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Wanted to go back and look at the NWT winning baits so far this season to see any color/profile/brand trends. Doesn't look like any crazy obvious trends like the bass guys and urchins...but looks like you’ll want longer 7’3” to 7’6” rods and tungsten jigheads on deck if you’re swinging for a win. Oh, and some ‘fun noodles’ (aka nightcrawlers 😂) wouldn’t hurt either, but they weren’t always necessary on the big water....
Here's what we got for the 1st place guys:
Stop 1: Lake Erie out of Monroe, MI 🏆
Austin Tomasek almost exclusively used the new 5.25” Berkley Lab Series Minnow (wakasagi color). He rigged the Lab Series Minnow on 1/2-oz and 3/4-oz VMC RedLine Series Tungsten Swimbait Jigs. On day 1, in gusting southwest winds, he exclusively used the 3/4-oz jig.
Austin opted for 7’4” medium-heavy, moderate-fast action Fenwick World Class spinning rods and size-30 Abu Garcia Revo Rocket reels. His main line was 10-lb Berkley X9 braid, and he ran a 6’ leader of 15-lb Berkley GinClear fluorocarbon.
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Jig and 'crawler tips you NEED to know! 📝
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Obviously folks have been catching walleye on jigs and crawlers for decades now 💯 but a lot of folks are doing things a little differently today....
Throwing a jig and nightcrawler at suspended walleyes on FFS has been all of the rage these past few years – literally winning millions of dollars in tournaments across the Midwest. Here's a bunch of jig and crawler walleye fishing tips that can help you to turn more sniffers into biters:
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No matter if I'm fishing shallow or deep, weeds or rocks, suspended or on bottom: My go-to jig for pitching 'crawlers is a 3/16-oz VMC RedLine Series Tungsten Ned Head Jig. I run 1/0 for shorter, pinched-down 'crawlers...and 2/0 with longer or full 'crawlers.
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Funny looking head shape for pitching 'crawlers, but it works great for throwing at suspended fish and working 'em up in the column. Can also let it fall all the way down, drag it along, and let the fish eat it off bottom.
The big surface shows up great on sonar despite the lighter sizes.
That combined with the 90-degree line tie forces the head to track straight on the retrieve whether you're fishing fast or slow, up or down.
Can absolutely save some coin and go with the OG lead version of this jighead if you want – still works great.
But the newer tungsten version will gitcha better returns on FFS, that nasty Vanadium steel hook (fine wire but strong), the weights laser etched on the heads, and I like the matte finish on the jighead.
Both have that "Conical Keeper" that somehow does a great job of keeping the crawlers pinned up vs sliding down the shank every cast. But no matter what style of keeper you use, it'll eventually happen and you'll want to freshen that fun noodle.
Jighead sizes:
Like I said, 3/16 oz is by far my favorite all-around size. Just heavy enough to be able to accurately cast 60-70' feet away from the boat, yet light enough you can still sorta 'hang' that crawler above their nose if need be.
I'll lighten up to a 1/8 oz when fishing in shallower water (basically anything less than 10' for sure) or on calmer days if clear-water fish are being ultra fussy and not really moving on the bait. Can dang near float or hang it in place.
Likewise, I bump up to a 1/4 oz if the wind is really ripping. Or if the fish are "hot" enough that I can get away with working the bait more quickly. Just lets ya be that much more efficient at getting the bait in front of them and significantly easier to throw out away from the boat without casting off the crawler.
Few quick rigging tips:
Hook 'em thru the head. Which is the fatter, darker end. The tail end of the worm tends to be more flattened and lighter in color.
Have the darkest side on the top, and lighter side on the bottom. Looks more natural that way, as that's the color scheme of most natural prey. Does it matter? Maybe not. But if walleye are really staring it down, I don't want to give 'em another excuse to say no.
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I almost always pinch the tails off of my 'crawlers so that the overall length is around 4" or so. Few reasons why I give 'em the pinch:
As you can see in the pic...it's extra scent coming out of that thing!
Shorter 'crawlers are less likely to get wrapped up or hook themselves on the cast, or while working the bait.
Sometimes the extra weight of a full crawler whipping around on the cast can cause 'em to tear off down by the hook, which leaves you with a little nub. So less fussing around.
I seem to get a lot more short biters nipping at the back half of the crawler when I throw a full one. My hook-up percentage goes WAY up with a slight pinch.
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That being said, there's times when they prefer the fluid, fluttery-ness of a full nightcrawler...so always gotta be playing and tweaking things!
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“Fizzing” is a controversial topic, but essentially it’s a process used to deflate the air bladder of fish caught outta deep water to “allow the fish to right itself and sit upright in the livewell, and allow proper oxygen flow thru the gills and keep the fish alive a lot better.” Or at least give them a fighting chance, I suppose. 🤷♂️
As always: Check your local regs – it’s not legal in all states.
Here’s a short video of exactly how/why fizzers be fizzing:
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Came across this posted in the comments section by Becca Perry – something to keep in mind:
> ...there is very little research so far investigating fizzing for walleye. Certainly no consensus suggesting it improves survival. The Saskatchewan Sportfish Research Group is currently researching this topic – follow along for updates!
> One overlooked issue that anglers might be unaware of is that a bloated walleye does not necessarily “just” have an expanded swim bladder. Often the bladder has already burst and the air you are seeing is in the body cavity. The venting/fizzing removes this air, but it does not repair a burst swim bladder (which the fish will need to regulate depth, otherwise will sink to the bottom), or other issues like internal hemorrhages and other ruptured organs.
> I will link a study here that found that vented walleye immediately sank to the bottom of their containment, and hung out in shallow waters after release.
> While vented fish are certainly recaptured, there is much more we need to learn about the efficacy of this technique and ultimate long term and short term impacts. Fortunately there seems to be growing interest in this topic in the scientific community.
Speaking of which, there’s a few other occasions when you for sure DON’T wanna hear that same bubbling/fizzing sound:
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Some local walleye league shenanigans.... 🍿
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Our local walleye fishing league randomly draws the lake the night before (so no pre-fishing) and then we have just 3 hours to put together the pieces to a walleye puzzle against a bunch of local hammers. Always my favorite night of the week. It's a chaotic, stress-filled scramble...but such a blast. Hope you enjoy the new vid!
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New “Top 5” vid coming in hot! 🔥
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I just posted a new "Top 5" vid (episode 97) this morning on our YouTube channel. Big thx to our friends at Sea Foam and Scheels for making this video series possible! We're having a ton of fun with 'em and hope you are too!! 👊 Here she be:
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1. We lost "Hans The Carver" Mann
Legendary Great Lakes charter captain, lure maker, and a founding father of Red October Baits. Our thoughts and prayers are with Han’s family and friends during this difficult time. ✝️🙏
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Some hot-water nuggets from the folks at In-Fisherman:
> When the water climbs north of 80 degrees, walleyes shift into another gear. Their metabolism is racing, and they’re ready to chase a bait that moves with a little life. Most anglers head straight for deep water this time of year, and some fish are down there – but plenty never leave the weeds. In fact, some walleyes live in the green stuff year-round.
> Look for a healthy mix of cabbage and coontail with deep water nearby. Work a jerkbait just above the vegetation, along the edges, or in the open water next to those green zones. Offshore humps and the main-lake points that push farthest into the basin are classic spots where active fish stack up near the weeds.
> Don’t overlook the skinny water. Expanding jerkbait use into shallow settings can pay off big. In dirty water, casting onto shallow sandflats or along rocky shorelines and riprap often draws strikes when everyone else has written those areas off. Walleyes will hold in just a few feet during the hottest months, especially along windswept banks that keep the oxygen up and the bait concentrated.
> Try a slow, steady retrieve, or mix in short pauses and sharp jerks – the fish are already in chase mode, so a little extra action can seal the deal. Cover those shallow edges, weed tops, and stained-water structure and you’ll put a moving bait in front of fish most people simply pass by.
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"Fisheries data can tell you a lot more than simply whether a lake has a strong walleye population. The more layers you peel back, the better idea you get of how to attack that fishery."
- That's OnX Fish's Joel Nelson on Ross Robertson's Bigwater Fishing podcast talking' some the sweet features in the OnX Fish app and using it to see the size trends in certain lakes. Here's more from Joel:
> "I like to go back through the historical surveys to see what kind of lake it has been over time. You can follow specific year classes as they move through the system and get a better understanding of where the fishery is right now.
> "Fisheries cycle, predator-prey relationships change and aquatic invasive species have caused major shifts across Minnesota over the last 10 years. Looking at the long-term data helps put the current survey numbers into context."
I absolutely love the OnX Fish app. And they have been adding a ton of awesome new features lately like Wind on Map, Verified Catch Zones, and way more.
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No doubt Lake of the Woods grows 'em big, but did you know 33-incher big?! Massive props to Karen on the walleye of a lifetime! Talk about weekend goals.... 😳
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Thank YOU for taking time out of your day to absorb all of this walleye-fishing craziness! Hope you have a great + safe weekend, Target Walleye fam! 🙌
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Sign up another fish-head!
If you're forwarding Target Walleye to a friend who loves to walleye fish or want your fishing buddies to get these emails, just send us their email addresses and we'll take care of it! (We won't sell the addresses, use them for spam, etc.)
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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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