You might remember that the last time the NWT was on Green Bay, Danny took home the $87K win (with 74.94 lbs on 10 fish) chuckin’ Rapala Rippin’ Raps on big rockpiles in 10-15′.
He was casting again (vs trolling), but still waiting on the specifics. Here’s what we do know after day 1 – was tight-lipped because there was still a chance they were going out for day 2:
> Danny: “Right now, there are 3 different casting baits that I have confidence in. Each day the go-to bait changes. I started with what I thought the go-to bait was, but didn’t finish with it. Right now, you just can’t rely on one thing – you have to be willing to change.”
He noticed the water had cooled down when he arrived at his first spot, which is never a good sign on the Great Lakes. He eventually found the warmer water and his co-angler, Trevor Parsons, almost immediately caught a 9-lber. He ground out 1 more good one at that spot before making another adjustment.
> “I realized the fish weren’t where we originally located them. Once I relocated them, they came pretty consistent. We had 8 walleye bites, and we capitalized on 6 of them. Once we relocated them, it was better than we expected. I knew that weight was possible if things went right, but with the rollercoaster we’ve had, you just never know. 2 weeks ago I had bigger fish located for a tournament and then all of a sudden, the bigger ones were gone, and the smaller ones moved in.
> “The fish are moving this time of year and that’s tough as it is. Then we went from 80-degree temps to 40 degrees. It’s been frustrating and stressful. Every day is a little bit different. The warm water is moving around and the fish are relating to the warm water. I knew every bite was going to matter today, and I was just hoping to get 5 bites.”
Btw Danny is a deputy sheriff for Oconto Count [thx man!] and also owns/operates Walleye Patrol Guide Service where he spends 3 or 4 days a week on Green Bay.
Huge props! I’ll follow up with the winning baits/deets in the next Target Walleye.
