Bass bait wins walleye derby, Rippin’ Rap mod, Cold-front boat positioning

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But you might believe who won it:

Talking about Tom Huynh, a guy who is “single-handedly changing the trajectory of walleye fishing as we know it.” Seriously. He’s someone you’re going to be hearing a lot more about going forward.

Dude came blasting into the walleye-tourney scene out of nowhere and ABSOLUTELY LIT IT UP. 🚀 This pic basically summarizes the first 12 months he had ever really even targeted walleye on purpose:

Earlier this winter we shared a really GREAT read on Tom that talked how he:

> “…has successfully married both bass and walleye fishing tactics, mixing both artificial and live bait and fishing in all areas and depths, even spots overlooked for walleyes. It’s why he’s picked up the reputation as something of a trailblazer on the NWT.”

Now he and partner Nate Wolske’s recent AIM win on Mississippi River’s Pool 4 is a perfect example of that. Long story short, they boated 32.17 lbs to take home the win (7.25 lbs more than the 2nd-place team) throwing a crawfish-profile bass bait called a Baby Bizz Bug. 👀😳 Seriously:

Few quick excerpts from AIM’s post:

> Tom Huynh: “Rivers aren’t my thing. The first time we ever fished a river was last year. Learning current and all that is a whole new thing. We can’t do on a river what we do on a lake. So basically, this tournament, we just fished.”

> “I don’t know what to think about it. Nate for example is very technical, so he looks at different techniques. He hasn’t been in the fishing game that long, so we make a really good team. People might think it’s our Garmin LiveScope. I’m using it all the time, but if I caught every fish I saw I’d never cash a check.

> “I’m looking for structure that holds big fish so I’m always trying to win. I think we’re approaching this a little differently. We know the techniques traditional walleye fishermen use and were just making it a little different.

> “I’m using a white plastic crawdad-looking bait. But if a wounded shad is getting caught in the current and it’s falling down the river, a craw with a flatter body and with pinchers would displace more water and look like a wounded shad. The one shad I caught by accident was very silver, almost white. I think it was a reaction bite, where they get a glimpse and eat it. They don’t have time to look at it….”

Madness, but in a reeeeally good way. Full scoop on how they caught ’em in this Aim Pro Walleye Series post. BIG congrats fellas!!! 👊 Keep doing your thing.

Surprise, surprise…another GIANT hit guide Doug Wegner’s boat on Green Bay. This time it was Bob Kagle sticking his new PB (personal best) waldo slinging a #6 Rapala Rippin’ Rap. She measured a whopping 30.25″ long x 19.75″ girth and went 12.87 lbs. Quick release video here. 🤯 Congrats on the fish of a lifetime!

Which brings us to the next snippet….

I don’t know if anyone has put more walleyes in their boat on Rapala Rippin’ Raps than Green Bay guide Doug Wegner…so when he dropped a YouTube video talking about his #1 Rippin’ Rap modification, I couldn’t click on it fast enough.

Rapala Rippin’ Raps come stock with a slightly bigger hook on the front/belly than they have on the back/tail:

• The #6 Rippin’ Rap comes with a #6 treble on the belly and a smaller #8 on the tail.
• The #7 Rippin’ Rap comes with a #4 treble on the belly and a smaller #6 on the tail.

Doug actually flip-flops those so that the slightly larger hook is on the rear of the bait, because he says 90% of the fish come on that back hook and he wants that wider gap to keep fish pinned.

But if you want to take it to the next level:

Slide the bigger, stock, back hook up to the front/belly, and then upgrade the rear hook to a short-shank VMC Hybrid Treble: Run a #4 treble on back of #7 Rippin’ Raps, and a #6 treble on the back of #6 Rippin’ Raps.

He likes those VMC Hybrid Trebles because they have a round bend and wider gap for keeping fish pinned, and better hookups when fish are nipping at the back of the bait from the way those chemically-sharpened hook points are slightly angled/pointed in. Bonus points that they also don’t hook as many zebra mussels when hitting bottom:

Talkin’ COLD-front walleye fishin’, which spring is always known for! Normally you wanna Spot-Lock so you’re casting back to the fish with the wind:

But around the 11:30 mark Tom shows how he slides around the fish and sets up parallel to ’em during a cold front, so that he can watch Humminbird Side Imaging – while stationary – and make sure that every cast counts:

Allows him to burst his trolling motor sideways left and right and see which way the fish are sliding, to stay on ’em. Worth a watch to hear Tom break this technique down – click the pic below to jump to that section of the video:

Sent in from TW fan Zachary Jobes, who whacked this oddly plump Lake Erie butterball trolling Bandits behind Off Shore Tackle Planer Boards. Whoa!!!

Measured just 21″ yet still weighed a girthy 5 lbs! 😳 I can relate to that lol:

1. Fishing brother in need of a kidney.

We mentioned a couple weeks ago that Nate Parenteau, owner of Della Bay custom rods, is in need of a kidney transplant and looking for a donor.

> Nate currently does hemodialysis 5x a week at a dialysis center and is working towards being able to do it at home. Unfortunately, his kidneys are at less than 5%. He needs a kidney to return to any sense of a normal life. The past 8 months have been a long journey of ER visits, lengthy hospital stays, surgeries, IVs, etc.

I just saw that a GoFundMe has been set up to help Nate with kidney transplant expenses. If you can spare a few bucks to help Nate and his family financially, hit up the GoFundMe account here. 💪 Stay strong, brotha.

2. ND: Missouri Rive AIM postponed after record spring blizzard.

> Denny Fox, AIM national tournament director. “The safety of our teams is our #1, top, no-exceptions priority. That’s why we’ve decided to postpone Sunday’s opener.

> “The combination of some 30″ of snow from that record storm that hit the Upper Plains, monster snowdrifts still plaguing travelers and residents, and the prospect of even more rain and snow starting Friday, plus the prospect of some pretty nasty conditions on the river Sunday, really made the decision for us.”

> AIM is currently working hard to find a replacement date somewhere to replace this event, please stand by.

3. WI: Merc National tourney happenin’ Jun 11-12.

Registration opened Mar 21 for the 44th-annual derby on Lake Winnebago. Already have well over 200 teams signed up – they cut it off at 300.

The top prize = a Lund 1875 Impact XS with a Mercury 150XL Pro XS and Merc 9.9 Pro Series Kicker + $5K cash. Total package valued at OVER $50K! Payouts have been increased for the rest of the field this year too.

Chad and Josh Liedke won it last year with 23-10. Heard they’re going to bring an extra tow vehicle with ’em this year just in case (lol).

4. MN: Charity ‘MN Fishing Challenge’ happening Jun 4 on Gull Lake.

All proceeds benefit a great charity: the MN Adult & Teen Challenge. Plus you get to try and out-fish Al (good luck).

> Last year’s teams raised more than $445K [!] to support Mn Adult & Teen Challenge’s drug and rehabilitation programs statewide. The cumulative amount generated via this family-friendly tournament since 2009 is more than $3 mil!

Amazing! And for every $500 your team raises you’ll be entered into a drawing to win a new Lund boat. More info here.

5. X2Power now has lithium batteries.

X2Power is known for their premium AGM batteries that are made in the USA and sold exclusively at Batteries Plus:

> 30% longer life per charge…lasts 3x longer and recharges 5x faster than traditional batteries. …28x more vibration resistant than conventional batteries [and] performs as both a starting and a deep cycle battery.”

And now:

> X2Power has introduced 4 new deep cycle, lithium battery options specifically designed for the kayak angler, boater and RV enthusiast.

> LiFePO4 is the safest lithium battery chemistry on the market and the Battery Management System (BMS) that protects against over-charging and over-discharging leaves no doubt when making the switch to lithium. Backed by a 5-yr warranty and a charging time 4X faster than that of a standard lead acid battery….

Btw – If you want a little background info on X2Power and Batteries Plus from a more personal level, I saw that X2Power’s Shawn Budiac hopped on a recent live podcast with Alex Rudd Fishing – longer listen, but has a ton of interesting info packed in.

6. KS: Walleye study underway on Marion Reservoir.

> Marion Reservoir is 1 of 3 KS reservoirs that can sustain a fishable walleye population through natural recruitment. Enhancement of walleye broodstock is a major goal of the study, as enhanced recruitment would equate to increased walleye population density and increased walleye fishing opportunities for anglers.

> The study (which began Jan 1, 2020) is organized into two phases: a 2-yr Grow Phase and a 2-yr Harvest Phase.

> During the Grow Phase, which took place Jan 2020 thru Dec 2021, walleye were managed with a 21″ minimum length limit and a 5 per day creel limit. This was done to increase densities of walleye in Marion Reservoir longer than 18″.

> Now, the waterbody is in its 2-yr Harvest Phase. Thru Dec 2023, Marion Reservoir’s walleye population will be managed with an 18″ minimum length limit and a 3 per day creel limit, with no more than 1 fish 21″ or longer.

7. Rapala Shad Raps got some fish-sexxy new colors.

Of course the Rapala Shad Rap needs no introduction – it’s literally been the benchmark that other cranks are measured by – but here’s a little nugget you might not realize:

> The buoyancy of a balsa body (they twitch, quiver and wobble on the retrieve) allows a Shad Rap to deflect with an unrivaled action when it bangs into bottom structure and cover. Shad Raps also back out of shallow cover better than copycats, floating up and minimizing snags.

Now comes in 6 new colors. Clockwise from the top left = black wonderbread, voodoo haze, glow pink squirrel, juicy Lucy, moldy fruit, and headspin:

8. Joe Woodward is new KastKing marketing director.

Brings with him nearly two decades of marketing and branding experience in the fishing and boating industries (had been at Crestliner/Brunswick and Gander Mountain).

9. KastKing also hired Regina Gray as the new creative director.

She will oversee the creative efforts for the brand while also directing KastKing’s social media channels and its team of fishing ambassadors and influencers.

> Over the last two decades, Gray has taken her fishing and design career to the next level, organizing and competing in fishing tournaments and pursuing IGFA World-Records. Supporting conservation initiatives in cooperation with key organizations and brands has been an integral part of her vision. She has spent countless hours volunteering with nonprofits including the International Game Fish Association, The Billfish Foundation, The Presidential Challenge Charitable Foundation and the USVI Open / Atlantic Blue Marlin Tournament.

> Some of her career highlights include: ideating and competing on the Costa Del Mar all-female pro team; published in Wild River Press,”Fifty Women Who Fish” that spotlights female anglers from around the world; Hall-of-Famer in FWC’s Trophy Catch program, and developed award-winning content strategies for major outdoor brands.

10. Andrea Tetto is Yamaha’s new business planning division mgr.

> …responsible for all facets of business planning, including business and market intelligence, strategy management, research, and the project management office.

11. SD thinks some Oahe ramps won’t be usable.

Low water and low snowpack.

12. VA released 3,500 grass carp into Swift Creek Rez.

To get rid of hydrilla.

> …studies revealed the triploid grass carp as the most environmentally-friendly and cost-effective means of controlling the hydrilla growth in the reservoir.

Maybe it just sounds scarier than it is…. Quick search on the Google machinez and here’s what I found:

> Triploid grass carp are certified sterile by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and will not reproduce. Triploid grass carp have been stocked for decades as a natural alternative to chemicals for algae and aquatic weed control.

13. MN is trapping spawning carp w/ an electric fish fence…

…to get rid of ’em in Ramsey County’s Rice Creek and its connected lakes.

> Now University of Minnesota ecologists, who have spent years studying the life cycle of this unwanted fish in the Rice Creek system, are using that research coupled with new technology including “an electric fence for fish” to remove thousands of carp each spring.

> “We captured 2/3 of the spawning run. That’s a little over 10,000 carp,” said Bajer, who started the company Carp Solutions to develop technology and handle the removal. Last summer, they removed an additional 6,000 carp with baited traps.

14. NY: Town of Hague opposes use of milfoil herbicide in Lake George.

> Some of the other concerns include how long the toxic chemical will remain in the lake, the fact that ProcellaCOR eventually breaks down into chemicals that are as toxic as the parent and the fear that decomposing milfoil could even increase the risk of harmful algal blooms.

Reminder: ProcellaCOR is a herbicide treatment that supposedly only targets milfoil, lasts for 3 years, and has zero effects on fish and other aquatic veggies. I don’t know these things for fact, it’s just what I had read.

15. NJ: $10-mi public lakes grants program launched.

Walt Matan: Jigging plastics for river walleyes/sauger.

Right now. Check Walt’s full MidWest Outdoors write-up here, few excerpts below:

> Plastic really shines when the water is cold and it is around spawning time. Walleyes and sauger migrate upstream close to dams and the action really picks up. All dams are not the same…some are shallow, some are deep and some are in between. But one thing that they all have in common is current. Find the right current and you will find the fish. There might be 20 boats below the dam, but only a few are catching fish…these guys have found the spot!

> When you combine boat position with proper presentation, you will usually be rewarded with fish. I’ve caught sauger in 40′ below a dam, and in just 4′ later as the sun warmed the water – from the same dam! Find the active fish, present your bait and it’s game on!

> When fishing deep, anchoring is a no-no. You need to have command of your trolling motor or be able to backtroll to hold your position. Then you need to be able to drop your jig into the fish zone without snagging up. That’s easier said than done for a lot of folks.

> I’ve found 2 presentations that work well when fishing deep. A heavy jig like a 1/2- or 5/8-oz B-Fish-N H2O Jig with an AuthentX Moxi plastic tail, lowered to bottom and then raised up and held and/or jigged within 6″ of bottom, is prime. Sauger really go for this presentation. You need to lower the jig until it hits bottom and then raise it up a little. Keeping it on bottom will produce a snag.

 

> My other favorite presentation is a lighter 3/8- or 5/16-oz jig and an AuthentX Pulse-R. I’ll go lighter if possible. I want to keep vertical jigging, bouncing bottom. Too heavy a jig will snag. Light is key, but you still need to know where your jig is at. Both Moxis and Pulse-Rs have undulating tails that are in constant motion in the current. You really don’t need to add a lot of jigging action to get them to work.

> You need a light graphite spinning rod. It should have a sensitive, fast tip and good backbone to handle large fish and snags. The reel doesn’t matter as much as the line. A bright yellow or orange braided superline with a 6-lb mono diameter spec is my choice. I’ll tie on a 3′ section of 8-lb fluoro as a leader if the water is clear, but most of the time the water is stained to muddy, so I’ll just tie it directly.

> Plastic styles affect the jig/fall rate. Larger plastics give the jig more lift. Thin styles like an AuthentX Ringworm or Paddletail fall quickly. When fish are aggressive, quick is good.

> Walleyes are extremely susceptible to color. I’ve had walleyes jump all over a bubblegum-colored Ringworm 1 min, and then 30 min later, I’m getting them on a blue/brown combo. If I’m fishing with someone and they get one, you can bet I’ll try to match the color they are using, really quick-like! But for me, you can’t beat a purple Ringworm with a white tail. I’ve caught numbers and giants on this bait. Bubblegum, white and glow are good. Basically, I’ll use bright colors on cloudy days and purple or oystershell on bright days.

“Crankbaits are my ultimate side scanning sonar in the way I use them. Not only do I catch fish on them, but I am able to locate off-shore structure and objects of all sorts.”

– That’s Joe Bucher joking about this mess he hooked into the other day LOL:

Double trouble! Lake Erie guide Ross Robertson must be stronger than he looks to be able to hold up these two paunchy critters (lol). Fire pic 🔥 from @lakewoodproducts Insta:

National Professional Anglers Assoc. 

MN-FISH