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Sure feels like it! Fish-heads literally block it off on the calendar (sorry moms 😖) and count down the days...hours...minutes...until we can finally get back to chasing gold!

I’m still trying to figure out my exact ‘fishing opener’ plans.... Literally started making a list of different lakes, species and bite windows I wanted to hit – day and night – and trying to coordinate the order based on the fastest route possible and mother nature’s forecast.

But now all of a sudden that list is something that probably couldn’t be checked-off in an entire season. 😅

I’m hoping it includes a decent dose of Mille Lacs because there’s a bazillion quality fish in there ready for the catching. Perfect place to shake the dust off and get back in the groove!

Might also hit up another local Brainerd-area lake (Gull, Pelican, North Long, etc) to chase shallow-water walleyes and get a dose of reality as to how tricky they can actually be to catch on normal lakes HA!

Aaaaannnd don’t judge me...but I’ll likely target some largemouth bass on purpose for a couple of hours one day because the pre-spawn bite can be just incredible. They get wadded-up so hard that once you find ‘em, you only move the boat if you go more than 3 casts in a row without a Z-Man ChatterBait JackHammer getting CRUSHED. 💥

You’d be surprised how many bonus BIG walleyes get caught on accident by folks throwing Chatterbaits for bass....

One of the biggest walleyes to hit my boat the last few years was a giant 29-incher that still weighed 8 lbs despite the shrunken post-spawn belly. My buddy Christian Hoffman leaned into ‘er slow-rolling a 1/2-oz JackHammer in just 4-6’. 😳 Imagine what she would’ve looked like in the fall, or if she was caught a couple weeks prior.

The term “giant” is all relative to where you’re fishing. This wasn’t Canada. This wasn’t some big walleye factory or a Great Lake. This fish was a straight-up 🦄 out of a small, 300-ish acre lake in central MN.

I’ll never forget seeing her come up thrashing on the surface that first time! After several hours of boat-flipping a pile of big largemouth, I don’t think I’ve ever moved so fast for the net in my life LOL.

She was released to get even more bigger-er...maybe we’ll see her again this weekend? 🤞

Last year’s ‘fishing opener’ was a memorable one in the Brainerd Lakes Area. 💯 Family, fish and food! Oh, and don’t worry...those fish tacos were made out of the smaller 17-18” walleye and the big ones went back in the drink:

Last year surface water temps were 10°F higher (60-65) than we’re hovering at right now. Caught ‘em a number of different ways up shallow (mostly in 6-9’) on sand flats and around newly-emerging weeds.

Did most of the heavy lifting with a 1-2-3 punch 🥊 that included:

1) A Scheels exclusive Rippin’ Rap color called "Sweetspot" that I just ordered a few more of in case I get pike’d lol. That was by far my top-producing color all spring ‘round here.

2) An 1/8-oz VMC Tungsten Moon Eye Jig (shad) tipped with a shiner.

3) And a 3/16-oz VMC Redline Series Tungsten Ned Head Jig paired with a Z-Man Big TRD in the "green pumpkin goby" color.

That was all during the daytime, but of course there’s plenty of (even more?) fun to be had after dark...

Fishing after dark can be a major pain in the tuchus, but it's usually worth the hassle! Grind all day for 1 or 2 bites...then it can feel like you’re on a whole-new lake after the sun goes down and walleyes show up out of nowhere.

Had that exact scenario happen a couple of openers ago on Gull Lake where we were having a tough go during the day, so decided to come back and drop the boat in around 9pm...and just 30-ish minutes into a nighttime stroll with a #7 Rapala Shallow Shad Rap (“purpledescent” color) it was game on!

Surface temps were about 50°F – our best speed ended up being 1.8 mph and we were running in 6-8′ on the edge of a big sand flat. Example courtesy of the One-Boat Network App:

Had a few fish in the livewell that spit up 3 or 4 chewed-up perch that night, and we even snagged some on our cranks. So my buddy Christian Hoffman switched-up to a “yellow perch” color #11 Rapala Original Floater and proceeded to go 4 fish up on me right quick:

You might notice a couple different things going on in that last photo....

1. We only caught 2 or 3 male walleyes that night and they were all “milking.” All of our other fish were big females over 23” – good problem to have!

2. Added a VMC Bladed Hybrid Treble to the middle of that Original Floater and the thing cleaned-up! Believe it was from its reflection in the moonlight. All I know is it caught about 5:1 compared to the Original Floater without it. Crazy cool little tweak!

After my old trolling motor batteries died (back when I was roughing it with lead lol) we Talon’d down on the tip of a little gravel point and started chucking #6 Rapala Rippin’ Raps in just 5-7′. “Moldy fruit” was by far the hottest color after dark. We added 7 more fish to our tally that were all 23-25″ pitching around in the middle of the night:

Ya hear about Great Lakes folks catching ’em on Rippin’ Raps all the time, but they can definitely catch fish on “normal” lakes too.

The key for us was doing slow rips. Not the big hook-set looking ones you’d do with a Jigging Rap, but instead slower 2′ to 3′ pulls, letting it hit bottom before slowly sweeping again.

I’ve caught plenty of fish on Rippin’ Raps before, but this night was a huuuuge confidence booster for me. So ever since then I will ALWAYS have one tied-on in the spring – including this year’s fishing opener! ⌛

- That's Rich Lindgren (aka HellaBass) dropping his reaction to seeing a shiny, new Vexus DVX 23S that was rigged with a Mercury 500R. 👀 If you didn’t know, that “R” stands for racing...it’s a supercharged 500hp 4.6L V8 outboard. 🤯

Don’t know the top-end speed, but obviously she’s gonna absolutely scoot lol. Saw somewhere that it:

> "...is expected to be significantly faster than the DVX 22, which hits 70+ MPH with a 400HP engine."

Also found a note that said:

> "The [DVX 23s] is 16 inches longer than the DVX 22s but only about 260 lbs heavier."

So folks are expecting it to push 75+ mph, maybe even tournament loaded? Sheesh!

Check the interior of this one – few pics I came across in a FB post from In Tune Marine. Apparently this was the very first 23s out of the mold:

She's a beaut, Clark! 🥵

And of course give it some scent – Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour rookie Jacob Walker does it. Spotted this tip in Jay Kumar’s BassBlaster email – click for the vid:

Btw I also just saw that BaitFuel has an Injector Kit to pump scent directly into your soft plastics, and allows it to slowly disperse from the puncture hole, “increasing the amount of scent your bait releases and supercharging your baits.” 👀

Ever tried it? ‘Cuz I now need to lol.

PS: Who's gonna stop me from pumping that right into a full 'crawler? 💡

1. VMC Sniper Swivel just landed at Scheels

Slip-bobber slingers rejoice! 🙌 The brand new VMC Sniper Swivel is a killer swivel + weight combination for sniping fish while power corking.

> Featuring a premium weight and swivel combination...perfect for power corking for suspended fish.... Built to effectively reduce line twist, the VMC Sniper Swivel helps anglers control their presentation with accurate casts or vertical fishing applications. Constructed with a durable and stealthy black oxide finish that reflects less light, the VMC Sniper Swivel utilizes lead-free brass weights that are laser etched on the side for easy size identification.

I was able to get my hands on a few ahead of the release 🤫 used ‘em all last summer and they’re LEGIT. Makes it much faster to rig up your slip-bobbers, reduces line twist, more accurate casts, straight drops, and drastically helps to keep the whole get-up tangle free – they nailed it!

Nobody ever seems to say the specific sizes of the bobbers, weights and jigs they’re using (‘cuz they probably don’t know for sure) so figuring out what to buy and/or rig up can be a frustrating game of trial and error.

So here’s my go-to walleye setup and sizes for a perfect match...

> I run this biggest, 1-inch size (XXL) Thill Pro Series Weighted Float so that I can maximize the weight of everything else it’s holding up = quicker drops and further casts.

> My favorite “pointy end” of the slip-bobber rig is a 1/16-oz VMC Tungsten Moon Eye Jig. Typically I’m running it in the "natural" color for picky eaters, but it’s for sure worth playing with brighter colors depending on the day and water clarity.

> That bigger 1” size Thill says the optimal total weight is 1/4 oz...which means after the 1/16-oz jig you’d want to run a 3/16-oz VMC Sniper Swivel.

You can get away with a 1/4-oz Sniper Swivel with leeches and ‘crawlers when using that ^ float + jig, but the bobber will just sit a little deeper in the water. That’s actually how I like it because then it takes even less resistance for a fish to pull it under. Yet it’s still not quite overloaded to the point the bobber sinks on its own.

But if there’s a chance you’re going to be using some bigger minnows, or a slightly heavier 1/8-oz jig on there (like say if you can’t find a 1/16-oz jig that has a stout enough hook with enough gap to not miss bites) then ya gotta drop that Sniper Swivel weight to a 3/16 oz.

Of course tweak those components from there based on what you like to run, or just get exactly what I run and go fishing lol.

Hope this helps get you set up! 👊

Btw...the lighter sizes worked great for me as a new-school splitshot rig last fall.

2. ‘Tour Level Gold’ is back! 

Season 4, episode 1 just dropped this week 💯 which kicks off the 2026 NWT season at the Lake Erie event. Per usual, it's an AMAZING behind-the-scenes look at professional walleye fishing:

I just can't get enough! 🍿

3. I think this thing is going to be...

...dynamite on pressured fish in clear water! It’s called the Kalin’s Worm Walker Spoon, and...

> “...its unique tail wagging and hovering behavior triggers curious fish into biting. Rigged with a nightcrawler or plastic the Worm Walker’s slow tantalizing action walks back-and-forth on a slow retrieve that fish can't help but eat.”

I was already 100% sold on this little number before I found out that Tom Boley has been hiding this secret creation for nearly 2 yrs. 🤫

I’d also be willing to bet they’re gonna sell out by the time we get into the heart of the open-water season...so I'd snag ‘em early. 👀 And I just saw that Scheels has all sizes/colors in stock right now here.

4. Scheels is hosting a FREE virtual fishing tourney!

From May 23 thru June 7 on FishDonkey. This weekend-only, multi-species tourney includes walleye, smallmouth and largemouth bass categories. Zero entry fee and a chance to win some serious prizes [!] even if you don’t catch a fish. More info here.

Also, if you’ve never done one of these virtual fishing tournaments thru the FishDonkey app before...here’s the perfect chance to give it a shot for free! Promise once you give it a shot, you’ll have a blast!

5. MN: Habitat for Humanity is hosting a virtual derby

The 2026 "Home Opener" virtual fishing tournament (thru the FishDonkey app) kicks off tomorrow and runs thru May 12. Some friendly competition with a chance at cash + prizes, all while supporting safe, affordable housing for families in Central Minnesota.

6. Folks are reporting West Marine might be filing Chap 11

7. UT wants to intro white sturgeon into 2 lakes

Combatting clear water for more walleye

From Mike Frisch of Fishing the Midwest TV:

> The presence of zebra mussels in lots of lakes across the Midwest may mean clear water and spooky, boat-shy walleyes during early season.

> To combat this, some anglers will choose to position their boats a good distance from likely fish-holding areas and cast baits, often jigs tipped with minnows, to the fish. Other anglers may not be adept at casting and, for them, slow trolling or drifting a slip-sinker style live bait rig tipped with a minnow is more workable.

> When employing this method, using a small slip-sinker, maybe as light as 1/4- or even 1/8-oz, and letting the bait out on a long line behind the boat is recommended. This approach keeps the bait a good distance behind the boat and allows any fish spooked by the passing of the boat overhead to re-gather before the bait appears.

> This exact approach led to a good catch for some fishing friends and me on a calm, sunny Minnesota walleye opener a few years back. Others in the area were fishing their baits more vertically, struggling to “get bit” and, subsequently, landing fewer walleyes.

> A final early-season tip involves the use of lively bait. Spot-tail shiner minnows are the preferred bait on lots of lakes for catching early season walleyes. Though very appealing to walleyes, these minnows aren’t very hardy so changing out a dying or tired minnow for a fresh, lively one is another way to up your catch.

If you’ve seen this sketchy, new, psychological thriller movie on Netflix, then you’ll think this is hilarious...but if not, then you’ll likely just think I’m losing it lol:

I better not hear one Minnesota complain about the weather this weekend, ‘cuz some years we have to deal with “snowpeners” like this pic from my buddy Andy Walsh during the 2020 fishing opener. The Midwest is a wild place.

Thank you for reading! And I hope the fish treat you well this weekend – it’s going to be a great summer. 👊

National Professional Anglers Assoc.

MN-FISH

Target Walleye LLC

422 Laurel Street

P.O. BOX 541

Brainerd, MN 56401

 (218) 824 5026