Another rare “golden walleye” caught!
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I was sent this one from Tre Ellegard – caught July 10 on Lac Seul while bottom-bouncing with Slow Death hooks. Fish was 21” long and released for someone else to catch. 🔥 Awesome specimen!
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So what makes "golden walleyes" look the way that they do??? 🤔
Funny enough I have heard two very different answers from fisheries folks:
The first being:
> Xanthism is a genetic mutation in which an animal’s typical coloring is replaced largely by yellow pigments.
But a different fisheries folk sort of said the opposite?
> “...normally the fish scales receive incoming white light – and different molecular structures – convert white light to blue or yellow, which make the fish look green. In the golden walleye, it’s likely that some spontaneous mutation occurred that prevented the scales from making the proper molecular structures to convert white light to blue.
> “Without the structures that convert white light to blue, the fish looks yellow (gold) rather than green (which is what you see when blue and yellow combine). It’s not that the walleye has gained a yellow pigment but rather lost the ability to produce the blue colours that make its scales look green.”
So which is it?! 🙃
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No idea how they actually come about, but either way they sure are fun to look at!
Btw I recently updated this TargetWalleye.com post with every yeller-belly I’ve EVER been sent or come across after yeeeeaaaars of scouring the interwebz! Hope you get to see one in real life some day, but in the meantime, enjoy!
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I can almost feel this picture from Johnnie Candle, who said “this is what 50-100 walleye per day can do to a Devils Lake fishing guide. One client kept track today...he caught 47 by himself.”
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Youch! 🩹
Equally as impressive is that they only “used 4 pieces of Gulp! all day” when stacking those numbers! So here’s a little breakdown of how Johnnie has been smacking those Devils Lake, ND walleyes the past few weeks...
He’s been tying his own spinners and running ‘em behind bottom-bouncers at 1.1-1.3 mph. Using 1.1” (sometimes 1.5”) Mack’s Smile Blades, 5mm beads, a #2 Mustad baitholder hook, and 3” Berkley Gulp! Minnows on a 15-lb Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon leader.
His best 3 Gulp! Minnow colors (and blade colors) he’s been matching up have been: starry night (UV purple haze mirror blades), pyrite shiner (gold sparkle blades), and pearl silver (UV glo burst mirror blades). From top-to-bottom (and left-to-right):
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Johnnie did a nice video run-through of these setups here.
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Here's what everyone says their spot looked like the day before a tourney. 🤣
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Believe it or not, there’s still places out there where walleyes jump in the boat like bass (lol). Check out this incredible snap shared by Bret Amundson while chilling on the dock at Guardian Eagle Resort, ON. 🤯 Yup, those are all walleyes!
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> Bret: “While there were many highlights, my favorite part may have been the 'dock fish'. When you step on to the dock, keep an eye in the clear, shallow water for fish. Soon, you’ll see a thick walleye appear. Then more and more will creep into sight, looking for a free handout.
> "For as long as anyone can remember, there have been walleyes who wait at the dock for dead minnows at the end of the day. While they’ve become a bit accustomed to being fed, don’t mistake these fish for friends. They’re still wild and have a healthy set of chompers. I’ve never seen anything like it and I could have sat on the dock all day and be happy with the trip.”
And since it would be my first question too:
> "They don't want you to fish at the dock, because this is so cool to see. But every place we stopped to fish had walleyes like this!"
IF they’d let me make one cast thru there – just one! – I’d probably have to sling an Alabamie rig like the YUMbrella Flash Mob Jr. Why? ‘Cuz it’d be the first time anyone has EVER caught 5 walleyes in a single cast – can you imagine?!
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Which btw we can throw the Alabama rig here in MN (regs), but we can only use 1 hook on the entire get-up...rest of ’em have to be clipped off “dummies.”
I crossed that off my walleye-fishing bucket list a few yrs ago just to say I did hahaha.
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And it’s seeming more and more (especially this time of year) like the vast majority of them are solo fish suspended out over deep water. I’m sure it’s always been like that, but it wasn’t until...
*Forward-facing sonar entered the chat*
...that we reeeeally knew just how many big suspendos were roaming around out in no-man’s land.
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And I’m not just talking about big water...same goes for your average backyard lakes.
But without FFS, there’s really no good way to target those fish aside from trolling around for hours on end with your baits in the top half of the water column until you get lucky and cross paths with one...that actually bites...and also doesn’t spook from the boat.
Literally a needle in the haystack type of thing for the most part. Of course big water like Lake Erie, etc are obvious exceptions...but without FFS on “average” lakes:
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I hate the term “game changer,” but forward-facing sonar has literally changed the walleye tourney game. It’s been happening for a number of years now – and more folks are finally starting to key in on those bigger, suspended fish – but the early adopters who have really learned to use the tech have been cleaning up $$$ in the tourney scene. 🤑
I’m not saying this is a negative thing. I’m not saying it’s a positive. I’m just saying it has completely changed how most folks approach walleye tournaments now.
I used to despise slot limits in tournaments. Ex: lakes/systems/formats where only 1 or 2 of your fish could be over say 20” and the rest of your bag had to be under 20”. My argument was why penalize the team who is truly catching the most big fish in a single day. But I can definitely understand why some folks prefer that because you have to be a very well-rounded fisherman/woman to put together a big-fish program AND a small-fish program, and perfectly execute them both to come out on top that day.
Also not saying you don’t have to be super well-rounded to execute the big suspended fish program with FFS and get 5 in the boat. They’re still walleyes and don’t bite more often than they do bite. And remember: fish have fins.... The only thing keeping ‘em there is food, which can easily be a mile away before the day is even over.
Of course there’s walleyes living up shallow all year long too. I’d argue that a lot of the ones up in the weeds probably see less baits each season than the suspended fish nowadays. But those weed fish are a ton of work and a lot of walleye folks still don’t like rip jigging and cleaning weeds off their baits all day lol.
Not really sure what my point is with all this, just blabbing out some observations and random thoughts that have been trapped up in this tiny brain.
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FFS isn’t the cure-all...you can’t slap one on your rig and start catching all the walleyes you want. But it has definitely changed the game and opened up the walleye-fishing door to those bigger-than-average suspended fish we haven’t been able to easily target in the past. I do think it will be fun to see how tourney folks and companies continue to push the limits and create new techniques and baits to put more and bigger fish in the boat. More on that when we chat new ICAST stuff soon-ish....
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Trolling speed myth debunked. 🕵️♂️
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From this FB post:
> “It’s a common belief that trolling speed influences the diving depth of popular crankbaits. Actually floating/diving style crankbaits are not influenced in regards to diving depth by trolling speed. In other words, a lure trolled at 1.5 MPH is going to achieve the same depth as a lure trolled on the same lead length but at 2.5 MPH.
> “The reason for this is simple. When speed is increased, the amount of pressure pushing against the diving lip of the crankbait is increased and the lure works harder. However, at the same time increasing speed increases friction applied to the fishing line. One of these forces is working to push the lure deeper and the other is working to push the lure back towards the surface. The net result is a wash.
> “This concept only applies to floating/diving lures and trolling hardware like Jet Divers. Anything that sinks is negatively buoyant and trolling speed does play a role in diving depth. That’s why you will see speeds listed on items that sink such as Snap Weights, Tadpole Divers, most diving planers, lead core line, the 50+2 data, etc.”
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It's not official yet, but here’s what’s supposedly in the works for the back half of this open-water season:
> ...planning to notably liberalize the walleye harvest on Mille Lacs Lake starting Aug 16 under a proposed rule change that would allow a daily bag limit of 2 fish per licensed angler within a harvest slot of 18” to 20”.
Few reasons why:
> At this point of the season, the DNR was expecting to be more than halfway to its safe allowable harvest quota [of 91,550 lbs]. Instead, the year-to-date harvest stands at only 26% of the total....
> ...weather and walleye catch rates for the 2024 season didn’t play out like fisheries managers were expecting. ...meteorologists were predicting a hot, dry summer – a variable that was expected to result in considerable walleye mortality during the catch-and-release season. Those incidental deaths of caught-and-released fish count against the state’s harvest quota. When temps are high, the mortality rates spike.
> ...perhaps because the volume of forage fish surged in the lake – catch rates dropped dramatically in late June and early July.... High catch rates would have increased the so-called hooking mortality during the catch-and-release season.
> DNR assumed fishing pressure would decline 10% year-over-year in 2024. Instead, fishing pressure plunged 25%.
Side note:
As far as I know, Mille Lacs is the only lake in the Midwest that has a fishing curfew...? Currently, there’s no fishing allowed for any species from 10pm to 6am...but it sounds like that will potentially be bumped to midnight (or later?) after Sept 1.
2. ND: Lake Sakakawea NWT kicks off TOMORROW.
3. Tour Level Gold just dropped a new episode. 🔥
AWESOME behind-the-scenes look at the highs and lows professional anglers deal with on the National Walleye Tour. This episode is from the Green Bay NWT event:
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> The 1-lb bluegill has been certified by the state as a new record in its “unrestricted” division. This includes fish taken by other methods besides rod-and-reel (spearing, snagging, and bowfishing, for example).
Most interesting to me is that it was a tagged fish which was just 6.5” long back in June 2020...had grown to 10-5/8" in just 4 years.
5. MN: Another Bass Pro Shops opening in MN.
> ...Bass Pro Shops announced plans for a new Outpost retail location in Hermantown. ...this will be the fifth store in MN. The business is expected to open early in 2025. It will be at the former location of Camping World on Haines Road in Hermantown.
Btw there were rumors that Bass Pro was coming to the Brainerd/Baxter area (in the old Gander/Camping World location) but sounds like they pulled out of the deal.
6. MN: Confiscated fishing/hunting equip auctions coming up.
> The MN DNR has scheduled two public auctions of confiscated fishing, hunting, and trapping equipment. The auctions, which will be held online Aug 26 and Oct 7, include equipment that was confiscated following serious game and fish violations.
> Revenue from confiscated equipment auctions will go into the Game and Fish Fund, which is the DNR’s primary fund for delivering fish and wildlife management and law enforcement.
Here’s a few of the confiscated items they probably won’t be auctioning off (lol):
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Make sure it’s legal where you’re at. And also gotta say: don’t just jump in there and start poking around without knowing what you’re doing...can do more damage than good.
Hearing that bubbling/fizzing sound isn’t always a good thing:
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How to prep and clean walleye like a guide.
There’s a bunch of useful nuggets in this 12:29 video from legendary Lake Erie captain Paul Powis. Electric vs traditional knives, bleeding walleye, zippering fillets, knife sharpening, pre-meal prep, etc.
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It has 80 min of continuous runtime with one of those little lithium ion batteries (comes with 2) which means you can fillet fish anywhere and not be stuck next to an outlet. And it’s 2x the speed and 3x the torque of standard electric fillet knives, so it can make anybody (even me lol) look good at cleaning fish.
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It ain’t much, but it’s honest work:
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There’s always a bigger fish... 👀
> From Lyle Piper: "Rafferty Reservoir [SK] a couple of weekends ago. About a 19” walleye snagged by a huge Jack!! Snapped my line about 20 seconds after picture was taken."
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FRIENDS OF TARGET WALLEYE
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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!
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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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