ChatterBait walleyes still flying under the radar...for now....
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Man, I was hesitant to share this awesome Z-Man write-up because I’m not sure I want more folks throwing ChatterBait bladed jigs specifically for walleye around here LOL. 😅 Selfish, I know. So FINE...I’ll sprinkle some breadcrumbs in here, but you should really consider reading the full write-up and giving them a go. Or don’t (lol) because I’d like to keep a few of these bassy-er walleye techniques to myself hahaha.
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> Dylan Nussbaum: “If you think about it, a ChatterBait bladed jig makes total sense for walleyes. Walleyes love vibration, they’re drawn to it, especially those lower frequency thumps and pulses. They almost always respond positively to flash – those reflective, on-off strobe light visuals.
> “Some of the best walleye baits all share in common a rare ability to move erratically, randomly. Look at the movements of a suspending jerkbait, for example. Or a heavy, jigging style glidebait. Both lures dart and slash in unpredictable directions – just as a live perch or minnow kicks and jukes unpredictably as they’re being hunted. Walleyes, especially big ones, respond forcefully to this type of action – and when you add a flash and vibration to an already erratic lure, you’ve got an unbeatable combination.
> “When I retrieve an Eye Strike ChatterBait or a ChatterBait WillowVibe – especially when I speed up or slow down my retrieve – the lure often darts randomly, right or left, before returning to center. Add your favorite swimbait or other soft-plastic tail, and you’ve got the total walleye package.”
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> Even though anglers have been catching big walleyes on ChatterBaits for years, often by accident, walleye specialists continue underrating bladed jigs because they’ve been programmed to think of them in terms of bass only. But put the blade in the water and there’s no doubt walleyes sense it via lateral line – a ChatterBait likely emits the most powerful low frequency vibrations of any artificial lure.
> Dylan Nussbaum: “One of the best bladed jig patterns I’ve found is casting it onto rock structure in 10’ or less. I’m almost always pairing a 3/8-oz WillowVibe with a 3” Slim SwimZ or MinnowZ, for a profile that matches our local forage (perch, shad, baby white bass.) One of the best retrieves I have found is slow and steady. Reel just fast enough to activate the willowleaf blade. Occasionally, pause and let your bait fall back to the bottom.”
That’s just a little preview...there’s waaaay more info in the full write-up. They pick the brains of some 🔨s from all across the walleye world, including Dylan Nussbaum (PA), Jamie Bruce (ON), Troy Peterson (WI), Mort Bank (ND), and Ted Peck (river rat).
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Have you ever seen a walleye built like this one before?!
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Think I’d pass out if I caught something shaped like either of those LOL.
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“I almost have a car lot now.”
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– That’s fishing guide Brad Durick who I believe has found 8 cars now (maybe more?!) while snooping around the Red River near Grand Forks, ND with his Humminbird Side Imaging.
Here’s a little before-and-after snap of one of ‘em thx to the Grand Forks County Water Rescue team using Brad’s find as a training exercise:
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Couple updates on that specific car from Brad:
> “The car was a 2002 Cadillac Seville SLS. It was last registered in 2006. It was never reported stolen or missing.
> “This proves that Humminbird Side Imaging is the real deal. Many folks from my last post said they thought this car was a Cadillac. Here is the proof.
> “The side images were shot with a [Humminbird] Helix 10 with the gain set at 9, screen speed at 5 and I imaged parallel to the current of the river at 2.5-3 mph.”
Amazing. 👊 Thx for sharing with the rest of us, Brad! (Yes the car was empty!)
Gotta share one more of his screenshots ‘cuz the clarity is incredible:
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Btw if we were ever going to do a Target Catfish 🤔 I’d be head-hunting Brad asap lol.
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Tom Boley’s 2 favorite early-fall walleye locations.
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Tombo Slice breaks down a couple of his favorite early-fall patterns on small, natural lakes as water temps finally dip into the mid- to lower-60s. And it’s pretty cool that it’s two very different scenarios:
- Pitching Kalins Pendu Jigs on shallow flats, and
- Dunking Acme Hyper-Rattles and 1/2-oz Kastmaster spoons 🤫 on deep, hard-bottom areas.
Watching vids like this makes me want to drop everything I’m doing and go try to find similar spots/bites around home:
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How to keep minnows livelier for longer.
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My absolute least favorite thing about fall walleye fishing is baby sitting creek chubs and redtails between fishing trips 😂 such a pain in the butt unless you build yourself a big ol’ bait tank – basically a mini version of what they have in baitshops.
But most of us are keeping our leftover scraps in a simple live-bait cooler such as an Engel, etc. Plugging that bad boy into a wall outlet, changing water every day, and keeping the water cool by rotating frozen water bottles in and out of it.
Here’s another little quickie tip to add to whatever is currently working for you, and no matter what your cooler or tank situation may be...
If you’re a tournament angler, you likely already use T-H Marine G-Juice in your livewell to help keep your fish alive and well before weigh-in:
> “G-Juice liquid activates instantly to add essential electrolytes, replace skin slime coat, and is known to stop fish from bleeding.
> “The livewell formula keeps your fish swimming in the tank in other ways by removing chlorine, chloramines, and ammonia from the water. The formula detoxifies nitrites and heavy metals in the livewell water while helping to maintain pH levels.”
But diehards have been secretly using it to keep their bait fresh and healthy too. A 1/2 oz treats a whole livewell...so obviously only need a little snippet in your bait cooler:
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I didn’t realize until I watched this video that you could just squeeze the bottle and it would fill that little measuring chamber up? I’ve been using the stuff for years and had no idea. 🙃
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1. Hunter Nitti crowned NWT AOY 👑
Meaning he was the most consistently good angler through every National Walleye Tour event in 2024. Way to put it together the ENTIRE season dude!
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Few lines from this NWT write-up:
> Hunter: “I was lucky to find a new group of guys to travel with this season and I was determined to put in the work. You look at someone like Duane Hjelm or John Hoyer, those guys put fishing as the #1 priority throughout the week of a tournament. And I knew if I didn’t discipline myself to follow that same work ethic, it was going to be hard to compete at the level of those guys. Attitude and work ethic is everything as a pro angler.”
> “Another thing I committed to this season was to run the electronic strategy. These guys out here are too good, and the technology available to anglers is too advanced, to not rely on it. I’ve said to everyone all year ‘if you’re not using it, you’ll get beat by it.’ So that is why I upgraded by boat to a complete Garmin graph set-up with Garmin LiveScope.”
> “Man all year, the CrushCity Freeloader and the soon-to-be released Mooch Minnow as well as the Rapala Jigging Rap was on my deck all year and it put a lot of fish in the boat for me and my co-anglers. It’s not only me, you look in any of the NWT angler’s boats out here and they all have a box full of Rapala tackle, even the guys that aren’t sponsored. If you don’t fish for walleyes with Rapala and paired with Garmin LiveScope...it makes for some long days.”
> For winning the AOY title, Hunter was the new owner of a 2024 Nitro ZV21 powered by a Mercury 300 Verado. More than the boat, the trophy, he forever etches his name into the walleye fishing history books as an Angler of the Year title winner. The Angler of the Year title is arguably one of the hardest titles to ever accomplish and serves as a catalyst to an angler’s career. Proof comes from the career’s anglers like John Hoyer, Duane Hjelm, and Korey Sprengel have had since earning their respected Angler of the Year titles.
2. 2025 National Walleye Tour schedule
- Apr 24-25: Missouri River – Bismark, ND
- May 22-23: Mississippi River – La Crosse, WI
- July 10-11: Lake Huron – Alpena, MI
- Aug 7-8: Lake Erie – Dunkirk, NY
- Sept 3-5 (championship): Bay of Green Bay – Marinette, WI
3. S’more details on Tom’s NWT Championship Huynh
Still absolutely shocked he uses an itty-bitty 1000-size reel! He talks about why in this write-up....
4. MI: Woodland/Frantz/Ross win MWT championship
On Burt and Mullet Lakes in Indian River. Their 2-day total of 31.56 lbs brought home a $10K payday at the final Michigan Walleye Tour derby of the season.
Sounds like they were ripping swimbaits in shallow 10-15' weeds in Burt Lake where walleyes were feeding on perch. Way to go, fellas!
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Then the next day he zipped back to Brainerd, MN and whooped all of us in our Walleye Wacker’s end-of-the-year championship on Gull Lake lol. Dude is on fire!!! I’ll have more details on both in the next TW – just ran out of time today.... Congrats bud!
6. SK: $100K Vanity Cup happening Oct 5-6
Few open spots available in this Tobin Lake derby. I’m surprised we don’t see more US teams roadtrip up there to take a crack at the $100K payday! 🤑
Jon Zapski and Adam George won it last year with a 2-day total of 31.74.
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7. WI DNR is millions in the hole?
> ...the structural deficit in the DNR's Fish and Wildlife Account. In fiscal year 2026 the agency forecasts the account will be $15.5 mil in the red.
> ...the Fish and Wildlife Account is the primary funding source for the DNR's fisheries management, wildlife management and law enforcement.
> The account would have already been in a deficit if not for a $25 mil legislature-approved transfer from the DNR's Forestry Account in 2023-24.
> The cause for the structural deficit is a decline in license sales, primarily hunting licenses, and the failure of the legislature to increase license fees. Most WI fishing and hunting license fees have not been raised since 2005.
> The account had $74.6 mil in spending authority this year. The largest portion, 27%, was devoted to law enforcement, followed by fisheries at 25% and wildlife at 18%.
8. Tom Huynh University is launching Sept 19
If you want to seriously step up your LiveScope game!
9. MN: World’s largest charitable ice-fishing contest happenin’ Feb 1
Of course I’m talking about the 35th-annual Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza just up the road from us on Gull Lake’s Hole-in-the-Day Bay. The event has raised MILLIONS of funds donated to more than 75 different charities! 🙌 Incredible.
10. MN: Tuned Up Custom Rods “open house” is Sat, Oct 12
From 10am – 3pm right in their Coon Rapids shop:
> “Come chat fishing, tour the shop, experience the rod-building process, enter raffles and get excited for ice season! There will be a large selection of rods ready for purchase along with some great deals.”
11. Ugly Stik GX2 spinning rod wins the 2024 Anglers' Choice Award
> Following the 2024 ICAST New Product Showcase, anglers everywhere had a chance to vote for their favorite new fishing product in the third annual Anglers’ Choice Award competition. Of the 41 New Product Showcase Best of Category winning products that debuted at ICAST 2024, Pure Fishing’s new Ugly Stik GX2 is the winner.
12. SC: Ugly Stik to sponsor “Fish On America” Expo...
...at Field & Stream Music Fest Oct 4-6 in Winnsboro.
13. Lovin’ the color selection...
...on these ACME Kastmaster Tungsten DR Spoons. ESPECIALLY digging the “glow hulk” color 😍 how can you not?!
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Some big weather changes rolling thru next week...for sure going to change things. I’ll be thinking of my buddies that are fishing derbies lol.
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Lucas Fagan might have ice on the brain (literally) but that isn't stopping him from getting out after the nighttime trolling bite on Lake Vermilion running Berkley Flicker Shads in 25-30'. He said, "I can’t believe trolling is so much fun...I always used to make fun of trolling for being lazy but now it’s going to have to be something I do more often!” No doubt!
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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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