Flukes for tough bites, Upper Red Lake crappie boom, Flagging gators tip

Flukes = soft jerkbaits. One of Ryan King’s secret weapons for fussy, cold-front fish on the Mississippi River. His absolute favorite is the BfishN Tackle Rib-Finn – easy to see why:

> When fish are holding tight to cover – or are in a negative-bite pattern from pressure/temp changes – the action of the Paddle Tail or Moxi may be more than they’re looking for. This is when the Fluke-style Rib-Finn is a must.

> The subtle action of that tail when twitched off cover perfectly mimics dying shad. Fish are lazy and drawn to an easy meal – especially in spring when water temps are just beginning to rise.

> When selecting a color I always choose darker colors for stained or muddy water. If I had to choose an all around go-to it’s the purple/chartreuse tail.

Here’s how he fishes ’em:

> Current seams: Pitch it out to the seam and let the current sweep the bait just over the rocks or timber, and give it a few pops.

 

> Rocks: Pitch it out and let it sink to the rocks, then twitch it down the face of the rocks letting it come to rest every foot or so. Then twitch it off and let it fall again.

 

> Sand: The “great white” Rib-Finn shines in the sand. Let it sink to bottom then rip it up 8″ and let fall…twitch it…then rip it again. Drives walleyes crazy.

Twitch, twitch, BOOM!

Both in good ways and bad…. 👀

Remember the “crappie boom” on MN’s Upper Red Lake? Some info from this super detailed Brad Dokken write-up:

> Crappie populations in Red Lake exploded in the late ’90s and early-2000s in the wake of a collapse in walleye populations driven by overfishing in state and tribal waters. With few predators in the system, crappies moved in to fill the void, and anglers by the thousands flocked to Upper Red to enjoy the bounty.

> Practically overnight, the town of Waskish on the east shore of Upper Red went from ghost town to boom town. Slab crappies in the 14″ range – and occasionally larger – were common, and the boom lasted several years.

Folks were literally filling 5-gallon buckets with ’em…basically until they were gone.

Now I am not saying that’s the ONLY reason they vanished. Most of the crappie boom in the early 2000s was driven by an off-the-charts hatch in 1995. And the last strong crappie year-class (until recent years) was in 1997.

But you can’t tell me that folks keeping hundreds and hundreds of thousands of crappies outta there over the years didn’t impact reproduction. 🤔🤷‍♂️

> The DNR didn’t start conducting annual creel surveys on Upper Red until May 2006, when walleye fishing reopened. That was right at the end of the crappie boom…and anglers kept about 37,000 crappies during the winter of 2006-07.

> Tony Kennedy, large lake specialist for the DNR in Bemidji: “We see crappie reproduction every year. We catch the little ones in the seine hauls, but they never recruit to the fishery – they never survive. In 2010, we saw a few – in ’10, ’11, ’12, ’13, that range in there – but that wasn’t even really enough to be noticed by anglers….

Well, some noticed 🤓 I can tell you that I snuck up there just over 7 yrs ago now (Mar 2016) to target crappies on purpose and we were able to put a couple dozen fish topside – never measuring a crappie under 12 inches:

Btw we released every one we caught.

And so what about now?

> Based on DNR creel surveys, anglers landed an estimated 15,000 crappies this winter on Upper Red…compared with about 900 crappies, on average, over the previous 10 winters or more.

> The current uptick in crappies, he says, is driven by a strong year-class in 2018 and a series of weaker year-classes beginning in 2010. A year-class refers to the number of fish recruited to the population from a particular year’s hatch.

Some resorts chose to keep their rentals going (after the walleye season closed) to run crappie trips. I don’t blame them one bit! They have tons of bills to pay and extremely short seasons to try and do it.

Some operations chose a different approach:

> Outdoor Authority: “We have been asked over and over to stay open for crappies. We feel that the 3 good year-classes of crappies in Upper Red would benefit everyone more. If they would be able to make it and spawn…giving us a better age structure and higher numbers of crappies in the years to come. Not saying that you can’t keep any or not to fish them. Go ahead and fish them. It’s just the approach we are taking to help the crappie population in Upper Red Lake.”

This next chunk is just my 2 cents. Take it for what it’s worth, which isn’t much haha.

Personally, I don’t understand folks wanting to keep and kill every single HUGE crappie they catch outta there. Yeah maybe that’s easy for me to say since I might get out fishing more often than others, or have more opportunities to keep a few smaller fish for a meal out of a different lake….

But to me, those URL crappies are just a special kind of critter. They grow insanely tall, have stretched-out scales, big foreheads, and eat basically anything that you put in front of their face. Plus how are you ever going to catch a 15- or 16-incher if you keep all of the 12-14s?

I know that if folks are keeping #s and size of fish that are within their legal limit, well then I should probably just mind my own business. “Watch your own bobber” is what I always say lol! But it’s just something I wanted to get off my chest. This could be the start of a very special population of fish, and I guess it’s just hard to sit back quietly and watch every one that gets caught hit the pavement…. To me fishing is about more than just filling your bucket. If you’re only in it for the meat, it’d be way cheaper to hit the grocery store.

Okay, okay, I’m done. 😮‍💨

…the “albino shiner” color Rapala Shadow Rap Deep catches ’em so good. Reminds me of a brook silverside, which average about 3-4″:

Little more info on the brook silverside from this Minnesota Fish & Wildlife FB post:

> “Pretty much every aquatic predator will eat this fish. Birds, mink, crayfish, turtles, other fish – doesn’t matter, it’s on the menu.

> “Brook silversides live fast and die young. If they’re not eaten beforehand, most adults die after their first spawning season at one year of age.

> “Going toward the light isn’t an unusual concept for this fish. They’re most active on moonlit nights and are known to chase flashlight beams through the water.”

And their native ranges line up with a lot of walleye factories.

Eventuallyyyy…the snow will be melting off our lakes and reveal an entire season’s worth of garbage that’s been left behind by disrespectful folks.

Can’t believe I have to say this but…if you bring it out, bring it back with you! One lazy person can make us all look bad – like these pics posted by the MN DNR:

So wrong. To be fair, the bottom-right pic tells me there’s probably a hot crappie bite goin’ on…. As long as they pick up the planks afterwards – doesn’t look like a big deal ‘until one of ’em takes a chunk out of your prop…or worse.

BIG shout-out to those that not only pick up after themselves, but also after others.

👊 Big thx to our friends at Sea Foam for making this video series possible!

1. MN: Tribal leaders want to reclaim all of Upper Red Lake.

> “Red Lake Nation tribal leaders in northern MN say they are going to the U.S. Dept of Interior with a longstanding grievance over boundary lines in an attempt to bring all of Upper Red Lake under their control.

> “Al Pemberton, director of the Red Lake Department of Natural Resources, told the Star Tribune this week that lawyers recently took the tribe’s concerns to Washington, D.C. He said deep-seated resentment remains over a redrawing of reservation boundaries that excluded the eastern shore.

> “The mapping violated a land agreement Red Lake chiefs made with the federal government around the turn of the century, Pemberton said. The new map drew a north-south line through Upper Red Lake, leaving water east of the line in the hands of the state government. All of Lower Red Lake and the western 60% of Upper Red Lake are inside the reservation and generally off-limits to state-licensed anglers.”

2. MN: A nuclear plant that leaked 400K gallons of radioactive water…

…shuts down for repairs after a second incident. Xcel Energy’s nuclear generating plant in Monticello, MN. A larger leak was discovered in Nov but only made public this month.

3. MI: DNR collecting walleye eggs on Muskegon River

> The Muskegon River has the largest run of walleye in the Lake Michigan watershed south of Green Bay.

> Electrofishing boat crews will collect walleye starting as early as the week of Mar 27 and concluding by Apr 14.

4. MT officials decline to alter walleye regz along upper Missouri River.

> …struck down a recommendation to loosen limits on walleye harvest in the Missouri River between Canyon Ferry Reservoir and Toston Dam.

> Current regs allow anglers to keep 10 walleye daily on that river segment, but only one fish can be 15″ or longer. That’s a concern, said FWP Fisheries Division Administrator Eileen Ryce, because few walleye in that stretch are under 15″ long.

> In practice, the size limit subjects anglers to a one-fish daily limit for walleye, she said. The department’s goal is to increase the take of larger walleye along the river, since staff are worried about the fish congregating at the mouths of tributaries where trout spawn.

> In their proposal, FWP officials sought to remove the size limit for walleye, but cap harvest at five fish per day between Toston Dam and Canyon Ferry. It was an effort to manage predation on trout while recognizing the importance of the walleye fishery….

5. NE: Lake McConaughy walleye meeting, Mar 27.

> The topics NE Game and Parks Commission staff will discuss include fisheries management, ongoing research, angler survey results, and plans for 2023.

6. It’s a bad day to be a nightcrawler. 🪱

These new-for-2023 Custom Colorado Blades from Walleye Nation Creations look nasty. 3-packs, comes in 25 colors + 3 blade sizes (4, 5, 6). 😍 Here’s a quickie look at 6 of ’em:

7. ND: Organizers adapt 1-day format for…

…the 47th-annual Devils Lake Chamber Walleye Tournament:

> Tourney director Johnnie Candle said the change was made to accommodate the schedules of tournament anglers.

> The popular fishing contest will be held Fri, Jun 23…with Sat, June 24 reserved as a “weather day” if needed.

8. MN: DNR-contracted commercial fishers capture 30 invasive carp.

In Pool 6 of the Mississippi River, near Winona.

9. Premier Marine “Sunsation Angler” receives innovation award.

> In the pontoon category, Premier received the 2023 Minneapolis Innovation Award presented by NMMA and Boating Writers International…at the Discover Boating Minneapolis Boat Show.

> Winning the Innovation Award was the all-new Sunsation Angler pontoon featuring dual sport versatility. Designed for recreation at the front and purposeful fishing in the back. Bow port and starboard loungers and a mid-ship couch give families everything they need to cruise and relax, while the stern features a fishing layout with everything the angler needs, making this the perfect option for those looking for something for everyone. 

> The stern features two fishing chairs, with the option to add a third and provides ample space to move around. The new angler station comes complete with a large livewell, designated baitwell, six rod holders, tackle storage with three tackle boxes, ruler, tackle and tool holders, cupholders, and a storage drawer. Every attribute was intentional with the angler’s needs in mind. 

> What really sets this pontoon apart is direct access to the water with our patent-pending Open Water Panels on both the port and starboard sides as well as the aft. With the simple lift of a lever, anglers can swing open the rear side panels, locking them into place on the outside of the pontoon, keeping the inside free of clutter while giving anglers the feeling of being on the deck of a bass boat….

Love to see pontoons getting fishy-er!

10. I hopped on the Fish House Nation Podcast yesterday…

…to chat with host Chris Larsen about my experience of staying in a wheelhouse on Lake Winnipeg.

Hahaha! Podcasts are sorta like talk radio shows, except you can listen to ’em anytime and anywhere you want.

Can listen to it here on Apple Podcast or SoundCloud. Thx much for having me on the show, man!

11. John Hoyer’s new boat floor looks SO good:

> “Advanced marine flooring…courtesy of @afttek with a full carpet delete and ridiculous @aqua_traction design/build. …added a 1/2 inch of memory foam for the ultimate in comfort….”

And man does it ever look amazing!

How to catch GIANT Lake of the Woods pike on tip-ups.

Known for its zillions of walleyes, Lake of the Woods has also become a world-class pike destination during the Mar/Apr late-ice period. Special regz mean these fish can be targeted all the way through ice-out. #Jackpot

Mammoth pike will stage for the upcoming spawn in shallow bays all along the south shore and are ready to pop tip-up flags. Believe it or not, 40-inchers are hardly considered “big ones” when the bite is really on! 😳

Big-fish junkie Andy Walls has been specifically targeting these toothy critters for years, so we tracked him down to get his scoop on putting these freaks topside. Full write-up on TargetWalleye.com, few excerpts below:

Gear

> “Make sure tip-ups are spinning smooth and that they have fresh 50-lb Sufix Performance Tip-Up Ice Braid. From there a quick-strike rig tied right to the tip-up line, and a 1/4-oz weight fixed above the leader to keep the bait in the strike zone.

 

> “Larger ‘Y yolk’ quick-strike rigs present both live and dead bait really well. They have a solid hook-up ratio with one treble fixed just before the head of the minnow and one rigged right before the tail. I’ve had the most success using 50-lb wire down to two #2 VMC Hybrid Trebles.”

Location

> “LOW northern pike can be caught literally almost anywhere on the lake, but there’s a large concentration of fish that really never leave the south shore.

> “Some of my best success early on in the season is in the 8-12′ range. Look for subtle structure changes like: a slightly quicker depth change, funnel, or ridge the fish may be following. Changes in the bottom content – like a rock or gravel patch – will usually provide even better action.

> “By late Mar or early Apr, we’re typically setting lines in less than 5′. The later in the year it gets, begin concentrating your efforts closer to – or directly out in front of – main spawning areas where runoff is the highest…draws fish in”

Bunch more info in the full write-up here, including: when/how to make moves, how far down to set baits, and when to set the hook. Walls knows his stuff.

BONUS: You’d be surprised how many BIG incidental walleyes you can run into too!

This might be one of Fat Cat Newton’s best ones yet, and that’s saying something. 😅

NWT pro John Hoyer caught himself a carp wearing a walleye costume on Green Bay last April! A 28″ fish that weighed 11 lbs = SHEESH. He said it “cracked my rattlebait about 20′ from the boat, giving me the opportunity to blast a hookset courtesy of the Fenwick World Class rod.” Would have loved to see that swing. 💪💯💣 Amazing fish, dude!

National Professional Anglers Assoc. 

MN-FISH