Hope everyone has a great + safe weekend! CAREFUL: No doubt there will be a whole bunch of crazies out on the water.... And don’t want to forget what Memorial Day is all about: Remembering and honoring those that made the ultimate sacrifice.

We’re coming into John Hoyer’s favorite time of year for walleye fishing...when the water warms to the point that “a fish’s metabolism and their need to eat overshadows a generally picky nature.”

That’s when he likes to bust out a 1/2-oz (or heavier) Berkley Fusion19 Swimbait Jighead paired with a 4.6” (or sometimes 3.8”) Berkley PowerBait The Champ Swimmer:

> As you can see the HD printing on these paddletails [bunch of other colors not shown, too] are as close to the real thing as possible. I’ve tried almost every paddletail known to man, and these colors just straight-up get bit exponentially more often.

He keeps his lunchbox nice and full.

> The 1/2-oz (5/0) jighead is a lot more than ‘the book of walleye fishing’ would say you need in 6′ to 12′ cabbage.... When you’re pumping the bait hard through the weeds...snap it up 4-6′ and let it fall as fast as it can...creating a fleeing-perch scenario and triggering the hardest walleye strikes you will ever feel.

> If you haven’t watched The Next Bite episode with Gary Parsons and I from a few years ago...check it out and I guarantee you will be successful using this technique anywhere walleyes swim.

In case you’re curious – like I was – in how these compare to Berkley Ripple Shads.... John said The Champ Swimmer has a bigger thump and presence which he likes this time of year. And that he tends to use Ripple Shads earlier in the season in colder water.

For you visual learners, here’s a closer look at the jigging cadence he uses to snatch walleyes out of the veggies:

My arms are already sore just thinking about snapping but for sure worth it!

Btw I also just came across this great IG reel with Hoyer talking about his favorite rod for this technique: A 7' 2" medium heavy, fast-action Fenwick World Class – talk about a whoopin’ stick!

Awesome throwback shared on the Lindner’s Angling Edge FB page:

> “He just returned back from serving in the Vietnam War and was living in Rhinelander, WI. This is the first walleye Al caught on a Lindy Rig – a rig system his brother Ron designed while he was away. The fish was caught on Lake George.

And of course it was a giant!

Wonder how many walleyes have been caught on the Lindy Rig since?!

Another great, new vid from northern-MN hammer TJ Erickson. And per usual he includes a ton of A+ map and sonar examples so you know exactly what you should be looking for on your own local waters:

There’s a bunch of similarities between walleye and their European cousins, Zander...but there’s also a lot of differences. Have you ever seen a walleye do this?!?!

That short-but-wild video was posted by @michal_fox_rage on Instagram. If you look closely, there’s no hooks on the bait – Michal said that he took them off and was throwing just for fun because that zander was actually guarding its nest.

Yup, they make nests and stick around to guard the eggs sort of like bass do here. Whereas walleyes are “broadcast spawners” and those kids are on their own.

If that video wasn’t crazy enough for you, here’s another one where Michal is feeding a zander by hand!

And look at the color of this one!

I think it’s time for a European vacation.

I came across this great Wired2Fish video with Al Lindner talking about the #1 selling hardbait in the world today: The Rapala Shad Rap.

It came out back in 1982 – folks were CRUSHING fish on it and buying ‘em up to the point Rapala couldn't deliver enough of 'em. Get this: Independent retailers were literally renting out Rapala Shad Raps with a $25 deposit – and folks were lined up!

Which totally reminds me of this hilarious throwback Rapala commercial with dude’s fighting over the bait LOL:

Never gets old!

Anywho, here’s the newer vid with Al talking the history of the Shad Rap, and also how he puts it to work on the water:

And now that I know how good these couple of Scheels exclusive colors work on Rippin' Raps and Jigging Raps in clear water...I'll be adding 'em to my Shad Rap arsenal as well.... That's sweetspot (left) and purple shades (right):

I'm telling you they crush!

1. WI: BIll Shimota leading the Mississippi River NWT

Out of La Crosse, WI with a 5-fish bag of 19-05.

> Bill: “Today everything just fell into place for me. I was able to have a good boat number which allowed me to get to my primary hole that I found consistency in during practice. I was fortunate for that, because on a fishery like this against these guys, everything is going to get found.”

> Bill reported that he and his Co-Angler caught multiple keepers today, and threw back multiple overs, but sticking to his guns and trusting his gut, he kept the right over walleyes that helped propel their bag to just shy of 20-lbs. “Tomorrow will go right, if I can get back on my primary spots. I have a higher boat number tomorrow but if I get my chance to crack on them, things will go our way I believe.”

Btw John Hoyer is nipping at his heels in 2nd with 18-10....

Day 2 (the final day) is happening right now and there’s more than $150K in cash and prizes up for grabs. They’ll be livestreaming the weigh-in here starting at 3:00pm cst. Or you can hit up the live leaderboard. It’s gonna be a tight one!

2. MN: Wolden/Leininger win Leech Lake AIM

With 5 for 40.63. Those fellas are hammers.

3. “Tour Level Gold” is back!

I am NOT going to stop talking about this amazing video series – it’s that good. What I would consider must-watch stuff if you’re a fan of walleye fishing. It gives a behind-the-scenes look at the highs and lows professional anglers deal with on the National Walleye Tour.

Season 3, Episode 1 of Tour Level Gold just dropped end of last week. This episode called "Survival" kicks off the Lake Sharpe NWT event out of Pierre, SD:

4. OH: 217K saugeye stocked into Grand Lake St. Marys

5. TN: 10K walleye stocked into flood-damaged Pigeon River

6. NY: Highschoolers creating artificial fish habitat...

...to drop in Great Sacandaga Lake:

> “Giving back, one habitat at a time! Students in Brian Henry’s science research class at BPHS are diving into conservation with the Great Sacandaga Lake Artificial Fish Habitat Initiative – building lasting ecosystems, learning the power of conservation, and making a real impact on their community.”

Love this!

7. MN: Kid's fishing clinic in Brainerd this Sat

From 9am - 1:30pm at Lum Park.

8. MN: New ‘Dialed In Angling Podcast’ talks...

...potential changes to the MN walleye limit. Host Tony Roach discusses the possibility of lower the daily limit from 6 fish to 4 with guests Nate Blasing (fishing guide and member of Walleye Alliance, Inc) and Brian Nerbonne (MN DNR Regional Fisheries Manager).

9. WA: New crayfish species found

Sorta reminds me of the "glow red tiger color Rapala Jigging Rap.

10. NY: State-record channel catfish caught

Outta Black River Bay by Dylan Kampnich and weighed 37 lbs 9 oz.

11. Another electric outboard company comes to the US

12. This graffiti is insane

How Tom Huynh uses FFS in heavy wind

Not talking your average “walleye chop” where he would typically just fish with the nose of the boat always pointed into the wind...I’m talking about the kind of rollers they get on big systems like the Great Lakes, basin fishing on Lake of the Woods, etc.

It’s so nice to see green grass again that I might not even cut it for the first month-ish of the walleye season....

#priorities

In honor of 'Fish-Flop Friday' I just wanted you to know that even fishing YouTuber Tom Boley occasionally has one that gets away from him. #HeIsHuman? #FishingRobot

Per usual, Tom has been kicking out a pile of great content on his YouTube channel this season. I 10/10 recommend subscribing to him and I'd honestly be shocked if you weren't already.

National Professional Anglers Assoc.

MN-FISH

Target Walleye LLC

422 Laurel Street

P.O. BOX 541

Brainerd, MN 56401

 (218) 824 5026