Best river walleye jigs, How Tom Boley swimbaits cold water, Dirty-30s of the week

Lots of GREAT options out there! 💯 But here’s a breakdown showing a few of my go-to jigs and plastics for spring river walleyes. Specifically talking about the Rainy River in northern MN, but these same baits/techniques should work on any spring ‘eye factory:

I left links to all of the gear I was talking about in the video’s description over on YouTube.

1) Was sent this pic from walleye-nut Josh Larsen who done got out-fished by his wife…again…🤣 welcome to the club! Jami has more than her fair share of 10+ lb fish on her resume but this Lake Erie behemoth was on a whole ‘nother level at 14 lbs 3 oz 🤯. And yes, it was released to get even more bigger-er:

Little insight from Josh:

> I always stay out of the packs when I can…try to find my own pocket of ‘good water’ color and temp wise. Tends to result in maybe slower catch rates but higher quality fish. That day we found one little 1/4-mile patch of water…that was about 1.5-2.0 degrees warmer than everywhere else. We ran Bandits all morning from 20-70′ back (7-16′ deep) over 22-24′. Everything took fish, but the big one came on a J Deez custom-painted Bandit that just seems to be a big-fish catcher. Speeds were anywhere from 1.0-1.4 mph.

Amazing fish! 🙌 Thx much for sharing.

2) Another Lake Erie slob! This one came fishing with Cap’n Ross Robertson and hit the scale at over 14 lbs (32″). Unbelievable! But with Ross I sort of expect the unbelievable lol:

3) Big shouts to Cadyn on getting it done with a 30.5″ spring melon! Caught on a B-Fish-N Tackle H2O Precision Jig with a “great white” color AuthentX Pulse-R. 💣 BOOM!

Not make fishing tougher…but make fish more tough. 💪

Came across this head-scratching post while reading Jay Kumar’s BassBlaster yesterday. Like Jay said, “take it with a grain of salt” but it is sort of interesting – from here:

> …the most likely explanation [theory] for this inflated recapture rate [of tagged fish]…is that fish that have already survived being caught and released have a better-than-average chance of being caught again.

> …because catch-and-release recreational fishing accounts for millions of fish having experience being caught, it could be imposing an evolutionary pressure that selects for a hardier population.

> “If being robust to catch and release can be passed from parent to offspring, then that means that over time, as we humans inflict more and more fishing pressure, we should see the population as a whole move towards resilience to release mortality.”

Sorta makes sense minus the part about already-caught fish being easier to catch again. Maybe with live bait, but not so sure about artificials.

Worst-case scenario that write-up will give you Mille Lacs conspiracy theorists a little-something to chew on lol.

For some reason anytime I hear “hooking mortality” it makes me think of that one Stumpy quote from the movie Out Cold:

You might remember me admitting that back in the day I used to poke fun at folks running any sort of bimini top (sorry!). But now that I have one, it’s an add-on I’ll be getting on any boat I own ‘cuz they can for sure be a trip-extender or day-saver.

Of course for those times when it’s reeeeally nasty in early-spring or late-fall…know plenty of folks that’ll even throw a Buddy Heater right in-between the windshields. And when I’m out with the kiddo on a super hot + sunny day, it buys me a couple extra hours of time on the water keeping them comfortable.

For whatever reason, it used to be that bimini tops just flat-out didn’t look like they were supposed to be on the boat. 🤷‍♂️ Always seemed to be a different color than the boat itself, or sometimes even non-colored and looked like canvas…or maybe the cover off of a boat lift?!

Well Lund somehow actually made their Sport Tops look sweet. I don’t have any pictures of mine off-hand, but here’s a couple snaps I came across on the Roger’s Performance Marine FB page to prove it:

When I was building my 2025 Impact, there was another option called the “Top Hider” which is a nice little add-on if you’re keeping that Sport Top in the boat all the time. Literally forget it’s even in there, but it is if/when you need it. Pretty cool.

Here’s a quick pic where you can see it hidden away under the back seats – pls ignore the fact that I accidentally put my “snap-in marine mat” on backwards after shaking the sand off of it 🤡 which is why the cut-outs for the seat pedestals don’t line up in the pic:

Can you imagine seeing a sign like THIS at your local ramp? 🧐

Q: What world is that from?

A: Planet Utah….

Was sent that craziness from TW’s Jim Kalkofen, who loves to Target Walleye Invasives lol. #WildWest

2. Jack Baker steps aside as MWC tourney director.

> Jack was a professional in the golf industry for years and as it happened the golf facility in Bemidji MN found itself in need of just such a professional and reached out to Jack with a once in a lifetime opportunity.

More proof you can’t be reeeeally good at both fishing AND golfing, ‘cuz a good day to golf is a great day to fish lol. But seriously congrats on the gig, Jack!

Jeff Kelm – the MWC emcee and tournament manager for the last 4 years – will fill out the 2021 season. From what I’ve seen at weigh-ins (in person and on live streams) Jeff does one heck of a job and should step in nicely. Go get ’em, man!

3. MI: DNR walleye-egg collection underway.

On the Muskegon River below the Croton Dam:

> …planning to collect about 32 mil walleye eggs during this effort…will result in fry for transfer to rearing ponds and direct fry plants throughout the Lower Peninsula. Walleye fry transferred to ponds will be raised to fingerling size (approximately 1.5-2.5″) and stocked in late spring or early summer in lakes and rivers throughout the state.

4. MN DNR is going invasive carp hunting.

Starting Apr 5 they’ll be leading an intensive removal effort in Pool 8 of the Mississippi River near La Crosse, WI. And those carp better be scared ‘cuz the DNR’s telling their “MUM” lol:

> “The innovative Modified Unified Method (MUM) combines netting and herding techniques to drive and concentrate invasive carp from a large area of water into a small zone for removal.”

5. IL might put new fee on fishermen to fight Asian carp.

A $5 “aquatic conservation stamp” that fishermen would need to purchase before they’re able to legally fish in the state. Would be the same cost for residents and non-residents, and be active in 2022 if passed.

6. How UT anglers can help prevent spread of whirling disease.

Apparently I was wrong and it is NOT caused by playing too much “dizzy bat” as a small-fry:

> …a condition in fish caused by an invasive microscopic parasite. It was first discovered in UT in ’91 and primarily affects trout and salmon species…. The disease attacks the cartilage tissue of a fish’s head and spine. …young fish may develop symptoms such as the characteristic whirling behavior, a black tail or even death. If they survive, fish may develop neurological damage or skeletal deformities.

Oh, and here’s a couple of the actual recommendations from the DWR for preventing the spread:

> “Avoid using felt-soled wading boots. These boots are more likely to transport the parasite that causes whirling disease to other waterbodies. To get more traction in your waders, anglers can purchase studs for their wader boots.”

And apparently no fishing on back-to-back days?

> After getting out of the creek, rinse all mud and aquatic plants from your boots, waders, and other equipment. Let all the equipment dry in the sun for a few days before using them again.

7. CO: Scheels opens massive 220K sq ft store in CO Springs.

8. Someone out there needs to hear this:

Your bait cooler is DISGUSTING – pls clean it out! Lol.

I’ve had a couple TW readers tell me that the Old Salt Angling Livewell Cleaner is the real deal for cleaning livewells, coolers, etc. Haven’t tried it yet, but I have a RIPE 🤢 Engel Live Bait Cooler that could use a dousing. Gonna give some a shot and will let you know.

I also just ordered a bottle of their Anise Scent ‘cuz that OG flavor has been catching fish since before I was born – 🤐 I’ve already said too much….

9. Lindner’s Fishing Edge is on the Outdoor Channel…

…during “Fish On Saturdays” at 6pm CST.

10. PA: Zeebz found in Raystown Lake.

How/why Tom Boley works swimbaits in 🥶 water.

Says it’s a very finesse-y presentation that can be “the deal” for neutral or negative fish when the water is still frigid.

The fish are more lethargic this time of year in the colder water…so he’s not “rip-jigging” like he would in the summer but instead doing little 1′ pops – making sure the bait hits bottom in between each pop and not giving it any slack on the drop.

Sure it’s finesse-y, but can still cast it a mile and cover a lot of water:

Tom was fishing the Kalins 3.8″ Tickle Tail swimbait on a 3/8-oz Rattlin’ Google Eye Jig. Said all the little appendages on the side of the swimbait give it a lot of movement while the bait’s not moving that much. Also makes it airplane off to the side when you pop it:

You got any buddies that are always breaking off on the “big ones” lol? This one especially hit me in the feels after my trip to the Rainy River last week:

The one that got away…again and again!

Hate to see another hardwater season go, but love to watch it leave! Gonna send it off with one more big-nasty burb – this one from Joe Amundson (@joe_walter_outdoors) that went 32.25″ and a spawned-out 11 lbs!

How sick is the paint job on that burboty canvas?! Almost, almost, as solid as that beard. 👊 #BeardEnvy #ButBurbotEnvyToo

I miss my Canadian friends and their big, giant, eat-anything-all-the-time fishes. Seriously cannot wait to get back up north if/when the border opens back up.

All I know it is can’t happen soon enough…. So I have invented a little-something to make border crossing even more safe than double masks or vaccines ever could. #LetMeIn

Lol. You know it would be worth it tho – let’s go! 🇨🇦🐳🍁🏒

National Professional Anglers Assoc. 

MN-FISH