My apologies that there was only one TW this week. Been fighting some sort of bug 🦠😷🪫 that’s had me wiped. So I owe ya an extra one, but hope this holds you off in the meantime. Thank YOU for understanding, and for taking time out of your day to read Target Walleye. 👊

Fishing YouTuber Tom Boley recently dropped a new video breaking down “3 walleye fishing myths that are costing you fish.” Some subjects he dives into:

• Timing (morning vs evening vs midday, etc)
• Dealing with finicky fish (finesse vs big and aggressive)
• Walleyes relating to bottom vs working the column

The full video is 26:49 long, but for sure worth a watch. Topic-wise it's one of my favorites he’s done so far:

Btw dude is an absolute machine with a Shiver Minnow in hand. 😮‍💨

Quick tutorial on 'Shivering':

> After the lure hits the bottom, jig it up and immediately give the lure some slack. Keeping tension on the lure will reduce the side-to-side action that makes Shiver Minnows special...makes a huge difference in the number of bites.

> ...the right motion creates a loop of line near the rod tip and involves a solid snap at the beginning of the stroke. Similarly, if the lake bottom is covered in moss, algae, or mussels timing your jigging stroke to stay above the bottom increases bites over time.

> Vary the height and number of jig strokes before letting the lure crash back down to the bottom. Many times, larger jumps will trigger fish.... At the same time, fish occasionally suspend off the bottom and a larger stroke attracts their interest. Work both ends of the spectrum until a trend emerges.

Spotted in Jay Kumar’s last BassBlaster email – it’s called the FishCo Wingman and it’s a little plastic wing dealio that can alter the action of any plastic:

Check how this fluke goes from zero rolling action to a full on rodeo after inserting a Wingman:

But apparently it’s not only about a rolling action...can also make baits flutter/shimmy or glide depending where you put that Wingman in the bait and at what angle.

More info in the last BassBlaster email (Top Item #1).

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.

This episode kicks off the crews’ practice leading up to the Lake Huron event out of Alepna, MI. 🍿

Tour Level Gold is doing special things in the walleye world! 🙌 Walleye fishing needed this.

My only complaint is that there isn’t a new episode to watch every day lol. Reminds me of this AT&T commercial – you remember it?

First is from TW reader Jason Brandner (thx!):

> “...from Lake Minnetaki, ON. We were mixing things up after a long morning of catching walleye and decided to chase some pike. About a half hour into throwing a 6” clown Jake bait I was surprised with this nice double of 17” walleye. I bet we finished the day with around 20 walleyes on that Jake bait, but this was the only 2-for-1! Big appetites on those shallow-water weed fish!”

Next sent in from Jeremy Gehrke (thx!!):

> “Spring of 2021. Walk-trolling the dam at Glen Elder, Kansas. Was walking the dam with a 12’ trolling rod, pulling a #11 Floating Rapala. Both fish must have been gunning for the head of the bait because they had the front 2 hooks. Couple of 19” fish that couldn’t resist.”

My kind of Happy Hour! ✌️

Apparently it’s possible to make your boat too clean?!

Not sure what kind of wax Albert Minopoli Sr was using, but it turned his Lund into a mirror and this robin was fighting its reflection! 😫 OUCH!!! We feel for ya, man:

Was sent this next one from TW reader Michael M. (thx man!) who said these sky rats were even sitting INSIDE of the boat! 😩 #woof

How fun would a seagull hunting season be?! 😅 #poof

1. MN: AWESOME kids event coming up! 💯

Called the Youth Outdoor Activity Day and happening this Sun, Aug 24 at the Alexandria Shooting Park. It’s a FREE event open to all kids and families – hosted and organized by the Viking Sportsmen and Douglas County Pheasants Forever.

I didn’t see their attendance numbers from last year, but in 2023 they had 4,643 people including an estimated 2,785 kids!

Legit the stuff kid’s dreams are made of (mine too lol). More info on the activities here, including anything from casting, knot tying, trout pond, ice fishing, camping, rock climbing wall, shooting sports, snowshoeing, shelter building, outdoor cooking, fish painting, biking, ATV/UTVs, and waaaay more.

HUGE props to all those involved who help make it happen! 👏👏👏

2. MN: Lightning struck the same place twice

The teams of Jake Caughey/Jared Erickson and Isaac Lakich/Hunter Nitti TIED for 1st place at the David A. Andersen Memorial Warrior Boats Owners event on Lake of the Woods. Not just their total weights of 54.47 lbs, but their fish matched all the way down the card, creating a 100% tie for the first time ever.

3. NY: Nussbaums win Lake Erie tourney

NWT pro Dylan Nussbaum and his dad, Jesse, won the Innovative Outdoors Walleye Challenge with a 6-fish bag of 38.26 lbs.

> “We were casting VMC jigs and a crawler, Z-Man Scented Jerk ShadZ, and Jigging Raps. We used FFS to stay on the fish with 1/2- and 3/4-oz jigs for the most part. The head color didn’t seem to matter. We fished in 70’ up there, and the fish were scattered from 30’ down to the bottom. They were all over. We caught about 75 fish, keeping the biggest 6 for the weigh-in. This Innovative tournament is great, the people running it do a great job, they put a lot of work into it.”

4. WI: NWT Championship, Green Bay, Sept 4-6

Out of Marinette, WI.

5. WI: AIM Championship, Oconto, Aug 22-23

6. ND: Devils Lake ‘eyes being tagged next 3 yrs

> “This is part of a 3-year study in which we want to tag at least a thousand walleyes per year, and they’re going to be spread kind of all throughout the lake. ...the purpose of this study is to estimate the exploitation rate on our walleye, or basically the percentage of the fish that anglers are going to harvest each year.”

7. MN: Mille Lacs walleye limit increases TOMORROW

Increases from 2 to 3 fish from Aug 23 thru Nov 30. Same size limit in place...can harvest fish 17” or longer but only 1 of ‘em can be over 20”.

8. MN: MTT Championship happening right now

2-day slugfest on Lake of the Woods.

Hunter Nitti + Travis Boyum were leading after day 1 with 58.50 lbs. 🤯

9. How to catch Lake Erie walleyes from shore

Ton of info in this Game & Fish write-up – fall will be here soon!

10. WI: DNR wants input on Franklin Lake walleye rehab project

> The WI Department of Natural Resources invites the public to meet with DNR staff and partners in person on Wednesday, Aug. 27, from 6 to 8 pm at the VFW post in Eagle River for a public meeting on an upcoming walleye spawning reef project on Franklin Lake.

> This meeting will discuss the results of a 2025 comprehensive survey of Franklin Lake and the changes that have been documented in the fishery over the past 50 years. The majority of this meeting will focus on the walleye population, which was once strong but has been below what is considered a “fishable” level over the past 20 years.

> Public input will be sought on a proposed walleye spawning reef that would be constructed along U.S. Forest Service property to help rehabilitate the walleye population.

11. Canadian province bans fishing 😳

Yup – hiking and camping on public land in Nova Scotia's getting shut down too. They’re blaming it on forest fire risks and "climate change."

> "...what we see here is a reliance on the climate change narrative to take away people's freedom. And that is an issue that should be a great concern to all freedom-loving Canadians."

Sounds like satire but it's not. 1 guy is suing Nova Scotia – he was fined $25k for walking in the woods.

> At the same time, "people can use a short trail from a parking lot to a beach but cannot take a long hike through the woods to get to beaches or lakes."

12. IN: onX Fish now available in Indiana

This lake-finding cheat code is currently available in 5 states: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Dakota, and Indiana – and they’ll be adding more states throughout the year.

13. MN: Starry stonewort confirmed in 4 more lakes

Friendly reminder that despite how it sounds, “starry stonewort” is an invasive algae...not a Harry Potter character (lol).

> Starry stonewort is usually identified by the star-shaped white bulb-like structures on the plant for which it is named. These bulbils typically become visible in late summer. ...can form dense mats, which can interfere with recreational uses of a lake and compete with native plants. The algae primarily spreads when fragments have not been properly cleaned from water-related equipment.

And ‘cuz I’m a visual learner too:

It was first confirmed in 2015 and has now spread to at least 35 MN waterbodies. The newest additions being...

> ...Garfield Lake near Laporte in Hubbard County; Gull Lake one mile west of Tenstrike in Beltrami County; Three Island Lake near Turtle River in Beltrami County; and Two Rivers Lake near Holdingford in Stearns County.

14. Steve Pennaz retiring from Lake Commandos

Mark Courts is taking over and continuing Lake Commandos’ mission of educating and entertaining anglers.

15. Great Lakes: Sounds like mussels have hurt whitefish

16. TX: More about that sonar + AI device rescuers are using

Corpus Christi firefighters are using a new gadget called the AquaEye to assist in water rescues and recoveries.

It's a handheld sonar that uses AI to locate subjects underwater, even in tough spots a boat can't reach. Wonder when we'll see this tech rolled out for fishermen...?

17. DC: USFWS giving out $19 million in anti-carp grants

Asian carp, projects in 18 states. Most of the $$ will be for carp removal.

Have a shot at winning this spread of walleye-catchers from Bill Lewis!!! Including the PWC Light, ScopeStik and Depth Strike so you’ve got the water column covered from top to bottom. 💯

Takes just 10 seconds to enter and can share the link you get for bonus entries. 🤞 Good luck!

Bro’s dropshot walleye tactics

Brian ‘Bro’ Brosdahl breaks down his system for dropshot fishing walleyes. He talks weights, jigs, dropper length, and how he likes to use it catch more walleyes all season long:

“If you eat smallies the day they’re caught, it’s hard to distinguish them from walleyes.”

Hey 👋 Minnesotan here...wondering when we can get cool collector’s card fishing licenses like these?

Thanks SO much for reading! 👊 Back atcha next week...

National Professional Anglers Assoc.

MN-FISH

Target Walleye LLC

422 Laurel Street

P.O. BOX 541

Brainerd, MN 56401

 (218) 824 5026