Today’s Top 4
Use wider-wobbling crankbaits for post-spawn walleyes.
> Bay Rat Long Extra Deep Divers have a wide and erratic action that attracts those hungry females. The LXD can be fished as deep as 27′ without snap-weights or lead-core. It also has good action from 0.8 to 2.3 mph without blowing out.
> When the graph shows fish suspended throughout the water column, set your lures at different depths to find the most active fish.
Alfalfa walleye caught.
Think you’re having a bad hair day? Check this shore-nicorn that Avery V. caught on a firetiger Rapala Shallow Shad Rap:
Think he named it Alfalfa?
How to catch Rainy River sturgeon RIGHT NOW.
Walleye season is still closed for most of us in the Midwest, but did you know there’s a place in Minnesota where you could catch a 100-lb fish that’s over 50 years old…RIGHT NOW? Dinosaurs do exist:
Each spring massive sturgeon migrate from Lake of the Woods into the Rainy River to spawn, and hooking up with one is easier than you’d think. Few excerpts below, check the full Brett McComas write-up here on TargetWalleye.com:
> Sturgeon relate to the deepest holes in the river. That depth will vary from 15′ to 30′ depending which section of water you’re on. Some of the best sturgeon fishing all spring long is within a couple-minute boat ride either direction of Border View Lodge.
> Position your boat on the up-current side of the hole. This area seems to hold more active fish as they funnel upriver, following the contour lines right to your bait. If you’re not catching anything: move onto the next hole! For me it’s 45-ish minutes of no action and I’m pulling up anchor.
> A 5/0 VMC 7384 Sport Circle Hook has a large-enough gap to load it up with bait, yet it’s not too large that you’ll sacrifice bites.
> You’re more likely to keep fish pinned with circle hooks, and less likely to gut hook ’em. Something you’ll for sure appreciate when hanging over the edge of the boat trying to unhook a 5′ dinosaur that’s thrashing in the net.
> Sturgeon are great at feeding by scent, so make sure to frequently re-bait. I like to put on fresh meat about every 20 minutes to keep that scent trail strong.
> Load your hook with a glob of 3 or 4 nightcrawlers at a time. Don’t have time to dig up your own? Windsor Wholesale Bait will ship ’em right to your door if you order nightcrawlers online, and the cost is about 1/4 of convenience store prices.
> Some guys — *cough* me included *cough* — swear by adding a couple frozen shiners to the glob of ‘crawlers. It’s tough to tell if it makes a big difference, but catch a couple of bigguns while using ’em and you wouldn’t want to switch either!
What happens when pelicans eat too many walleyes?
They start wearing argyle socks? Lol:
Walleye pro Jim Carroll is battling a rare form of cancer with chemo and radiation treatments. This is just the beginning of his journey, but he’s tough and vowed to “fight like hell and ring the bell.”
Click here if you’re able to help with the medical expenses. Prayers fishing brother! #RingTheBell
2. OH: $100K tagged-walleye contest on Erie.
> A total of 150 tagged walleye will be released. All will be worth a minimum of $1,000 to any registered angler who catches and presents the fish, and one grand-prize fish will be worth $100,000.
Who’s up for a road trip? #ChaChing
3. ND: NWT headed to Sakakawea, May 11-12.
Last year’s championship was held downstream on Lake Oahe, but this is the first time the NWT is coming to this Missouri River impoundment:
> Korey Sprengel: “I think we’re all excited for a new body of water. When you don’t know what to expect, there’s this thrill of trying to put it together. Personally, that’s why I love doing this. It’s always fun uncovering new things and learning a new body of water.”
Ice just went out a couple weeks ago — it’ll be interesting to see how it’s won.
Secret’s out! First pic is from the 1992 cover of “Walleye,” when Keith was introducing his son to the family biz. Second pic is a Jake Flaa shot of Keith’s lucky Detroit River feeshin’ hat. Gonna have to try it up here in Brainerd, MN.
6. OH: Environmentalists suing U.S. EPA…
They want a section of Lake Erie to be on the impaired waters list because of “persistent toxic algal blooms.”
7. Sportsman’s Warehouse looking at buying 80% of Gander.
Have a shot at winning this pile of LIVETARGET jerkbaits — including the tasty Yearling BaitBall Jerkbaits! Just click the pic to enter your email addy. Good luck!
Headline of the Day
Make our walleyes great again?
Outdoor writer Roger Wiltz want’s to see reg changes come from SD Game, Fish, and Parks…and not the floor of their capitol in Pierre.
Tip of the Day
When to use muted vs flashy jerkbait colors.
> When it comes to jerkbaits, flash can be good — it can pull fish from cover, it can pull them from long distances — but it’s not always the best choice. Sometimes fish want something more subtle.
> In gin-clear water, under sunny, cloudless skies, and on highly pressured fisheries, [walleye] will often reject a jerkbait with too much bling. That’s when Rapala Shadow Raps in frosted patterns shine.
> Rather than flash or reflect a lot of light, a frosted finish has a soft glow around it and catches light in ways that a metallic or chrome pattern really couldn’t.
Here’s what they mean by “frosted:”
Video Meme of the Day
Take a deep breath:
Today’s ‘Eye Candy
Tyler Flynn cracked this 13.4-lb (!) MI egg cannon on an orange fire UV Storm ThunderStick. #Portly
Random
FWC offers rewards for python removal.
That’s Florida Fish and Wildlife. And over here we complain about the mosquitoes? Though we do grow ’em pretty big:
