Today’s Top 4
Gravel lizards of the week!
Ashley Rae cracked this gorgeous Lake Ontario walligator trolling a #12 Rapala Jointed Deep Husky Jerk (purpledescent) in 35′ on Lake Ontario. #SheLovesToFish
David Shmyr Jr. guided his boat to one of the fattest ‘eyes we’ve ever seen: a 25.75″ Tobin Lake fin-ball that weighed nearly 9 lbs and scarfed up a Northland Fire-Ball Jig:
Richard S. stuck-and-released this paunchy AB rock melon on a big-barbless streamer:
Target Walleye subscriber Trevure Poitra caught this 31″ MT marble eye trolling a Rapala Husky Jerk in 7-9’…from a 16′ canoe…in the dark! He released the slob to be caught again. Dude looks jacked…and maybe a little cold:
Al Lindner: Open-water trolling revolution.
In a 10-year period during the Professional Walleye Tour, knowledge of open-water walleyes exploded — every single year we learned more about it. Learning how to target those suspended fish has allowed us to take advantage of more of the fish in the system that otherwise may not have been caught. Let Al tell it:
Could sit down and chat with Al about all things fishy for dayyyys straight.
Ice fishing for late-fall walleyes…kind of.
Brian “Bro” Brosdahl has been out ice fishing for walleyes…minus the ice. You can read the full write-up here, but here’s a few excerpts from the bro-meister himself:
> “Many of the same things that work when ice fishing also can work for you when fishing vertically below a boat.
> “I need to be able to see my lure on my Humminbird Helix 10 in my boat, just like I need to see the lure on my Helix Ice 5 during the winter. The Spot-Lock feature on my Minn Kota lets me hover right on top of fish — especially in wind.
> “I also have to be able to keep my lure inside the signal cone of on the sonar to be able to see the lure on my boat graph. It’s also helpful to use a shorter rod — even an ice-fishing rod — to hold lures closer to the edge of the boat and see them on the sonar.
Northland made a whole slew of new UV colors for this season. Click the pic to check ’em out on FishUSA:
> “I use a heavier rod with a slower action to get the proper jigging motion on the larger Puppet Minnows. My first choice is a 6′ 3” St. Croix Legend rod with medium action.
“Rig up some 10-lb Bionic Braid on the reel with about a 5′ leader of 8- to 10-lb Sunline Fluorocarbon and a small snap on the end to connect the lure.”
Bro kicks off his annual “Bro Road Show” next week: He travels across the ice belt doing in-store seminars at over 150 shops. Check out his schedule right here to see when he’s coming through your area. He likes talking ice even more than you do!
Would you pet this dog?
She’s got a mean bark, but she’s really sweet once she calms down:
Show that pic to anyone that starts complaining about their ouchie-bass thumbsies:
News
1. Bucket-list ice-fishing trips for this winter.
We reached out to hundreds of the top ice-fishing pros from across North America, used our own experience, and took TWI reader suggestions into consideration. Check out the list by clicking right here.
2. MN: Walleyes pumped into Minnetonka…
… by the Westonka Walleye Program. They stocked 4,000 lbs of walleye between 8-13″ during 2016. That’s roughly 28,000 fish that were paid for by $50K in private donations.
There’s no slot on Minnetonka, but the program would like to see all walleyes under 16″ go back. The DNR estimates as little as 5% of walleye in the lake come from natural reproduction — so a BIG thank you to these folks.
3. Are electric outboards the future?
Maybe the new Lund 165 Prius (lol)? Crazy to see the technology evolving — wonder where it’ll be in 10 years?
4. NY: More than just skyscrapers.
Western New York is home to some BIG walleyes too. Even a bunch of outdoor writers can catch ’em lol.
5. WI. Family fishing clinic at World Walleye Championship.
NPAA members Spencer Deutz and Chad Maloy facilitated the event. Youngsters got to meet the pros, learn about fishing/conservation, and received a free rod-and-reel combo.
> Chad: “One of my favorite parts of being a professional angler is sharing my love of fishing with the next generation of anglers.” #stout
6. Aqua-Vu Micro 5 Plus DVR on sale at FishUSA.
Has built-in DVR to record and watch clips on the spot — how sick is that?! Check ’em out here.
Over on their FB page — click here to enter. A bit of bass stuff mixed in with all the walleye goodies, but we have seen walters eat frogs….
Still can’t figure out why all permie shacks don’t just come with Catch Cover ‘Safety Covers’ from the factory? Maybe they’ve got a deal with cell phone companies….
If you look closely you can actually see Siri screaming in the pic lol.
ION X giveaway winner!
Fishing Reports
> “…excellent bite in 15-25′ with a jig/minnow all along south shore: Pine Island, Long Point, Zippel Bay, and up north near Garden, Knight Bridges Islands and NW Point. Also both gaps — Morris Point and Lighthouse — are producing walleyes. Gold and bright-colored jigs tipped with a shiner have been working well.
> “Good numbers of walleyes (big ones too!) have moved into the Rainy River…anywhere from Four Mile Bay all the way up to Birchdale. Jig and a shiner doing best. A pink, gold or glow jig + shiner in 15-25′ with mornings/evening best.”
Pete Harsh of Mitchell’s Guide Service:
> “Vertical jigging on structural and in current areas has been best. Rapala Jigging Raps, jigging spoons and traditional jig/minnow combos are producing well. Glow or UV colors will get you more bites.”
Conventional wisdom is to use the smallest jig you can get away with. But Lund Pro Roy Vivian has found that in many situations, bigger is better — especially in the fall:
Meme of the Day
Small civil war between MN and WI or what?
Our guess is they’d practice catch-and-release…into the grease.
Today’s ‘Eye Candy
Alex Eigen with some hammered gold from Gull Lake, MN. Her fishing partner matches her boots:
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