5 Qs with Korey Sprengel šāāļø
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Tourney pro Korey Sprengel is one of those dudes who doesnāt just do or use things ābecauseā ā thereās a specific reason behind every little detail. So when he talks fishing, I strongly recommend we listen.
I had the chance to hop in the boat with him and do a little brain pickin'. Hereās 5 Qs with the walleye hammer šØ talking when/where/why the Berkley Ripfish shines....
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Q: We already know and love the Finisher...so where does the Berkley Ripfish come into play?
> Korey: "It starts with time of year...I think the Ripfish has a lot more potential to shine earlier in the season just because of the control you have with that bait.
> "The Ripfish is a little bit lighter...also taller and wider. You can stall and hover that bait and fish it a lot slower, which allows you to fish it shallower, while maintaining size and profile.
> "It's like a hybrid between glide baits and lipless baits. Not only for shape and profile, but action as well. You can rip it like a lipless, or fish it like a blade bait, and at the same time you can get fish activated on FFS with a darty, erratic action that you canāt get out of a lipless bait.
> "This is a utility bait, it can be used anywhere...from a Mississippi River system to up in the weeds on natural lakes...fishing dirty water, rocks, tight to the bottom...itās just an in-between action that's a little bit more subtle than a lot of lipless baits, which have a wider action and are super hard thumping....
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Q: How are you working the Ripfish for shallower fish near weeds?
> "If I'm using forward-facing sonar and casting at specific fish...I like to let that bait fall down within 2-3ā of it, then give it a little rip or pull through the water to engage that vibrating action to get that fish's attention. There's a lot of rattles in this bait...I use that and the vibration to say here I am.
> "And then as soon as that fish engages, it comes down to how fast that fish is approaching.... Almost becomes a retrieve with a little bit of shaking motion or a soft popping motion...but pulling that bait away from the fish. It's just one of those, you know, triggering motions where it's trying to get away...weāre playing keep away."
Q: Color-wise, do you have a confidence or go-to one?
> "Typically if Iām using FFS...I like more natural, lifelike colors because I know the fish is going to either see it or be close to it when I make my initial cast...the color doesnāt need to draw it in, right?"
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> "But Iām always keeping water color in mind....
> "If you have a foot or two of clarity, you might want to have a bait that has a natural aspect to it, but also maybe a little bit of chartreuse or brightness to give it a little bit of its trigger in the color.
> "If it's super clear, chromes are some of my favorites....
Q: Is there ever a time where you put on a way more gaudy color?
> "I mean, don't get me wrong, I love using gaudy colors...pinks have always been great in the Dakotas. It's kind of like a staple color out here like firetiger is across a lot of the country. Bright colors are always a good trigger on these Dakota lakes, especially perch and fire tiger colors."
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> "Cloudy days are another one of those times, but especially in any reduced water color.
> "Or if it's cover-water time, and you just need to have a guy in the back of the boat fancasting and working a weededge."
Q: Letās get into your setup for throwing the Ripfish....
> "I'm using 10-lb FireLine...a no-stretch braid because you're trying to imply action to a bait, so you don't want a [stretchy] line that's working against you.
> "I always run the crystal [color FireLine]. If you're concerned about high-viz line and clear water...it kind of allows you to do both, right? You can see it a lot better than smoke....
> "At the same time I'm always using a fluorocarbon leader of some sort. Generally a 3ā to 4ā leader of 15-lb Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon with the Ripfish. Not only does that give you some camouflage to the braid, but a stiffer fluorocarbon leader also helps to keep your hooks from fouling on your line...."
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> "At the end of the day, you want a medium rod with a faster action...because you're implying action, you don't want the rod to load up or to be deturring the action you're trying to provide to the bait. So you want a rod that has a relatively fast tip or extra fast.
> "The 7'1" medium [power] extra-fast [action] Fenwick World Class is my go-to. Could be a 7ā to 7ā 4ā...but the longer rod is going to allow you to cast far if you need to and easier to play the fish.
> "When it comes to this presentation, Iām almost always using a size-30 Abu Garcia Revo Rocket. The majority of what you're doing is just using the reel to pick up line. And so I want the fastest reel [gear ratio] as possible. Allows you to move the rod and to pick up that line in the shortest amount of time to maintain contact with the bait and the rod tip."
Awesome. Thanks again, man! š
Bonus nugget:
Korey always seems to have the best, non-junk boat snacks with anytime I get the chance to hop in for a ride. So this time I took a quick pic of a couple so I could remember to get an emergency stash in my rig lol:
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Walleye big enough to impress Al Lindner?! š«£
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Open up Instagram, FB, YouTube, the Target Walleye email (you name it)...and all you see is folks crushing big fish and tons of āem.
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Big to some isnāt always big to others. What do YOU consider a big walleye in the lakes you fish? It really depends on where youāre fishing ā hereās Alās take on it:
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> You go to TargetWalleye.com and see all these pictures of big walleye up to 34ā, but pay attention to the big-water systems theyāre coming from. If you fish the Great Lakes, western reservoirs or a handful of lakes up in Canada...8-lbers are common.
> You would say, āWell a big fish to me is a 10- or 12-lber.ā Well in these smaller natural walleye lakes ā that are peppered all over the heart of the walleye world ā a big fish is simply a 6-lber. A giant fish (which you see rarely out of these lakes) is a true 8-lber. So everything is relative.
> In these smaller natural mesotrophic/slightly-eutrophic lakes we have a lot of 1.5- to 3-lbers, but when you get a 4, 5 or 6 thatās really good.... Now and again if youāre fishing a tournament or in the fall, you may see an 8-lber, but itās rare.
> Youāve got big lakes like Lake of the Woods, Upper Red Lake, Mille Lacs, Leech Lake, Winnebago ā well-known walleye lakes, but even in smaller lakes 8-lbers are really, really, big, big fish. The reality check for most of us is that a handful of walleyes from 16-20ā is a great day on the water.
You feel better now? Because I do!
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"Freshwater browning" = walleye thriving? š¤
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I came across this interesting info on ScienceDaily š©āš¬ talking how increased carbon in runoff from land is turning freshwaters darker, but that it may mean a boost in walleye populations? Full story and additional sources/research here, but a few excerpts below.
> Summary: Freshwater lakes across North America and Europe are becoming noticeably browner, reducing underwater visibility and reshaping fish populations. Research found that several popular sport fish, including trout, bass, perch, and whitefish, tend to decline in darker waters. Meanwhile, walleye and northern pike often become more abundant because they are better adapted to low-visibility conditions. The shift could change both lake ecosystems and the fishing experience for millions of anglers.
What is freshwater browning?
> The specific phenomenon of darkening water, called āfreshwater browning,ā is driven by a few factors. Among the reasons are climate change, as higher temperatures and increased runoff are combining to increase the amount and types of carbon compounds that move from soil and land into bodies of water.
> Similarly, as people have taken steps to reduce acidic emissions coming from smokestacks and other sources, less acid has fallen as precipitation, changing the chemistry of soils. Those chemical changes are also increasing the flow of carbon to bodies of water.
> Higher levels of carbon make water look brown because itās basically dissolved plant matter that stains the water like tea leaves would.
Underwater visibility
> Itās harder to see in browner waters, which makes it harder for fish to locate prey, escape from predators and find suitable habitat to live in.
> We found that in browner waters, fish often grow more slowly. The decreased growth rate in individual fish appears to reduce the population sizes of these fish, which may, in turn, change the quantities and proportions of different kinds of fish in a lake.
> But freshwater browning doesnāt affect all species of fish equally.
> Unsurprisingly, we found that vision appeared to be quite important for navigating browner waters. When we studied fish communities in 303 Canadian lakes, we found that in lakes with darker water, fish species with larger eyes were more common.
> When we looked at data on populations of eight economically important fish in 871 lakes across North America and Europe, we found that browning was associated with smaller populations of several species, including lake trout, lake whitefish, yellow perch, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. Brook trout abundance was not affected by freshwater browning.
> Browning was associated with larger populations of northern pike and walleye.
> We believe thatās because walleye, for example, have a specialized retina that helps them see in browner waters with poorer visibility. Similarly, pike have a well-developed lateral-line sensory system that allows them to sense vibration, movement and pressure changes in the water.
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That's what Tommy "River Rat" Kemos would tell ya about dragging jigs.
Here's some š§ from Tommy in a FB post from The Next Bite TV. Might wanna get the notepad out for this one. š
> "When people ask how much line to let out for this technique, the answer is you really can't put too much line out.
> "A lot of times I'll make a long cast, then add some to that. The whole idea is you want that jig on the bottom, skipping along. The more line you let out, the more subtle that jig will slip across the bottom. Sometimes letting it out to where it should be, then adding line, will get you even more bites.
> "In general, as long as that jig is making contact, you're fishing it the right way. And on a windier day like today, a little more line can make up for inability on boat control too. More is better."
I think what Tommy is trying to say is that your knot to your spool better be a good one! š¤£
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Tommy isnāt always dragging.... š
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Once the caffeine has kicked in, he puts a Berkley Rawler Bladed Jig in hand and starts going to work on fish hiding up in the nooks and crannies of weedbeds.
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This bait is similar to the Rawler ā same curved slow-death hook, killer for slow-rolling over weeds, casting at suspended fish, or any fishy mark honestly...but with more flash for agressive, active fish. It spins smoothly at low speeds and doesn't tangle. Also sounds like getting this thing dialed in was a real grind.
So, here's more from Tommy:
I know you played a huge role in bringing this bait to market. Why does this bait exist?
> "The whole concept and goal of the bait was to create a castable delivery system for the slow death technique...which I've always felt is one of those techniques that will catch fish when all else fails.
> "It's something I've been playing around with for probably almost 15 years now.
> "I got on board with Berkley to start working with a company that could bring everything to fruition, incorporating all of the details, all the different little targets that we had.
> "One of the hurdles is having something [castable] that's tangle-free...with a hook system that is light enough to impart the right action...but strong enough to hook and hold a large walleye.
> "The [non-bladed] Rawler is more of a finesse-type delivery system for super-finicky walleyes...[it] calls them from a long ways away. The big difference from the original slow death jig ā there are some other slow-death jig products similar in concept, but they don't perform as well as they could.
> "We needed something with better action and that's how the Bladed Rawler came to life."
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Is it fair to say that the Bladed Rawler allows you to present a spinner-type presentation at depths or at angles to fish that you would never be able to pull a traditional spinner rig?
> "Absolutely. There's no question about what a spinner does in the walleye world. To combine both of those, the Bladed Rawler is a much better weed bait, but they're both super versatile for not only artificial bait, like Gulp, but live bait as well.
> "I've been doing this for a long time...pulling planer boards over weeds is super difficult. Now with FFS, I can cast that thing out and let it swim thru all the nooks and crannies of a weedbed in search for active fish.
> "The vibration that blade gives off...they can't resist it...[paired] with forward-facing sonar ā that thing pulls walleyes out of the weeds like I've never seen a bait do before. It's just insane."
I mean I'd come up and pop this thing for sure!
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Is it a normal Colorado-style blade off the shelf?
> "Absolutely not ā that's what makes it special. It's a custom-built Colorado blade that Dan Spengler spent a long time developing. It looks like just any other Colorado blade, but it is a special tuned blade with different cupping... and it's interchangeable."
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> "The bait's unbelievable...Dan and Kyle spent so much time on it...I love those guys. Working on baits with them is amazing."
Do they ever turn it off?
> "I don't know that they do...I get text messages and calls from those guys all hours of the day. Their wheels are always turning...something will pop up in their mind that needs to be talked about right away.
> "The level of passion they have for bait development...any spare time they get, they go fishing. They're always working on something, fine tuning it on the water until it's perfect. I think those 2 guys almost fish more than most of their pros do [laughs]."
They sorta remind me of this passionate duo, minus the CTE ā see if you can guess who is who lol:
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Older Target Walleye YT vid but I'm still using this deal today to get a few more fish in the boat and it's probably one of the simplest bait mods that pays off so well ā adding a VMC Bladed Hybrid Treble to the bottom if your Jigging Rap.
That deal just adds a little flash, a little water displacement ā gives those aggressive fish that much more reason to react. šš„
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Times they are a-changinā, but one thing that will never change:
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LOL. Donāt take it personally, fly fishermen look down on other fly fishermen too. š¤£ Relax people, Iām kidding...sorta.
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āThe most die-hard fishing guides must master the art of boat napping, whether it's on the water or in your yard.ā
- That's Cassandra Swenson talking about her bf and and northern-MN guide Jason Durham, who I knew spent a TON of time in his boat, but I had no idea it was 24/7 hahaha!
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I canāt seem to find a direct link to it, but apparently that hammock is an exclusive Crestliner dealio. Love that!
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Sending 'er off with a glorious snap posted by our friends at Whitewater Fishing. I believe it's Korey Sprengel fishing off into the sunset. āļø
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Back atcha next week! š
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FRIENDS OF TARGET WALLEYE
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Target Walleye ā walleye during open water and all species during hardwater ā 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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