Clockwise front the top left = cabbage, coontail, milfoil, and chara (aka sand grass).

This AnglingBuzz write-up is jammed full [!] of the ins and outs of snatching walleyes out of the weeds. They do an awesome job of breaking down each weed category, and how/when to approach ’em.

Few quick excerpts on how Al “catch ’em all” Lindner finds the best weeds:

> “Day in, day out, it comes down to using my digital lake mapping, in my case LakeMaster digital charts on Humminbird Helix units. I can usually tell by looking at the contours where the good weeds are going to be....

> “With LakeMaster, you can set a Depth Highlight, which is the most important factor for me. Key in on the initial breakline the fish are using on the first dropoff edge – whether it’s weedline or just a natural breakline that rolls into deeper water – and you can stay spot-on all the time.”

> The best weed habitat for walleyes are found on large, tapered flats, points and humps. Find erratic weed edges, pockets, and seams that form...funnels....

> For example, if the weed edge is in 15′ Al will set his Depth Highlight at 13′ and key in + or – 2′ to reveal areas of 11-15′ where the bottom flattens out, forming a funnel going up on to the flat.

> “When you’re fishing shallow-water breaklines, fish will penetrate farther up into these funnel areas than you might expect. What you find is a living space that is much more extensive than the sharp breaks on the weedline. You’ll find groups of fish, not just a single here and there.

> “It’s astounding how many walleye fishermen avoid shallow water. They get into 12′ or shallower and start touching weeds, and they get nervous and immediately go back down. It’s mind-boggling to see guys pulling rigs, boards and vertical jigging the breakline and deeper when the walleyes are in the weeds.”

Way more info in the full write-up click here to keep reading.

You’d think folks would learn, but apparently not according to this Wired2Fish write-up:

> ...an angler who competed in the Big Bass Splash Tournament over the weekend on Toledo Bend Reservoir has been arrested. ...turned in a bass at the weigh-in that was immediately flagged by the weight-master.

> ...the fish was set aside and an investigation revealed that the bass had lead weights inside of it to increase its weight.

There was over $500K in cash + prizes up for grabs in the tourney and the 1st-place prize package was valued at over $100K.

Anywho...

> Agents determined there were 2.59 lbs of lead used to illegally increase the fish’s weight.

> We spoke with Sabine Parish Law Enforcement and confirmed that the angler was arrested and charged with a felony for fraud. Fishing contest fraud brings up to a $3,000 fine and one year in jail.

> ...the Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries detained the individual after he fled the scene. ...will face a permanent ban from all future Big Bass Splash events.

Some more info in this Sealy Outdoors video, and also in this Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries report.

Man, do those Walleye Nation Creations Death Jigs ever catch ’em!

Reminds me of someone taking a bunch of good walleye baits (jig, bottom-bouncer, ‘crawler harness, spinner) and combining them into one hybrid fish-catcher:

Heads up: FishUSA has most all of them in stock right now, but the popular sizes and colors usually seem to be sold out everywhere by the time the mid- to late-summer bite is in full swing.

Here’s a preview of what it looks like underwater:

And here’s what it looks like above water...with a Green Bay dirty-30 attached thx to NWT pro Max Wilson.

You can fish it a zillion different ways, but the most popular might be slow-rolling it (over the tops of fish or structure) with a steady/straight retrieve and letting the twirling crawler do the work.

Little info in this video on how Isaac Lakich rigs the ‘crawlers on the back for the best action. Oh, and they also triple-up with a walleye, pike and smallie at the same time lol.

Isaac says to wait a second or 2 to set the hook after feeling a bite to make sure they chomp the whole rig and aren’t just nipping at the tail.

Another quickie tip to keep it from getting tangled when casting:

> “Think of it as more of a lob out [versus a sharp, snappy cast]...and at the end of the cast before the bait hits the water, you want to put light pressure on the line which helps the hook stay back.

Same type of lobby cast I do with slip-bobbers, or really any live bait so it stays on the hook. And lightly feathering the spool at the end helps to lay everything out straight when it hits the water.

Don’t have to fish it with live bait either. I’ve heard of a lot of folks using things like Uncle Josh Pork Night Crawlers, Slimers, or Gulp! on the business end.

You obviously don’t need forward-facing sonar (LiveScope, Mega Live, Active Target) to fish with ’em...but “sniping” those big, suspended marks you see moseying around all over is an absolute blast.

The 3/4-oz size sounds heavy, but works great for mid-range to deeper stuff. And could drop down to a 3/8-oz if fishing skinny water or wanting to sloooow-roll it above their heads.

I cannot wait to get back out slinging ‘em again!

I love some unique critters! Here’s some wild ones I’ve come across so far this season.

1) Talk about a fish of a lifetime! Demitri Bonis cracked this massive silver pike fishing from the bank on Last Mountain Lake, SK:

2) Pretty cool two-toned pike posted by Leslie J Arrow in Manitoba:

3) Apparently this all-black sturgeon that Cody Christensen caught on the Rainy River is what they call “melanistic” which is when “they only produce the black pigment...it occurs randomly in about 1 in 750,000 fish.”

4) The next one isn’t a fish, but it might be better at catching ‘em than you are lol. A STUNNING white loon photographed by Chris Whity.

I thought this pic was some kind of burn wound at first! But apparently it’s the ultra-clear waters of Flathead Lake, MT in this Around the World FB post:

Sheesh! And I thought we had clear water around the Brainerd Lakes Area....

1. Mike Schommer Jr. wins Mississippi River NWT!

With a 2-day total (8 fish limit) of 28-08 fishing out of Red Wing, MN:

The full NWT press release just said that:

> “Mike was using live willow cats as well as a ribbed swimming grub.”

But dude just out-fished 116 other pros and won nearly $100K in cash + prizes...so I feel like he (and we!) deserves more details than that.

I’ll have the “Full Scoop” on the top-finishers coming soon....

2. MN: Another 106 workers laid off at Alumacraft.

> "Given the overall boat industry slowdown with high levels of dealers' inventory, we had to reduce our production in our St. Peter facility, which led to the difficult decision to make workforce adjustments impacting manufacturing and professional employees....”

3. Recreational boat building production forecast thru 2027.

> ...ITR predicts boat building production will experience a decline through late 2024 before rising through at least 2027.

4. WY: Illegally stocked walleye found near Newcastle.

In Black Elk Pond, which is "primarily managed for largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, rainbow trout and channel catfish."

> "Walleye are predatory fish that feed exclusively on other fish when they reach a few inches in size. The species has not been stocked in Black Elk Pond due to its potential to negatively impact other fish species, per Game and Fish.”

Not related to the illegal stocking, but to say that walleye “feed exclusively on other fish” is not true. They LOVE to eat bugs, larvae, crayfish, leeches, etc.... I mean they’re obviously not vegetarians, but you get what I’m saying hahaha.

5. MI DNR hosts statewide walleye fishing challenge.

There’s $20K in cash + prizes up for grabs thru June 30.

6. MN: Couple Mille Lacs MTT events THIS WEEKEND.

The ​​Minnesota Tournament Trail has two separate 1-day tournaments happening again this Saturday and Sunday – both taking off out of Nitti’s Hunters Point.

7. IL: Dude caught allegedly cheating in bass derby.

> On May 10, conservation police received information that [name removed] was hiding fish on a stringer on the Calumet River, possibly for a tournament the following morning, even though tournament rules prohibited fishing in that area on the 10th.

> The following morning, conservation police watched the location and observed [him] retrieve 4 smallmouth bass from the stringer and place them in the live well of his boat before throwing the string on the shore and driving away. Police confirmed with the Cal-Sag Bass Anglers weighmaster that [he] was registered in their tournament.

> Conservation police waited for [him] to return to the tournament weigh-in location. The tournament limit was 5 bass with a minimum length of 12”.

> ...[he] was cited for the following: attempting to commit theft, possession over the daily limit of three smallmouth bass, failure to immediately release smallmouth bass unharmed, taking and possessing smallmouth bass resulting in wanton waste, throwing fishing wire on the bank waters, and importing Viral Hemorrhagic Speticemia (VHS)-susceptible species into Illinois without a permit.

> ...he would have won the tournament by more than 4 pounds, taking home a 1st-place prize of $1,300.

8. Uncut Angling just dropped a new video.

Chasing mysterious "inconnu" in The Northwest Territories.

9. Couple FishUSA deals going on today.

FishUSA is running a sale where if you buy a St. Croix Victory Spinning Rod you’ll get a free Okuma StormRunner spinning reel ($99.99 value). Just make sure to also add the reel to your cart:

They also have buy 1, get 1 free on Bait-Pop Pro Packs (add 3 to cart):

> “...enhances your bait and makes its signal stand out on forward-facing sonar systems. Bait Pop live sonar intensifier for your bait and line also contains Original Fish Formula scents that attract all species. SparkleScales, within the advanced scent formula, is a visual stimulator for your target fish.”

10. OH: Academy is opening its first store in OH.

In Zanesville. Which to me seems about 166 miles too far away from Lake Erie (lol) but I'm sure Muskingum County residents will be happy!

And get this:

> “This marks the third store Academy has opened in 2024. Academy plans to continue its expansion efforts with the goal of opening 15-17 stores in its fiscal 2024 year, and a total of 160 to 180 new stores over the next 5 years.”

11. Ike Foundation announces 2024 college scholarship winners.

> Students were required to submit letters of recommendation, a high school transcript, a college acceptance letter, and an essay that answered the following question:

> “How has your fishing or outdoor activities helped you become more aware of environmental issues? Please share specific examples where these activities made you think about the environment and explain how these examples influenced your views on conservation and sustainability.”

> This year’s pool of applicants was extremely impressive. The Ike Foundation conducted a blind review of all applications and essays and scored submissions based on a pre-defined point system. Each winner will be receiving a $2,200 Ike Foundation College Scholarship to the college of their choice.

12. Rapala fam has new boat carpet graphics.

13. Another use for Aqua-Vu cams is...

...finding stuff that goes overboard, like someone's LiveScope unit LOL.

Gord Pyzer’s quick trick to finding transition ‘eyes.

Quick-hitter on how Gord intercepts walleyes before they’ve made it out to their summer spots:

> ...understanding the spring migration is a lot easier if you keep 2 things in mind. The 1st to remember is where you’ve been catching the fish since the season opened.... The 2nd is where you normally catch them in the middle of the summer. ...right now you’ll find the walleyes somewhere in between.

> To...pinpoint your best options, grab your lake contour map and start by highlighting where the walleyes spawned and where you’ve been catching them. Next, circle your favorite summer hangouts – the places you either catch walleyes in late June, July and August or would anticipate doing so.

> Now draw an expressway between the 2 locations and note all of the key structural features that intersect the two locations. I am referring to the tips of islands, sunken reefs, humps, shoals and isolated rockpiles, anything that either crosses or is positioned close to the highway.

“Please, I very rarely look cool. This is a big moment for me.”

Whole bunch of “firetiger” going on in this awesome Jason Arnold Creative shot shared on Rapala’s FB!

National Professional Anglers Assoc.

MN-FISH

Target Walleye LLC

422 Laurel Street

P.O. BOX 541

Brainerd, MN 56401

 (218) 824 5026