Is “fishing opener” MN's biggest holiday?
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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 fish that actually pull some drag again hahaha!
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.
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One thing I know for sure: It will include a decent dose of Mille Lacs because despite what the #s say 🙃 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!
Good luck trying to pull the 3/16-oz VMC Ned Rig Jig and CrushCity Ned BLT out of my hands! I’m not putting it down until I’ve caught so many fish that I feel obligated to see if they’ll bite something else. 😅
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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 will absolutely be going out to specifically target some largemouth bass for at least a few hours one day because the pre-spawn bite is 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 couple 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.
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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? 🤞
Of course there’s plenty of (even more?) fun to be had after dark...
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After-dark shenanigans.... 🌕
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You don’t always need a boat to catch walleyes – especially this time of year, when current, bridges, neckdowns, etc can all help bring the bait AND fish to you.
This spring should be especially good now that all the recent rain has got the water moving....
The last couple of years, Troy Lindner and I have kicked off the MN ‘fishing opener’ by pitching swimbaits from the shore at exactly 12am. Sometimes we only catch a couple – other times we crush 'em!
Regardless there’s just something special about getting it done from the bank that makes me feel like a little kid again.
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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!
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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:
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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:
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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. We added 7 more fish to our tally that were all 23-25″ pitching around in the middle of the night:
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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. Just couldn’t get bit on anything else in that spot. So now I will ALWAYS have one tied-on in the spring – including this year’s fishing opener! ⌛
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Insane topwater zander vid!
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There’s a bunch of similarities between walleye and their European cousins, Zander...but there’s also a lot of differences. Have you ever seen a walleye do this?!?! 💣💥
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That short-but-wild video was posted by @michal_fox_rage on Instagram. If you look closely, there’s no hooks on the bait – Michal said that he took them off and was throwing just for fun because that zander was actually guarding its nest.
Yup, they make nests and stick around to guard the eggs sort of like bass do here. Whereas walleyes are “broadcast spawners” and those kids are on their own. 😅
If that video wasn’t crazy enough for you, here’s another one where Michal is feeding a zander by hand!
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I think it’s time for a European vacation.
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How lure color changes with water depth.
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Interesting video from Fishing with Nat – I really like that he runs the same test on 1) an ultra-clear lake, 2) a greenish lake with a zooplankton bloom, and 3) a tannin-stained bog lake.
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Hot dang he talks fast lol!
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The latest “Top 5” video. 🍿
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Sorry I forgot to share a link to it in the last TW...switching these emails to a Tues/Thurs schedule (instead of Wed/Fri) has me all sorts of messed up lol. Anywho…
Here’s episode 72 in case you missed it on our YouTube channel. 👊
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1. OH: Day 1 of the Lake Erie NTC canceled.
That’s the National Team Championship (fishing out of Lorain) that has 287 teams from 19 states stuck on shore for today thx to mother nature:
> "With observed unsafe wind speeds, direction and wave conditions expected to be up to 5-7 feet today...." 😲🙅♂️
Turns the 3-day event into a 2-day. Bummer, but good call. #SafetyFirst
I believe there’s nearly $250K in cash + prizes up for grabs!
2. IN: State-record perch caught outta Lake Michigan.
From shore! Blas Lara's nearly 3-lb 2-oz jumbo (nearly 17” long) shattered the previous record (2-08) that had stood for 43 yrs!
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> “He caught his giant while fishing a golden roach livebait under a bobber while actually fishing for smallmouth in the Hammond Marina. The fish was weighed at the Strack & VanTil Food Market.”
3. TX: Game wardens seize $100K worth of stolen boats/motors...
...at the Big Bass Splash on Sam Rayburn Lake over the weekend of April 20. Full scoop in this Dac Collins Outdoor Life write-up, few experts below:
> ...a group of TX game wardens conducted their own sort of fishing expedition as they checked those anglers for stolen equipment. Over the course of the tournament, wardens seized over $100,000 worth of stolen boats and motors.
> Officials with the TX Parks and Wildlife Dept called attention to the busts in a recent FB post, which refers to the “saturation patrol” that was conducted at Sam Rayburn over the weekend.
> Similar to a DUI checkpoint, the patrol subjected tournament participants to a mandatory boat inspection by wardens. It was led by TPWD’s Marine Theft Investigation Unit, which coordinated with game wardens from 6 different east-TX counties. Altogether, they inspected around 300 boats, 243 motors, and 100 trailers.
> In an email to Outdoor Life, TPWD game warden and MITU captain Jennifer Weaver clarified that the estimated value of seized equipment was $102,694. This included two boats and 10 motors. “The value in boats was $27,700 and motors $74,994,” Weaver says.
4. WI: DNR approves an emergency rule...
...for the upcoming walleye season on the Minocqua Chain of Lakes:
> By a vote of 7-0 Thursday morning, the board replaced the catch-and-release regulation with a daily bag limit. Anglers can keep one walleye per day that’s at least 18 inches long, but not if it’s between 22 and 28 inches.
> The emergency rule affects the chain of lakes in Oneida County including Jerome, Kawaguesaga, Little Tomahawk, Mid, Minocqua, Mud, and Tomahawk, and also the Minocqua and Tomahawk thoroughfares and connecting waters.
> “This regulation will allow a moderate level of walleye harvest while preserving the quality-size fish that were built up during the past nine years of harvest closure and will promote fair and equitable use of the walleye resource during the 2024 fishing season,” the DNR wrote in a statement.
5. AnglingBuzz’s new spring walleye episode is out now.
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7. Learn 2 Fish With Us hosted its 400th event.
> On April 29, Capt Greg Karch of Learn 2 Fish With Us, hosted their 400th fishing event!! That is unbelievable for such a small organization. Over the last 15 yrs, Learn 2 Fish With Us has been educating youth and adults on skills and equipment so they can become a fisher-person or become a better angler. Cap Greg is the founder and certified angler educator for Learn 2 Fish With Us and is so dedicated to making each fishing event fun and educational.
8. KastKing contributes to getting wounded warriors back on the water.
9. MN: Gov names May 11 “Clean Drain Dry Day.”
10. Minnesota Mom’s Fishing Challenge, May 11-12.
A free virtual fishing challenge for those lovely ladies in our lives! Will be happening over this year’s fishing opener, which is also “Take a Mom Fishing Weekend” = all MN moms can fish without purchasing a fishing license.
> The MN DNR is partnering with the Student Angler Organization and Women Anglers of Minnesota to host the challenge.
> To participate in the Mother’s Day weekend fishing challenge, moms simply need to join the Facebook group called “Minnesota Moms Fishing Challenge 2024” and post one photo of each fish they catch.
> All participants who submit one or more fish photos will have their name entered in a random drawing for prizes provided by the Student Angler Organization and their partners, including gift cards for SCHEELS and Lund. Additionally, participants are invited to tune in for a pre-challenge virtual Fishing 101 class, hosted by Women Anglers of Minnesota in the challenge Facebook group opens in a new browser tab on May 7.
> Challenge details are available on the Minnesota DNR website. All fish species and sizes are welcome in the challenge. Participants can snap a photo and let their fish go or keep it if it’s in season.
> “This year’s event follows the successful inaugural Minnesota Moms Fishing Challenge in 2023. Last year, more than 2,400 moms joined the challenge,” said Cara Hanson, DNR marketing coordinator. “This year, we hope even more people will join in the fun!”
11. MN: Gary Roach will be at Swanson's Bait and Tackle…
...in Hackensack on Fri, May 10 from 9am-4pm.
12. GSM Outdoors acquires Dobyns Rods.
> “The difference with GSM is the leadership – it’s the place to be,” says owner of Dobyns Rods, Gary Dobyns. “The company is run by friends that, over the years, I’ve learned to fully trust with the growth and expansion of my brand. I am confident they will elevate it to new heights. I will now be a shareholder of GSM and will remain involved with the company’s product development initiatives. GSM is making all the right moves, quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with in the fishing industry and they are just getting started!”
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Trolling crankbaits at night for spring walleye.
Usually they don’t cooperate once the camera comes out...but this night I ended up sticking one of the fattest 28-inchers I've caught in the Brainerd Lakes Area. Plus a whole bunch of springtime night-trolling tips mixed in, of course. 👍
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Fresh YT videos coming soon once our walleye season opens back up!
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Anyone else excited to finally see some dang grass again?! Heck, I might not even cut it for the first month-ish of the walleye season.... 🤣 #priorities
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“While other fish are celebrated for their aggression, what makes walleye so special might be the opposite...they're picky eaters.”
- Tell me this short film from Rapala called "The Search for Walleye" doesn’t get you PUMPED for this weekend’s fishing opener!!! 🔥 #goosebumps
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Gorgeous markings on this 29” Lake Huron waldo caught by Matt Eles, who said they were targeting main-lake current breaks using a 3/8-oz Junction Tackle ball-head jig and minnow:
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Thanks SO much for reading. 👊 I hope you have a great + safe weekend!
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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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