Record walleye trotlined, Pike gets got, Boley’s spring transition tips

Got super excited when I saw the headline ‘cuz the current MO record is a staggering 21-lb 1-oz freak caught outta Bull Shoals Lake back in 1988….

This new record weighed 7-08…? Caught by Tim Stillings on a trotline from the Sac River:

Ends up it’s the new “alternative method” record walleye. Get this:

> MO state-record fish are recognized in 2 categories: pole-and-line and alternative methods. Alternative methods include trotline, throwline, limb line, bank line, jug line, gig, bow, crossbow, underwater spearfishing, snagging, snaring, grabbing or atlatl.

Had to Google half those. All I could think of – the ENTIRE time reading that – was the Joe Dirt firework-stand scene:

Lol!

But a record is a record – congrats man!

Btw I can’t seem to find any photos or stories of the MO state record walleye. Only info I can scrounge up (so far) is:

> The largest recorded walleye caught by pole and line in MO weighed 21 lbs 1 oz. It was caught in Bull Shoals Lake on Mar 26, 1988, at 11:30 pm by Gerry Partlow. He was spin fishing with nightcrawlers with 10-lb line. The fish was 33.5″ long and had a 25″ girth.

From this post on MN DNR’s Facebook page:

> In some of MN’s more remote areas of the state, the DNR will stock fish by dropping them from helicopters.

> Fish stocking is typically conducted by vehicles, but in some situations it makes more sense for us to use aircraft to save on time, labor and cost. Due to airspace restrictions, we also occasionally partner with the US Forest Service to stock trout in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness via low-flying plane….

Here they are dropping trout near Grand Marais. #FlyingFish

Case you’re curious (I was) how it compares to using an airplane:

> “Since the helicopters can hover 5′ above the water and drop fish into the water, the survival rate of stocked fish is about 100%. When they’re stocked from an airplane, which drops fish from 100′ above the surface while traveling 100 mph, the survival rate is about 85%.”

Now you’ll know the answer to that Jeopardy question!

I will be posting them every Friday afternoon to Target Walleye’s social, YouTube, and link to them here. Pls drop a comment to let me know what you think!

From complications related to Alzheimer’s disease. Gene was the founder of MidWest Outdoors. If you knew Gene or would like to know more about him and the history of MidWest Outdoors, take a listen to this podcast with Gene and his wife Gail recorded at the end of 2017. “It’s a keeper.” 🙏✝️ Prayers to his wife Gail and family.

2. MN: Late spring wreaks havoc on spottail shiner run.

If you’re having a tough time finding shiners, here’s why:

> [Shiners] generally stage near shore to spawn…for a few weeks in late April and early May…are in tight supply this year. The late ice-out and lingering cool water temperatures have delayed the spawning run.

Lot of folks (bait shops, minnow dealers, etc) are losing a big chunk – or even all – of their income because of it.

> Complicating the shortage is a MN DNR requirement that minnow dealers who trap spottail shiners in waters designated as infested with zebra mussels [had to] remove their gear by Mon, May 23.

> “They’re shutting us off. We literally had a 10-day season this year. We’re being forced out of the lake before we can harvest, and anglers are getting pretty upset about this.”

> “If we had a few more days, everyone would have all the shiners they want.”

Interesting read here with some first-hand experiences of local bait shops and minnow dealers.

UPDATE

Sounds like as of today (2 days after gear had to be out of the water) the DNR extended spottail shiner trapping on Upper Red, Otter Tail, Gull and North Long until May 31 or when the water temp hits 55 degrees.

Problem is bait slingers had already removed all of their gear. If they’ve got a smaller operations they might get back out…but you’ve got minnow dealers like Jonny Petrowske who already removed his 18 minnow traps (each trap measures 4’x4’x8′ and weighs about 250 lbs) from Upper Red and has cleaned and stored them for the season…said he won’t reset the traps because of the time and labor involved:

> Jonny: “We spent a day pulling our traps so we’re out by the deadline, and I spend another day hauling them home and washing and storing them. Now they’re telling us we can go back in the lake after we’ve pulled all the gear and spend maybe a day of trapping and then we have to pull all the gear back out again? The logistics don’t work.”

 3. NE game cops seize 265 fish at same lake in 4 days.

Conservation officers stopped a group that had 162 fish (crappies and bluegills) over their limit. Then just 4 days later – on the same lake – they found a different group with 103 fish over their limit. Gross.

Total combined fines for all involved was just $6,196. 👀 Which to me feels like a:

Anyone else curious how much time and money it would cost a hatchery crew to raise 265 adult crappies to replace those fish? Lot of steps involved….

4. MN: Lake Sarah’s walleye are thriving down south.

Interesting read talking how there’s a couple different strains of walleye being stocked into southern MN lakes, and how the “Lower Mississippi strain” has been performing much better with “significantly higher survivorship.”

> It could be revolutionary news, considering that much of southern MN has been stocked with admixtures of various strains from across watersheds in northern MN….

5. MN: Reminder Mille Lacs walleye regs change Jun 1.

• Thru May 31: Can keep 1 walleye between 21-23″ or > 28″.
• June: Catch-and-release walleye fishing only.
• July 1-14: Walleye fishing is closed. They can’t be targeted. No live bait can be used…unless you’re targeting pike/muskie with suckers > 8″.
• July 16 – Aug 31: Catch-and-release walleye fishing only.
• Sept 1 – Nov 30: Can keep 1 walleye between 21-23″ or > 28″.

No fishing is allowed from 10pm to 6am…except from Sept 1 – Nov 30 that bumps back from Midnight to 6am.

*All subject to change at the drop of a hat, so the only place you should be checking the current Mille Lacs regs is right here on MN DNR’s website:

6. Basser KVD runs down his Humminbird MEGA Live settings.

One thing that stood out to me that I hadn’t taken into account:

He says to make sure that your transducer angle matches the Forward Display Mode degrees. Each time you rotate the transducer up 1 click (from the Down setting) = 10°. So if you have your transducer 6 clicks up, your Forward Display Mode should be set at 60°:

7. Have you seen Eagle Claw’s LPS Walleye Kits?

I don’t know about you 👀 but most “kits” I find are made up of maybe 1 or 2 things I’d actually use and then a bunch of cheap fluff the company is – maybe – trying to get rid of??? Definitely NOT the case with these 36-piece walleye kits. LPS = Lazer Pro Series:

Shout-out to Eagle Claw for always thinking about the walleye crowd! 🙌

8. Yamaha executives promote hybrid solution.

> Yamaha execs joined 225 representatives from the boating and fishing industries in Washington, DC for the 2022 American Boating Congress (ABC), May 11-13. During the 3-day event, Yamaha leaders conducted 70 meetings on Capitol Hill educating legislators about the challenges of electrification in boating, the need to support research and approval of biofuels, and requesting improved labeling for E15 fuel through the Consumer Protection and Fuel Transparency Act (H.R. 7731).

> “Electric power is not a complete solution to reach carbon neutrality for several reasons, but the primary issue is the energy density gap between batteries and gasoline. A one-size-fits all solution will not succeed. The marine industry’s mid-term future will include more second and third-generation biofuels, which will require research, development and swift regulatory support for approval, transport and distribution. The marine industry needs to partner with the government for support on regulatory approvals as we strive for a carbon neutral future.”

9. MN: First verified lake sturgeon spawning event…

…in the Red River Basin in over 100 yrs. Super cool!

> Between 1880 and 1930, lake sturgeon were driven to extinction in the Red River Basin by overfishing, habitat fragmentation via dam construction, and declines in habitat quality. In 1997 [a bunch of agencies] began a lake sturgeon reintroduction program.

> Female lake sturgeon mature at 20-25 yrs, and will reproduce once every 4-6 years. The habitat work critical to the success of this program is funded through the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment passed by Minnesotans in 2008.

“The [walleye’s] general popularity can’t be refuted. Badmouth their palatability in such an establishment and you might get much more than a stink eye from the old-timer local seated across the bar.”

– That’s a line from this ‘Trash Fish Tuesday’ post where the MeatEater crew “investigates and celebrates fish that are just as American as bass and walleye but suffer from a long-standing PR problem.”

> If you walk into any self-respecting fishing bar across the Great Lakes region, there’s a high likelihood you’ll find a walleye mounted on the wall and a fried version on the menu. Like cheap beer and matching bar mirrors, it’s the lay of the land.

> But the common name “walleye” actually has nothing to do with a wall they might hang on – the name stems from a Middle English translation “wawil-eghed” of an Old Norse word vagl-eygr meaning “beam” (vagl) “eyed” (eygr). Some people think that name refers to the way their peepers gleam in the dark.

National Professional Anglers Assoc. 

MN-FISH