘Best of’ category awards at the annual ICAST show.”

> Jose Chavez: “I’m a big fan of the everyday angler and the lifestyle. For me, it’s about putting the types of lures in people’s hands that produce amazing, unforgettable on-the-water experiences.

> “From an outside perspective, before even joining the team, I’d have to say I viewed Z-Man in a unique light. A lot of us believed Z-Man had the best reputation in fishing. Still does. That speaks to both the pioneering products and the people, all of whom understand fishing, the angler and the passion that drives the consumer.

> “Naturally, I’m excited to get right in there and start contributing fresh ideas and concepts, and ultimately, to elevate the Z-Man fan experience to even greater heights of awesome.”

Dude has a good gig AND a tough one, meaning trying to make an already great product mix better. 🤝 Congrats to both!

5. MN: Mega Bucks Walleye Tourney on Big Stone, Apr 29-30.

Big dollar entry fee, bigger dollar payouts.

6. MO: Bass Pro Shops donated $1.5 mil to conservation…

…after the massive World’s Fishing Fair dealio:

> This donation – which represents 100% of the ticket sales from 3 nights of “Concerts for Conservation” and 100% of the admissions to the World’s Fishing Fair (doubling the initial pledge of 50% of all ticket sales)….

7. Yo pontoon-ers!

Turn that cabin cruiser into a fishing machine – after you kick all the joy-riders off 😂 – with Millennium Marine’s R-500 Pontoon Boat Rod Holder:

> “…easy and simple to add rod holders to pontoon boats or boats that have existing rails. It easily and securely mounts on your existing rail with no holes to drill. …mounts seamlessly to round or square-tube rails from 0.75″ to 1.5″. Patented Spyderlok Technology guarantees incremental locking angles and a 360° rotation, and it has a rugged design that will last a lifetime.”

Literally every single time I’ve been out for a lap around the lake in a friend’s pontoon, I’ve wondered why in the heck we don’t have at least a couple of crankbaits following us around?! Oh, and obviously need a Side Imaging unit on there if you’re going to be strolling around at 4-5 mph all over the place anyway lol.

Btw I’ve also heard of folks clamping those rod holders right onto fishing piers and bridges…. Looks like they’ve got a bunch in stock right now if you’re shopping.

8. IA: Spirit Lake Hatchery is filling with northern pike.

Crews placed “fyke nets in the outlets of the sloughs that flow into Big Spirit Lake.” A total of 195 adult northern pike were collected in 3 days…the broodstock produced over 1.7 mil eggs.

9. WV: Blue catfish record broken.

By Cody Carver who caught and released a 61.28-lb (45.51″) behemoth soaking cut chad in the Marmet Pool of the Kanawha River.

Best Side Imaging frequencies.

No doubt modern electronics can be confusing, but I came across this Tactical Bassin’ video that does a good job of breaking down the differences between running 455 kHz, 800 kHz, and 1,200 kHZ (aka 1.2 MEGAhertz) on your Side Imaging unit.

Basically more power = more detail. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you should always be running at the highest power – news to me. The farther you want to search from the boat, the lower the frequency you wanna use….

Here’s the the short version on how Tim Little from Tactical Bassin’ does it:

Uses 455 khz when in “search mode” – scanning a broader location, in deeper water. Not looking for fish…he’s looking for structure 190-250′ [!] out each side of the boat. At those ranges you’d see the higher-power frequencies sort of “fade off” into darkness.

Here’s a screenshot from his video showing how the 455 kHz (bottom) picks up a boulder transition 150′ to 190′ off to the right – switched over to 800 kHz (top) at the same spot and it couldn’t quite reach the goods:

When he graphs structure waaaay out to the side at 455 kHz that he wants a better look at, he swings over to it and switches to 800 kHz to get a more-detailed picture and “dial it in.” Says you need to be closer to the schtuff you’re graphing – drops down his range to scan 100′ out to each side – but will get a clearer picture.

Now if you’ve got the 1,200-ish kHz MEGA Imaging, that’s gonna give the highest-rez/clearest picture of what’s going on – but has the shortest range. Running it 60-90′ out each side is typically gonna give you the sharpest image…talkin’ razor-sharp to actually see fish hidden in-and-around the structure you’re scanning.

More info on all the above in Tactical Bassin’s full video here:

National Professional Anglers Assoc. 

MN-FISH