Today’s Top 4
How to tell you’re using the right bait.
Basically anytime they choke it like this. #Whammy
Think that guy was hungry?! That’s a big #7 Rapala Rippin’ Rap (pearl grey shiner) that was inhaled clear through the gill. TW’s Brett McComas said, “We were able to clip the line and slide it out the bottom without injuring the fish.” #BarblessHooks
What makes the Shiver Minnow different.
The Moonshine Shiver Minnow darts and glides like other jigging baits, but what makes it different is how it rolls over on the drop — like baitfish do — with a bit of slack. Here’s how Tommy Kemos works ’em vertically:
> Let it hit bottom then pick it up a foot or so. Snap the rod up about a foot and continue that with a nice steady cadence. Snapping the bait up causes it to dart off to the side. On the end of that snap not only does it glide out, but it also rolls on its side.
> One of the keys to using the Shiver Minnow vertically is to use high-vis line. Not only can I see when that bait touches bottom, but when I’m giving it the snap…I can pay attention to any sort of bites I get on the drop [the line gets slack]. Also lets me pay attention to what the cadence is and be able to duplicate that when I get a bite.
Better to be Shiver-rolled, than #Rickrolled
Tom Kemos and Keith Kavajecz actually do give up (finally!) some of their secrets to “Shivering” walleyes on this The Next Bite episode from Lake Sakakawea, ND:
Who’s got the meaner mug?
Nick Dunn’s Lake of the Wood’s lake trout:
No getting that one back from Mr. Pike:
And the winner is…wally gator:
Show these pics to your buddy the next time they start complaining about their ouchie-bass thumbsies:
Lake trout eats 12″ tullibee…on camera!
Little-known fact: the word “tullibee” doesn’t have a single “P” in it…. We’re glad that a) Aaron Wiebe knows how to pronounce it, b) he had his Aqua-Vu HD700i recording for this fish, and c) the thing didn’t take off his whole arm:
Have a shot at winning yourself an Aqua-Vu HD700i by sharing Aaron’s original post on Facebook. #Dibs
News
1. OH: Record weights expected at Erie NWT.
> Jason Przekurat: “The funny part about Erie is that it’s not hard to catch fish, but once you start catching 7s, you better be looking for 8s. Once you’ve found 8s, you better be looking for 9s. And once you’ve found 9s, you better be looking for 10s. It’s possible to catch a 40-lb bag and be sitting in 30th place [!].
Guys will be carrying in their 5-fish limits like:
> “The big fish we target in tournaments don’t hang out on structure…. It’s a trolling bite and the rule of thumb is when the water temp is > 50 degrees you pull spinners. Unless the weather changes, I see it being a crankbait tournament.
> “The key is to find the pre-spawn or spawn fish…that can be a 2-lb difference. Last year I caught a 27.25-incher that weighed 9.3 lbs because it was full of eggs. I ended up not weighing a 29.5 because the 27 weighed more.”
Can’t wait for this slugfest — guys are pre-fishing right now.
2. WI: AIM comes to the Fox River.
This weekend outta Green Bay. Wonder how many teams watched studied In-Depth Outdoors’ Fox River Walleyes episode…. Hint: Try dragging 1/4-oz VMC Neon Moon Eye Jigs with B Fish N Tackle Moxis upstream at 0.4 to 0.7mph. Simple, but worked well for James:
3. AB: 8 new lakes open for walleye fishing.
> “Many had been closed since 1996 when the province introduced restrictions on fishing walleye when the population was in a major decline.”
Initial hot baits expected to be: plastic forks, chartreuse leadhead jigs (not tipped), and acorns. #TheyWillEatAnything
4. MN: New Upper Red walleye regs.
Can keep 4 fish with one over 17″.
5. Bait dealers want to import golden shiners.
> MN bait shop owner: “Raising shiners isn’t easy, demand has overcome the supply of shiners in the state. With so few bait dealers raising them, it’s a concern for many resorts, bait shops and fisherman.”
6. New Lund pontoons not just for Grandpas.
Never thought we’d say a pontoon looked cool, but dang! Livewell has a drop-in bait bucket and built-in storage drawers for Plano 3600 tackle trays:
7. Okuma Ceymars should cost more.
Had a chance to try ’em out for late-ice walleyes and lake trout, and feel like they should cost twice as much. FishUSA has ’em on sale here.
8. Order pizza nightcrawlers for delivery.
Didja know you can order crawlers online? Yup, for real. It’s $58 for a flat (500-ish worms) and free shipping to most U.S. states.
Wonder when they’ll start delivering ’em with drones? There’d be a steady stream heading up to the Rainy River for all the sturgeon wrasslers:
9. ND: Report winterkill to help Game and Fish….
…while they’re busy spawning fish.
10. Rapalas caught 14 IGFA world records last year.
Even crazier is that happens a lot — congrats guys!
Thanks to $800 mil in research and a monstrous Buhler-Prince machine that weighs more than 1 million lbs…seriously:
> Mike Meyer: “With this new machine, Mercury can make larger, lightweight structural components and reduce the overall weight of our engine by producing more efficient castings”
Good time for Merc to be investing — outboard sales have hit a post-recession high, up 7% since 2015. #FunMoney
Headline of the Day
Guess Indonesia doesn’t hand out tickets to non-residents:
Tip of the Day
Flat-calm days + shallow sand flats = trolling crankbaits?? Sounds goofy, but it puts a ton of ‘eyes in Jason Mitchell’s boat each spring — especially on Devils Lake, ND. He uses Off Shore Tackle Planer Boards to get his cranks out away from the boat, to keep from spooking those shallow fish. More deets:
> It’s a great way to catch these fish during tougher bites when pitching jigs or slip-bobbers aren’t working, and you’ve gotta cover a little bit of water — when fish are scattered out but holding at specific depths.
> All about finding the warmer water temps. When the sun comes out and the water temperature spikes…that’s when the fish really pile up on these types of spots. Uns weather or crashing water temps and you’ll struggle.
> We run deep-divers on a short amount of line — even in shallow water. The bigger profile runs nose down and tail up, and can catch a lot more fish than traditional shallow-running baits that run more horizontal.
> Clearer the water, the farther you need to send the boards out — especially in spring. Later in the summer you can get away with a lot more as far as running the boat right over the top of the fish.
Today’s ‘Eye Candy
Hate to see it go, but love to watch it leave:
Great snap from Jason Revermann of Outdoor News.
Sign up another ice-head!
