- That’s Lake Erie captain Ross Robertson, who was up to some nighttime shenanigans while the rest of us were sleeping. Wind + waves + Rapala Husky Jerks = BOOM!

Still lots of fish to be caught if you’re willing to bundle up, and there's no better time to stick a bruiser than the after-dark bite. Couple quick details on one of Mr. Bigwater Fishing’s favorite late-fall place to catch ‘em with #14 Husky Jerks...river mouths:

> When walleyes move to river mouths in fall, nighttime is the right time to cash in. In this scenario, it’s tough to beat a long, thin stickbait...can be fished close to the surface or down to approximately 8′, and you can cast them or troll them.

> Target the edges of deep holes or eddies where baitfish can rest out of the current. If there’s a pier or breakwall with lights shining in the water close by, that’s often the jackpot because light naturally attracts baitfish.

> I’ll start by casting a stickbait behind the boat on a spinning rod and then slow-troll it with the electric motor. Every once in a while, I’ll cut the motor to let the lure pause, or snap the rod to make it dart forward. This is a great way to locate a concentration of feeding walleyes, and once I do, I’ll stop the boat and fan-cast.

I came across this electronics 🧃 in a recent Target Crappie email – which you can sign up to get here. They got the scoop on a newer dealio (an FFS add-on) that’s designed to help folks see bottom fish better.

Talkin’ with Danny Rogers, owner of Performance Fishing Electronics (PFE) in Camden, TN, who’s been using his electrical experience at DuPont and his degree in electromechanical technology to create some awesome fishin’ tech...

One of those deals being the PFE Visualizer, which connects between your power and the ‘black box’ to help improve the picture and separation:

> Danny Rogers: "I developed the Visualizer because dominant people were catching fish off the bottom that other people couldn't see. That's what that product's made for.

> "It helps you get target separation between the bottom and the fish as much as possible.

> "I'm going to draw all the people out there that have [turned their setting way up] and their LiveScope looks bad instead of getting somebody to go out with them and do a sonar session with them.

But

> "Another thing about the Visualizer – if you run a high color limit, it turns the Visualizer off. It will not help you."

Quick crappie example from him:

> "A while ago now, I took an older gentleman to Arkabutla, MS.... What happened was when those crappie got pressured, they would start heading to the bottom and you'd lose them.

> "You'd have to take your Ultrex and [pan around] until they'd raise back up. Then you go try to catch them.

> "After I put the Visualizer on, I would intentionally spook fish to the bottom, trying to lose them [and] I never lost a fish on the bottom for 3 solid days. Caught 3 limits. That's where it shines.

> "...that 100' [forward FFS distance], like the bass guys looking really far out...if it helps with the bottom, it's going to help with target separation in piles and things.

> "We're doing that by basically speeding up the process at which we're collecting and and pushing data...to where we're getting more data back so we can get [a true picture].

> "That's the magic to it. What we finally figured out on that is to get it enough information quick enough [so the black box does] not fill it in with fuzz."

This is the first I’ve heard of it, pretty interesting!

I also came across this YouTube video from tourney angler Nick Uebelhor showing some side-by-side comparisons with and without the Visualizer. He said the images are at the “same time on split screen with two transducers on the same software update and settings.”

This episode called "The Eighth Inning" kicks off the on-the-water action from the Lake Erie NWT event out of Dunkirk, NY. An absolute slugfest and the pro’s last chance to qualify for the year-end championship. 🍿Love the behind-the-scenes look at the highs and lows professional anglers deal with on the National Walleye Tour:

Tour Level Gold is doing special things in the walleye world! 🙌 Walleye fishing needed this.

Before you start thinking some nonsense like ‘Bro’ has already hung it up for the open-season (lol) just know he’s still getting after it! 😤

But of course he’s got ice on the mind. 🥶 Full write-up here talking first-ice, but a few excerpts below:

> The serious among us are messin’ with lures nightly, organizing by size and color, and gobbling up every nugget of ice fishing content they can find. The slightly less serious are thinking about first ice from the blind or treestand. Whatever group you’re in, surely, ice fishing has crossed your mind.

> Nobody counts the days – minutes and seconds – like backwoods savage and Northland pro, Brian “Bro” Brosdahl. Sure, he’ll pop a ruffed grouse or five, even sit a bit for a freezer buck, but rest assured that ice jigs are dancing in head.

> To that, Bro dishes up the intel on first ice. And we’re talking about that very first week when he’s testing and traversing what the yeti angler calls “tiptoe ice”.

Reading the ice

> For beginners, Bro packs light, at least as light as lineman can travel. “I put just the essentials in a simple Otter utility sled,” said Bro. “That includes a chisel, RAZR Ultra-Light synthetic auger on a brushless lithium hammer drill, throwable floatation on a long rope, and just a few rods and tray of Northland jigs.”

> Once to the lake’s edge, he begins stabbing with the chisel. “A couple of good hits in the same spot gives me confidence that the ice is walkable,” said Bro. Once out a taste, he’ll plug holes with the auger to make sure there’s 4” of ice or more. Some intrepid anglers venture out on less, but nothing Bro recommends.

> Bro also avoids entering areas with emergent vegetation like bulrushes and cattails. “They can insulate and slow the formation of good ice,” he said. Bro also favors clear over cloudy ice, knowing the clear stuff formed faster and more consistently. Also, natural cracks (typically created by expanding sheets of ice) provide a visual indicator of ice thickness. You can also auger a hole and do the pinch test, gauging ice thickness with your hand.

> His last word on ice safety is to leave a breadcrumb trail. “I drop a plotter trail on my Humminbird so I can walk out the same way I came in. Any snowfall and your footprints and chisel tests might be hidden. And if you’re coming back to shore in the dark, the plotter trail is extra helpful.”

> Note: A serious set of ice cleats prove invaluable on glassy early ice. A broken wrist or concussion is not the way to start the season.

Walleye nuggets

> “Location-wise, I pick up where I left off in the fall, focusing on the spots nearest shore. The first rock structure closest to your entry point is a great place to start. Depth depends on water clarity, but somewhere in that 8-15’ range on northern natural lakes.” Given the ice clarity, he prefers lakes with coloration at first ice, as well as smaller lakes that freeze first.

> “Green weeds are another favorite for tiptoe walleyes. I fish pockets in the denser spots, as well as the outside edge. And it’s a real bonus when you can see those edges and pockets right through the ice before ever drilling a hole. You want to keep drilling to a minimum in this silent environment.”

> “Again, I’m packing light, so I only carry three combos for myself. The first is a search bait outfit with a Northland Tungsten Buck-Shot Rattle Spoon [top] and a minnow head. If you’re sitting on a hole, the rattle can draw them in.”

> The second arrow in his quiver is the Tungsten Slim Spoon [bottom]. “The sleek spoon drops fast and presents a smaller profile. I’ll shake the spoon, and it shimmies. The flicker blade adds another temptation. Again, with a minnow head.”

> The third prong of Bro’s trident is the tried and true deadstick. “I’ll tie on a #4 Gamakatsu octopus hook and put a split-shot 8” above it. A live rainbow or shiner is perfect for the setup.” Minnow held just a foot or so off the bottom....

Some bonus panfish locations

> “In my neck of the woods, two-thirds of the lakes have basin dwelling crappies after fall turnover. Ironically, a fish that lives in the shallow weeds all summer drops to the muddy basin during late fall and into winter. The mediating factor is an abundance of micro baitfish and hatchlings dropping into the basin and forming bait balls. The crappies hang beneath them maybe 2-4’ off the bottom.”

> “Crappies are also feeding on zooplankton, bloodworms, and other invertebrates that rise off the bottom. So, I’m after the deepest and steepest basins nearest shore. That includes the deepest holes in bays that freeze first.”

> In the best of all possible worlds, bluegills are intermixed with crappies. But if Bro’s on a make or break bluegill mission, it’s a return to the garden. “Bluegills will be on weededges closest to a hard break toward the basin. If the weeds are dead and rotten, they’ll be at the base of the shoreline break.”

> “Unlike crappies, which suspend and float the basin, bluegills prefer hard to soft bottomed transitions at the base of the break where the basin begins. Occasionally, on lakes with a lot of basin insect biomass or freshwater shrimp, the bluegills will position on the edge of suspended crappies.”

> “Bluegills on most lakes will hold to weeds and smaller bays until winter bares down and the vegetation starts to decay. And sometimes, that never happens if there’s healthy milfoil or coontail.”

1. We almost lost Will Pappenfus 😖

NWT pro “Walleye Will” Pappenfus had a wild ride to work yesterday morning.... Said he got hit head on by a wrong-way driver at 70 mph. Suffered 4 broken ribs and bruised lungs, but thank the Big Man upstairs he is still kickin’! 🙌

Sending prayers for a speedy recovery, bud! 🙏

2. OH: The Lake Erie BIGS are showing up!

There's been multiple leaderboard changes in both the Fall Brawl and Walleye Slam derbies over the past few days. Bradly Wissel took over the top spot in both derbies last night with a giant 31.5-incher that weighed nearly 11.5 lbs!

3. onX Fish has now landed in SD

No doubt onX Fish is making moves! They’ve been busy adding more states: Now available in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Dakota, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and now South Dakota – and they’ll be adding more states throughout the year.

It’s literally a cheat code for researching fisheries (e-scouting!) and finding your new favorite honey hole. The onX Fish app has powerful filtering tools to search by species, trophy potential, keeper potential, and high abundance.

Of course there’s way more features to it than that, including another one of my favorites for ice scouting = satellite imagery. More on that soon....

You can start a 7-day free trial and check it out for yourself! The app costs less than $3 a month, and that’s before you get 20% off when signing up with code: TW on their site. 👊

4. MN Legislators tour St. Paul Fish Hatchery, and...

...committee sees first-hand why the facility needs replacement.

I don’t have a link (^) for this, but saw it in MN-FISH’s Nov newsletter they recently emailed out:

> Members of the Minnesota Senate Capital Investment Committee recently toured the dilapidated St. Paul Fish Hatchery. The stop was part of a tour of metro area bonding projects ahead of the next legislative session.

> Hosted by DNR staff, the tour reinforced what MN-FISH has long been communicating: this facility is operating far beyond its intended lifespan. Built over 120 years ago, it relies on outdated infrastructure, non-ADA-compliant access, temporary fixes and mechanical systems teetering on obsolescence. 

> These conditions restrict the potential of the hatchery, particularly for school group tours, educational outreach, and world-class research opportunities. MN-FISH has consistently been advocating the DNR to think-big about the potential a new metro hatchery could have. 

> Next week the Minnesota House Capital Investment Committee will tour the facility. MN-FISH will be there to share our vision for a state-of-the-art hatchery that meets the future needs for the “State of Fishing.” 

5. SD: Dakota Angler Ice Institute is THIS WEEKEND

Happening Nov 7-9 at the Sioux Falls Arena & Convention Center. Awesome show!

6. MN-FISH’s World’s Greatest Ice Fishing Auction coming up

The online auction runs Nov 26 thru Dec 7.

Dozens of items on the slate including a new Ice Castle fish house, fishing trips, vacation stays, clothing, ice fishing gear and more. Will share a link for more info once it’s available.

7. MN: Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza is Jan 31

The largest charitable ice fishing contest on earth is happening Jan 31 on Gull Lake just 10 miles north of Brainerd, MN.

How a Single Walleye Traveled 50 Miles by Sea and 110 Miles by Land

Where to find last-chance walleyes

Scoop from Mike Frisch of Fishing the Midwest:

> While big, deep lakes are usually thought of as “classic” walleye waters, small, shallow lakes often harbor good walleye populations that often go on the bite now, too. Plus, the bite in these lakes often stays good into November. Great news for those of us who haven’t winterized our boats yet.

> Typically, I target fall walleyes in shallow, weedy lakes by searching along the lake’s first drop-off, that area where the flat that typically extends out from shore starts to drop to deeper depths. On many of the small, shallow lakes I fish this drop-off occurs in depths from 5-10’ deep.

> Searching along subtle points and turns or finding bottom content changes along these drop-offs is often a good starting point. These areas are often good spots during the spring bite on these lakes and produce again during fall. As fall progresses, I start looking for still living, green weeds which often occur up on the flat and then extend down the drop off as well. In fact, an area of green weeds will often be the “spot on the spot” where numbers of walleyes of all sizes gather.

> Incidentally, the areas where “good weeds” are present one fall are often areas that will harbor weeds and fish in future falls as well. These areas are also often top winter ice fishing spots, particularly during early ice.

> The classic jig and minnow combination slowly trolled or drifted along a lake’s first drop-off is one way to find the subtle differences and/or living weeds that may host fall walleyes in good numbers. Simply drifting with the wind and swimming a light jig and minnow combination on a long line behind the boat is, in fact, my favorite fishing method on these waters because it helps me eliminate unproductive water and find walleye schools.

> Jigs in the 1/16- or 1/8-oz size range get the nod when drifting or pitching to shallow walleyes. The classic round head jig with a sharp hook in a bright color pattern like chartreuse is preferred in off-colored waters. Various minnows will produce fall walleyes, but a scoop of fatheads or a dozen small suckers is often all that is needed. On flat, calm days or in very shallow water, the 1/16-oz size jig gets the nod, though I’ll go to the 1/8-oz size if the wind kicks up.

“We love the ‘no docks at the boat ramp’ season.”

- That’s a chunk of the caption under this tough shot posted by Thorne Bros on FB:

That first hookset will warm ya up!

How about the 🐐 Al Lindner getting his cold-water Rapala Rippin' Blade on?! 🔥🥶🙌

You know it’s a good day when you’ve got the “scrap pile” going! Tommy Kemos and his buddy Dan won the Fall Brawl on the Rock River over the weekend, and clearly 4" Gulp! Minnows were on the menu. Congrats fellas!

National Professional Anglers Assoc.

MN-FISH

Target Walleye LLC

422 Laurel Street

P.O. BOX 541

Brainerd, MN 56401

 (218) 824 5026