 |
|
|
|
Track down late-summer pods with bottom-bouncers.
|
|
Bottom-bouncers are a killer (and super easy) way to search out late-summer fish. I’ll cruise around at 2.0-2.5 mph with a Northland Butterfly Blade Super Death Rig until I graph a pod, then back off the speed and drag over ’em.
Awesome thing about those polycarbonate “Butterfly Blades” is you’re able to cover water quickly, but can also slow way down (when necessary) to 0.25 mph and they’ll still spin.
I like running ’em with a 6″ Impulse Nightcrawler ‘cuz they have a nasty-good action when twirling on that Super Death hook. No messing around with re-baiting, keeping ’em alive, or having the proper bedding to take across the Canadian border. #Money
Better look at the setup in this vid:
Do make ’em in harness and single-hook versions too for you live-bait guys/gals.
That’s the what…here’s the where:
Picked a random lake and pointed out a handful of spots I’d be itchin’ to check right away. I highlighted the 19-24′ edge ‘cuz on a lot of lakes that’s where the deepest weedline seems to taper off, and pods of fish like to roam.
I’m a sucker for tight breaks on the edge of feeding flats, inside corners ‘cuz fish love to PILE in ’em (play the wind), and slow-tapering points they can slide up and down:
If the fish are holding tight to a specific spot: hit ’em with a hard-bodied jigging bait (Jigging Rap, Puppet Minnow, etc) instead.
|
|
|
|
Do you hold your loved ones THIS close?
|
|
|
Trolling hack: How to get more action out of your crankbaits.
|
|
A tiny, overlooked detail that can drastically increase your crankbait’s range of motion. Lot of snaps on the market have a ‘V’ shape that locks the bait in place, but the VMC Crankbait Snap (left) has a “teardrop” bottom that lets the bait do its thing:
Sure you could tie a loop knot, but small snaps like the VMC Crankbait Snap (#0 is a great all-around size) let you quickly swap out crankbaits without having to re-tie.
Now what are you gonna do with all that extra:
|
|
|
Maybe guide trips should come with this t-shirt?
|
|
|
“Eaters were kept because that’s why we were fishing.”
|
|
My 2¢: Of course there’s nothin’ wrong with keeping some fish, but if you’re only in it for the meat it’d be way cheaper to hit the grocery store….
|
|
|
|
News
1. MN: Cekalla/Pappenfus win AIM team of the year.
Even more impressive: They only fished 3 out of 4 events [!] so didn’t get to “throw out” their worst finish. #Hammers
> Cekalla: “We had an absolute blast. All the guys who fish AIM are so awesome, they’re fun, and this is the way we all love to spend our summer vacation time, going fishing, and fishing tournaments.
> “I like the [AIM] format of fishing for the biggest fish…takes the luck out of slot tourneys..the best fisherman wins. Some may call it luck…I call it hard work.
> “I’m a fishing guide and on the water nearly every day…learn to see patterns and what’s happening. It’s that time on the water I use to put it all together.”
Nicely done, fellas!
2. MN: Wolden/Leininger win AIM state championship…
…on Lake of the Woods with a 2-day total of 91.25 lbs!
|
TargetWalleye.com Highlights
|
Events
1. ND: AIM state championship, Lake Sakakawea, Aug 24-25.
2. MN: NWT championship, Lake of the Woods, Sep 5-7.
Welcome to the big show!
3. MN: Cass Lake MWC, Sep 14-15.
4. MI: MWC world walleye championship, Bays de Noc, Oct 4-6.
5. MN: Fishing to End Hunger charity tourney, Gull Lake, Oct 6.
Great cause, plus there’s $25K paid out to the top 6 spots.
6. MN: Fishing Careers Workshop, Brainerd, Oct 27.
More ways to break into the fishing biz than you’d think…. One youth 14-18yo gets in free with a paid adult! More info here.
|
Tip of the Day
Full write-up here, few excerpts below:
> Most of the time the fish are relating to weeds, particularly cabbage and coontail. I prefer to fish cabbage as it is much easier to move your presentation just outside of the weed line….
> I abandon the typical “Lindy” sinker when fishing weeds and instead use a cone-shaped [bassin’] sinker…slides through the weeds without fouling on them and can save you a lot of aggravation.
> During the heat of August, I tend to use nightcrawlers much more than leeches — walleyes seem to prefer ’em. Crawlers beat leechs most days once the insect hatches start going off. If panfish are driving me crazy stealing crawlers, I’ll switch to leeches which are a lot tougher….
> Before snelling the hook, I slide on a 6mm bead…could be fluorescent orange, chartreuse, green or white. Some days one works better than the other — I’ve fished a lot of live-bait situations where the bead made a tremendous difference….
> I also carry fluorescent orange and chartreuse yarn, the same stuff steelhead anglers use. I usually divide it in half (because it’s pretty thick) and cut off a piece about 3″ long.
> Next I attach it to the snell right at the eye of the hook with a simple overhand knot…trim the ends down to about 1/4″ long. It provides a bigger target than a bead — acting almost like a spinner — but you can go a lot slower.
> Pinch off the tail of your crawler, removing about 1/3 of its length. Not sure why — some think it puts more scent in the water — but it’ll definitely make a difference most days.
> If your hook is picking up moss or other gunk, go to a floating rig so the hook doesn’t drag over the bottom. Floating jig heads work well and add a dash of color ahead of the worm.
|
|
|
Quote of the Day
Daddy quickly…I need net!
What Eric Labaupa’s daughter yelled while wrasslin’ a Manitoba walter outta Trail End Camp. Family + fishing = awesomeness:
|
Today’s ‘Eye Candy
Danny Morrison stuck this SD ‘eye pulling a Rapala Jointed Shad Rap in 18-20′ on the edge of the basin — throwing the “J” can be the perfect change-up to get ’em going:
|
Sign up another fish-head!
If you’re forwarding Target Walleye/Ice to a friend who loves to walleye-fish or want your fishing buddies to get these emails, just send us their email addresses and we’ll take care of it! (We won’t sell the addresses, use them for spam, etc.)
|
|
|
|
|
