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The final qualifying stop before the NWT Championship kicks off tomorrow on Lake Erie out of Dunkirk, NY.

John Hoyer won it last time they were there with a 3-day bag (15 fish) of 102.33 lbs =6.822-lb average. BUT...

> "Dunkirk, NY, is my favorite Walleye memory of all time.... I will not be able to fish where I won the championship in 2022 [NY waters only this time], but...I look forward to the sheer numbers of fish that will be suspended near the shorelines and also in open water.

> "The angler that wins this event will crack the code of where the 7 to 8-lbers are living this summer! Dunkirk is an amazing host city, I look forward to some of that hospitality!"

Btw this is a no-cull tournament, so tough decisions will need to be made ‘cuz once a fish goes in the box, it’s gotta stay there.

If you’re wondering how Hoyer caught ’em last time they were there (Aug 2022), here’s the short answer:

> John Hoyer: “Trolling is boring....”

Lol! Okay now to dive in a bit deeper:

> 8 days before the championship commenced, Hoyer identified some intriguing vegetation and investigated on a whim. What he experienced instantly gave him flashbacks to the 2019 NWT Sault Ste. Marie event, where he took 2nd by ripping swimbaits through cabbage.

> This time around the vegetation was eelgrass, but otherwise the pattern was the same. Using a Berkley PowerBait The Champ Swimmer [the biggest 4.6” size], Hoyer would cast into the eelgrass, snap the bait as hard as possible to clear the grass, and they’d bite it on the fall. His best colors were HD Bluegill and HD Yellow Perch.

> “...ripping it hard off the bottom about 6-ft and killing it...letting it freefall as fast as it possibly could, and they would absolutely inhale it. Every fish had it choked so I was able to get a good hookset and get them in the boat. I would use a 1/2-oz up to a 1-oz Fusion19 Swimbait Jighead depending on the current. With the heavier jighead, it falls even faster and they hit it even harder. That snapping action is the most fun way to catch a walleye – end of conversation. To see how fast they come and hit it on Active Target is literally breathtaking. The only rod I used was a 7′ MH Fenwick World Class. That rod was rigged with 10-lb Fireline and a 15-lb Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon leader.”

> ...prevailing current is what protected his areas, therefore allowing weed growth. While most pros were trolling in 70′, the weedbed depth was only 6-12′. ...nearly all the walleyes had a golden color to them, making him believe they’re resident fish.

> “We found probably 18-20 weedbeds, but some were just in bays. The best spots were the classic Canadian rock/weed combos. [Day 3] was weird...the current was raging. It was so fast it was pulling you against the wind...could see the fish sitting behind the weed clumps, using them as a break in the current. From there, it was a matter of dissecting the spot with Active Target.”

> Hoyer described these weedbeds as a milk run with some up to 5 miles apart. Round trip, he would travel 80-100 miles each day.

> “It was a struggle early [on day 3]. I started fishing around 8am, and I put my fifth fish in the livewell at 10:30, but that limit only weighed around 20 lbs. On our third spot, we caught a couple of 5-lbers to move us up some. We kept moving, and finally I hit a spot that I thought could produce maybe 2 nice walleyes. I got there, and I saw 4 fish on the graph and assumed they were rough fish. I pitched in there, and it was like hitting a stick of dynamite. I had an 8.5-lber just blow up on it. Then it just got crazy. At the very end of the day I got bit 10x on my last 15 casts. I literally left them biting at the biggest tournament of the year. I was 40 miles from takeoff with 30 lbs. It was time to just roll in.”

It’s never fun leaving biting fish...but imagine when those fish are THIS caliber:

It will be fun to see how it all goes down! Hopefully mother nature cooperates.... Be safe out there, fish-heads!

From this post by Declan Bernardin on FB:

> Amazing weekend up at LOTW. Over 100+ walleye landed and they were only munching one thing! Rapala Jigging Raps....

> The new 7 '6" M L JTX from @jtoutdoorproducts is amazing at working #9 and #7 Jigging Raps.

> ...biggest walleyes of the weekend [were] 29.75", 28.5", 28.5", 28", 27", 27"....

Target Walleye’s friend Joel VandeKrol (aka JVK) reached out to Declan Bernardin to snag a few details on the banner outing:

> Declan: "So this is actually my first time going up to Lake of the Woods on the Ontario side at this time of year (in Aug). We usually go up there for the 4th of July long weekend, for Canada Day, because I am Canadian...I have family who have a cabin in the Sioux Narrows area...this time...we stayed around the region. 

> "Last year, I had found a really good spot close to the cabin in that Sioux Narrows (Whitefish Bay) area that was holding some decent fish. So I decided to start right back there."

JVK: What was the water clarity?

> "Extremely clear. You could see almost 20'. Whitefish Bay is probably the cleanest part of the lake.... It's not the muddy big Traverse Bay, or the northern part up by Kenora. Whitefish Bay is crystal clear.

> "I was targeting sand flats and rocky reefs...found them in both.... The reefs seemed to be holding the bigger fish...the sand flats were holding numbers..."

JVK: Any specific depth that they were hanging out, or were they scattered all over?

> "Any reef that topped out around that 15-20' mark then dropped into an abyss of 40' or more [left]. They were sitting suspended or right on top of those reefs. And then when it came to the sandy bays, it was more 15-20' [right]."

Couple quick examples I snagged from the One-Boat Network app (HD LakeMaster maps in your pocket):

> "I had a whole arsenal of rods lined up from snares with bobbers, dropshots on the 7' 6" Mag-Light. And then I pulled out the new 7' 6" Mag Medium Light, tied a Jigging Rap on and just started hammering them...

> "Tried a bunch of different colors – the only color they would eat...was that chrome perch pattern. They wouldn't even look at any other color....put several other colors in their face and they wouldn't budge...threw that perch color straight down to the bottom, made a couple pops and they'd smoke it.”

> "They were extremely color picky...I must have hit it at the perfect time too...I was up there for 4 days and...the last day, they were probably the pickiest...for whatever reason...noticed the fish were getting thicker too...must be eating a whole bunch of smaller perch cuz that Jigging Rap was the perfect size..."

JVK: How were you working the Jigging Rap?

> "I couldn't really get over top of them because the water was so clear...I was staying about 50-60' away from the fish...casting it out...snapping it a few times...and popping it as soon as it hit bottom...kept it moving quick so they wouldn't get a good look at it...helped trigger the reaction bite.

> "I was downwind from the fish, pitching into the wind and working it back. The bigger fish were sitting on top of the reef...2' or 3' off the bottom. Wind was blowing pretty good over top of the reefs...the fish were sitting on the opposite side of the reef, of which the wind was coming from...probably eating baitfish as they're getting blown across....

> "...the big ones were absolutely engulfing it, so they had the whole [Jigging Rap] in their mouth...the smaller fish were coming on the treble or they're eating it headfirst."

JVK: Tell me about your line set up. Mono or braid?

> "I was using that new Sufix Revolve braid. It's super thin...not as many wind knots. I really like it for snapping Jigging Raps and stuff through the water. I had a 15' long, 10-lb fluorocarbon leader...connected with a uni-to-uni knot...so that way those fish wouldn't see that braided line.

> "Fuego 2500...that's all I have now. They're just so smooth...the drag is so smooth on them. They feel great. They're a great price, and the drag just sounds like butter. I've not found a better reel for the money.

> "I got the Garmin 8616 GPSMAP. And then I got the LVS34 for my transducer...mounted on an HD Innovations pole....

> "I had my 5-yr-old cousin out with me and he had a blast. This was his first time fishing like that...his family fishes for walleyes more traditionally...like vertically jigging with a worm off the side of the boat.... So this was something different for him...he loves looking at the LiveScope screen...he was pointing the fish out to me. He actually caught a 27-incher and was able to reel it in...it was so cool."

JVK: You think he's ever gonna fish a jig ‘n minnow again?

> "No way...I'm sure he's going to be begging his parents now to get a LiveScope." 

Couple other key observations

> "Just staying off the reef was...a crucial thing. My cousins...don't have a trolling motor or anything, they just have a straight, old-fashioned anchor. 

> "When they came by and joined us, as soon as they went over those fish, they got spooked off the reef....it's just crucial to stay off the reef, not having to drive over the fish. Having that LiveScope is such a great tool for not spooking them."

Jeremy and Joshua Messerschmidt’s happy hour was courtesy of an "OG blue" color Berkley Finisher – talk about goals!

Have you ever pulled off a walleye fishing 2-for-1 before? See it occasionally in the bassin’ world...but only a few times ever on the gravel lizard side of things. If you have, reply to this email with a prove-it pic and description of the shenanigans. 👊

Exploring new lakes paid-off BIG! I hit up one of those weedy, shallow bowl type of waters that most folks write-off as a "bass lake." 👀 Welp, they're wrong LOL.

This little lake was loaded with carp and other schtuff floating around the bottom edge of soft-bottom bays, but there were some giant 'eyes mixed in as well. I ended up using a nasty 1-2 punch to essentially confirm whether I was looking at a walleye on the graph or something else....

I’d start by making long casts at targets with Rapala CrushCity Mooch Minnow rigged on a VMC 'RedLine Series' Tungsten Swimbait Jig. If they were carp, suckers, tullibees, etc they’d act like the bait wasn’t even there. But if it was a walleye, they would move on the bait or posture up at it. Sometimes they’d fly up and absolutely crack the plastic.

But if they didn’t commit to eating it, then I’d follow right up with a 3/16-oz VMC RedLine Series Tungsten Ned Head Jig tipped with a ‘crawler to seal the deal.

Full rundown in the vid and I also show several map examples of the unusual spots I’ve been catching these plus-sized fish in on numerous lakes in the area – hope you dig it!

As always, all of the gear I used in this specific video is listed in the video’s description on YouTube. If you have a specific question on anything, drop a comment over on YouTube and I’ll do my best to get back to you in a timely fashion.

Looking for a challenging puzzle? Try putting this bad boy together.... 🧐

Believe it or not (believe it!) those are walleye bones 😳 and here’s what the sculls look like after Down to the Bone Taxidermy puts the pieces together:

Incredible work! 🙌 Sounds like the “European Scull Mounts” cost 200-ish bones and come with a display case.

I got to snooping thru his FB page and found another post where he had kicked out a complete skeleton reconstruction of a 28” walleye:

Pretty dang cool!

1. NWT AOY race is heating up 🔥

Case you’re curious who currently holds the top spot:

2. # of anglers an all-time high in 2024?

That's what a fishing industry study is saying in the 2025 Special Report on Fishing. Few highlights:

> ...57.9 mil Americans ages 6 and up took to the nation's waterways to enjoy recreational fishing, an all-time high 19% of the US population. 

> 5.1 mil Americans tried fishing for the first time [up from '23]

> 36.7 mil men went fishing in 2024, the highest number of male participants on record.

> 21.3 mil women went fishing in 2024, the highest number of female participants on record. [So 40% of all peeps who fish are women?? Does that sound right?]

> More than 5.5 mil black Americans ages 6 and over fished in 2024, the highest # since activity tracking began in 2007.

> Hispanic fishing participation increased...from 3.3 mil in 2014 to 6.6 mil in 2024.

3. MN: Mille Lacs going to 3-walleye limit this fall

Thanks to state anglers harvesting only about 22% of its allowed take. Will have the same current slot of 17-20” with 1 fish over 20” allowed. No word on the exact starting date yet, but likely in the next couple of weeks.

Also sounds like they’ll be dropping the night ban (currently you can’t fish for walleyes from 10pm to 6am) starting Sept 1. Believe it would be the first time they lifted the night ban since 2014.

4. OH: Will walleye finally be the new state fish?

> "I'm optimistic that we're going to be able to reel this one in and finally make the walleye our state fish.... We are the walleye capital of the world, and OH is open for anglers from all over the place to come here and experience what OH is all about."

> OH, IN, and IA are the only states without a designated state fish. The walleye is the state fish in MN, SD, and VT.

>"By having an official state fish, it allows the state of OH to market that to folks in other states...having a state fish can help them on their grant applications...and with other nonprofits that make donations.”

>There are 72.1 million walleye in Lake Erie at least 2 years or older.

> "It's not really controversial...having the walleye become the official state fish would help show off Lake Erie.... There's a lot of people that come..to fish for [walleyes] on Lake Erie...the economic impact is pretty large."

> Jason Fischer runs three competitive walleye tournament series in OH – the Lake Erie Walleye Trail, the Walleye Fall Brawl, and the OH Walleye Federation. 

> "OH is the walleye capital of the world...you come to OH to fish for walleye because it's the best place in the world to do it..."

> People from more than 20 states and Canada come annually to compete in the Walleye Fall Brawl. OH fishing has an economic impact of $5.5 bil per year...

> "This shouldn't even have to be brought up again...what the walleye does for OH far exceeds any other fish."

5. CO: Potential ban on live minnow sales

> The CPW Commission is set to vote on a petition to ban the sale and or importation of live baitfish during the Commission meeting at the Pueblo Convention Center on Aug 21-22. ...would effectively ban fishing with live minnows in CO since there are no in-state producers....

6. Z-Man is looking for a Media Manager...

> ...to take the lead on managing both our traditional and social media efforts. This role will coordinate content scheduling, media partnerships and communications to maximize Z-Man’s brand presence across digital and print channels.

> This position will work closely with the marketing team to distribute content and manage posting schedules on platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, and liaise with print and digital media partners.

7. DC: Brian Nesvik is the new USFWS director

Worked at the WY DNR and was also a brigadier general in the Army reserves.

8. AL: New T-H Marine sr VP of ops

Tony Kelleher, came from Volvo Penta of the Americas.

9. What size lithium battery is needed for your electronics?

Gotta give props to Amped Outdoors on coming up with a way for folks (who aren’t rocket scientists 😅) to estimate the total run time different size batteries would give your rig based on the exact electronics you have. It’s called the Battery Capacity Selection Tool and is super slick!

10. Brunswick Marine's Q2 sorta flat vs Q2 '24

Engines up 7%, engine parts and accessories up 1%, Navico/Lowrance down 4%, boats down 7%.

11. Garmin's Q2 marine biz up YOY

> Revenue from the marine segment increased 10% in the 2nd quarter with growth across multiple categories led by chartplotters. Gross and operating margins were 55% and 21%, respectively, resulting in $63 million of operating income.

12. MN: U of M studying powerboat impacts on lake ecosystems 

> The study involved having 7 types of recreational powerboats pass over sensors [that measure pressure and velocity] at different speeds.... ...looking at how factors like propeller thrust and motor setting can impact the delicate balance of lakebeds and ecosystems. 

> All powerboats produce water currents and turbulence that can disturb the lakebed.

> More powerful turbulence from wakeboats can directly resuspend sediments in the water. This can indirectly lead to release of nutrients like phosphorus from sediment that can stimulate excessive algae growth, which adversely impacts lakes.

> All powerboats, when leisurely cruising or planing, should operate in 10’ of water or greater to minimize impacts caused by motions generated by a boat’s hull.

> During surfing, wakeboats should operate in depths of 20’ or greater to minimize negative impacts on the lake environment.

13. AFTCO's Casey Shedd talks private equity pros/cons

Good perspective. Definitely has been good for some brands, definitely not so good for others. On the plus side, several brands and products we all love would be gone by now if it wasn't for PE.

14. CrushCity Freeloader is on sale

Scheels has a bunch of colors marked down to just $3.49 a pack.

The CrushCity Freeloader wasn't specifically designed for walleye fishing...but that doesn't stop plus-sized walleyes from absolutely CRUSHING it! Here’s how/where/when/why I like to fish ‘em:

Should you be running TWO Side Imaging transducers?

Little sneakret that some pros have been doing for years to get the cleanest SI image possible:

“Poor girl stubbed her toe.”

- That's Robert Karpiak, who also said "when you hear a tink at 44mph...not good."

Hope the fix is somehow cheaper and faster than ya could ever think possible! I would probably cry. 😫

Not walleye related...but it’s too dang incredible of a shot not to share. Posted by Christian O'Dowd who said they were fishing for bass in CT when they hooked up with this tiger muskie. Perfection!

Thanks SO much for reading! 👊 Back atcha in a couple...

National Professional Anglers Assoc.

MN-FISH

Target Walleye LLC

422 Laurel Street

P.O. BOX 541

Brainerd, MN 56401

 (218) 824 5026