More weights in fish, Seagull clues, Fall cleaning for fish-heads

But, this time they’re the “au naturel” kind of weights.

This video clip posted by Walleye Dan shows a walleye they were cleaning that had some pretty-hefty crappie, perch, and bluegill in its belly. 🤯 Oh, and you know the fall feedbag is reeeeally on when there’s even some weeds in there from how dang hard it was taking down those shallow-water panfish. Wild!

Suddenly I have the strong urge to chuck one of those FishLab Bio-Gill swimbaits in the cabbage weeds:

I saw my buddy (and actually a distant relative 👊) Greg Clusiau post that he pulled double-duty while watching the Viking’s game, and used the time to put the “glow green tiger” back in some of his Jigging Raps with one of those Mr. Clean Magic Eraser dealios:

Pretty slick. And seeing as the Vikes won that game 👀 maybe Greg oughta go dig some more baits out of the garage this Sunday, too.

I’ve also heard of folks using those same Magic Erasers to clean-up their old cork rod handles. Otherwise…

Here’s how Joel Nelson makes his rods look new again with some OxiClean and a good sponge. Great tip!

If you’re trying to figure out what the boat next to you is doing differently to be catching so many dang fish…the “sky rats” are always a dead giveaway lol:

Although you can’t believe everything you see…. There are some shysters out there, like Lake Erie guide Ross Robertson 🧙‍♂️ who fashion up a marker buoy using a landfill chicken (seagull decoy) and an old-fashioned “Schooley” ice reel. Said it helps him to catch more fish, and a lot less fishermen – you’ve gotta see this #ingenuity:

…and could post a pic of their meal before they ate it, I think it’d look something like this:

Those are Berkley Flicker Shads in their nasty HD patterns =

Btw if you’ve never heard how they got those 8 different HD patterns (nope, they don’t just pull stock images off the web) here’s a little first-hand insight from Berkley bait-developer Dan Spengler:

> Dan: “…I had the opportunity to work on a new line of HD Flicker colors, using high-res photos to create colors like yellow perch, emerald shiner, fathead minnow, blacknose dace, among others! It’s pretty cool to see fish you’ve personally captured on fishing lures! Especially the dace, that one was fun. I literally fell face first in a small stream trying to catch one.”

Props to Dan for taking (a wet) one for the team! Tho it looks like he enjoyed it:

LOL

Episode 21 thx to our friends at Sea Foam! Here’s what was on the menu:

1. Cheaters caught red lead handed?

2. Nasty Jigging Rap tweak!
3. Fish brain is a real thing 🥴
4. Side effects of “video game fishing”
5. Rare golden crappie caught

Hope you dig it!

No doubt “Mr. Tiller” is crushing ’em on that big pond up in the sky!

2. Boat and trailer seized from accused walleye cheater. 🚨

And so it begins….

3. MN: Hightower/Piepkorn win Gull Lake derby.

Mark Hightower and Jeremiah Piepkorn won the Fishing to End Hunger charity derby on Gull Lake with 5 for 15.56 lbs (only 1 fish > 20″ allowed). Clear water + pressured fish + insanely stiff competition…and these fellas came out on top for a $15K payday [!!!], some serious bragging rights, and the coolest dang traveling trophy:

Mark – or “The Doc” as we call him in our local walleye league – has been absolutely lighting it up around here this season. No matter what lake our local derby is on, he consistently brings in quality fish 🔥 and it’s downright impressive! I reached out to him to get a few details on their most recent Gull Lake win:

> The Doc: “We felt like we had a good game plan coming in but had to make a few adjustments after we spent most of the morning catching the Gull Lake specials…22-25″ walleye [this derby is a 5 fish bag and only 1 walleye can be over 20”]. 

> “We didn’t go deeper than about 30-33′ as we prefer the shallow fish to avoid barotrauma both prefishing and on tourney day. The way we fished was a combination of finesse rigging and power fishing with Rapala Jigging Raps. We got a lot of bites by targeting suspended fish with Jigging Raps. Those fish high in the water column crush them on the drop and it’s a blast to watch it happen on screen.

 

> “Using LiveScope to read the fish behavior and positioning in the water column was a huge help for us to determine if we kept at them or moved on. Eric Haataja on YouTube was the inspiration to chase that suspended bite.

 

> “I have to give a big shout-out to my partner, Leisure Outdoor Adventures guide Jeremiah Piepkorn. Not only is he a great partner but he made a crucial call towards the afternoon when I was looking to move locations and he convinced me to wait it out and we were able to get a couple of our 19″+ unders.”

Big props, fellas! 🙌

4. MN: Lake Vermilion fishing bust uses DNA to make case.

> Conservation Officer Shane Zavodnik made contact with some out-of-state anglers who make an annual trip to Vermilion. The 2 anglers had complained that the fishing wasn’t that great. But, upon closer inspection, Zavodnik found them with bags and bags of fish fillets – including 68 bass (largemouth and smallmouth) and 60 bluegills. That’s 56 bass and 20 bluegills over their limit.

> Because the fish were already filleted and not always distinguishable, Zavodnik sent the fillets to the lab for DNA analysis to prove how many fish the duo was over their limit for each species.

5. You asked for it…

…and StrikeMaster now has a 10″ Lithium 40V Lite coming = yup, a 10″ electric auger that can consistently cut as many as 70 holes through 16″ of ice on a single charge.

And it weighs roughly 22 pounds…LESS than your old 10″ gas auger LOL! Dude might be theeee definition of the strong, silent type. 💪🤫

Wasn’t that long ago people were saying: “Not enough power.” “Can’t drill enough holes.” “Can’t drill through thick ice.” “Will never handle a 10-inch bit.”

Now electric augers are the norm. Look how hard it is to sell a used gas auger…. The only ones I’ve even seen marked as “sold” on FB Marketplace have gone dirt cheap to people that were just gonna use ’em to dig a few fence post holes lol. Times are changing and I’m here for it. ⚡️🔋

6. SD: Dakota Angler Ice Institute, Nov 11-13.

At the Sioux Falls Arena. Believe it’s the 2nd-largest ice show in the nation.

7. MN: LiveScope seminar at the St. Cloud Scheels, Nov 1.

Costs $25 to attend this seminar with Eric McQuoid and Drake Herd talkin’ LiveScope, but you’ll also get a $25 Scheels gift card when you show up. Limited space.

8. Clam’s new XT Door System = 🔥.

Clam redesigned multiple Fish Trap models for the 2022-2023 hardwater season with the new XT (extra tall) door design for easier entry, more headroom, aaaand don’t forget longer rods and bigger hooksets! Me likey:

9. One of my favorite walleye ice-fishing spoons…

…is the PK Rattle Spoon. And that was even before they got new additions to the wardrobe. Here’s the “why” and not just the “what” 👀.

> “We believe in fishing glow colors in the mornings, and switching to metal colors in the afternoon…designed this lure so you don’t need to take it off all day!”

Quick look at the front/back of 4 different color patterns:

> The PK Rattle Spoon is truly a triple threat! Includes a loud brass rattle chamber that will stay on, attached #2 PK Wyoming Blade out of the packaging, and a silver or gold hologram on one side with a cool glow paint design on the other. Noise + flash + action.

I can confirm they catch ’em. 🎯

10. Check this “live goby” color Jigging Rap.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen it before?! Not sure if it’s a FishUSA exclusive color, or what. But #DoWant 🤤

11. MN/CAN: How to fish the Rainy River for fall walleyes (video).

Joe Henry hopped-on with the fellas from Sporting Journal Radio to chat about the current Rainy River conditions and how folks are catching ’em right now.

I can’t wait to get up there for the Chili Bowl Walleye Tournament this weekend and play around with some of the techniques.

12. The FishLab Guppy Blade Bait looks legit.

And also looks like it’s been eating goooood!

That “amplified belly provides some oomph for the long casts and vibrates heavily on the retrieve.” Also has 2 separate line tie-on points to either drop it vertically or cast it out there long.

13. Boat Trader survey results on why owners are selling.

Knew there’d be a lot that were selling high, but pleasantly surprised at the upgraders:

Fish deeper for fall reservoir walleyes.

SD guide Joel Vasek says people fish too shallow for reservoir walleyes in the fall. His full throwback breakdown here, few excerpts below:

> “People fish too shallow for fall reservoir walleyes. As fall progresses, reservoir walleyes migrate to deeper water – that’s where the baitfish go.

> “In later fall – when water temps are 56 degrees or below – you want a calm, bluebird day. Earlier in the fall, when water temps are in the higher 50s or above, you’re better off on a cloudy day with a little chop.

> “I look for anywhere from 28-40′ with a nearby drop to even deeper water. I always look for sharp dropoffs, steep banks and rocky points. You always want very deep water adjacent to these rocky spots.

> “Vertical jigging is effective, especially on bluebird days. Use a 3/8- to 1/2-oz jig tipped with a shiner or 3-4″ sucker minnow. That’s a heavy jig, but the water is deep. I recommend 6-lb FireLine for better feel. You can also use a 4” white twister tail. White imitates gizzard shad, primary forage for reservoir walleyes.

> “Use a Lindy rig with fatheads when there’s a little chop and you need to move around to locate active fish.”

When you post a fish pic on literally any of the social mediaz (lol):

That moment when you catch your FIRST walleye ever aaaand it’s an 11-lb 13.3-oz GIANT! 😮 Megan caught the 31″ freakazoid last weekend out of the Upper Iowa River:

And because I know the comment will come up…here’s a note from the IA DNR:

> “For those concerned about how this incredible fish was caught: Prior to posting, we ran this photo past our Law Enforcement and Fisheries staff. Based on what the angler has told us – it was hooked in the mouth but when she set the pole on the side of the bank the jig got twisted in all the excitement – we do not see anything in the photo to contradict that. Thanks for understanding.”

Big congrats on the fish of a lifetime! 🙌 No doubt it’s going to be a tough one to top.

“You have one last chance…tell me where all the walleyes are!” 😂 From @motorguideco:

National Professional Anglers Assoc. 

MN-FISH