> Pay $30 to register in the Brawl and fish any time [during the Oct 18 – Dec 1 contest] in the Ohio waters of Lake Erie…off shore or in a boat. Bring any walleye you catch to Erie Outfitters to weigh — the biggest fish wins.

> An adult zebra mussel will filter a liter of water per day. In Green Lake they have caused a dramatic decline in phytoplankton, the microscopic plants they eat…. …has led to a decrease in zooplankton, which feed on the phytoplankton.

> …DNR is looking at how this reduction in zooplankton affects walleye and perch. Both fish rely on zooplankton as a food source in the first months of their lives.

> …whether the walleye and perch are adapting to this change by switching at a younger age to eating invertebrates as a food source. By eating phytoplankton, zebra mussels will fertilize shallow areas of lakes with their feces and increase invertebrate numbers.

> The tissue [samples from small perch and walleye] will be analyzed at a laboratory where it can be determined whether zooplankton or invertebrates are being used as the building blocks for the tissue.

> Gander Outdoors in Cedar Rapids [IA], Sheboygan, Grand Chute and Onalaska [WI], Chesterfield [MO], Paducah [KY], Florence [AL], Rockford and Janesville [IL], and Buffalo [NY] are in the process of closing or have already done so.

> “…aim to increase regulations on the commercial fishing industry in MI and would stop the commercial fishing of yellow perch by designating perch as a game fish.”

> As the surface water cools and the last of the deeper weeds start dying off, walleye and baitfish will venture to deeper water. Top fall locations to search out [with your electronics] are deep underwater humps within the main basin that top off in the 20′ range, long secondary points, saddles, and deep funnel areas such as narrows.

> Keeping a close eye on my Humminbird, I’ll drive around these areas at a fast troll speed until I start seeing a combination of bait and fish — baitfish alone won’t cut it.

> …keep the boat positioned on top of them and work a vertical presentation. This puts your bait directly into the strike zone….

> My top choice for dropping to sighted fish would be a Rapala Jigging Rap…fast sinking rate gets down into the fish’s strike zone. Once the bait hits bottom, give 2 very quick snaps of the rod tip…causes a yo-yo effect which can be unbearable to a feeding or neutral walleye. …an aggressive walleye will literally stop your rod mid-swing.

> If the Jigging Rap gets ignored, slow things down…drop a painted jig head (orange, chartreuse or white) tipped with a small 3-4″ sucker or dace minnow. Hook the sucker by threading the hook into the mouth and out just behind the top of the head.

> Limit the movement of the rod tip to slow lifts off bottom, allowing the bait to glide down on a controlled fall — most strikes will come as the minnow is falling. When a strike is detected: let the rod load up…followed by a long, sweeping hookset….