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Hope everyone has a great + safe weekend! CAREFUL: No doubt there will be a whole bunch of crazies out on the water.... And don’t want to forget what Memorial Day is all about: Remembering and honoring those that made the ultimate sacrifice. 💪
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Midges, and bloodworms, and walleye, oh my! 🪱🦟🫢
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I was sent some awesome images from Glen Schmitt with Outdoor News the other day after he came across a very interesting find in his livewell:
> Glen: “...I had something that I’ve never seen before happen last weekend on a small lake in central Minnesota. Opened my livewell to throw in another fish and the previous two were spitting up these midge larvae, which according to my buddy with the DNR, turn into bloodworms.”
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> “While I’ve had perch, small panfish, and minnows puked up in the tank before, never have I seen this. Everyone I showed it to hasn’t seen it, either. If you look at the short video I attached, many of them were still alive as well – thousands of them.
> “They were feeding heavily. What color jig and plastic do you think I switched to?”
Incredible! Which of course got me going down a giant, bug-infested rabbit hole 🤓 looking up the different creepy crawlies that emerge around this area during the open-water season.
First, here’s a little bug ID so you can stop calling everything that flies a Mayfly lol.
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We’re a week-ish into multiple large midge hatches around here, so I’m going to plop some nuggets on those down below first. Some AWESOME info from MN DNR Large Lake Specialist Eric Jensen in this older PDF (from May 2015) but still loaded with fascinating insight:
> One of the first major insect hatches to occur on Mille Lacs each year is the non-biting midges from the Chironomidae family. Midges are commonly known as “fish flies” or “lake flies”, and the first midge hatch usually occurs sometime in May.
> Adults look like a very large mosquito, but without the piercing mouthparts. Some of the mating swarms of the adult midges are so dense, that from a distance, they actually appear to be columns of rising smoke.
> One of the most common midges in Mille Lacs is the bloodworm. They have red larvae, which is why they are called bloodworms. The red color is due to a hemoglobin-like substance which helps carry oxygen, allowing them to live in very low oxygen areas. Bloodworms live in tubular cases on soft lake bottoms and feed on organic material. Several emergences occur over the open-water period as their life cycle is relatively short.
🎤🎵 Started from the bottom, now we’re here 🎤🎵
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Here’s a pic of “midge larvae tubes in the soft substrate of Mille Lacs.”
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I can just see walleyes cruising around munching on all the little buggy things popping up and wiggling their way outta that lake-bottom buffet. Maybe this is THE secret as to why walleyes loooove plucking Ned Rigs off bottom so much..? 👀
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How to catch walleyes during an early-season bug hatch.
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[Funny enough I filmed this before seeing that ^ message from Glen about the bloodworms in the livewell...or else I definitely would have played around with some red-ish plastics!]
It's somehow already that time of year where the bugs may show up at your secret fishing spot before you do.... Don’t let a hatch scare you off the lake! Here’s a few tricks to help you catch more walleyes right now:
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Friendly reminder: You folks claiming to be about that #TillerLife can’t throw up that hashtag if you lay low during the bug hatch (lol):
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In case you’re wondering why fish look like “arcs” on your graph...
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...have a little look-see at this curvy bugger:
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I caught that boomerang 🪃 walleye on a 3/16-oz VMC Ned Rig Jig paired with a Rapala CrushCity Ned BLT. Released ‘er, but for some reason it didn’t come flying right back. 😂
Funny enough I randomly came across a couple other humpbacks on social media within about 24 hours of catching that one....
First I saw NWT pro Duane ‘Dewey’ Hjelm call this one a “pistol grip walleye” hahaha!
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And then Chris Grandud of Rainydaze Guide Service found one up on Rainy Lake, and said:
> “I've got to admit, I measured this about 5 times. I'm pretty certain it was a pretty darn big keeper!! I figured at the very least it would be an interesting conversation with law."
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I love some oddball critters!
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What Korey Sprengel is looking for up shallow. 🎯
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Not all shallow walleye spots are created equal...here’s some insight from Korey Sprengel on exactly what he’s looking for as water temps begin to creep up. Dude knows his stuff!
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> A lot of times this time of year, early summer getting into June, weed growth is coming up and has now been up and established long enough to have bait and fish.
> I will scan and look for 1-3’ tall new weed growth. It has to be there long enough for something to congregate there.
> If the weed growth is only 6-10” tall there might be some fish there, but it hasn’t been established enough to keep them there. Needs to be tall enough for the baitfish to hide, or to create a canopy for the walleyes to relax in.
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> A lof of people don’t realize there are soooo many bugs on weeds. Pull in a weed stock and there’s snails, bugs, all sorts of life crawling on there. That’s another reason the baitfish, bluegill, perch are hanging there...for food.
> I’m looking for new weed growth as deep as I can find it. The depth varies...might be 5-6’ while other lakes it might be 10-12’. The term shallow varies depending on the lake...it all comes down to water clarity for what shallow is. Clear lakes shallow might mean 7-8’. Dirty lakes with 1’ visibility shallow might mean 3-4’.
> The best spots have a mixture of weeds, rock and sand.... Anytime you can put multiple things together....
> Clean sand pockets in between the weed and rock are more important than the rock a lot of times...those clean spots are often right on little breaks...sand depressions can form over time with the current wearing ‘em down. The clean bottom allows those fish to rest and lay down right on bottom where they’re going to feed.
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Running low on groceries?
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Bassin’ pro Garrett Paquette ran outta ramen...no worries when you’ve gotta garage full of fishin’ candy:
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Okay, here’s what’s actually going on:
> Garrett: “No I am not eating Big Bite Baits Pro Swimmers for dinner tonight! In storage I had some of the tails get bent...so I threw them in boiling water for 10-15 seconds and let them cool off – while laying straight – to take back their proper shape.”
Slick tip! Btw I’ve also heard that some folks stretch the tails out just a bit while they’re still hot...gives them a bit more action!
Might not hurt to add a little garlic powder, too.... 😜
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2. MN: Father/son team wins City Auto Glass Walleye Classic.
On Lake Vermilion. Brian Fitzpatrick and Jeff Fitzpatrick took home the top spot and a $17K payday with 6 for 23.10 lbs 🙌 which broke their own tournament record of 21.13 they had set in 2018. They also had 'big fish' with a 7.26-lber. Congrats to the repeat champs!
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5. MN: New fish consumption guidelines for Mississippi River.
Pools 2, 3, and 4:
> MDH recommends not eating fish obtained from Mississippi River Pools 2, 3, and 4 for sensitive populations, including people who are or may become pregnant, people who are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed, and children under age 15.
> MDH recommends limiting fish consumption from Mississippi River Pools 2, 3, and 4 to one serving a month for the general population of people not planning to become pregnant, men and boys over age 15.
6. RLVNT has some shades 50% off this weekend. 😎
They said in a post they’ll be having 4 different frame styles marked half off from May 25-27, and to “stay tuned for more details” on their FB page.
7. Wired2Fish is making coffee.
> We know that a bad day fishing is better than any good day in the office, and nothing beats an early morning sunrise over the water with a hot cup of coffee and the anticipation of that first fish...hence Wired2fish Coffee.
> Sourced from nutrient-rich soils (good enough for earthworms, good enough for us) from Mexico and Guatemala, Wired2fish is coffee house quality coffee blended specifically to match the angler’s palate – they TASTE LIKE COFFEE – not some sissified latte or overpriced cup of bitter brew. Not only that, we give 7% of net profits to conserve and sustain fish habitat throughout the United States.
> Drink our coffee and enjoy a smooth, medium roast coffee made with 100% Arabica beans while our fish and waterways get the protection they deserve.
8. Tom Boley's "ultimate guide to slip-bobber walleye fishing."
A technique and setup he’ll keep ready to deploy now thru mid-summer:
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New-growth weeds hold post-spawn walleyes.
Quick-hitter from Brian “Bro” Brosdahl:
> On the natural lakes of the upper Midwest, walleyes typically spawn in depths of 1-4′ over gravel bars, mixed gravel and sand flats, then when they’re done, they drop off to the edges.
> But “where they go next isn’t necessarily deep. Male walleyes will linger near the spawning sites, and females will slip out into 4-12′. Some will slide farther down the break, but they’ll still move up mornings and evening to feed.”
> Bro says his favorite post-spawn spots combine slight contour changes and vegetation. “By far, the best spots will be those with new-growth cabbage, coontail, sand grass, etc.”
> He prefers cabbage weeds, which draw a buffet of bait – perch, shiners, crayfish, darters and more. “May through July I’m watching my Humminbird Side Imaging for scattered areas of emerging cabbage weeds, which may be nothing more than foot-wide isolated clumps of inch-tall stuff, but hold food.
> “Also look for larger weed flats along upper and lower food shelves, and soft-bottom areas – that’s where most of the weeds usually grow. Your 2D sonar will show weeds too, but looking right and left of the boat with Side Imaging gives me a more comprehensive idea of the layout, and I spook fewer fish by maintaining my distance.
> “I’ll find pockets, outside points, funnels and areas where vegetation extends past the pronounced weedline. Then it’s just a matter of dropping waypoints.”
Thx for the insight, Bro! 👊
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Walleyes can sometimes be a little funky to start out the season, but they’re putting on their post-spawn feedbag now – it’s time to bulk back up!
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Jeff “Gussy” Gustafson stuck this Ned Rig GIANT throwing a Z-Man Hula Stickz in 8′ on Lake of the Woods. He said it was the biggest one he’s caught in a long time at 31” 👀😳 which also means he has caught bigger at some point lol. Thing literally has shoulders = absolutely incredible fish, dude!
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Thanks so much for reading!
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Sign up another fish-head!
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FRIENDS OF TARGET WALLEYE
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Target Walleye – walleye during open water and all species during hardwater – is brought to you by Al Lindner, Jay Kumar, Chris Philen, Brett McComas and other diehard fish-heads like you!
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Brett McComas is the main man for Target Walleye He was discovered in Brainerd, MN after years of wondering how in the heck people break into the fishing biz. He's in it now, but still can't answer that question.... Brett is one of those guys who majored in marketing, only because there was no such thing as a "fishing degree" at the time.... Get him at brett@targetwalleye.com
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