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Phew! I'm back in the door after a wild excursion waaaay up to Kamuchawie Lake š©ļø a fly-in fishing adventure out of Bakers Narrows Lodge in Manitoba where thereās about a zillion more 'Master Angler' lake trout than there are people.
Had cameras rolling and I legit can't wait to go thru the footage and share the experience with you. Hereās a few quick snaps:
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But those pics barely scratch the surface ā more on that later!
In the meantime, let's jump into today's shenanigans.... š Here we go!
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How Doug Wegner finds areas LOADED with walleye in the spring šÆ
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We reached out to multi-species guide and big-fish junkie Doug Wegner šØ to get his approach for chasing big, early-season walters swimming around WI's Green Bay. Here's Doug on where these fish are hanging out right now and his go-to presentations to put more (and bigger) fish in the boat:
Q: Which areas will have the highest populations of walleye in the spring?
> "Any areas that have spawning potential ā outside of river mouths, any kind of shallow, warm or dirty water is definitely something that these fish are always keying in on.
> "The darker and the warmer water you can find ā that's where your fish are going to be."
Typically heās fishing in 4-12ā when spring slinging on the west side of āThe Bay.ā
Couple fishy LakeMaster examples of early-spring areas from Humminbird's One-Boat Network app:
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> "Where I'm at on the Great Lakes, Green Bay, we don't have a ton of structure. The structure that we're fishing is constantly moving, because the structure is...water temperature and water color.
> "A half a degree doesn't sound like much, but it can be all the difference in the world.
> "A lot of our areas are just massive, expansive sand flats that are miles long. You just have to scan around with [Humminbird] Side Imaging to find them."
Q: Are there certain types of rivers that will hold more walleyes than others?
> "The more flow that a river puts out, the more walleye that it sucks in.
> "Depending on our water levels ā right now we're really low ā our tiny little feeder creeks won't see many fish. The rivers are going to suck up the fish that are in their areas.
> "I don't think there's one that's necessarily better than another, but they all start to load up at different times because they're so many miles apart.
> "You can chase a water temperature further north as the year goes on to stay on the pre-spawn fish or to reset up on post-spawn fish ā not trying to mess with grumpy spawning fish."
Q: How can you tell what spawn phase a certain area is in?
> "It's definitely a behavior thing. The obvious one ā if you're catching males that are milking in your boat, or you catch a female that dumps a couple eggs out in your boat while you're holding them, that's the telltale sign.
> "Otherwise, if you get those big females with big flabby guts, they just look like tube socks ā [post-spawn]."
Last spring he caught a 32.25-incher that was spawned out and still weighed 11.76 lbs (short vid). š¤Æ Can you imagine that thing if she was still pre-spawn?!
Q: What would be your top 3 pre-spawn vs post-spawn baits?
> "My number one favorite for big ones ā a Rapala Rippin' Rap. They just catch big ones. It seems like you can catch more fish now on a hair jig, but I still think you catch the bigger ones on Rippin' Rap.
> "If you're going to catch a 13-lber, I feel like it's going to come on a Rippin' Rap."
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He most commonly throws the #6 size on the west side of The Bay...and will fish the larger/heavier #7 on the east side where they typically fish a little deeper in the clearer water.
Obviously he and his better-er half, Jessie, rotate thru a bunch of different patterns... š
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But one of the Green Bay staples is this "road trip" color:
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> "[#2, a hair jig] I think you catch more on ā that's just a fishing pressure thing. The hair jigs are way better when you don't have wind and the fish aren't nearly as aggressive.
> "The weight of the hair jig depends on the conditions. I like the lightest that you fish and still feel it, depending on the wind. 1/4 and 3/18 oz are my go-to weights...maybe 1/2 oz if itās really windy.
> "I like to throw the VMC Moontail Jig or the VMC Bucktail Jigs are good. Regardless of what I'm doing right now, I run stinger hooks."
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> "I hand tie all my own stinger hooks on the back of all my hair jigs. I tie all mine with 17-lb fluoro, and then I use a high quality BKK treble hook. I want them to be right at the very back of the whatever material [bucktail, flashabou, synthetics, etc] that's there to keep them sneaky.
> "A third bait would be any kind of small paddletail baits. A 3.2" is a great size ā the Keitech stuff is awesome, or some hand poured stuff. [Typically runs a 3/8- or 1/4-oz jighead on the west side since itās shallower, dirtier water. Bumps up to 1/2 oz if itās really windy. And 3/4- or 1-oz when fishing 'em in the deeper, cleaner water on the east side.]
> "Honestly, the post-spawn baits for me are about the same. You get to work them harder, faster and more aggressive [or not]."
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Spring walleye mistakes š«
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We also got Doug Wegner to give us a quick rundown of some of the biggest mistakes he sees early in the season.... š Here's what NOT to do this time of year:
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#1: Don't fish in crowds
> "We have a ton of fishing pressure ā people pull up on a pad of 20-30 boats, instead of just going and finding their own fish.
> "Generally, by the time the pack of boats gets that big, those fish have already been beat up on pretty bad and you've definitely missed the peak of the bite. Finding a fresh school fish is a big deal."
#2: People fish too fast
> "I think people fish a little too fast in the pre-spawn. They need to slow down and let that bait sit there an extra half a second.
> "That's something that would help a lot of anglers. I'm always toning my clients down. It's a pressure thing too, we used to be able to get away with anything years ago. They're smart now."
#3: Don't idle through schools after a drift
> "The biggest thing that I see from other boaters that drives me absolutely up a freaking wall is they'll fish on these schools in say 4-10' feet of water...
> "...then get done with this nice sideways drift downwind, and then they turn around and idle right over top of that school instead of just driving 600-1200 yards away from the school, turning and making a big loop around to the top and then to restart their drift.
> "You're busting up that school. These engines are so nice and quiet these days, but trim that thing up out of the water and you'll hear how freaking loud it is.
> "You're also disturbing the bottom and everything down there."
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Tommy Kemosā go-to early-spring baits + techniques šÆ
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We gave Tommy Kemos a call to talk WI's spring run ā the longtime WI pro, NWT angler, and host of The Next Bite TV is dialed in on pre-spawn fish sliding into river systems tied to big water like Green Bay. He also dropped some of his sneaky springtime bait tweaks for targeting those staging females and getting more of those bites to go. Here's the š§:
Q: How do you find areas that are rich in bigger walleye in the spring?
> "Once we start nearing the spawn like this, water temperature rules the world. You definitely want to utilize all of the information that we've got with our electronics.
> "What I'm going to do is drive around and side scan, but I'm also going to be paying close attention to the water temperature and water color ā warmer water goes hand in hand with stained water.
> "They can move really shallow to get into that warmer water, 3-5ā at certain times. The [overall] target depth would be about 4-12 foot."
Q: Talking about utilizing all the electronic aids out there, which do you find is most helpful for you?
> "Side imaging. A lot of times this year, the fish will be on flats. Places that don't have a lot of current ā they'll relate to [bottom] transitions.
> "[That behavior] gives you a really good opportunity to utilize side imaging. In Green Bay, I will not [stop the boat] until I scan an area. If I don't see 15-20 walleye, I don't stop."
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Q: How do you have those graphs set up to effectively scan in shallower water?
> "I usually run my Garmin [ECHOMAP Ultra 2] 126sv out to 90-100'. I've found that 80-100' is the best range where walleyes really pop.
> "Great Lakes fish in shallow water are relatively spooky as well. When I get to an area that I think I'm gonna run into them, I have my LiveScope on off the bow so I can see what's out in front of me.
> "Specifically on Green Bay, there's a lot of suckers...a lot of times they'll even be mixed together with walleye. Having that LiveScope [Tommy runs a Garmin ECHOMAP Ultra 2 166 at the bow for FFS] in the water makes it a lot easier to tell exactly what you're looking at."
Q: When you're side scanning in shallower water, do you do anything with your SI settings to make those walleye pop more?
> "Definitely ā make sure you run the higher frequencies. Higher frequencies have better target separation at the shallower depths. As I get deeper, I'll go to a lower frequency.
> "[When you're scanning shallow], you aren't going to be able to see what you're looking for as well [with a lower frequency]."
Q: What are your got-to baits to catch these shallower fish?
> "3 primary techniques that I'm going to use ā a Berkley Jack, a hair jig, and a jighead minnow."
Q: I saw a video of you showing a double-minnow rig, is that something your throw often?
> "It's more of a colored water deal. In the clear water, that hair jig is definitely the standout.
> "That kind of depends what the water color is and what the conditions are. One [minnow] works against the other. So it looks like 2 different fish."
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> "When you start getting into that colored water, that's when I really start to rely more on the [Berkley] Gulp! Minnow. I'll either use a 4" Gulp! Minnow, which you're going to get more glide out of...
> "...or I use a piggybacked 3" ā you're going to get more action, it pulls a little bit harder, it doesn't glide as much, but it displaces a lot more water.
> "A lot of times, that extra displacement really fires the males up. Theyāre just aggressive, and it just draws in more bites."
Know itās been a banner day when the āscrap pileā starts looking like this!
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> "The Jack I fish if there's a little bit of chop on the water or a little bit of stain. If it's flat calm, I'm going to lean more into that hair jig. It's just more subtle.
> "What all these baits have in common this time of year...is that the bites are going to be on bottom.
> "The Jack, it's a yo-yo retrieve. You cast it out, let it hit bottom, and I'll reel with the rod tip down ā more of a slow pull, raise my rod tip to about a 45Ā° and I'll give it a slight pop."
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> "You don't want to just free line it [on the fall], you want to chase it back. A lot of your bites will come as soon as it hits bottom.
> "One tip that I always do when I'm fishing the Jack is when I get it about halfway back to the boat, especially in cold water, I'll let it soak a little bit on the bottom, up to about a minute.
> "It's unbelievable how long they'll sit and stare at that bait. They'll swim around it and they'll finally just eat it because it's laying there.
> "[For hair jigs], the very best way to fish it is to cast it out, do about 2, maybe 3 turns of the reel, let it fall down. Sometimes they like it a little faster, sometimes it's a little slower. But again, it's not a real aggressive technique.
> "You're making as long of casts as you can with these baits, trying to stay as far back off the fish as possible ā about 100 feet."
Q: What is your #1 confidence bait for catching a giant walleye right now?
> "It would be a hair jig, you can never go wrong with a purple or black."
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> "[For heads] I prefer current cutter style jigheads ā 3/8-oz with a 10-lb Berkley GINCLEAR fluoro leader to 8-lb High-Vis Berkley Forward Braid.
> "Fishing that on a size-30 Abu Garcia Zenon [spinning reel] and the rod that I really like with the hair jig is a 7' 1" MXF [Fenwick] World Class spinning rod. [The rod] has a good backbone to drive the hooks in, but that MXF [action] has got a softer tip so it allows them to suck that bait in and helps the bait run truer."
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New Berkley Lab Series soft-plastics leaked š¤«
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Berkley was planning to launch the new Berkley Lab Series of baits later this summer...but then Dylan Nutt won the Bassmaster Classic with one of āem š so theyāre running with it.
Here's some info from Berkley and also Jay Kumarās (aka BassBlaster) 2Ā¢ from what he saw with his own eyes. A bunch of stuff because they're new/different and hey ā it's a Classic-winning bait! Plus we all know that āpinging a minnowā works incredibly well for walleye, too.
Layers + Colors
> Through a small-batch layered pouring process, Berkley combines a MaxScent layer, a proven PowerBait taste layer, and a MaxScent Rapid-Release Slime that provides an explosion of fish-attracting scent the moment it hits the water.
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Hereās another snippet and photo from this Joe Albanese Wired2Fish write-up:
> ā ...they added some purple pigment to the MaxScent Slime coating to illustrate how it was dispersed throughout the water. For about 20 minutes or so, there was a continual slick of purple dye and scent oozing off the baits.ā
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Important deal is that while combining PowerBait and MaxScent (attract + hang on) is cool, somehow this combo gets the best soft-plastic colors Berkley has ever made ā they look hand-poured (check the pics below).
Powder ā”ļø Slime
> A rapid-release powder is applied to the bait...derived from the same fish-attracting formula as...MaxScent...activates instantly when the bait hits the water, creating a scent-producing slime that begins dispersing scent immediately.
> As that slime wears off throughout use, the poured MaxScent layer takes over, providing sustained scent dispersion over time.
Dylan Nutt told Jay Kumar that not only did he feel like his fish held on longer, when he tied on a new bite he felt like he got bit almost immediately (he had to leave that part out in the winning bait post).
Packaging
These baits arenāt gonna be cheap, and one reason is no wasted baits:
> ...a premium package designed specifically to protect bait integrity and maintain performance until the moment it hits the water. Every bait is hand placed in a form tray, ensuring baits stay perfectly formed, scent-rich, and ready to fish.
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The packaging also keeps the baits from getting wet and activating that slime layer.
Shapes
Lab Series Minnow ā 5.25 and 6.5, 10 colors, $14.99 a pack
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> An internal air pocket allows the bait to remain perfectly level regardless of line angle [and supposedly a better sonar return].
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Berkley soft-bait engineer Kyle Peterson said that when the Minnow rolls over on its side, that causes the tail to wiggle. Also said the air pocket/buoyancy chamber causes less "hook wear" to the bait, and that these are not 1-fish baits.
More ā from Berkley
From Jay Kumarās notes at the pre-Classic deal, no particular order. Berkley folks talking so please bear that in mind:
> "[Fish] looking at baits closer and more critically, so action and profile aren't enough to close the deal anymore.
> Layered construction enhances the action.
> Berkley mad scientist #2 Mark Sexton: "...make them bite and shorten the time between bites. Change the fish's attitude.
> "A bird dog will all of a sudden stop because they are constantly measuring the environment with their nose [and they] turn toward the pheasant. Fish are the same way. All they do is swim." [He said science tells us that dogs and fish have pretty close smelling ability ā wild!]
> "Scent changes behavior.
> "[Fish] rely on smell more than visual, but they like to rely on visual.
> "[Berkley is] layering also in chemistry ā which substances trigger a fish and also...make fish say yes quicker.
> "I think we invented the most potent thing in soft-bait history."
> Berkley mad scientist #1 John Prochnow: "This was 40+ years in the making. It's a culmination of all of [what Berkley has done in soft baits]."
Availability
Besides the Minnow (shown above), there's a couple other bassy-er profiles/shapes coming right off the bat, including a Flat Worm and Finesse Worm.
Sounds like they'll be available starting May 5.
We'll keep you posted! š
Quick update: Since writing this, there's a bunch more pics, videos, and info here on Berkley's site.
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Ice fisherman's 45-lb musky starts a border war š³
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Victor Gelman was using 10ā-or-so suckers under tip-ups when he caught the behemoth that measured 51.125ā long with a 27ā girth and tipped the scales at 45.03 lbs (details here on Wired2Fish).
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But hereās where it gets tricky...
The fish was pulled through the ice on Greenwood Lake, which straddles the New York / New Jersey border. There has been some debate about which state actually gets to claim the fish š¤ as some states apparently have shared records for border waters....
This āskie would have broken the NJ state record (42 lbs 13 oz) but ultimately the stateās Division of Fish and Wildlife formally denied his application after determining that he hooked and landed the fish on the NY side of Greenwood Lake where the state record is 69 lbs 15 oz.
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1. IL: Bodinger brothers win Illinois River MWC
Get this: They didn't get a single bite during their pre-fish! š³ Yet were able to best the rest of the 95-boat field with a 2-day total of 26 lbs 10 oz, taking home nearly $24K in cash + prizes. The win also comes with a paid berth into the 2027 National Team Championship.
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Sounds like it was a tough bite thx to āa recent swell in water levels that was slow to taper off causing very muddy, low visibility conditions.ā They ground it out pulling Dubuque Rigs in 9-12ā over the same half-mile stretch of river over the 2 days. š Big congrats, fellas!
2. MN: Where does your fishing license money actually go?
> How are fisheries, hatcheries, public accesses, and conservation work funded? And how does all of that connect to the proposed 4-fish walleye limit?
> In this episode, we sit down with Mark Holsten, former MN legislator, former DNR commissioner, and current executive director of MN-Fish, for a deep dive into how natural resource funding and fisheries management really work in Minnesota.
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3. Is FFS reducing hooking mortality when using live bait?
> A decade ago on lakes like Mille Lacs, most anglers in summer were live-bait rigging, running spinners, trolling crankbaits via lead-core, or bobber fishing in deeper water. Today, [Tony Roach] and many other anglers are working more in shallower areas with plastics and other artificials.
> Instead of feeding fish line and hooking them deep, anglers identify shallow or suspended fish, and release them quickly. With fewer fish experiencing barotrauma or gut-hooking, Roach believes more fish are surviving release, and older hooking-mortality equations likely donāt reflect these rapidly evolving angling techniques.
4. MN: Registration is now open for...
...the Champions Tour WALLEYE event thatās coming to Mille Lacs on May 19 out of Hunters Point. Capped at 60 boats. More info or register here.
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Super pumped to see this fun tourney format come to the walleye side of things (catch-and-release, total weight of every fish caught over 2 lbs). And that time of year they should be absolutely snapping all over the lake! Might just have to jump in and fish it.... š¤
I can already tell you a big chunk of my heavy lifting would likely be with a 3/16-oz VMC Redline Series Tungsten Ned Head Jig while rotating thru some of my go-to Ned rig plastics...including a Z-Man Big TRD (green pumpkin goby), Rapala CrushCity Ned BLT (perch), and a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Lil' General (gobyashi).
Iām telling you...despite being what folks have long considered to be bassinā baits, these Ned rig combos will catch walleye anywhere they swim. šÆ
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But obviously you know by now that Iāll never go anywhere without a Rapala PXR Mavrik 110 tied on in case they're being tight-lipped. š„
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Ice fish corners for basin crappie š„¶
Here's a little more juice from a Target Walleye YouTube vid out chasin' some crappies and we got on an interesting little pattern ā fishing the corners of basins. The lake we were on was a big 'ol bowl so it was a little harder to track down those roaming schools, but here's a bit from the vid on how we got on 'em:
> "[In this open basin], it's been a lot of drilling holes. We're almost forcing these fish to come to us. They'll be slowly tapering off [away] and if you drill a hole on the opposite side of them, you'll see them change direction and start coming back [to us]. It's like herding cattle.
> "I prefer to find spots that are smaller little holes in the basin that congregate the fish and keep them circling around you and always coming back."
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> ..."on a lake like this one, where you just got a big expansive basin, and there's not really any anything to hold them in a specific spot, we kind of just use corners in the basin to sort of help congregate some fish.
> "It's not a whole lot of structure, but it's just kind of a little corner where the basin is starting to meet that bottom edge of the shoreline stuff ā anything to help congregate them."
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Catch that full video here on the Target Walleye YouTube channel.
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Early-spring is the time for pigs! Itās almost sickening how many BIG walleyes youāll start to see while scrolling thru the social mediaz š© especially so while youāre stuck at work!
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Hope youāre able to get a trip on the books soon!
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Check out the stature of this butterball Clyde Xiong caught and released on (either Pool 3 or Pool 4 of) the Mississippi River. She was 28" long and weighed a paunchy 10.31 lbs!
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What a freak! š No offense, Clyde.
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The moment of truth!
The good news: That Vexus DVX 22S is built to eat up big water. š¤
The bad news: You can't blame the wind on not being able to make it to your secret spot on tourney day LOL.
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Thank you SO much for reading! š Back atcha in a couple....
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Sign up another fish-head!
If you're forwarding Target Walleye 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.)
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FRIENDS OF TARGET WALLEYE
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Target Walleye ā walleye during open water and all species during hardwater ā 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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