Giant Missouri River walleye, Mille Lacs not closing, Tom Boley is back

Suppoooosedlyyyy spring is gonna show up sometime this month. Not seeing too many signs of it around these parts yet lol. The snowplow “berm” at the end of my tiny driveway is literally still up to my neck after adding to it yet again last night. 🙄

BUT soon rivers will be opening-up and folks will be getting back after it. Shoot, some folks are already getting on the water.

One of those dudes is fishing guide Josh Moret, who is already snatching a box full of walleyes outta the Missouri River pitching 1/4-oz jigs in just 9’…which sounds pretty dang fun right about now!

Which reminded me of this absolute behemoth he caught last April that shattered his PB on Lake Francis Case, SD. She measured 29.5″ long with a ridiculous 22.5″ girth = 12.65 lbs!!! Madness:

They were pre-fishing for a derby when it all went down. Caught sloooowly trolling a #7 Berkley Flicker Shad (top-secret color) in 10′ on a big sand flat walleyes are known to spawn on.

> Josh: “We had some pretty heavy current that day and the water was super dirty from the high winds the week before.

> “The line counter read an extra 15′ of line by the time I got her in…she had stretched it to the max, especially with it working against the current.

> “So often a big fish like that ends up being a catfish or a paddlefish…we really had no idea what we were dealing with until we actually saw the big head and sowbelly roll up on the surface. She made one little run after we saw her for the first time…she was hooked good…one last lift of the rod and my buddy made a perfect scoop with my slightly over-abused net haha. The rest is history.

> “She was so healthy yet when we got her in and so full of eggs…it was a pretty easy decision to let her go.”

Couple other amazing angles to get your bearings on this fish of a lifetime:

Peep the weight on that Rapala High Contrast Digital Scale…. 👀 Josh might be the first person ever to round DOWN on a fish’s weight hahaha.

BIG congrats again, dude!!! 💥 And huuuuge props on the release so she could go drop the kids off at daycare at least one more time. Wonder how big she’ll be this spring? 😧

Big news, because it has been years (and years?!) since we’ve had a summer with no walleye closure, live bait bans, you name it. And it’s hard to make summer plans when you don’t know whether or not you’re even going to be allowed to fish….

Info from this MN DNR news release:

> State-licensed anglers will have the opportunity to harvest a walleye 21-23″ in length or greater than 28″ throughout the 2023 open-water season on Mille Lacs Lake. A lower walleye harvest this winter and an improving walleye population are combining to allow this year’s more liberal regulations.

> “We are pleased to see improvements in both the growth of adult walleye and survival of young walleye in Mille Lacs. Those factors create the opportunity for anglers to have a continuous harvest season in 2023.”

> Walleye regulations will apply from the walleye opener on Sat, May 13, until the end of the open-water season on Thurs, Nov 30. Unlike recent years, there is no planned closure to walleye fishing or ban on using live bait during the first two weeks in July.

> On opening weekend, fishing will be allowed 24 hrs a day. Beginning Mon, May 15, the night fishing closure takes effect, and fishing hours on Mille Lacs Lake will be 6am to 10pm.

All I’ve gotta say:

Lol

We’re always preaching to trust your electronics, but it’s possible to trust ’em too much….

I saw this video shared by All Too Clear Film on Instagram of some amazing underwater footage showing smallies basically becoming one with the boulder:

First thing that came to my mind:

As amazing as “live sonar” is 🎯 how many fish do we scan right past having zero idea they’re even there?

Once you get super confident/comfortable in running a forward-facing sonar unit, it’s literally hard to make a cast unless you see a confirmed target. Feels like a waste of time when instead I could be searching for my next victim hahah.

My buddies and I jokingly call it a “blind cast” now when we actually force ourselves to throw out despite not seeing a fish on the screen. And what do you know, sometimes we get bit right away and realize we need to slow down and still go fishing….

Crazy underwater video posted by Jared Crellin on Instagram of an otter strolling thru and checking out the baits. And probably the only time I’d ever be glad something bites the spoon on a dropper rig instead of the little hook down below.

Episode 37. And I promise to work on my impression of ‘The Rock’ before I ever try to do that again…but to be fair I did it in just one take lol. 😅 #Messy

Big shout-out to Sea Foam for making this fun video series possible!

If you don’t know who Duane “Dewey” Hjelm is…where ya been?!

Love this quote from Rapala’s Dan Quinn:

> “Duane came onto the walleye scene in a BIG way. You’d have to be living under a rock not to have noticed what he did last year, it was nothing short of incredible. With the level of competition in fishing tournaments these days, you have to have something special to stand out which Duane has proven he has and made it look easy!”

No doubt!

In the last 3 NWT events, Dewey finished 2nd, 1st and 2nd. He also won the Angler of the Year race which means he was the most consistently good angler through every National Walleye Tour event in 2022.

Oh, and did I mention that he won the 2022 National Team Championship on Lake Oahe against 256 other teams from 20 states that had to fish their way (aka qualify) to get in. 🔥

> Dewey: “I’ve been using Rapalas my entire life and have complete confidence in them, it’s a dream come true to make this partnership official. Fishing at this level, you have to control the controllables and a lot of that boils down to equipment. From my rod and reel, to the line, to the lures, jigs and hooks, everything needs to be perfect.

> “Working with Rapala, VMC and Sufix makes my job that much easier. Every minute on the water is valuable so when I pull a Shad Rap or a Deep Husky Jerk out of the package, it runs true and that means I’m spending more time fishing.”

Congrats to both! It’s going to be fun to watch.

2. MN: Shelter removal deadlines coming up.

> The removal deadline for inland waters in the southern two-thirds of the state is 11:59pm on Mon, March 6.

> In the northern one-third of the state (north of the east-west line formed by HWY 10, east along HWY 34 to HWY 200, east along HWY 200 to HWY 2, and east along HWY 2 to the MN/WI border) the deadline is 11:59pm on Mon, March 20.

Did you catch all that? 🥴 #MapQuest

You can still get out and fish in your permanent houses after those dates, but they can’t be left unattended between midnight and one hour before sunrise.”

If you’re lucky-enough to be up on the MN/CAN border at Lake of the Woods you have until Mar 31. Oh, and…

3. MN: Can target walleye/saugers on LOTW thru Apr 14!

> The rules are different for Lake of the Woods as it is border water with CAN and benefits from extended seasons. …the walleye season remains open thru April 14.”

That means March walleyes in MN! And your ice season just got 25% longer.

They still have GREAT ice and biting walleyes. Btw I also just heard that Border View Lodge still has a few March openings if you’re looking to sneak a trip in and don’t own a wheelhouse.

4. These new Gamakatsu MaxEye jigs look nasty. 🔥

Had ’em in my hand down at ICAST last summer and they look and feel like they ✅ all of the boxes. Premium walleye jigs – designed SPECIFICALLY for walleye – that come in both Pill Head (left) and Swim Head (right) versions:

Few quick details:

> Large, highly detailed life-like eye provides fish a focal point they can’t resist.

> Walleye-specific colors. Durable paint finish that will not chip or flake.

> Dual offset rebarb wire keeper and collar system…safely secures the softest and most-fragile plastics or live bait without tearing.

> The premium Big River Jig Hook…is tuned to provide an ideal balance of strength and weight. They sport an increased gap diameter to increase hook-ups and a special bend with an acute angle to provide better holding power.

> …MaxEye Pill Head has a shape which resists snags and imparts a unique action when it contacts the bottom. This design pairs well with live baits or plastics.

> The larger MaxEye Jig Swim Head has a special design that’s great for use with any soft-plastic swimbait, and it pairs perfectly with bulky plastics or smaller finesse.

5. WY will have new boat check stations for zeebz.

Zebra mussels haven’t been found in WY yet, but they were documented last July at Pactola Reservoir in the Black Hills, SD…which is 30 miles from the WY border.

6. Someone out there needs to hear this:

Your bait cooler is DISGUSTING – pls clean it out!

I had multiple TW readers tell me that the Old Salt Angling Livewell Cleaner is the real deal for cleaning livewells, coolers, etc. Finally tried it on my RIPE 🤢 Engel Live Bait Cooler, and the stuff is legit! So just wanted to pass along.

7. CAN: New research on ballast water and invasive aquatics.

> “…new research focusing specifically on the challenges of ballast water management for [big ol’ shipping] vessels operating in the St. Lawrence River region and the Great Lakes in an effort to further prevent the introduction of invasive aquatic species into the region.”

8. One of my new favorite all-around “predator” rods…

…is the Tuned Up Custom Rods 38″ Vulcan – absolutely been loving it! It’s tough to imagine a more perfect all-around burbot rod. But it also pulls double-duty for big-bait walleyes, light lake trout, and it actually makes catching big pike fun hahaha. Only problem is now I want to own more than just 1 of ’em.

That bend, tho! 😍🥵🔥

Btw I thought that ^ hookset was going to be my new PB walleye…. It was the right length, but the wrong species lol. Still a blast tho!

The Vulcan is a medium-heavy, moderate-fast action rod (3/16- to 3/4-oz baits) with oversized REC Recoil Ice Guides. Solid fiberglass blank means you can use and abuse this bad boy. 💪

Normally I only buy ice rods that have shorter handles, but I really dig the loooonger shank on this one for doing BIG things. About 95% of the time when I’m chasing burbs it’s done outside hole-hopping or fishing from a truck door, and that larger grip is super nice for fishing with a big mitt or glove on. I went with the 8″ EVA handle and it’s a dream.

If TUCR doesn’t have any in stock, you can always custom order your own in your favorite length and handle size/style.

9. Boat rental market will grow 15% by 2026?

10. NMMA board of directors voted Bill Yeargin new Chair.

I hope it’s a comfy one!

Tom Boley’s hair jig rundown for cold-water walleye.

Water temps were just slightly above freezing 🥶 but that didn’t stop Tom Boley from putting a hurting on some open-water walleye with Kalin’s new Google Eye Hair Jig (he was using a 1/4 oz in this video). Doesn’t really matter what Tom is doing and where he is doing it…I always pick up new tricks from watching his stuff. 📝

Is Kalin’s Google Eye Hair Jig the first rattling hair jig ever?!? Can’t remember ever seeing another, which is blowing my mind right now:

Bold move 💪 posted by Will Pappenfus on Insta – I like it:

I actually found a behind-the-scenes snap of Will Pappenfus creating his “fishing save the dates.” Quick photo sesh during a hiatus from pitching around big paddletails on the Rainy River last April with his 2B Fishing Genesis 71M-F. #Dialed

You know the bite is hectic in a really good way when dude has that “disheveled” look going on LOL.

Never know what you’re going to catch on Lake of the Woods. I’m not much for kill shots, but I LOVE this one – looks like a painting or something:

Good luck this weekend if you’re sneaking out! Thx SO much for reading!!

National Professional Anglers Assoc. 

MN-FISH