Fall turnover explained, Gargantuan pike caught, Shallow sand lovers

Still has to be one of the wildest pics I’ve been sent…. Ken Marklein managed to catch this tank by its freakin’ DNR tracking tag [!] while pre-fishing for the AIM Marinette event a couple years back. #Madness:

Hope Ken picked up a lottery ticket or 4!

We’re talking what happens when water temps start to drop in the fall.

Came across this Rick Olson write-up deeeeep within the Fishing Minnesota archives. Timely stuff – make sure you understand it!

> “As water temps reach their summer high, a layering process occurs…an upper warmer layer and a lower cooler layer – separated by a quickly changing narrow band known as the thermocline.

> “This deeper, cooler, bottom layer can quickly become totally void of oxygen…. …dead water can be a complete waste of time. …concentrate your efforts at the thermocline and shallower.

> “Fish-finders display density of objects…. The upper warmer layer is less dense than the cooler bottom layer – it’s this change in density that will show up on a graph…looks like a constant narrow band.

> “Some lakes are so shallow and windswept that they may never thermocline, like Mille Lacs…. The big lake circulates every time you get a decent wind, and the temperature remains relatively consistent from top to bottom….

> “It’s not just the fact that a lake will turn over that causes tough fishing conditions…more likely due to the rapidly-dropping water temps. The body temperature of a fish is subject to its environment – rapid changes in water temp can shut fish down…it may take some time for their body to adjust.”

> “The turnover usually coincides with the first hard frost of fall, but not always. Some years the change is so gradual that it becomes difficult to pin down. One of the indicators to look for is water temperature.

> “When surface temps drop into the lower 60s and upper 50s, you can figure you’re in the turnover zone. Walleye activity can range from bad to good depending on how quickly water temps cool off. A gradual slide can make for better fishing….

> “Late summer and early fall can be one of the best times to work the shallow rocks with Rapala Shad Raps. …the most effective crankbait for working shallow structure there is. …perfect fish-attracting wiggle and some great fall colors like ‘fire tiger’ and ‘crawdad.’

> “Another option, would be avoiding the negative effects of the turnover by trying to find a lake that hasn’t turned yet, or one that already has and had a week or 2 to settle down. The first ones to go are the shallow lakes as they have less mass and cool quicker…. There may be as much as 2 weeks difference – or more – as to when it all begins and ends.”

You can keep reading Rick’s full write-up here.

H2H Pro Walleye Series 🔨 Isaac Lakich is no stranger to BIG walleyes, but this one is even getting up there for him lol. Here’s 32.25″ of Green Bay gold he LiveScope’d outta 25′ while casting a Walleye Nation Creations Death Jig to a rock-to-sand transition at the tip of a windblown point. And all on the “first cast after getting lunch” = rough!

Oh yeah, and he also caught this itty-bitty 🙃 31.25″ walleye that same day:

Dude is a straight-up hammer. 👊 He’s been on an absolute rampage the last few years in the walleye tourney world, and I wouldn’t expect that to change anytime soon.

It’s no secret that walleyes love hanging around bottleneck areas such a channels and bridges, but imagine strolling over THIS with your Humminbird MEGA Side Imaging! 😳Know where I’d be for the next few days straight lol:

I feel like that’s the type of thing they see at Devils Lake, ND every day. 😂

It’s no secret that European fish get freakishly big – but for some reason it still shocks me every time I see ’em. This gargantuan pike caught by @sergiodjneke is no different! 😳

1. 2022 NWT schedule dropped.

• Mar 31 – Apr 1: Trenton, MI – Detroit River only
• May 5-6: Chamberlain, SD – Missouri River
• Jun 9-10: Prairie du Chien, WI – Mississippi River
• Jul 14-15: Marinette, WI – Bay of Green Bay
• Aug 24-26: Championship – Dunkirk NY – Lake Erie

2. NWT Championship is happenin’ right NOW…

…on Ottertail Lake, MN (day 1 of 3). Believe the weigh-in starts at 4pm CST and they’re live streaming it on NWT’s Facebook page, or you can hit the live leaderboard here. Don’t worry…your boss will be watching it too lol.

3. MN: DNR proposes minor changes to sunfish regs…

…on Carnelian and Pleasant lakes in Stearns County:

> …would replace the current reduced possession limit for sunfish with a reduced daily limit, which will allow an angler to take a daily limit from these lakes multiple days in a row until reaching the statewide possession limit (20 sunfish).

Also proposing some other minor changes on 3 Wright County lakes, including Mink-Somers, Sugar and Crawford Lake.

4. Catch Co purchases will support vets.

Will be donating 10% of sales thru Sept 24 to Freedom Fighter Outdoors.

5. AL: Humminbird’s expanding its plant in Eufaula.

> …a multi-million-dollar 27,400 sq-ft project scheduled for this autumn. …expected to create 77 new jobs for assembly workers, technicians and supervisors, along with positions in shipping, IT, HR and tech support.

> This latest expansion follows a 17,000 sq-ft addition to the warehouse in May….

6. Brunswick acquired SemahTronix.

> …a global supplier of high-complexity electrical wiring harnesses for advanced products in the marine, mobile and defense industries.

7. MN-FISH added 4 industry vets to its board of directors.

Danny Suggs, Rob Drieslein, Jimmy Bell and Dave Hanson.

Reminder that MN-FISH is an organization designed to be a voice for all anglers in MN.

8. The Sept. “Buck of the Month” is here…

…and they go FAST. This one’s called the 301 Stockman:

9. Mepps still wants your squirrel tails.

And they’ll pay up to 26 cents each, depending on quality and quantity.

10. Trout Unlimited wants 4 lower Snake River dams gone.

To help restore trout and steelhead.

11. UT: 23K catfish stocked in Mantua Reservoir.

> “These catfish should clean up a little of the algae here…also should stabilize the bluegill population.”

12. DC: USFWS opens fishing/hunting on 2.1 mil more acres.

The largest expansion of outdoor recreation opportunities in recent history.

13. GoPro Hero 10 is out now.

Which makes sense ‘cuz I bought a couple of 8s less than a year ago lol.

14. Dometic (RV, etc company) buys Igloo.

Bought it for $677 mil cash. #ChaChing

Fall walleyes LOVE sand.

This can be a frustrating time of year to track down a limit of tasties. Fish are on the move, but they’ll be migrating to predictable areas and eventually schooling up hard.

Ted Takasaki, Scott Richardson and Greg Bohn combined forces to give us some fall-transition secrets. Full write-up archived here, few excerpts below:

> “Baitfish will only stay in weeds as long as they’re very green. Once weeds start to die off…baitfish and walleyes start to leave those shallow-water weed areas.

> “If you’re fishing summer spots and they aren’t there, start fishing the sand. As the transition is getting underway, it’s still common to find walleyes in 15′ or less.

> “They start to move out to more open-water areas at first…sliding out around deep water: sandbars that come out from shore and drop to deeper water, sand flats, sand points and sand humps.

> “Walleyes begin to move deeper as water temps drop toward turnover (begins at 62 degrees or so). Instead of looking for fish to be on top of structures, look deeper.

> “They will be in spots like the sharper breaks or on mid-lake humps that top out at perhaps 20′, rather than 15′, or in holes in soft-bottom flats where depth drops from 15′ to 20′.

> “Walleyes become more selective about where they stage. They generally locate on a spot-on-a-spot. For example, if they’re on a mid-lake hump with scattered boulders, they will be on the boulders. If all rock, look for the patch of sand. If all sand, look for the rockpile.

> “Because more and more walleyes show up on these few spots, more and more of the lake holds no fish. It’s easy to be skunked if you don’t pay attention to subtle differences on the structure.”

More info here.

We’re a couple days past September’s full harvest moon. Did anyone get out pulling cranks? 😏 Pics or it didn’t happen!

No doubt this one’s been putting the fall feedbag on! Reese Mack caught her ripping glide baits on ND’s Lake Sakakawea – 👊 nicely done, dude, and nice hat!

National Professional Anglers Assoc. 

MN-FISH