The 35th-annual Clear Lake Walleye Classic (hosted by the Clear Lake Fishing Club) is IA's biggest and longest-running walleye tourney. This year's event, set for May 10-11 on Clear Lake, is switching to a catch-photo-release format, letting folks use those plentiful 17-22” slot fish for their baskets – sounds like there’s a TON of ‘em!


> Alex Templeton, CLFC prez, Tempy’s Guide Service owner, and event organizer: “The lake has really started to shine and there is plenty of potential for 20+lb per day bags.

> “With fish numbers being some of the best we have ever seen, we are very excited for the new format, it will definitely let the lake show off its true potential!

> “The first couple weeks in May also boast the best fishing of the year!”

This little puzzle of a lake will test top anglers and reward those who grind to find the big girls. Fish numbers are some of the best ever, and the new CPR format should let Clear Lake flex its true potential.

It’s capped at a 100-boat field, and some years they’ve had 20+ teams on the waitlist after March 1, so run don't walk if you want to get registered.

Side note: The CLFC also tags some walleyes during the event with a bounty on ‘em – sounds like a bunch are worth $100 each, but the 2 biggest they tag are worth $1,000 each!

TW friend and contributor Joel VandeKrol (sorry for putting you on blast, man! lol) caught one of the big dawgs while throwing a "chartreuse pearl" color Rapala CrushCity Freeloader from the bank. See the little blue tag on the fish’s back?

BUT if you hook into a tagged one and want to release it, you need to get pics AND cut that tag afterwards.... Otherwise you’ll miss out on the grand, just like Joel did. Whoops!

So he literally got to watch a mortgage payment wave goodbye.

Some folks are smarter than Joel, tho....

Like Anna Shannon who captured the other $1K tagged walleye a couple days later on a slip-bobber and leech – it was a 28-incher nicknamed "Goliath." Super cool. And good job reading the rules and cutting the tag, Anna!

Hopefully by now, Joel is at peace with the little mishap...and he's reading this while happily enjoying a slick, yellow-belly meal somewhere in IA...

Came across this WILD pic posted by Tristan Gagnon in a FB group that’s based out of Ville-Marie, Quebec:

The only French I remember from high school is “Bonjour, je m'appelle Brett” so according to Google translate that ^ post said:

> “Who else likes to open their fish's stomach to see what they ate? Show us your most unusual discovery!! Personally, this squirrel in the belly of a gray surprised me. Like what they feed on the surface more than we think!”

Few other incr-edible finds from the comments section...

Tristan Gagnon also proved they're not always looking up:

Bobe Gratton sees your crayfish and raises you "serpent...." [aka snake!]

Dominic Labarre scored “two salamanders in a speckled trout.”

Raph Rober had “a pike almost as big as the pike that ate it!"

Benoit Chaput had "a big muskie with a duck swallowed whole.”

Ya just never know, man!

Check this MASSIVE burbot that a client iced while out with the Fishinggeeks on Lake Diefenbaker, SK. Went 40.25" long [!!!] and 18.5 lbs, and released to get even more bigger-er.

Not sure what it was caught on...but I do see what looks like a "metallic sexy shad" color Frostbite Tantrum laying next to the fish on that Fish Bumper ruler, and also appears they had some JawJackers with big dead bait soaking.

Btw this is the third biggest burbot that Diefenbaker has spit out for 'em.... Not only do the Fishinggeeks have the current all-tackle world-record burbot (25 lbs 2 oz), they’ve also caught – and re-caught – the all-tackle world-record rainbow trout. Incredible!

He’s specifically talking about fishing the #6 Berkley Jack lipless crank (in this IG post) from a Feb trip to Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba where they grow ‘em big AND green:

Gets it done with 1 of 2 moves depending on the mood of the fish:

> Nice solid rips to get their attention, then a well-timed takeaway move shaking the rattles as I pull it away. The trick is to know the fish and their ceiling for that hour. ...make them chase and immediately let them start catching up to it. I use a minnow head on the front treble hook when this is the way to catch them. The extra smell seems to seal the deal, especially on the big ones.

> My other favorite move is to continue to do 12” soft rips with the bait, once the fish is engaged, I try to sneak one more in when the fish is closing to within 1’ of my bait. Rip it once, drop the rod for a little slack (allowing the bait to free fall off center and pendulum back to them), and hold dead still. This is probably the coolest way to finish the deal, they always inhale the entire bait and slack-line you big time!

Those Berkley Jacks look and feel awesome! I just picked up a few and haven’t had a chance to try ‘em yet, but the colors are glorious – here’s a look at some that caught my eye right away:

In case you missed it on YouTube, here’s episode 83. Hope you enjoy it!

Big thx to our friends at Sea Foam for making this fun video series possible!

Speaking of Sea Foam, how cool is this #SeaFoamWorks story from Chris L. in IA:

> “I had a young kid bring me an outboard that was his grandpa’s who recently passed. It had been sitting in a basement for 10-15 years. I filled the entire fuel system with Sea Foam, and the cylinders. 24 hours later after draining everything I put fresh gas in it with a mix of Sea Foam, and the little motor came to life. The young boy was in tears. It is still running today, making memories. And the boy is using Sea Foam in all of his engines now too. Thank you for a great product!”

1. WA: Absolute giants caught in Columbia River derby

The Columbia River Walleye Anglers Association's Winter Walleye Classic. First off:

> Each team may weigh up to 6 walleye per day, only 2 of which may be 24" or over.

The team of Siefken/French won ‘er with a 2-day total of 92.86 lbs, which included a 13.65- and a 13.54-lber! Looks like true weight on the scale...not an inflated length-to-weight conversion. Also sounds like their little ‘unders’ (fish 24” and less) were 5.5-lbers!

They caught 2 teeners and didn’t even get 'Big Fish' of the derby?!

That honor went to the Weets brothers who landed in 2nd place and weighed in a 14.47-lb behemoth! Doesn’t say, but I believe this is her:

Ummmm pls give us some more details on how you're catching 'em...!

2. WI: Green Bay walleye reward tag study continues in ‘25


> The DNR began the reward tag study in spring 2024 and will continue implementing the study with walleye tagging efforts this spring, thanks to funding from Walleyes for Tomorrow. The study aims to better understand the walleye fishery and gain estimates of walleye exploitation rates (i.e., the percentage of the walleye population that anglers harvest each year).

> DNR staff will tag up to 5K walleyes with yellow floy tags throughout 5 major spawning areas around Green Bay this spring – Sturgeon Bay and the Fox, Oconto, Peshtigo and Menominee rivers. In addition to the yellow floy tags, 400 red [$100] reward tags will be distributed throughout these areas.

Hey Joel V. should we go?

3. MN: Mille Lacs perch limits reduced

The daily AND possession limit for yellow perch on Mille Lacs Lake will be dropping from 20 to 5 starting today:

> “We are pleased that the perch fishing on Mille Lacs this winter has been good for many anglers,” said Brad Parsons, MN DNR fisheries section mngr. “With annual perch harvest never more than 7K lbs since 2012, this year’s rebound is a positive sign for the health of the lake.”

> State-licensed anglers share the perch harvest on Mille Lacs with Ojibwe Tribes that retain fishing rights by treaty. To conserve the fishery, an annual safe harvest level is cooperatively established by the state and the Tribes through a government-to-government, co-management process. Each party then sets fishing regulations to stay within their share of the harvest. As of Feb 23, the state has harvested more than 43K lbs of perch, exceeding its share of the harvest of 36.5K lbs.

> “The state and our Tribal partners will intensify efforts to evaluate the Mille Lacs perch population and future sustainable harvest plans. The response we see in the perch population to this year’s higher harvest will be an important part of that.”

4. ID county wants non-residents to pay 2-3x to launch

Proposal being considered by the McCall City Council for Payette Lake boat ramp fees...

> ...would keep day passes for ID residents at $15, while residents of other states would pay $30. Season passes would be available for $100 for ID residents or $300 for non-residents.

What do you call something that is the exact opposite of a tourism bureau? HA!

5. WY: Mandatory AIS check stations back open

> ...any out-of-state boater, as well as WY residents who have taken their watercraft outside the state, need to go through the inspection checkpoints, where certified AIS inspectors will verify the watercraft are safe for entry into WY waters.

Btw WY is one of few places in the country that hasn’t detected invasive zebra or quagga mussels in the water.

6. Apparel company stocks fish w/ every purchase

The brand is called "STOCK" and for every item purchased, they “fund the stocking of 3 walleye or trout into your local waters. It is our way of giving back to the sport that has given us so much joy.”

Love that idea! Here's a few of their designs:

7. Suzuki has a new anodizing tech for outboards

> ...developed a new technology that applies a corrosion-resistant anodizing treatment which can withstand high temperatures to the engine components of outboard motors, including the cylinder block, cylinder head and crankcase.

8. MO: MLF bassin' event won on a bobber

At Lake of the Ozarks. They’ll try to call it a float 'n fly to make it sound cool, but it’s a bobber.

Btw if you really wanna P off the steelhead crowd, tell them their "strike indicators" are just bobbers HA!

9. Academy + Jacob Wheeler = new Magellan apparel

10. ASA and FAF partnered w/ Hobie Eyewear

11. FishUSA has some blade baits on sale today

‘Tis the season.

How to catch late-ice crappies you can’t graph

When the water starts to run back into the holes during a melt, panfish will make a break for the shallows! Here’s how Jason Mitchell catches crappies you probably don’t even know are there, unless you’re watching down your hole:

> Often those fish will be suspended just under the ice where they won’t even show up on your electronics. Too often anglers get in the habit of dropping their bait right down to the bottom and right past these fish.

> Crappies may come in so high that they actually need to roll sideways to hit the bait to avoid bumping into the ice above. This is one of the best opportunities you’re going to get for aggressively feeding crappies each winter.

> Target these high-riders by fishing them from the top down – using a long rod to dip the bait just 1-2′ under the ice before you move on, never needing to touch the reel in-between holes.

> I like to fish horizontal jigs and longer-profile soft plastics this time of year so that they glide and swim like a small minnow vs quivering like an insect or invertebrate.

> Slide the Palomar knot towards the jig – which goes against everything you’ve read. But causes the jig to really dart and slide out more on the stroke.

"Poor-man's LiveSope."

- By now you've maybe heard of the "rock the 'ducer" trick flasher folks have been using for decades (before forward-facing sonar was a thing) to be able to find fish out to the sides of the hole. Works especially well for crappies suspended over deep water:

But when folks wanted to kick it up a notch (pre LiveScope), they would attach the transducer to an ice scoop – at an angle – with either electrical tape or zip ties...which would allow you to control where it’s pointed and see specific locations/directions.... Can’t seem to find a pic of it right now, but I’ll try to dig one up.

Coming to a river near you.... Or maybe it's already happening like this thiiiick 27-incher Dalton Smith and his girlfriend Bekka caught yesterday – on Pool 4 out of Everts Resort – that was just over 10 lbs! Released to swim another day:

National Professional Anglers Assoc.

MN-FISH

Target Walleye LLC

422 Laurel Street

P.O. BOX 541

Brainerd, MN 56401

 (218) 824 5026