Early summer walleye tips, High speed spinners, Best RPMs to save gas?

Specifically in North Dakota where Game and Fish stocked [a lake] with 180K European zander fry and 1,050 fingerlings back in ’89. The state scrapped the program the next year because of concerns from neighboring states.

But there is still a small population in there (and another connecting lake thx to high-water years) and they are reproducing successfully.

Felt I had to bring this back up after the 100 comments + messages I’ve been sent saying there aren’t any zander in the US…and also a bunch of folks saying that Dustin Wolf’s 32” zander I shared in the last TW email (Top Item #1) was “cLeArLy A wAlLeYe….” 🥴

I agree that it was a little difficult to tell in the photo I shared because of the fish’s angle. But Dustin’s original post I linked to also had a couple of videos of him landing and releasing the fish.

Here’s a few screenshots I snagged from one of the videos…look at the fish’s eyes, cheeks, fins = 100% that’s a zander and not walleye:

Was doing some digging on PK Wobblers and Dakota Discs and found out they’re actually designed to be trolled at faster speeds than traditional spinners, and apparently they work great while running at 1.8-2.1 mph like you would a crankbait.

That means using in-line or snap weights, you can run them side-by-side with cranks to quickly dial-in what the fish want that day. Here’s a quick in-line weight chart the crew at PK Lures shared that’ll help you get dialed-in:

Yup, it’s that bad lol. Here’s some practical advice from outdoor writer Frank Sargeant:

RPMs

> For years I did fuel consumption tests on powerboats from 18 to 45 feet long for a well-known boating publication….

> A 19′ Ranger with a 225 4-stroke Mercury outboard typically gets around 4.2 mpg at 4500 rpm, where the boat is running a little under 47 mph – plenty fast to get you where you want to go most of the time.

> That 4500 rpm range is the sweet spot for most modern 4-stroke outboards, where they have the best combination of speed and fuel consumption.

> …open the throttle wide and you’ll pay a penalty. At 6350 rpm and 70 mph, the 19′ Ranger gets 2.8 mpg – your fuel mileage is about 1/3 less, which means your fuel cost will be 1/3 more.

> On that boat’s 43-gallon tank you’ll pay over $200 to fill up these days, so there’s a notable penalty if you have to refill more often.

Props

> The best prop for your boat and typical loading will be one that pops the boat on plane quickly and pushes it rapidly to the best cruise, typically that 4500-rpm sweet spot where your fuel dollar stretches farthest.

> The number of blades on the prop is not a big factor in fuel economy unless you have a heavy boat that is hard to get on plane and tends to plow – a 4-blade will generally plane these boats more quickly and keep them on top better, so will give some fuel efficiency advantage at low and mid-ranges over most 3-blade props.

> …make sure your prop is clean and undamaged. Bent blades or chunks out of the edges cut efficiency, and that reduces the distance your boat travels on a fillup….

Gotta play around a little to find your boat’s sweet spot. Or just log more time on the trolling motor and avoid this mess:

1. WI: Green Bay NWT registration deadline is July 1.

Outta Marinette, July 14-15. Some insight here on how the pros think it’ll go down.

2. Great Lakes water levels likely to keep rising.

Based on new modeling system projects:

> “…the baseline lake level for Lake Superior, Michigan-Huron and Erie are expected to rise by roughly 20 to 50 cm [7.87″ to 19.68″] by 2050….”

3. Mustad is coming out with a new type of treble hook?

They look like a normal treble to me, but here’s what Mustad says is different:

> …each treble hook that adorns a lure today is made individually, typically by brazing a double hook to a single hook.

> At ICAST 2022, Mustad…will unveil Jaw Lok: The first and only inline treble hook manufactured by a completely automated process, eliminating the hook-to-hook variability….

> Jaw Lok features an inline design with the hook eye aligned perfectly with 1 tine. When rigged on lures, Jaw Lok belly hooks tuck against the lure’s body with 1 tine pointed straight down, while tail hooks trail the lure precisely with 1 tine pointed straight up.

> The lightest trebles in their class, Jaw Lok hooks allow baits to track truer and deliver improved hookup ratios.

4. Walleye Wars Ontario kicks off TODAY..

A catch-photo-release style walleye tournament series thru Angler’s Atlas that lets you fish anywhere in your province and register your longest walleye caught for a shot at some serious dough and prizes.

5. ND: Devils Lake chamber walleye tourney is this weekend.

46th annual. Ton of prizes ($53K+) and a whoooole pile o’ walleyes to be had.

6. Future Angler Foundation (FAF) might just be…

…the most important fishing and boating organization you’ve never heard of:

> “…FAF [501(c)(3) non-profit organization] was formed in 2012 by a small group of anglers dedicated to growing participation in angling and boating. For over a decade now, we have teamed with educators, individuals and fishing and boating organizations throughout the country to expose potential newcomers to our sports by educating on how to catch fish, boat safely, and to be conservationists.

> “…also supports and directs a massive digital outreach program that reaches tens of millions of potential new anglers and boaters each year under the “Getting Families Fishing” initiative. …at this point, there has been limited fishing and marine industry support of the FAF’s mission to create new anglers and boaters, with the majority of our funding coming from federal grants, a few foundation grants, and the general public.”

> “We want to do more than simply grow participation…we want to teach people…to be good stewards of the water and active participants in all aspects of the recreational fishing and boating communities. We hope to draw in new anglers and boaters of every age that will make fishing and boating a permanent part of an outdoor lifestyle that we believe is a critical part of live in this country.”

7. 2B Fishing has some GENESIS rods on sale.

And looks like they’ve got up to 45% off some of ‘em. 😳

8. Should folks be able to rent a boat…

…without a safety course? Something that LA is wrestling with right now.

> Under current [LA] law, anyone born after Jan 1, 1984 who wants to operate a motorboat (more than 10 hp) must successfully complete a boating safety class approved by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators. The legislation, which the governor will either veto or allow to become law, would do away with that requirement for rentals only, including jet skis, boats and everything in between and beyond.

> Sen. Eddie Lambert of Gonzales, a commercial fisherman, voted against the legislation following its first hearing. During that initial debate, he marveled at the proposed law’s applications.

> “So if I wanted to go and rent one of these boats I see flying down the Diversion Canal that’s 40′ long and has 3 engines in it that goes 100 mph, I could rent that boat from an establishment in LA?” asked Lambert.

> “You find an establishment to rent you that vessel, I believe this law would allow you to do that without the boater safety course,” answered Cole Garrett, the general counsel for the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

9. T-H Marine’s parent bought a company for $125 mil.

> OneWater Marine Inc. (NASDAQ: ONEW) announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Ocean Bio-Chem Inc. (NASDAQ: OBCI), a leading supplier and distributor of appearance, cleaning and maintenance products for the marine industry and the automotive, powersports, recreational vehicles, and outdoor power equipment markets…in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $125 mil.

> As part of the transaction, OneWater will also acquire OBCI’s affiliate, Star Brite Europe Inc. Upon closing of the transaction, both OBCI and Star Brite Europe, Inc. will be integrated into T-H Marine Supplies LLC, OneWater’s subsidiary and strategic growth platform for parts and accessories businesses.

10. How pharmaceutical pollution is affecting the world’s rivers.

Not saying you do or would, but if you do:

> …recent study published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry indicates that pharmaceutical pollution is a global problem that is likely negatively affecting the health of the world’s rivers.

> Approx 43.5% of the 1,052 locations that were assessed in the study across 104 countries had concerning concentrations of pharmaceutical ingredients. 23 pharmaceutical ingredients occurred at concentrations exceeding ‘safe’ concentrations, including substances from the antidepressant, antimicrobial, antihistamine, benzodiazepine, painkiller, and other classes.

11. Lowrance C-Map now has crowd-sourced layer.

> …made its crowd-sourced mapping data called “Genesis” available on the C-Map navigation app this month, as well as across Lowrance…

12. OH’s largest wildlife area grows by nearly 7K acres.

> “The acquisition brings the total acreage of [Appalachian Hills Wildlife Area in southeast OH] to 54,525 acres of public land for hunting, fishing, trapping, birding, and outdoor recreation.”

13. NY judge blocks Lake George herbicide plan.

> A Warren County judge on Monday sided with the Lake George Association and others challenging the park commission’s plan to treat invasive watermilfoil with one of the few EPA-approved aquatic herbicides on the market. The judge granted a preliminary injunction that bars the park commission from using the herbicide until a lawsuit brought by the lake association can be resolved.

14. Win a pair of 13 Fishing setups!

Yup, this is real life! We’re giving away a pair of 13 Fishing setups 🔥 including (2) Omen Gold 6’6″ medium spinning rods with (2) Kalon C 2.0 spinning reels to boot.

Takes 10 sec to enter and can share the link you get for bonus entries – good luck!

Will Pappenfus’ top-4 tactics for summer walleyes.

One of the tough things about finding early-summer walleyes is that they can be anywhere and everywhere. Shallow or deep, weeds or rocks – you name it. Here’s 4 setups tourney-nut Will Pappenfus keeps handy to catch ’em anywhere:

“That awkward moment when you’re not sure if you should try to cheer your buddy up or continue fishing in silence for the next 30+ minutes.”

– We’ve all been there! Relatable feeling snatched from Musky Insider:

National Professional Anglers Assoc. 

MN-FISH