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It would be mid-range points or gradual extensions off flats in 10-20’ which he said have been loading up on every single lake he has been to lately 🎯 and it’s a pattern that should hold thru most of June.

On this particular day he was seeing the majority of fish in 10-13’, so he dialed in the ‘Depth Highlight’ range on his Humminbird to really make those spots pop on the map (green means go) so that he could duplicate the bite across the lake.

And there’s a few specific things he looks for that make those types of spots even better...like if they’re 1) adjacent to a shallow flat, 2) adjacent to deeper water, and 3) if it has any sort of rocks or weeds.

In typical TJ Erickson fashion 💯 he does a GREAT job of breaking down different map and sonar examples so that you can get to chasing ‘em on your own local water (thx man!) here’s the full vid:

I was a creeper (lol) and zoomed in on the stack of rods in the corner of one of his fish pics 🕵️‍♂️ and looks like this is the only thing he hadn’t thrown at ‘em yet:

Here’s the actual zoomed-in screenshot of a chunk of the rods he was cycling thru:

...but it was the Rapala PXR Mavrik 110 Jerkbait that got it done for him with this stacked 28.5-incher [!] from a couple days ago in the Brainerd Lakes Area. What a beast!

The FB post said:

> There was a window where the wind shifted mid-morning, and during that time this fish clobbered a Rapala Mavrik on a deep main lake weed edge. Barely hooked, it was nice having a net man with him to scoop this beast.

No doubt! Awesome fish, man!

He didn’t say what specific color he caught it on, but I’m going to take a guess that it was [redacted].

Actually, let’s try one of those word picture (Rebus?) puzzles to see if you can sound it out:

IYKYK. 😏

...BUT sometimes it’s parasitic leeches that are dining on the walleye. 👀

Couple summers back, Josh Woodward posted a video on his Instagram showing a walleye they caught on a Moonshine Shiver Minnow that had a mouth FULL of leeches:

> “We see these leeches on walleye every summer in the same exact spot on a certain lake (northern WI). Never anywhere else in the lake which I’ve always found interesting. ...not a weed in the lake!”

Here’s a couple other screenshots from the video:

I had seen this before, but never to THAT extent 😳 so I reached out to a friend at the MNDNR (Marc Bacigalupi) who passed the information along to MNDNR’s Fish Health Laboratory and here’s what they (Isaiah E Tolo, PhD, Fish Health Supervisor) had to say about it:

> “We do see this from time to time and yes they are leeches feeding on the walleye.

> “Some waters in R1 and R2 have been documented with similar observations....

> “This looks like Hirudinosis – infestation with leeches of the superclass Hirudinae – family Piscicolidae.

> “One common species that can be found like this in fish like walleye, drum and largemouth bass (etc) is Myzobdella lugubris. This particular leech is the most common leech that parasitizes fish in the Great Lakes region and is the only species commonly found in buccal cavity.

> “The disease of leech infestations in general in freshwater fish is called Hirudinosis and is usually not very serious in large fish but outbreaks can occur in some populations of wild fish when many leeches are accumulating in locations where fish may be congregating. The leeches attach, penetrate the skin and take blood from fish and can quickly decrease hemoglobin in small fish – sometimes killing them.

> “On a population level I doubt that leeches have much of an impact but seeing them in these concentrations on multiple fish may be a sign of a disease outbreak in this population. It will likely run its course as leeches detach to lay eggs and fish behavior changes (i.e. young year 1-2 walleye may be congregating for some reason – looking for cooler water temps and higher DO, looking for benthic oriented prey etc.). Whatever the reason for the infestation – these parasites and hosts are well adapted to each other and I would not expect issues with the walleye population.”

Big thanks again to MNDNR’s Fish Health Laboratory for getting back to me with that super interesting info! 🙌

But did you know he won 2 B.A.S.S tournaments, appeared in 3 Bassmaster Classics and finished in the money in 14 of the 26 events he fished? ​🤯 Yup = inducted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame in 2005!

Doesn't seem to matter the type of fish...Al can think like 'em.

Which reminds me of this hilarious “VMC Water Test” commercial – I don’t even think that Al Lindner was acting lol:

You can’t make this stuff up!

> From @willnalleyfishing: “I [had] just completed a fly-in fishing trip to remote northern Ontario. We traveled to a back lake that was accessible from our main lake. The boat we had at our disposal was missing a rivet and of course, leaked like a sieve.

> “After a short bit of quick thinking and problem solving I sacrificed a StreakZ XL for the win! A short piece was cut from the body using a multi tool and threaded through the hole missing the rivet. A quick pull through and stretch followed by a release, completely blocked the hole and saved the day! My buddy added a bead of superglue to help seat and protect the exposed part inside the boat. The day was saved by the most innovative soft bait material in the world!”

Also proof that dudes will do anything to make “one last cast” actually NOT be their last cast lol. Well, anything except tell their wives:

1. MT: Fort Peck showed out...again

Took nearly 100 lbs (10 fish in 2 days) to win the Rock Creek derby. Just gotta catch 5 fish of a lifetime each day to have a shot at winning ‘er! 😅

2. MN: Field set for NXT debut on Mille Lacs

Bunch of hammers headed to ‘The Big Pond’ June 11-12.

3. MN: Logan Peterson + Jake Larson win Mille Lacs AIM

They jigged and crawled their way into an impressive 42.64-lb bag. 😮‍💨

Those fellas are hammers! They hopped into our local walleye league last season and ended up winning the ‘Team of the Year’ points race. It’s nice to see them beating up on some other people LOL.

4. ND: Tyler Heringer + Theo Toliver win Lake Audubon AIM

> “I tried to do a lot out of the box but basically went back to my roots like we do on Sakakawea and it definitely paid off....

> “We went back to fishing the islands and shorelines with creek chubs. ...on a sunken island pulling live bait rigs...trying to stay around that 0.5 mph, but with the waves we had to use a combination of our kicker, the big motor (a Mercury 300 Pro XS) and the bow-mount to get to the end of the run and then we’d kick it sideways and drift back down.

> “We were on a sunken hump that had a weedline and some went up to that 25-foot mark and we tried to get as close to the weeds as we could but not snag up. We ground it out the whole day within two miles of the launch in the main lake on a spot a couple hundred yards long....”

Here’s Theo hoisting up their 28-incher that took ‘Big Fish’ honors, winning ‘em each paid scholarships into Tom Huynh University's (THU) Master Forward Facing Sonar course. Props fellas!

5. OH stocked 130K sauger fingerlings into Sandusky/Maumee rivers

> ...a pilot project to re-establish vibrant populations of the native walleye lookalike that could enhance the already outstanding walleye population on Lake Erie. 

> Sauger were once plentiful in Lake Erie and in the Maumee and Sandusky rivers, with commercial netting of sauger reaching a peak in 1916 of 6.2 mil pounds of tasty sauger for local fish markets. In the 1940s, Lake Erie Island residents reportedly caught as many as 4 mil pounds of sauger during the winter to sell to mainland fish markets.

> Because of commercial gill net harvests, as well as Lake Erie pollution and low oxygen levels in the 1960s, the sauger population crashed and blue pike, also a strain of walleye, became extinct. 

6. MN: 96% of Mille Lacs ‘eyes return to same spawning areas

> Researchers placed a grid of more than 60 acoustic receivers at the bottom of Mille Lacs Lake in summer 2018. Then, they surgically implanted transmitters in about 70 adult walleye.

> When the fish swam near one of the receivers, the transmitter recorded its location, depth, temperature and other information. The researchers collected data each spawning year from 2019 through 2021.

> They found 96% of the walleye detected returned to the same spawning area year after year....

> Researchers also identified three “hot spots” in Mille Lacs that are especially important spawning grounds. Those tended to be places with hard bottoms of sand or gravel, so walleye eggs were less likely to get buried in muck. They’re also spots with a lot of wind and wave action, which helps scatter the eggs in a wider area....

> In all 3 of the spawning hot spots, the lakeshore was virtually undisturbed with little to no human development (houses, docks or marinas). Those untouched stretches of shoreline are relatively rare on Mille Lacs.

> The study recommended policy makers create conservation areas on or near the shoreline to protect walleye spawning areas in Mille Lacs.

7. IDFG wants Snake River walleyes gone 👋

> Anglers were also encouraged to harvest every walleye caught. Walleye can have detrimental effects on important fish populations so minimizing predation risk to juvenile salmon and steelhead is critical.

> The first walleye documented in this section of the Snake River was in 2019 [they believe someone illegally dumped ‘em in there]. Since then, the number of reported walleye has substantially increased....

> The average size of walleye caught in the past three years was 17 to 19 inches long with several fish between 25 and 30 inches. In 2025, there were nearly 100 walleye reported being caught by anglers.

How’d you like to catch a 30-incher with this kind of backdrop?!

That road-trip would be a blast! But man, I’d feel too badly about having to kill them all. 😑

8. MI: Walleye are now the most harvested species...

...in the Michigan waters of the Great Lakes, followed by yellow perch.

9. Dusty Minke on Past the Barb Podcast 🎙️

> We dive into Dusty's start in the fishing industry, old-school FLW Tour days, Tour Level Gold, and a college internship that involved Las Vegas, Northland Fishing Tackle, and a Road Trip. Incredible stories with a legend in the walleye industry. Don't miss this one.

10. Frank Weeda on Angling Edge Buzz 🎙️

> Frank Weeda breaks down the little details that make a big difference in walleye fishing, from jig-and-crawler setups and power corking to leadcore trolling, forward-facing sonar, boat control, bait choice, and reading fish behavior. This conversation is packed with practical insights for becoming more efficient and consistent on the water.

11. MN: New DNR e-licensing system launched Monday (6/9)

12. New software updates for Minn Kota trollers

13. West Marine closing 59 stores

Gord Pyzer’s quick trick to finding transition ‘eyes

If your fish haven’t made it out to their summer spots yet:

> ...understanding the spring migration is a lot easier if you keep 2 things in mind. The 1st to remember is where you’ve been catching the fish since the season opened…. The 2nd is where you normally catch them in the middle of the summer. Right now you’ll find the walleyes somewhere in between.

> To pinpoint your best options, grab your lake contour map and start by highlighting where the walleyes spawned and where you’ve been catching them. Next, circle your favorite summer hangouts – the places you either catch walleyes in late June, July and Aug or would anticipate doing so.

> Now draw an expressway between the 2 locations and note all of the key structural features that intersect the 2 locations. I am referring to the tips of islands, sunken reefs, humps, shoals and isolated rockpiles, anything that either crosses or is positioned close to the highway.

“If you were spotting and stalking whitetails, and glassed every inch of a field or valley without seeing anything, would you still sneak out there on your hands and knees just because it looks so good?”

- Still one of my favorite quotes from Scott Glorvigan, who was talking about trusting your electronics and not fishing memories (spots you’ve done well on in the past) if you go through ’em without graphing any fish.

Big props to Matthew Lardinois (great dude!), the owner or Amped Outdoors, on officially joining the "dirty-30 club" while prefishing for a derby! 👏 What a specimen – congrats man!

Back atcha in a couple.... 👊

National Professional Anglers Assoc.

MN-FISH

Target Walleye LLC

422 Laurel Street

P.O. BOX 541

Brainerd, MN 56401

 (218) 824 5026