It's 9/11 tomorrow. Even if you forgive, never forget. Crazy to think it’s been 23 years since the world stopped turning. If you’re the praying type, fire one off for the folks who lost their lives that day, their families, the survivors, our soldiers and first responders and their families.

Now let’s talk fishing....

There almost never seems to be any info out there talking specifically how the best walleye pros in the world get it done on game day.... 🤷‍♂️

Usually we’re lucky just to get one little line such as: So and so “won trolling crankbaits.” Or so and so “caught their fish on a jig.” Cool, thanks? I’ll have to try that 🥴 LOL.

So we decided to have Target Walleye friend Brett Carlson (thx man!) track down the ‘Full Scoop’ on how the top-finishing pros at the 2024 National Walleye Tour Championship on Lake Huron (Oscoda, MI) caught 'em better than the rest. Here we go!

Tom Huynh’s meteoric rise in tournament walleye fishing is best described as unconventional, if not bizarre. Raised on a small cattle farm in AR, Huynh grew up a boatless bass fisherman. Even when he moved to the Fargo-Morehead area his passion wasn’t walleyes, but nail art.

Everything changed in 2020, when he joined an AIM event on a COVID whim with campground neighbor Nate Wolske. With rod in hand, Huynh and Wolkse whipped the Leech Lake walleyes, returning with 40 lbs and an improbable victory.

Over the next 4 years, Huynh and Wolkse would rack up many more AIM wins and two Team of the Year awards. While most assumed it was simply a matter of time, Huynh clinched his first NWT victory on the sport’s biggest stage in the most unthinkable way.

The 44-yr-old began his Lake Huron practice north of Oscoda, MI in the Thunder Bay area. While a 32- to 35-mile big-water run can be brutal, the deeper water, and bigger fish, were supposedly worth it. In fact, Huynh’s teammate, Chase Parsons, sampled success in Alpena, but the water cooled, and the fish moved. Bucking convention, Huynh spent one practice day south, running 30 miles to the start of Saginaw Bay. Instead of gin clear water, he discovered 2’ clarity.

> “I bet I was 12 miles further south than anyone,” Huynh recalled. “Right away, I loved seeing that stain. I prefer that color of water, and it was warmer too.”

When he started scanning, he saw more walleyes, but they weren’t big.

> “I was seeing fish 18 to 20 inches...some were up to 22. I spent the rest of practice back up north, but I continued to struggle. I decided to start the tournament south, thinking maybe I could make the top 10.”

On day 1, Huynh caught 16 lbs and sat in 14th place. On day 2, the Wolverton, MN angler improved to 18-14, but what he experienced during the afternoon completely changed the year-end championship.

> “Around noon the second day of the tournament, I witnessed something special – the head of a major migration. All of a sudden, bait clouds were coming in and with the smelt came more and more fish. I could actually see them swimming south on my LiveScope. I finished that day by catching 3 1/2- and 4-lbers. I told everyone at weigh-in – Chase, Tommy (Kemos) and John (Hoyer) that I was witnessing something, and it could actually happen tomorrow.”

While the first two days were rough, day 3 was downright brutal with sloshing waves. Several pros questioned whether or not they’d even be allowed to fish Friday. Not only was Huynh able to reach his spot, he had 24 lbs in his livewell by 10 am, anchored by two 6-lbs studs.

> “My brother surprised me and flew in from AR and told me that I needed 22 lbs. I hadn’t seen 22 lbs all week, but I knew it was possible. To have it actually happen, it’s like it was scripted. I went to where the fish were going, just hoping they would get there in time. The willingness to wait for those bigger fish was the key to the tournament. It was a gamble that I was willing to take, but to hit that timing the final day of the championship is just unreal. I just knew I needed to be there when it happened.”

Walleye fans have learned about Huynh’s obsession with black and natural-colored jigs, and this tournament was no exception. In practice, Huynh mainly used the 1/4-oz Northland Tungsten Jig that he helped design. When the wind kicked up come tournament time, he used the same 3/8-oz Northland tungsten jig.

On his deck would be two versions, one rigged with a full crawler and one with half. On occasion, he would follow up with a reaction bait, but 12 of his 15 weigh fish came on his signature black jig and crawler. No matter the situation, he would always fire first with the black jig and crawler.

He fished these baits on a 7’ medium-light Daiwa TD Eye spinning rod with a Daiwa Kage 1000 reel. His main line was 10-lb Daiwa J-Braid (chartreuse), which he ran to a 6-ft, 8-lb Daiwa Samurai J-Fluorocarbon leader.

> “I was fishing 25-32’, and the walleyes were positioned close to the bottom. At times, I was dropping the bait right under the trolling motor. Other times I was casting up to 50’ out. In general, I was trying to keep the trolling motor and the bow of my boat as quiet as possible.”

Huynh elaborated on his scoping technique.

> “I’ll see it at 100’, but I’ll wait and reposition my boat before I make my cast. I don’t rush it. Most people get too anxious. Sometimes I will wait a whole minute until I can make the perfect cast. Then I’ll slow the bait down right before it gets to him. Then I judge whether or not he wants to eat it above or below. It was a fish-by-fish case in this tournament.”

After a dead-fish penalty, Huynh officially weighed 23-12 Friday, surging him from 8th to 1st and giving him a 3-day total of 58 lbs 10 oz.

> “Now that it’s over and I realize who I just defeated, the traditional sticks and the new guys that are great with LiveScope, it’s unbelievable. I came in here early with LiveScope...I helped motivate a lot of people to want to learn it. The walleye industry has been good to me, and I believe there is plenty of room for it to grow. This win motivates me to teach more people to do this. That’s why I’m launching Tom Huynh University later this month. It’s a changing industry, and I think it can change for the better.”

Huynh nearly accomplished the 2-for-1 that Hoyer completed last year, winning both the championship and Angler of the Year. Officially, he tied Hunter Nitti with 957 points. The tiebreaker went to Nitti as he accumulated more poundage throughout the season (216-4 to 214-11).

> “Angler of the Year never crossed my mind until I was right next to Hunter in the weigh-in tanks. I didn’t even think there was enough room. I want to win Angler of the Year, but I’m still going to be me. I come to every single tournament trying to win.”

In total, Tom walks away with $132,069 in cash and prizes which includes a 2024 Ranger 620FS with a Mercury 250 Pro XS and the $500 Garmin Contingency Bonus for having exclusive Garmin electronics and trolling motor.

And of course, he’s also headed home with the ultimate bragging rights + some man-cave material that only a few folks in the world have:

Big congrats, Tom!!! 🙌

Evan Rosemore, owner of Rosemore Outdoor Gear, finished 2nd with a 3-day total of 56 lbs 1 oz. The 33-yr-old had a remarkably consistent championship, bringing in 18-15, 19-0 and 18-2. On days 2 and 3, Rosemore was paired with his father, Steven. Prior to the event, the two practiced together with Steven manning the wheel at 5 mph while Evan searched for pods of fish on the bow with LiveScope.

> “We learned that the numbers were going to be to the south, and the bigger fish were going to be north,” said the younger Rosemore. “That was the general theme at least. Up north had deeper water, but that was also playing with fire. If the wind blows in the wrong direction the water temp is going to tank and the fish are going to be gone.”

After practice, Rosemore felt more comfortable running north, and he placed his proverbial eggs in the Black River basket, an area approximately 30 miles up from takeoff.

> “It reminded me a lot of the south shore of Lake Superior. You didn’t find massive pods, but you would find an area, maybe a half mile by a half mile, that held 20 or so fish. The good news is that they were pretty willing to eat...about half the fish would be willing to commit, and they would move to get the bait. My biggest day in practice was about 18 lbs, so I was hoping we’d be right at the cut line and maybe squeak out a top 10. We were only catching 10 or 12 fish per day.”

For most of the tournament, Rosemore played keep away with a jig and a crawler. He targeted walleyes that were suspending 20’ to 40’ down over water 100’ deep.

> “The water was really clear, maybe 15’, like Door County clarity. At times I saw walleyes move towards my bait from up to 30’ away. The only real structure in the area was commercial fishing nets. There were buoys on the surface, and then the nets were down on the bottom for whitefish and lake trout. I think just that little strand of rope was the only structure for miles. As a result, there was bait and walleyes in the area. You wouldn’t want to troll near these nets, and even LiveScoping you had to be really cautious. It was a pretty cool use of the technology.”

Specifically, Rosemore threw 3/8- and 1/2-oz round head tungsten jigs (mostly black). With the 3/8-oz jig, he used a full crawler, and with the 1/2-oz he would shorten the crawler to only an inch or two off the bend of the hook. During the tournament, most of his fish came on the 1/2-oz in the blustery weather.

> “What I found on the 1/2-oz jigs is that the tail end would whip around too much and you ended up ripping the crawler. I typically like a full crawler, but shortening them was out of necessity.”

On the 3/8-oz jig, Rosemore used his namesake Double L, a 7’ medium-light rod with extra-fast action.

> “With that rod, you can really tell when the fish is just biting the crawler. It feels kind of spongy as opposed to the full thunk.”

On the 1/2-oz jig, he used the Rosemore Chambers Island rod, a 7’ medium rod with extra-fast action.

Both rods were paired with Daiwa Fuego 2500 spinning reels, which were spooled with 10-lb Sufix 832 (high vis green). Rosemore would use a 6’ leader of Berkley Vanish, opting for up to 20-lb test.

> “We were firing at them from around 60’ to 80’ away. At 20’ or 30’ they would follow the bait, but then they’d see the boat and just dart away. Most of the ones that bit, you’d know in the first 30 seconds. They’d typically be stationary right away, but as soon as you made a cast they’d be on the move. If it didn’t get right in their face on the first cast, the fish can sense there’s movement, that something is going on down there. You would then have to hop on the trolling motor to get back in front of the fish.”

Rosemore ran his LiveScope with a max depth of 70’ or 80’, so he wasn’t even viewing the lake bottom.

> “There were fish down there, but this was a cull tournament. Plus, most of the active fish were up in the water column.”

His day-2 pairing with his father was a random draw. Since both anglers were sitting 2nd in their respective divisions, they got to spend the final day together as well.

> “It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We tournament fish all the time together, and we’ve won some tournaments. But to spend two days together on the biggest stage in walleye fishing, that was incredible.”

On day 3, the younger Rosemore had just caught a decent walleye, when his father noticed it spit up a 3” smelt. Immediately, the 61-yr-old Rosemore grabbed a jigging spoon and proceeded to catch the biggest walleye of the day.

> “Moments like that mean everything to me. What a week, and what a year. This was my rookie season on the NWT, and I’m tickled.”

Before Huynh’s final-day flurry, WI veteran Jake LaPine held the distinction of catching the biggest stringer of the championship. After managing 15-12 on day one, LaPine improved to 22-1 on day 2. He concluded the 3-day tournament with 16-10, giving him a cumulative weight of 54-7.

> “I actually started my practice north of Alpena, but the water temps were like 44 degrees,” quipped the Oshkosh, WI pro. “I had to start working my way south, so I basically committed to Alpena and down.”

LaPine began finding schools in 65 to 70 degrees. The first day of the tournament he ran 35 miles north and began targeting suspended fish over 100’.

> “The deeper I went, the warmer the water was and the average size kept getting bigger. My first day was actually a scramble. The water fell to 61 degrees, and I had to bail and go to my secondary area. The second day I took a gamble and went even deeper. I’m sure I was deeper than anyone else. I didn’t see quantity, but I found singles that were nicer quality fish. I had my 22 lbs by 10 am.”

LaPine’s best bite Thursday was 40’ down over 160’ of water. Friday’s north wind forced him to continue to adjust and move further south. While Huynh and Rosemore stuck with the traditional jig and crawler, LaPine used a custom slow death jig made by fellow WI stick Isaac Lakich, who placed 2nd at last year’s championship.

> “It was 3/4-oz with no color, and I’d leave only an inch or an inch and a half behind the hook. I felt I was getting a better landing percentage with it. With a full crawler, they were just stealing the bait. With a half crawler, I didn’t feel like I was getting as many bites. When they’d commit to this jig with the propeller, they’d charge up pretty quick.”

LaPine specifically used the Garmin XR saltwater transducer, which allowed him to see fish at 220’. After taking his time to position, he’d cast past the fish, then pendulum over them naturally.

> “A straight drop wasn’t working as well. I think the pendulum just looks better, more natural. It’s a program I have a lot of confidence in. I tried Finishers and Jigging Raps. They just seemed to be pretty unresponsive. Those baits were going so fast in the clear water they’d spook and swim away. I’m also running dual Power-Poles with drift paddles. Being able to control the boat while being as quiet as possible is huge. Those fish were spooky in that clear water. Most of my bites were coming about 80’ out from the boat.”

LaPine’s gear setup was a 7’ medium-light G. Loomis NRX with a Shimano Vanford 2500 reel. He ran 16-lb Seaguar PEX8 (passion pink) as his main line with a variety of 8-lb Seaguar fluorocarbon leaders.

> “I can’t tell you how important the PEX8 was...they’re not a sponsor either. It’s a strong line with a thin diameter. To be able to cast long distances in the wind is everything.”

Focusing on water temperature, not structure, was LaPine’s biggest key to success.

> “You had to be open minded and understand that they’re moving. It takes a lot of patience, and you also can’t be complacent and just sit in an area. I really wanted to win, and I think I had an opportunity, but I’m also happy to finish 3rd – it’s no easy task.”

1. Bassmaster announces FFS rules for 2025

> First, the number of live sonar transducers will be regulated to 1 and it must be mounted to the trolling motor at the bow of the boat.

> Secondly, Elite Series and Classic competitors will be limited to a total of 55” of screen, including bow and dash head units. The trend to add more and bigger head units to boats is becoming a safety concern, as the bigger screens may create blind spots impacting the safe piloting of boats.

> Thirdly, Elite Series and Classic competitors may now have only one electric motor mounted to their boats [AKA no “boat brakes” mounted to shallow water anchors].

2. MLF announces FFS rules for 2025

> Starting in 2025, all boats, across all MLF circuits, will be limited to two forward-facing or 360-degree sonar transducers in any combination. Additionally, no bow-mounted screen may extend vertically more than 18 inches off the surface of the front deck at its highest point when the boat is on plane, and no screen mounted at the console may extend vertically more than 16 inches off the top of the steering column where it protrudes from the console.

> Pros competing on the 2025 Bass Pro Tour will be allowed to use forward-facing and 360-degree sonar for only 1 of 3 periods each day. Anglers will declare their use of the technologies before the start of the period of their choice, and fans watching on MLFNOW! will see an indicator on SCORETRACKER next to each angler’s name showing who is actively using the technologies, has used them or still has them available.

3. NPFL completely bans use of FFS

4. MN: Fishing Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Sept 27

At Leblanc’s Rice Creek in Little Falls.

5. Academy is opening 9 new stores this fall

Beckley, WV – Kingsport, TN – Bloomington, IN – Selma, NC – Ft. Myers, FL – Birmingham, AL – Springfield, OH – Bradenton, FL – Bulverde, TX.

Academy has already opened 3 new stores this year, with plans to open a total of 15-17 new stores in fiscal year 2024.

6. Suzuki Marine promotes Randy Bowers to...

...new National Dealer Field Sales Manager.

7. Yamaha names Andrea Tetto Dir. of Marine Business Planning

8. SC: Nate Smith = new CEO of Marolina Outdoor

The parent company of HUK.

9. WI: Striker partners with Darby Communications for PR

10. BRP presents its Q2 results 📉

11. MN: Starry stonewort confirmed in Rush Lake

Part of the Lower Whitefish Chain of Lakes in Crow Wing County.

12. MN: Zeebz confirmed in Toad Lake (Becker County)

13. MN: Zeebz confirmed in Marion Lake (Otter Tail County)

14. Apache trout removed from Endangered Species list

> First listed as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966, they later were protected by the Endangered Species Act in 1973. This week, the Apache trout became the first trout or salmon species – ever – to be removed from the protection of the Endangered Species Act because the species recovered.

How to target WARM fall walleyes.

Seems like most years just as water temps are starting to dip, Mother Nature shows up and kicks a stretch of summery-feeling days back into the forecast. Here’s some quality info to consider from Jason Mitchell on how he targets scattered, transitioning walleyes:

> When the water is cooling, you can focus on a spot or location. When the water warms during the fall, you need to cover as much water as possible. Many fish will be transitioning, and trolling crankbaits can be a great way to target them.

> As fish transition and travel between point A, and point B, they typically take the shortest and easiest route. What this means is that primary main lake contours and the old river channel on reservoirs essentially become underwater highways....

> Cover water over big locations. For specifically targeting big fish...don’t be afraid to double the length and profile from what you would typically use the rest of the year.

> Don’t get hung up on an icon or waypoint...or troll until you find the fish and then assume that you will catch more from the same location. Instead focus on your fish per hour. On a tough bite, I’m happy with a bite an hour...2 would be considered good in some cases.

> Scattered fish often have a more difficult temperament...they’re not competing with other fish and in some cases are stressed from the distances traveled.

> This is exactly why I love to troll crankbaits in the fall when dealing with tough conditions. Not only do I cover water and contact more fish, I can also do a better job of getting a reaction strike by using speed to trigger fish.

Lol

Big congrats to NWT pro Dylan Nussbaum and his better-er half Mariah on the incoming little one ❤️ and I love how they announced it at the NWT Championship weigh-in where D-Bomb had a solid 5th-place finish:

National Professional Anglers Assoc.

MN-FISH

Target Walleye LLC

422 Laurel Street

P.O. BOX 541

Brainerd, MN 56401

 (218) 824 5026