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Al's 30-day post-spawn rule. 🎯 |
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Gotta bring back this awesome tip from Target Walleye's Al Lindner on where he starts his search for post-spawn walleyes:
> One of the things we learned about early-season walleye is what we call the 30-day rule. This rule primarily applies to smaller and medium-sized natural lakes and reservoirs. This rule DOES NOT apply to the Great Lakes or other huge bodies of water where massive schools of walleye migrate great distances....
> The 30-day rule in these smaller bodies of water: If you know the precise time that the walleye spawned, you can almost bet that 30 days later, groups of walleye will be on the first lip of the large shallow flats extending out into the main body of water.
> These are fish that have already gone through their post-spawn, are regrouping and feeding heavy. There can be other groups of fish deeper, but many of the good-sized fish will be relating to that first lip.
> The lip could be a 3-5′ drop, either weed-edged or sparsely weeded. In other bodies of water that break might occur at 7′ to 10′, and still others at 12′ to 15′. But in all cases the lip is what is considered the main break for that body of water.
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> It helps if there is vegetation – however sparse or thick, the walleyes will likely be relating to it. It's important to realize that the fish will most likely be up on the flat, rather than down the drop.
> Over and over again as we have crisscrossed North America and have dealt with the seasonal variation of the latitudes, yet this seemed to hold true.
> If you're going on waters you have never been on before, contact the local bait shop or some reliable source of information to find out when the peak of the walleye spawn occurred. To that, add 30 days. Get out your LakeMaster maps and look for those drops – it's really as simple yet complex as that.
Thx much, Al! 🐐
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Salt tourney announces different classes based on electronics. |
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Saw this in a recent BassBlaster (Top Item #1) and had to share. I hear this idea get brought up occasionally with all the forward-facing sonar talk...but what folks don't realize is there's some even more insane sonar already out there in the salt fishing world.... Talkin' boats rigged with $200,000 in electronics!!! It's absolutely nutty what they can do. Post by Frank Sargeant at The Outdoor Wire:
> ...one of Furuno's whiz-bang systems, could find and track marlin, bluefins, swordfish and other large fish a half-mile from the boat! It can even lock on an individual fish so that the boat can present it with baits multiple times.
> ...the recognition that high-dollar electronics gives a huge advantage to those who have them may, and probably should, trickle down to tournaments that are more affordable and much more widely fished, including bass and walleye circuits across the nation.
> The tournament at Manteo might provide a reasonable model for future inland competitions. They basically run 2 separate tournaments side-by-side, with combined weigh-ins but separate entry fees and prize structures.
Jay (BassBlaster) hit the Furuno site to see what might be coming next, here you go:
> Full-circle scanning sonar [what the above is talkin' 'bout] – "The system fires ultrasonic waves in all directions around the ship in a single burst, and can instantly detect and display everything around the ship."
> Omni uses hundreds of individual transducers aligned in 10 or so circular layers. Each one has its own transmit and receive circuitry, and each one fires a ping simultaneously. A single pulse tells you everything around the vessel. It gives skippers the ability to track a fish in real time. The tilt can be adjusted as needed to track a fish in a particular direction.
> The definition of the targets isn't as clear as one expects from simple downward-facing chirp, but with experience, captains quickly learn to distinguish what the targets are.
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And then there's the 3D view mode. 😳 |
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MN be on the 👀out for jumping worms.... |
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> "Jumping worms move less like a worm and more like a snake. They forcefully thrash around when disturbed."
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Thought I knew the answer to this problem, but apparently they don't stay on the hook well because they break into segments when handled:
> Jumping worms can shed their tail when disturbed and the severed tail will keep wiggling as the worms move away from danger."
Guess I'll have to wait for the new Gulp! SR Crawler to come out 'cuz I know that'll stay on the hook...and they can get this kind of action when NOT using a Slow Death rig:
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Few more details on those jumping critters:
> "These worms live in the top 6" of soil and are voracious eaters of organic materials. Through their feeding and burrowing behaviors, they turn the topsoil into loose granular soil that can be easily eroded and does not support plant life well.
> "Because of their ability to clone themselves, just one jumping worm can start a population, which makes them a difficult species to manage.
> Native to Asia, jumping worms have been confirmed in limited areas of MN since '06, mainly in the Twin Cities, western suburbs...in Rochester...up to St. Cloud.
> It's believed that they were spread throughout North America by people moving potted plants, soil, compost, mulch and fishing bait.
Something else I didn't know about "normal" worms:
> Dispose of unwanted bait worms in the trash. Never release any worm into the environment – all earthworms are non-native to MN.
> The common bait worms in MN are different species than jumping worms, but are still harmful to forests. Continue to dispose of unused bait worms in the trash.
Here's how most folks "dispose" of them LOL:
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Kid catches sturgeon of a lifetime! |
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> "Meet Trent's new friend Brody. He was the lucky recipient of a fishing adventure through Minnesota Outdoor Adventure Foundation that Trent donated. MNOAF is a 501c3 non-profit that helps to make outdoor dreams come true for children and young adults with life-threatening illnesses as well as for combat wounded veterans. Brody chose to go sturgeon fishing for his adventure (wise choice young man). Trent has donated a 2-day sturgeon outing as a silent auction item to MNOAF the past few years.
> While the team caught a multitude of big sturgeon on this 2-day dream trip, something truly magical just happened. Those who believe in higher powers might say there was a little extra magic in the boat.
> If we can ask you but one small favor, let's give Brody an atta boy on this truly epic 72" long × 33" girth fish of a lifetime!!
> This makes our entire season a success and we are so proud of Trent for making a difference in this young man's journey!!
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Love everything about it! 🙌 And a HUGE congrats, young fella!!! |
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I'm sure you've seen the news by now that Ray Scott passed away on Sunday...peacefully in his sleep of natural causes at 88 yrs old.
> Scott founded the first national professional bass fishing circuit, the Bassmaster Tournament Trail, in 1967 and the following year founded the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.) which would grow to become the world's largest fishing organization.
He essentially created the entire bass fishing world. All of the baits, gear, derbies, media...it all had a common starting point and that was Ray and B.A.S.S. And of course all of that has had a major influence on the walleye world, too.
Thanks for everything, fishing brother! 🙏✝️ Thoughts and prayers to the family.
Sure feels like MN's biggest holiday!
> MN sold 1,100,256 fishing licenses last year. That number has been fairly consistent between 1 and 1.2 mil over the past 20 yrs. The state is believed to have about 1.4 mil anglers when older seniors and children who don't need licenses are factored in. About 500K people are believed to fish on opening day, although that number has never been vetted.
Good luck this weekend if you're one of those 500K hitting the water!
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> "WAM [Women Anglers of Minnesota] is proud to announce a $10,000 donation to MN-FISH. For too long, the fishing industry we all love has gone without representation. MN-FISH provides anglers and industry stakeholders with a strong voice to demand funding for fishing at the level it deserves.
> "WAM President, Michelle Morey was able to share the good news with MN-Fish President, Ron Schara at the MN-FISH Fisheries Summit last week. The donation was eligible for a match making it $20,000 to help keep MN fishing strong!"
Thanks much, ladies!!! 🙌Keep crushing it.
Known for its world-class perch. Had never been a walleye caught outta there until 2018.
> "Two reports over a 4-yr span means walleye could very well be established in the lake, but the fact that we haven't encountered them during extensive fish population surveys or angler surveys means they are likely not very abundant yet. Our fisheries program will be shifting gears over the coming weeks to try to determine the extent of their occurrence in the lake, and we'll develop a game-plan for moving forward."
> "It's true that walleye commonly prey on yellow perch in their native range, and some anglers might look at a lake with a strong perch fishery, like Cascade, and question how F&G can claim the prey base is not there. What those folks often fail to recognize is the lack of other forage fish that are common within the walleye's native range, such as smelt, shad or various minnow species.
> "Absent those forage fish in a system like Lake Cascade, a walleye's diet is going to consist largely of other game fish species, which creates that potential threat to established and popular fisheries."
They had said previously that:
> "This illegal introduction was carefully thought-out. The closest walleye fishery is more than 200 miles from Cascade. To survive the extended transport time, this fish – and possibly others – would've required clean, cold, aerated water for a number of hours."
Putting together the next 10-year management plan, check it here.
> The fishery will be managed primarily as a walleye fishery while also setting goals to maintain a quality multi-species fishery.
> Another way to grasp the tremendous in-coming volume is how this translates to total acreage. The lake in the early '90s was about 40K acres. It's now at 140K acres, and by mid-June will cover 168K acres.
> Frith said the previous record in-flow was 600K acre/feet. This year, the new record will hit about 713K acre/feet. The term acre/feet means each acre of land will be covered with a foot of water. In the first week of May, nine county roads were washed out or flooded with innumerable town roads also "under water." On May 3, a flood emergency was declared for the region.
Scary deal, but it is good news for walleye fishing.
> "The flooded vegetation will provide excellent spawning conditions...great for the future."
> ...most ramps will be operational. Docks will be installed within days of 'ice-free' conditions.
And you know how much walleyes love them some moving water. You'll see what I'm talking about down below in the "Quote of the Day" section....
I love off-the-wall techniques, so when the Lindner crew posted a video using Tokyo rigs for walleyes, I had to jump on it:
> "Today many lures and rigs are often designed for given species and for given situations. The fact is, many lures and rigs have great crossover applications to multiple species. Walleye can't tell the difference between a walleye bait or bass bait if it's about the right size moving in the correct depth at the right speed – it's fair game! And the Tokyo rig is a versatile presentation, not only for bass...but effective for walleye too!"
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Bill Lewis created the legendary Rat-L-Trap in the 1960s.
GSM Outdoors is a powerhouse on the hunting/shooting side of the outdoor industry. Reminder they bought the hunting stuff from Plano Synergy when Pure Fishing bought Plano in April.
> "We would like to mimic our success in the hunting/shooting side of our business in the recreational fishing side. We eventually want to become a one-stop shop in the fishing bait and tackle categories. We are already working on several additional acquisitions – we move fast at GSM.
> "We have always liked fishing and have many avid anglers on our team. A lot of our customers have asked us for years to get into the space because we are so easy to do business with."
Who's gonna be next?!
46th annual. Ton of prizes ($53K+) and a whoooole pile o' walleye waiting for ya at this family-friendly derby. Oh, and the $6.5K guaranteed 1st-place prize is a nice touch! Said it caps off at 125 teams so might wanna jump on it early.
Catch-photo-release tourney happening Jun 11 on Lake Bemidji.
The study revealed 45% of the fish were over 30" long.
Because of supply chain issues. They're not the only one having that problem – really every industry is:
> "Ongoing supply issues and component delays are slowing our ability to complete and ship finished products. We have invested in available components, so we're positioned to finish the products as we receive remaining parts. This is a very difficult and challenging environment."
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Few TargetWalleye.com Highlights
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What's 🔥 on Target Walleye's YouTube 🎥
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"You don't need to check trailer hubs, charge batteries, fill the tank, or change the oil to fish in waders...unless you're talking about the maintenance your physical body might need with age."
There's something seriously special about getting it done from the bank, and this is the time + place to do it. Even better...you don't need a bunch of fancy equipment. 🎯 This video just got me SO pumped to get after it this spring!!!
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Fellas lit it up 💥 with those new Northland Mimic Minnow (pre-rigged swimbaits) colors. Jason said he typically likes the 1/4- and 3/8-oz sizes on 8- or 10-lb braided mainline with a 10-lb fluorocarbon leader. |
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NWT pro John Hoyer caught himself a carp wearing a walleye costume on Green Bay! A 28" fish that weighed 11 lbs = SHEESH. He said it "cracked my rattlebait about 20' from the boat, giving me the opportunity to blast a hookset courtesy of the Fenwick World Class rod." Would have loved to see that swing. 💪💯💣 Amazing fish, dude! |
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Sign up another fish-head!
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Friends of Target Walleye |
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Who is Target Walleye
Target Walleye – walleye during open water and all species during hardwater – is brought to you by Al Lindner, Jim Kalkofen, Jay Kumar, 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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P.O. BOX 2782
Baxter, MN 56425
(218) 824 5026
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