|
If your email program cuts off the bottom of the email click "View this email in your browser" up top to see the whole thing. Sorry about that – email programs keep changing stuff.
|
|
|
Is this the best walleye jerkbait color ever? 🤔
|
|
|
I’m no color expert, but imo what makes it such a great all-around walleye color is that it can look like BOTH a perch or a shiner 🎯 and so it’s typically the first jerkbait color I tie on when I first start snooping around these local clear-water lakes. It's hard to put it down:
|
|
|
The bad news: It’s basically been sold out everywhere this spring lol.
But it’s not THE only color in the lineup that catches the snot out of walleyes – they all have a time and place depending on the conditions, the fishery, the forage, the pressure...you name it!
Here’s some quick snippets that can help to dial in your jerkbait color selection:
> Chrome jerkbait colors are best for sunny days, clear water, and high-wind conditions to attract fish from a distance with high flash.
> Translucent, natural colors can shine on bright sunny days with little wind and clear water.
> Matte (flat/opaque) colors are superior for cloudy days, stained water, or when fishing highly pressured, spooky fish that prefer a muted, natural appearance.
Some other timely + important things to consider right now:
Perch typically spawn on shallow (4-10’) weed growth when the water temperature reaches 45-52°F.
Another one of my go-to colors, especially when targeting shallow weed growth right now, is the “hot perch” color:
|
|
|
Shiners tend to spawn on shallow sand flats (in the 3-7’ range, but varies by lake). Starts when water temps reach 53-55°F, but peak activity often occurs when water temps reach 56-60°F or higher.
When the sun is shining and walleye are roaming these shallow sand flats, I love busting out colors like “bold shad” (top) and “metallic moss back shiner” (bottom):
|
|
|
And for whatever reason, “hot blue frost” is just a straight up fish-catcher:
|
|
|
Of course I sprinkle in some of the other colors too, but these are a few that consistently put walleyes in the boat for me around central MN.
Oh, and don’t be afraid to “doll ‘em up” 🤫to make any of them look a little more like a spottail shiner, perch, or both! Always gotta keep some Sharpies and lure tape handy, it’s half the fun.
|
|
"Fuzzy dice" walleye = confrimed 💯
|
|
|
Those goofy “fuzzy dice” and "urchin" style baits have taken the bass world by storm, and have legit won hundreds of thousands of dollars – actually probably millions by now – in bass derbies the last few seasons.
No idea what they’re supposed to look like, but bass scarf ‘em up!
|
|
|
Turns out walleye do too 👀 leave it to Dylan Nussbaum to fact check it....
Sounds like he got on a killer bite during his prefish for the Lake Erie NWT while throwing Z-Man Fuzzy BugZ on 1/4‑ and 3/8-oz VMC Neon Moon Eye Jigs. The bait excelled in extremely dirty “chocolate milk” water, with only 3 to 6 inches of visibility, where its buoyancy and profile helped trigger reaction bites.
|
|
|
But his fuzzy program had to be put back in the vault thanks to 35+ mph south winds and near surf-able waves come game day. 😢
Then he busted out ol’ trusty: a Z-Man Scented Jerk ShadZ (pro yellow perch) and went on to bring in the heaviest 5-fish bag of the tournament at 48 lbs 3 ozs and finish in 2nd place on the big stage. Amazing.
|
|
|
BUT let this be a little reminder to think outside the walleye box. There’s a lot more crossover in bass vs walleye techniques than folks realize. It wasn’t that long ago when folks would think you were crazy for throwing a Ned rig for walleyes on purpose....
|
|
Early-season walleyes follow the shiner spawn
|
|
|
MN guide Scott Seibert talks shallow, early-season walleyes. Timely info:
> Early-season walleye patterns on northern MN fisheries often occur in less than 12′. While classic deep-structure patterns will emerge as the summer progresses, many anglers miss opportunities by looking too deep, too early.
> Fisheries such as Lake Winnibigoshish and Leech Lake hold tremendous walleye populations. Both share a common popularity, and have a shallow-weedline bites that often occur in less than 10′.
> The shiner spawn – which often coincides with blooming lilacs – is a major trigger that creates shallow-walleye bites. Sand or fine gravel is usually preferred, but there’s also usually weed growth (pencil reeds, cabbage, etc) in these areas on natural lakes.
> Many of these fisheries offer extremely good water visibility. Wind can trigger aggressive fish to move up into shallow water and feed aggressively, where a lack of wind can shut down some of these shallow bites.
> If the wind lays down, be prepared to slide out over the next break. Cold fronts and major weather systems can also push fish slightly deeper, but as a rule of thumb: you can expect some very aggressive fish up in less than 10′ during stable weather when there’s wind.
> Sharp breaks adjacent to shallow flats and weedlines will often concentrate fish when they do slide out into 12-20′. Use your electronics to look for fish and anticipate shadows by where the angle of the sun is. Sharp breaklines that cast deep dark shadows will often hold fish.
|
|
How Doug Wegner hunts walleyes with Side Imaging
|
|
|
Now that we're in season, it's time to put all this walleye talk to work.
Lucky for us, Humminbird dropped a YouTube video with Doug Wegner giving out the juice on how he’s using Humminbird Side Imaging to find walleyes and stay on ’em. Here’s a bit of intel from that vid, but you can watch the whole thing here.
> "In the spring, I do a lot of stuff that's relative to shoreline [and find] irregularities in the shoreline or any kind of structure.
> "Anywhere where you can see any kind of point or inside turn, or even where your breakline gets really sharp, it's really nice.
> "Walleyes like a really sharp edge [and] like to be able to move from shallow to deep water, especially when you're in your low-light periods.
> "You can eliminate a lot of water very quickly by just focusing on those few small areas and then going over them using your side imaging to better understand what's actually there.
> "I like really hard transition lines. If you can go from a hard to soft bottom, or from a weed edge to say, mud or sand, they seem to be really key spots for myself."
|
|
|
> "Once we've identified these spots in our LakeMaster chip, we can go back through, graph through them and start to lay out waypoints.
> "I like to AutoChart these areas as well and really fine-tune exactly where you need to be.
> "You need to be able to understand what your spot is first and what's going on there before you can effectively fish it. I spend a lot of time driving around graphing new stuff before I even actually make a cast.”
Lot more info in the full video.
No doubt he puts in the time to stay on ‘em! Doug sees your “bass thumb” and raises you “walleye hands” LOL:
|
|
|
Dude has got to be surviving off of New-Skin Liquid Bandage 😅 which if you don’t have – get!
|
|
Walleye fisherman catches pending world-record...
|
|
|
...northern pikeminnow.... 👀
You should’ve finished the rest of the sentence before getting all worked up HA! But breaking any record is still an impressively-rare feat, even if it’s the native fish that has a bounty on its head....
First off: If you’ve read these emails long enough, you’ll know that waterfowl call maker Bill Saunders has got a massive soft spot for catching BIG walleye – dude is beast!
|
|
|
To the point where he’s obviously even thinking about walleye fishing while in the ground blind.... 😅 This pic is from 10+ years ago but I’m still obsessed with it:
|
|
|
So now you’ll understand why he started off his record northern pikeminnow FB post saying:
> “I debated posting this up, because I’m such a walleye purist, but what the heck....”
Hahaha! Here’s the rest:
> “Walleye fishing the Snake River last week with Brent Davis we were casting swimbaits catching a few walleye and way too many dang bass, I hooked what I thought was a decent walleye, after a couple good runs and head shakes we put the fish in the net. This was at first a moment of disappointment to see it wasn’t a nice walleye but a northern pikeminnow (aka squawfish) but after putting the fish in the boat we both looked at each other and said ‘holy 💩’ we had never seen a squawfish that big.”
|
|
|
> "...we decided to put the fish in the livewell and do a little research to see what the state record was. The current state record caught in 2008 is 24.4” and 7.92 lbs. Well heck this fish has to be close to that...batteries in the scale are dead of course, but the board shows the fish is 25.25”.
> "After a few more hours of fishing we call it a day and decide at the launch to find a certified scale...after several stops we find a place...the fish weighs in at 8.60 lbs. We then contact WA Dept of Fish & Wildlife and make an appointment to complete all the paperwork and verify the new Washington state record northern pikeminnow, and after a little research this will also be the new world record.
> I know, I know...it’s a squawfish, but what the heck, to have a fish in the record books sounded pretty cool. I want to thank everyone that helped in the process....
> Now back to trying to find that record walleye.
Love the bonus bycatch. And hope you stick that record walleye one day!
|
|
|
1. MN: Kolb/Geitgey win Red Wing MWC
On the Mississippi River = a great equalizer for many tactics.
> Water levels were dropping very fast during pre-fishing and throughout the event, with temperatures touching freezing in the beginning of the week, to 75 and sunny by day 1.
Had walleyes on the move – big time. But these fellers stayed with ‘em and were rewarded with $21,209.99 in cash and prizes. 🤑
> ...had to cycle through their bag of tricks. Whether it was crankbaits, blade baits, willow cats, or nightcrawlers.... Targeting 9-14’ of water and looking for areas that held current even with the receding water, they cycled between their “over” spots and their “under” spots and reported they were happy to see some decent unexpected big fish from their “under” spot.
Next up is Lake Winnebago (out of Oshkosh, WI) on June 5-6.
2. SD: Lake Oahe NWT happening May 20-21
3. MN: Walleye Alliance "Spring Shoot Out" coming in hot 🔥
Happening THIS WEEKEND on Gull Lake near Brainerd, MN.
Folks have been begging for more walleye tournaments in the BLA throughout the season (not only in fall) so here’s your chance to put your money where your mouth is. 😏 I can only say that because I’m already signed up with a buddy lol.
4. MN: Bill intro’d to ban FFS use...
...when fishing for muskie or northern pike in certain MN waters....
> This bill amends existing Minnesota law to prohibit the use of certain sonar technologies when fishing for muskellunge or northern pike in specific waters. Specifically, it adds a new section that bans the use or possession of live imaging sonar, forward-facing sonar, omnidirectional sonar, drones, or any related equipment, software, or systems that use artificial intelligence, predictive modeling, real-time data processing, or wireless communication to locate, track, or target these fish. This prohibition applies to waters identified by the commissioner where muskellunge populations naturally reproduce and are not primarily maintained through stocking. The bill also establishes a presumption of violation if such equipment is possessed on or near these waters, unless it is completely powered off and disconnected in a way that prevents immediate reactivation.
5. National Safe Boating Week is May 16-22
The fun actually kicks off this Friday, May 15 with “Wear Your Life Jacket at Work Day.” Hope you own a comfy inflatable one if you participate lol:
|
|
|
Dave Csanda talks post-spawn walleye locations
Bunch of interesting info in Dave’s full MidWest Outdoors write-up here, few excerpts below:
> In most places where walleyes are found, the fish spawn at night on shallow, rock/rubble swept by current, be it the flow of a river or creek, or windswept current created by waves. The rocky bottom can occur naturally, or be man made, such as along riprap on dams and culverts. There are some exceptions, such as walleyes spawning on flooded marsh grass in the Wolf River in WI, or perhaps in flooded woodlands on the Mississippi. But in most cases, they’re oriented to shallow, hard bottoms early in the open-water season.
> After spawning...walleyes begin shifting locales toward the easiest, most accessible forage available.
> ...this typically occurs in the form of yellow perch or shiners, which have also begun moving shallow to spawn. Perch spawn on shallow weed growth, typically in bays, shortly after walleyes finish spawning. Shiners, meanwhile, tend to spawn on shallow sand flats. So, depending on which forage predominates, and where it is located, expect post-spawn walleyes, particularly females, to begin moving to these areas almost immediately after spawning. The closest areas that offer these forage opportunities become logical places to check early in the season.
> If walleyes are blessed with substantial numbers of both yellow perch and shiners in the waters you’re fishing, expect them to dine on some of each. Some walleyes may roam shallow, sand flats near their rocky spawning sites to dine on shiners. Others may shift down the lake to weedy areas where perch are about to spawn. With both on the menu, it’s a smorgasbord of two forage sources and fishing patterns.
> In shallow, fertile, stocked lakes, some of these options aren’t available, or may be scarce. In this case, shallow minnows of assorted types are likely food sources early in the season, even if walleyes must scrounge to feed on them in the shallows. Once mayflies begin hatching out of the basin, walleyes may do a quick turnaround to the main basin to feed heavily on mayflies emerging from the mud bottom.
> The more sloping the spawning area, and/or the more cover available in the shallows, the slower fish tend to disperse. The faster the drop to deep water, the quicker that big fish tend to leave the area, although smaller males may linger for a while. In rivers, females congregated below dams for spawning quickly begin dispersing downriver after the spawn in search of forage opportunities. So, structural features can affect the speed of post-spawn dispersal.
> Most of the time, the major forage, and thus the walleyes, remain in shallower water than anglers realize...it’s warmer, offers more forage opportunities than deep water at this time of year, and often provides cover for security. Thus, don’t be in any hurry to start fishing deep right away, early in the season. Chances are that post-spawn walleyes remain shallower than you think.
|
|
|
“Precious cargo on board!”
Big props to Tyler Noot and Shaun Kessler on winning the Lake Sakakawea AIM event! Bet he drove home slow with that baby on board:
|
|
|
And by the sounds of it, it was one of the first major events in some time where the winners were TROLLING...which is wild to even think about.
> “He’s saving the name and color combo [of the winning baits] until after this Sunday [must have another tourney lol], but he said they’re standard colors and lures available at local stops like Scheels.”
I respect that answer, but only if they follow up with the specifics 😩 walleye guys are too dang secretive lol.
|
|
|
Thank YOU for reading 👊 back atcha in a couple!
|
|
|
Sign up another fish-head!
If you're forwarding Target Walleye to a friend who loves to walleye fish or want your fishing buddies to get these emails, just send us their email addresses and we'll take care of it! (We won't sell the addresses, use them for spam, etc.)
|
|
|
FRIENDS OF TARGET WALLEYE
|
|
|
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!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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
|
|
|
|
|
