ND 15-lber caught, Snap jig swimbaits now, TX walleyes show out

I recently stumbled across this golden freak of nature that Cole Frenzel snatched from the east end of Lake Sakakawea earlier this spring – she went 33″ and a paunchy 15.5 lbs! Scarfed a 3/8-oz Berkley Fusion19 Swimbait Jighead paired with an “HD purple smelt” color Berkley PowerBait The Champ Swimmer. Wowza!!!

That behemoth was released to get even more bigger-er. Who knows, she might just be the next ND state record one day.

Oh, and while I was scouring social media trying to dig up more details on that catch 🕵️‍♂️ I found a post on ND Big Game Showcase’s FB page and apparently Cole also holds the current ND state record typical archery mule deer. He stuck the velvety Pope & Young’r back in 2016 and scored a whopping 196-3/8″. Sheesh!

Keep after those critters, Cole!

A couple weeks back I shared some info (Top Item #5) on past TX walleye stocking, and mentioned how I had heard rumors that Lake Meredith had a solid walleye population with some quality fish to boot….

Turns out the Texas Walleye Association held their Hank McWilliams Memorial Championship Tournament on Lake Meredith last weekend and some fellers crushed ’em!

There were a few bags brought in ’round the 20-lb mark during the 2-day tournament, and big fish each day was a 7.97 and 7.92.

But most impressive was Travis Leonard and Michael Vasquez bringing in 5 for 31.12 lbs on day 2 to take home the dubyah! The largest 1-day bag in TX Walleye Assoc. history by an 11-lb margin. #OnTheUpAndUp

That’s a solid bag anywhere, but in TEXAS?!?! 🥵

Was super cool to find out that Travis is actually a Target Walleye reader, so I was able to scoop a few details on how they caught ’em:

> Travis: “We were trolling with 2-oz bottom-bouncers and spinners [his partner Michael custom makes/sells them] with Colorado blades and a slow death with nightcrawlers. Also trolling 2-oz bottom-bouncers with 4.5″ Berkley Hit Sticks. Speed was 1.3 mph in water that was 20-25′.

> “Lots of brush on the bottom so we were trolling just above it and of course at times getting hung up…. Key was to be very close to the brush and it was a very effective way to fish. Light winds with temps hitting highs up around 105+. Brutal day but nonetheless an epic day of walleye tournament fishing.”

Epic no doubt! BIG congrats fellas 👏👏👏 and thank YOU for giving the rest of us some insight as to how you’re targeting walleye in The Lone Star State.

– That’s waterfowl call maker, Bill Saunders, talking about this mondo 33-incher [!!!] he caught near Kennewick, WA…believe that’s the confluence of the Columbia River and Snake River. No tricks, only treats:

Wonder if he caught it on his secret crankbait?

Or maybe he slapped some trebles on this little number he whipped up 6 yrs ago, and called the fish in. 🤣

If you can’t tell, Bill has a soft spot for walleye fishing:

Man, I envy anyone who can balance both hobbies! It’s been years since I flung BB at sky carp, but sometimes I catch myself daydreaming of laying in a ground blind waiting for the sun to come up and feathers to rain down.

I actually sold all of my duck + goose hunting schtuff maybe 7-8 yrs ago so I could focus on fishing. Got tired of missing the juicy fall bite each season…while instead spending hours driving around dirt roads, finally finding fields that had birds working ’em, and then getting turned-down by every door I knocked on. Maybe I should’ve been bringing a big bag of walleye fillets with me to every farmer’s door hahaha.

Even tho I don’t get my waterfowl on anymore, I have the strong urge to “add to cart” while scrolling thru @billsaunderscalls’ Instagram. 😍🔥🤑

Keep doing your thing, man!

And it’s only funny when it happens to someone else. 😅

Steph (@cranberrycoyote) is waaaay up in Cranberry Portage, Manitoba – about 7.5 hours north of Winnipeg – don’t believe they have any polar bears there, but they are far-enough north to still have milking male walleyes in the middle of June. Makes #FishFlopFriday a whole lot sketchier:

Good thing you can just hose those Millennium Marine B-100 Boat Seats right off!

Also probably wasn’t the only fish-flop that happened on that day…. #Crushed’Em

For Episode 5 of our new “Top 5” video series presented by Sea Foam. 👊 Hope you dig it!

1. MN: Douglas County has temporary no-wake zones on 17 lakes.

Of course due to very high water – looks like the entire Le Homme Dieu chain and then a handful of others. Gotta idle anytime you’re within 300′ of shore.

> …will run thru July 15 or until high water levels have subsided and remain at or below one-quarter (.25) feet below the ordinary highwater mark.

2. Z-Man has micro panfish goodies coming.

> “Z-Man’s new Micro Finesse BaitZ and Micro Finesse ShroomZ jigs…assets never seen in panfish baits before. …crappie, panfish and ultra-finesse fans stand to benefit from the softness, buoyancy and accentuated action – and the unparalleled toughness – of ElaZtech…5 new snack-sized softbait profiles. Stay tuned for the full reveal, coming soon.”

Little sneaky peak in this vid:

3. Suzuki official outboard of Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Buccaneers’ wind-powered pirate ship will go a whole lot faster now. 🤣

4. ND: Tom Boley is speaking at the Fargo Scheels, July 11.

Costs $25 to attend his “Walleye Anywhere Anytime” seminar, but you’ll get a $25 Scheels gift card when you show up.

5. Tom MacDonald has joined T-H Marine.

New aftermarket sales manager.

6. Discover Boating sees increase in younger web traffic.

> Over the last 3 yrs, DiscoverBoating.com has attracted more younger visitors to explore boating – visitors in the 18-24 yr age group have increased 150% in 2022 (Jan-May) compared to the same period in pre-pandemic 2019. In that same timeframe, women made up a larger share of traffic in 2022, with an increase of 42% compared to 2019.

7. Navionics app has new Auto Guidance+ technology.

8. MN: Zeebz confirmed in Grand Lake (Stearns County).

9. Reminder: Chance to win a free Walleye Wars entry!

Into any 1 of the 4 Walleye Wars tournaments in 2022 = a catch-photo-release style derby thru Angler’s Atlas where folks register their longest walleye caught for a shot at some SERIOUS dough and prizes.

Their 4 events for 2022:

• Walleye Wars 11 (Ontario), June 24 to July 3
• Walleye Wars 12 (Manitoba), July 15 to July 24
• Walleye Wars 13 (Saskatchewan), Aug 12 to Aug 21
• Walleye Wars 14 (Alberta), Sept 16 to Sept 25

Btw Walleye Wars said if you win and were already registered, they’ll refund your entry!

Takes just 10 seconds to enter – can share the link you get for bonus entries. Good luck!

John Hoyer says to snap jig the weeds RIGHT NOW!

> It’s officially my favorite time of year for walleye fishing. The water is warming to the point that a fish’s metabolism and their need to eat overshadows a generally picky nature. This is the time of year that some of my favorite patterns of all time have been developed.

> Exhibit A: 1/2-oz Berkley Fusion19 Swimbait Jighead paired with The Champ Swimmer:

> As you can see the HD printing on these paddletails [bunch of other colors not shown, too] are as close to the real thing as possible. I’ve tried almost every paddletail known to man, and these colors just straight-up get bit exponentially more often.

> The 1/2-oz (5/0) jighead is a lot more than ‘the book of walleye fishing’ would say you need in 6′ to 12′ cabbage…. When you’re pumping the bait hard through the weeds…snap it up 4-6′ and let it fall as fast as it can…creating a fleeing-perch scenario and triggering the hardest walleye strikes you will ever feel.

> If you haven’t watched The Next Bite episode with Gary Parsons and I from a few years ago…check it out and I guarantee you will be successful this weekend using this technique anywhere walleyes swim.

 

> Give the original gangster 4.6″ or the new 3.8″ size Champ Swimmer a shot.

In case you’re curious – like I was – in how these compare to Berkley Ripple Shads…. John said The Champ Swimmer has a bigger thump and presence which he likes this time of year. And that he tends to use Ripple Shads earlier in the season.

“The weather will never be perfect. The lawn will always need to be mowed. The work will always be there.”

– Part of the caption from this Rapala YouTube video that went on to say:

> You won’t remember a random day sitting around mindlessly watching Netflix or YouTube, but you will remember the time spent with people you care about, doing what you love.

> No more excuses, time is precious. So…LET’S GO!!!

No doubt it will get you hyped to fish 💯:

Some big swimbait energy ⚡️ from Gibson Tilley who’s been serving up tasty treats to post-spawners on flats adjacent to weeds = snap jigging a 4.3″ Berkley PowerBait Power Swimmer (electric blue chartreuse) on a 3/8-oz Berkley Fusion19 Swimbait Jighead (pearl white). 🔔 Come and get it!

National Professional Anglers Assoc. 

MN-FISH