Leadcore wins Rainy River, Nightcrawlers don’t make sense, Giant Erie goldfish

BIG props to Olivia Olson and Chad Olson on winning Border View Lodge’s “Chili Bowl” walleye tournament on the Rainy River last weekend! 🏆 #ChaChing

It was a catch-photo-release derby based on length – every team had the same conversion chart down to a 1/4″. Olivia and Chad’s 5-fish bag went 19.02 lbs (full results here from the 75 boat field) and included: 25.5″, 24″, 22.75″, 21.25″ and a 17.5″. And sorry dad…but I’ve got to say that Olivia caught the 3 biggest fish. 😏👊

Obviously it wouldn’t be a walleye tournament without mother nature throwing a massive curveball knuckleball leading into the derby…. It went from sunny and 73°F 👀 to 30°F with 28 mph gusts, and a nasty combination of rain, sleet and 4″ of snow. Seriously!

Dang straight I forgot my boat cover! There’s a Lund 2025 Impact XS under there somewhere – had to dig it out using a broom and dustpan from the cabin. 🤣

Okay, now back to how the winning team caught their fish during brutal conditions….

> Chad: “We pulled cranks the whole time from 15-23′. We caught all of the fish in 17-19′ of water. My daughter carried us with a 25.5″, 24″ and 22.75”. She did that all in 3 passes. I couldn’t believe 70+ inches of fish in just 300 yds.

> “When I’m pulling cranks, all I use is leadcore. It doesn’t matter if water temps are 33 degrees or 70 – I’m running leadcore.

> “We were running #9 Rapala Shad Raps in black/silver and shad colors [upstream into the current, between 1.3-1.8 mph]. It was a reaction bite for sure for the bigger fish. Out of all the boats I saw…I think I was the only boat trolling [most everyone was pitching jigs and shiners].”

Would love to know how many fish that specific bait has accounted for over the years!

> “It was my first tournament with my daughter. Border View Lodge did an amazing job putting it together. I’ll be there next year for sure.”

Only if Olivia lets you be her partner…. Lol!

Big congrats on grinding out the win, you two! 👏👏👏 Seriously impressive.

– LOL! That’s NWT pro Korey Sprengel talking in this new-ish video on The Next Bite’s YouTube channel. So why do they catch the snot outta walleyes? Well, like Korey says: “It’s very fluid thru the water and it has scent.”

I’m not sure there’s anyone who pays more attention to fishy details than Korey. It’s one of the reasons why when he talks = I listen word for word. So when he gets excited about a new bait – that he personally helped develop for several years – you can bet I’m excited about it too.

That bait is the new Berkley Gulp! SR Crawler. And Korey does an awesome job of explaining why they made it the way it is in this video. Thing looks filthy!

That Gulp! SR Crawler “was purpose built for walleye spinner rigs” (SR hint hint). They’re brand spankin’ new and have been starting to trickle out here and there, but being bought-up quickly. I finally spotted some in stock on Berkley’s site with photos of each color and see that FishUSA has a smattering of them in stock. Here’s the starting lineup that’ll come in 4″ and 7″ sizes…for now….

Travis Frank’s new 2075 Lund Pro-V can hold 42 Planos 🤯sheesh!

Time to buy more crankbaits! 🤑

I saw this post on Walleye Nation Creations Instagram and just had to share…because what in the world?! Lol.

Capt. Bobby of Meals On Reelz Charters was spanking Lake Erie walleye using Rip~n~Glides (they have a darting action on the up-stroke and glide action on the fall) on rockpiles and rocky breaks:

When all of a sudden he ties into this unique specimen. 🤣

Can you even imagine? That HAS to be a new PB lol.

Hard proof that I am not related to Luke Combs. 🎤🙉

1. Big changes + additions made to the LakeMaster lineup.

First, this post does a GREAT job of breaking down and showing those differences:

Quickie preview of the new LakeMaster chips with VX technology:

> “LakeMaster with VX technology packs more information into each card than ever before. With features like multiple color palettes, 4 depth highlights, built-in SmartStrike, aerial imagery, and shaded relief – LakeMaster with VX technology will help you find prized fishing spots.”

For you visual learners:

There’s definitely enough new goodness going on that I will be upgrading. 👊

2. SD: Dakota Angler Ice Institute happening Nov 11-13.

At the Sioux Falls Covention Center & Arena. Believe it’s the 2nd-largest ice show in the nation with over 100 vendors already signed up. And they always have a stacked lineup of free ice-fishing seminars. More info on their site, or hit up their FB page for new speaker announcements, etc.

3. IN: Nearly 70K walleye fingerlings being stocked…

…into 14 northern IN lakes:

> The fingerlings being stocked average 4″ to 7″ long. Adult walleye typically reach 14″ in length after 2 years of growth and 16″ by their third year.

4. Sportsman’s Warehouse opened 3 new stores.

> …recently opened new stores in Seminole, FL, Eastgate, OH and Santee, CA. The company also expects to open 2 additional locations this year, before the start of the holiday shopping season, in Montrose, CO and Jacksonville, FL.

5. FL: NPAA annual conferences is headed to Fort Meyers.

That’s going to sound really nice come Jan 6-8. 🥶

6. MN: Zeebz confirmed in Fish Lake.

Hennepin County.

7. Joe Cermele launched a new podcast.

> Like Cermele’s past work, Cut & Retie aims to strengthen ties within the angling community – it’s for all fishermen, regardless of skill level and preferred style.

With a mix of guests ranging from notable players in the fishing world to his local crew, Cermele highlights the connective tissue that links all anglers. We all started fishing because it’s fun, which is why Cermele strives to keep Cut & Retie entertaining, relatable, and never too serious or technical.

8. Lithium Pros has a new marine starting battery.

Just 31 lbs 🪶 has 1,500 marine crank amps and 260 min of reserve capacity.

Would sure be nice, but also runs about $1,800 so save up! 🤑

9. MN: Whitefish and cisco sport gillnetting to open…

…on 7 Tower area lakes: Vermilion, Basswood, Fall, Newton, Shagawa, Bear Island and Ojibway lakes.

Korey Sprengel’s lure choices for fall river walleyes.

He’s talking WI’s Fox River, but that lineup will catch dirty, current-dwellers anywhere:

Holy 🎅💩!

Len Talarico (@lentaloutdoors) hitting up the fall special. 🍽 #2For1s

Cast and blast, baby!

National Professional Anglers Assoc. 

MN-FISH