Hey y'all, Brett's out crushin' it at the Lund Mania tourney, so I'm steppin' in for him – stoked about it!

Snagged a sneak peek 👀 at some fresh baits droppin' from our pals at Berkley, and finally got the thumbs up 👍 to spill the juice.

Quick intro on me before we dive in:

I'm 37, married to my awesome wife Hope, and we've got three wonderful kids – Jackson (11), Harper (8), and Hallie (turnin' 3 today, happy b-day kiddo!).

Currently living in central IA where, let's be real, the fishin' kinda sucks haha. I spend most days with a camera glued to my hand, and yeah...I dig snappin' pics of fish almost as much as catchin' them.

• Favorite walleye setup: jerkbait on a 7' spinning rod
• Favorite spot: Lake Winniebigoshish, MN
• Favorite season: those brutal dog days of summer (like right now) rollin' into early fall.

Got hooked on walleyes fishin' those tiny IA rivers (Cedar, Shell Rock) in a beat-up 14' jon boat with crap electronics – that was like 20 years back. And honestly? I'd still pick a river over any lake today. Old habits, I guess...

Alright, that's me. Thanks for hangin' with us and following along – hope you enjoy today's email!

– Joel Vandekrol (JVK)

(Find me on FB)

That's Cap'n Donnie O'Bert talking about the smashfest he's been putting on big fish this summer. Hopped on the phone with him to to see if he'd spill some of the Rainy Lake juice 🧃... you're gonna like this one. Let's go!

JVK: Where do you even start on a body of water this big?

> "...that's a question I get a lot. Honestly...I had never fished Rainy Lake before I started guiding it. I broke it down day by day. I would spend all day in a new area...then I'd try to replicate that pattern on a new part of the lake...after 8 years, I still have not fished all of this lake...

> "Rainy is so big...I've spent tens of thousands of hours here...gotta keep finding new structures, points, reefs.... I tell my clients, 'This morning, the first 6 hours of your trip, you benefited from stuff I found on someone else's trip. So now we're gonna pay that forward.'

> "The beauty of brand new stuff is those fish haven't 8,000 baits thrown at them.... They'll burn the water down trying to catch it."

Donnie said he spends 200 days/year in the boat and averages about 60 miles/day. That's about 96,000 miles on the water...unreal!! 🤯

JVK: What are the walleyes doing right now?

> "The the bulk of our fish have reefed up now for the summer. Been fishing reefs for at least a couple of weeks now. Our mayfly hatch is dang near over. The fish metabolism is going through the roof right now. ...I would expect the fishing is only going to get better.

> "It's kind of crazy up here...most of the midwest goes through the dog days of summer [while] our bite just keeps getting better...but it's good all the time...and that's not just me trying to build my brand.... Last two weeks of July and all of Aug is always really, really good."

JVK: Why do you think that is?

> "I don't know...we might have an off day, but it's pretty rare...I just know that I will never leave...I live right on Rainy Lake...it's dang near 300,000 acres...It is an unbelievable fishery. The scenery is second to none...there is very little boat traffic...the bite is always good....

> "Rainy's got smelt...[I think] that's why our fish are so heavy and fat. We can go over 40 miles in four different directions...it's enormous...1,100 islands or something like that..."

JVK: Let's talk numbers. You've been catching the bigs...is this an average year for you?

> "I'm definitely catching more 30s. The last 3 years of guiding, I've really refined my approach to targeting big fish. The first 4 or 5 years of my guiding career, I was just happy if clients were catching walleyes....

> "Now I'm specifically targeting megas...hunting for the one. I want every client in my boat to get their personal best."

JVK: Talk about your approach. Are you fishing different stuff? What do you think you've changed specifically?

> "It's not fishing different stuff, it's fishing the same stuff differently.

> "I never drive over the top of the reefs anymore. I stop way out, shut my motor down, drop my Terrova Quest in, get on the wind-blown side, and sneak up to the deepest edge while staying off the structure.

> "The true bigs do not put up with being driven over. Forever, we were conditioned to drive over them two, three times with 2D sonar when that was your only option. I've got my LiveScope pretty well dialed where I can cast to fish 140' away."

JVK: What's your electronics setup?

> "I run a 22-inch NBT Marine on the back of the boat and a [Garmin] 8616 at the helm with the LVS 34 going to both units.... I Spot-Lock, run my stick, and I'm just quarterbacking clients...'Brenda, There's two bigs 58' at your 2 o'clock.'

> "...and we never drive over them. We're putting jigheads on foreheads at distance...and we're catching bigs...I truly think the not driving over them is the key."

JVK: How are you catchin' them?

> "...we can't use any live bait in Canada so I'm 100% artificial...I really like the 1/2-oz Smeltinator head and basically any Northland plastic. If you put a bait within 2 or 3' of them, they will turn and absolutely smoke it.... Dang near dislocate your shoulder!

> "We've got ciscos, smelt, and perch [but] it's every area of Rainy Lake is different...You gotta match what they are eating in the system you're fishing in...I've got different colors that are predominantly more successful in different areas of the lake.

> "Once they get bigger than 28 inches, they almost always swim in pairs. If I mark a 2 -pair of suspended marks, I know before we even cast at them, they're over walleyes 28 inches...that's no BS...I've seen 3,000 times in the last 3 years.

> "Without going back and actually looking at every picture and counting, I've netted 12 that have hit the 30 mark since Jun 1 – maybe more...I'd have to go back and look."

JVK: Would you be willing to give our readers some juice on how to catch bigger fish?

> "Of course...Captain Donnie says 'If you're using any LiveScope system, don't be afraid to throw baits at suspended fish. My eyes have really been open to what a walleye will eat the last two years...they'll eat stuff we would have never imagined 5 years ago. I look at giant walleyes as an extreme predator that might only eat once every 2 or 3 days...so choosing the right jighead and plastic for their mood is everything...

> "...[and] pay attention to how much sunlight penetrates the water column, which depends on waves, wind, cloud cover, and available sunlight...less light means brighter colors...more light means natural ones."

JVK: What 2 rods do you use the most?

> "My go-to rod is the 7' 1" JTX Mag-ML...perfect for jig/plastic combos and glide baits, my top two techniques. I've also used it for bottom bouncers and rigging. It's a total utility rod for walleye fishing...a home run that lets me switch techniques without constant re-rigging.

> "Next, probably the 7' Panhandler or the new 8' Panhandler, which I've had for a few weeks now. Holy moly...that thing is fun to fish with. If you're a power-corking guy or pitching live bait guy, that 8' Panhandler Rod is a magic wand...gives you more accurate casting into the wind than a shorter rod.

> "...if you're long-range bobber scoping walleyes...you can cast bobbers a country mile with it...that 8' blank picks up so much line, it's insane..."

BTW if you want to book a trip with Donnie, hit him up on FB or visit his website! 👊

Spent a few days in NE Sodak with the Berkley crew testing out some new stuff. Promised we'd share some of it, so...

(photo: NWT Pro Jake Caughey)

This info comes from Kyle Peterson, Project Manager for Berkley Soft Baits:> "I'm super excited – I've never seen another castable slow-death bait like this. There's ones with blades, search baits, props, but nothing with just the jighead and hook. We patented it...this is Berkley's design – we own that space.

> "There are really three parts working together. First is the head design and balance of the bait. ...the majority of the mass is up by the pull point, then it necks down to the swivel. That was really important on the larger sizes – we tried several designs where a normal jighead with a blade blocked water flow and wasn't activating the hook...the head design is crucial.

> "Second is the swivel. We needed a high-end swivel connected through the bait – that's the through-wire design you see, though it's not obvious. The pull point connects directly to the swivel inside the bait.

> "The last thing we came up with was the hook. During development, we'd get them to turn, then not turn – it was frustrating. I took a piece of wire, bent it, and put the worm on, and we got it to spin really consistently. It's a very easy slow-death turn hook...but getting that helical shape right was super challenging. If it was off a little, the worm didn't turn properly.

> "We also added the fluorocarbon prong keeper. Those are the best keepers for live bait and Gulp.... It makes a small entry hole and pokes out the side, so no more sliding down the hook."

JVK: What would you say to people who might say it's just a basic slow-death hook?

> "Nobody has one without a prop or blade. This is true slow-death. It may look similar, but it performs way better – no tangling. It pulls through weeds, has the right weighting, and the best bait keeper for live bait and Gulp crawlers."

JVK: And how does that compare to the Bladed Rawler?

> "It was built at the same time as the Rawler, so ideas like the helical hook and fluorocarbon keeper carried over.... but the big difference is the head design: cavity on the backside hides the swivel, getting the wire form closer to the body to limit tangling. We shrink-tubed the joints to stiffen it up and prevent issues.

> "4 beads to the back – optimized spacing so the blade's location vibrates right into the worm. Too far back, the blade is out of control – too close, not enough wiggle. Our clevis is quick-change – you can swap blades. Walleye guys love custom colors, so we suited that. Our Berkley blades are custom: no stock sizes – we have special cupping and paint jobs...front and back for each color."

JVK: How long have you guys been working on these internally?

> "We started last fall – just the concept, what we wanted to accomplish, bringing something new to the market that hasn't been done. It was a double-team project with the Rawler and Bladed Rawler – we split directions with different head shapes to optimize for the consumer: no tangling, great experience. Took about a year and a half to get right.

"Tommy was huge. His insight on actions and crawlers – I never would've gotten it right without him. Watching him rig the bait, getting the right turn at the right speeds, was the most important part. I'm not a huge trolling or slow-death guy, so I relied on his feedback – he was top-notch. This [bait] wouldn't be as good without him.

> "...when we work together, we're always bouncing ideas around. You don't see the in-between: 20 different prototype heads, off-center weights, 100-lb fluorocarbon lines – all kinds of stuff.

> "[Tommy] has wanted to do a project like this for a while but didn't have the resources. Teaming with Berkley, we engineered something amazing.

> "We relied on [Tommy] almost exclusively for testing...tangling was our biggest issue with these styles of baits.

> "One day I made prototypes, [Tommy] came to Spirit Lake right the day after ice went off. It was blowing 35 mph, 10 degrees – we were freezing reels up, throwing prototypes for three hours.

> "Not many guys would do that, but Tommy was out there every second. Tommy's one of the best, most in-tune, picky pros I've worked with. Gotta thank him for his work on this."

JVK: Why throw one over the other?

> "I'd have both rigged and let the fish decide. For high skies, flat calm, tough conditions – throw the standard Rawler and crawl it over them. For fishing around weed lines, dirtier water, or searching for fish – the Bladed Rawler is a the better choice.

> "This bait can be fished with and without FFS. Guys fish rivers, throwing down current. I've caught more just throwing it off the back [of the boat], crawling over weeds without staring at a screen.

> "Comes 1 to a pack and will hit the shelves in Sept '25."

BTW here's the first fish Kyle caught on the actual production Bladed Rawler – had the chance to be in the boat Kyle and Tommy when it happened. Super cool!

4 Q's with Tommy Kemos on...

...the new Bladed Rawler from Berkley.

Kyle hit on this earlier, wanted to bring Tommy into the chat since he was big in testing this bait to dial it in perfect. This bait is real similar to the Rawler – same curved slow-death hook, killer for slow-rolling over weeds, casting at suspended fish, or any fishy mark honestly... but with more flash. It spins smooth at low speeds and doens't tangle. Also sounds like getting this thing dialed in was a real grind. Here's more from Tommy:

JVK: 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 – 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."

JVK: 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 through all the nooks and crannies of a weed bed in search for active fish.

> "The vibration that blade gives off...they can't resist it...[paired] with forward-facing sonar – that thing pulls walleyes out of the weeds like I've never seen a bait do before. It's just insane."

JVK: Is it a normal Colorado-style blade off the shelf?

> "Absolutely not – 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.

> "The bait's unbelievable...Dan and Kyle spent so much time on it...I love those guys. Working on baits with them is amazing."

JVK: 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]."

Check out this snap-jiggin' soft-plastic gem...

That's PowerBait Power Vibe and it's a whole lotta fun to fish – especially for guys like me that like the more aggressive stuff around rocks and weeds. It's dropping later this year, it's designed to fish all year long.

Here's the lowdown:

It's got this soft, quiet build with some scent mixed in to help pull fish closer without making too much racket. You can use it pretty much anytime of year. It drops fast, flashes a bit to catch their attention, and the flat back gives it steady vibration without being too intense.

One thing I like really like is the single Fusion 19 hook on top – helps it hang up less around rocks, weeds, or junk on the bottom compared to the traditional lipless hardbaits.

You can tweak how it falls by keeping your line snug or letting it drop on a slack line for more action. It's really more about lift-and-fall than just cranking it straight back – kinda versatile that way.

Quick rundown on features:

• 3" and 3.75" (plus some smaller crappie options)
• 14 colors, 6 high-def
• Internal weights for straight tracking and long casts
• Forked tail for subtle wiggle without going nuts
• Hitting shelves around Sept '25

For the rod and reel setup, I'd grab a 6' 9" MXF or a 7' 2" MF – helps with chucking it far and working it through cover for those reaction bites. It definitely fishes fast but you can slow it down on a tight line too.

Match it with a size 25 or 30 Pflueger President reel, and run 10-lb main line to a 12-lb fluoro leader. No need for an inline swivel here since it doesn't dart like a glide bait.

Heard from Berkley's Assistant Product Manager Chris Seylar that his picks are 'silver bullet', 'dirty dime', and 'HD yellow perch'.

There's talk that Rob Dozier from Berkley might be into the HD Yellow Perch too. Rob actually caught his first walleye EVER on this bait...congrats Rob! 👏

Isaac weighed 60.11 for 1st place and $15k cash along with a new Nitro ZV20/Merc 225 combo rigged with Garmin Electronics. Sounds like it was a little gnarly out there:

> "We made a monster run...the key to the whole ordeal was using Garmin Livescope...to identify the bigger fish...we're pitching a mix of jigs, glide baits, and stuff like that...[it] came down to getting a good hookup percentage...[I] leaned on baits I had some...real confidence in since I knew I wasn't going to get a lot of bites...I only lost one over two days...

> "I can't believe we made it back in the boat...we left a good 45 minutes before I planned, and it's a good thing..."

During the weigh-in he also said:

> "...over the last two days [we spent] over 11 hours driving the boat...I've never tried to do something like that. Two fuel stops on both days... we get halfway back and it's like...I don't know if we're going to make it...

> I've worked my butt off over the years now to just perfect what I do...when it comes to summertime fishing in July and Aug, I don't think I have any more confidence in any tactic or technique than...targeting fish with live scope.... This is like the one of 4 that I've been so close on, and to finally seal it...I'm a little emotional...I'm so blessed to do this for a living..."

^ And dang good at catching fish, too! Isaac also recently won the AIM tourney in Duluth, MN with a monster bag weighting 101.5 lbs in TWO days (and a $105k Warrior boat)! Congrats on another win bud! 👊

1. Check out this HUGE Minnetonka Muskie

> On June 22, Greta Weix and her friend Christie Inman were after muskies on Minnetonka with noted guide Tanner Talbot. Greta’s goal was to catch a big musky...

...and she did – measured 53.25" long with an estimated weight of 50 lbs. Woof! 🥵

2. Lindner Media partners with Topwtr Collective

Sounds like this new partnership will allow Lindner Media to crank up the awesomeness and allow them to zero in on making more fishing content for more people. Good stuff!

3. GARMIN's new Force Kraken has a...

...110" shaft 😳 – coming to a tuna boat near you!

4. Wired2Fish has a few new faces

Expanding their sales, editorial, and video production team.

5. Great Lakes Finesse has a new Micro Series

> Micro Series soft plastics include a 2.0-inch Juvy Craw, 2.25-inch Drop Minnow and 1.7-inch Snack Craw.

> Micro terminal tackle includes Mini Micro Tube heads in four sizes ranging from 1/8-3/8-oz, and Micro Sneaky Underspins in 3 sizes ranging from 3/32-3/16-oz.

They're about 40% smaller designed to target extra finicky fish. MSRP $6.99

6. Check out the new Bill Lewis DR 24

> "The key design concept of the DR 24 is the 'shoulder ledge' that acts as an extension of the lip, increasing pressure on the bait and allowing a smaller bait to achieve incredible depths.... We have been blown away by the effect it has on getting a crankbait incredibly deep."

Comes in 6 colors and has me thinking this would be a killer bait for wing dams on the big muddy, and 15' offshore rock piles...🤔

7. New stuff from Gamakatsu

There's a new dropshot hook for better hookups, a 1/96-oz strolling head, and other stuff too.

8. New rods from St. Croix

Legend X2 Series

New lineup is called the Legend X2 – has 22 models, 12% lighter, 27% more sensitive, and features their brand new SCVII carbon fiber. MSRP $610-$645

GXR Lite Combo

5 split-grip rods, SCII blanks, 2000 sz SEVIIN GXR reel.MSRP $200-$210

GXR Walleye Combo

5 split-grip rods, SCII blanks, 3000 sz SEVIIN GXR reel. MSRP $205-$210

Premier series gets a facelift

Smoother action, improved sensitivity, 10% lighter than previous model, new reel seats on L and UL models.

Shallow eelgrass = midday walleyes NOW! 🔥

This one comes from the TW archives:

> "I stumbled on this bite on accident...sort of.... Was up poking around for walleyes on a long, slow-tapering point – hitting that 10-14' cabbage/coontail mix where the fish usually are on this central-MN lake – and striking out.

> "It was sunny and pushing 90 degrees, with water temps on the verge of bath water (81°F). I had seen several fish on my Humminbird MEGA Down Imaging hidden in the weeds, but just couldn't get them to go. Figured the fish must've been straight-up buried down and the odds of 'em even seeing my bait was slim.

> "Was about to throw in the towel 🤦‍♂️ and figured for the heck of it I'd bomb a cast up on the tippy-top of this point = a 6-9' flat with scattered eelgrass. Flipped the trolling motor to 10 and juuuust started to turn the boat to get to deeper water – so I could get the heck out of there – when I got thunked.

> "I immediately hit Spot-Lock and fired another cast up top. Ended up catching 3 walleyes in 4 casts snap-jigging my bait so hard that every stroke looked like a hookset...and sometimes was.

> "Noticed on the 3rd cast (the one where I didn't catch a walleye) I had a piece of eelgrass hanging from my bait. The next few casts after that flurry of fish helped me put together the pieces of that puzzle. Ended up catching a couple of largemouth bass, brought in a little more eelgrass, and snagged 2 small-ish perch in the belly. So now I knew what they were feeding on and where.

> "That eelgrass typically grows in 10' or less...sometimes out to 15'. Likes growing on a semi-hard bottom...like sand covered with a thin layer of muck. It can get thick, but these fish were relating to thinner patches of the stuff. Only thing I can think of is it was enough cover to hold bait (perch) but thin enough that those fish could easily feed in and around it. Especially since the cabbage/coontail mix I normally get 'em out of was soooo thick and overgrown = a nightmare to snap jig through.

> "The 'X' marks the spot(s) where I found ’em relating to that shallow eelgrass, and I highlighted in yellow where I normally catch ’em midsummer on this point:

> "You've got your typical flash bites for walleye – about 45 minutes near sunrise and sunset – but there seems to be another bite window for these shallow weed fish: they LOVE to eat midday. Not sure what it is – maybe that's when the forage is congregated around these areas?"

Snap jigging is mostly a reaction bite and the rod/reel/line set up is super important to present the bait right and get them in the boat. You'll want 8- or 10-lb Sufix Revolve and a 5-6' leader. Go heavier when snapping around the thicker stuff, lighter leader is fine around thinner veg.

Here are a couple baits that mimic a tasty-little perch:

• 3 1/2" Crush City Mooch Minnow ('perch' or 'sungill')
• 2 1/2" Crush City The Mayor ('perch')
• 3/16-oz VMC Tungsten Moon Eye ('green tiger UV')

Give 'em a shot and let me know how you do!

Fine, I'll admit – I'm guilty...but it's not my fault I live in Iowa! lol

Here's Tyler French with back to back 33" walleyes caught in our Summer Shootout – unreal!! Looks like one of 'em ate a "Tyler" French Pearl Berkley Finisher. 🫣BTW were giving away a whole lotta rod/reel combos from Abu Garcia – it's only $20 to join and theres a $20 side pot option too. More info here if you wanna check it out!

From the South Whitlock Resort FB page:> "These two don't take many days off of work, but when they do, they make it count! Congrats on your win today and on the new 14.6# wall decor! THANK YOU for all you both do around here!

Lake Oahe is insane. Great job ladies!

National Professional Anglers Assoc.

MN-FISH

Target Walleye LLC

422 Laurel Street

P.O. BOX 541

Brainerd, MN 56401

 (218) 824 5026