Been loving these cooler nights! Means we're heading into that time of year where walleyes will finally decide to cooperate...and eat that cheeseburger you've been dangling in front of 'em all the dog days long. 😂

Snap-jigging has taken off in the walleye world over the last 5-ish years (thx Al!). It's a fun way to catch 'em and really good at pulling bigger bites, especially in the fall. We tracked down walleye-nut Will Pappenfus to get the down-low on this bite 'cuz it's a big part of his fall rotation (when he's not soaking chubs!) so here we go:

> "One of my go-tos is a 1/4-oz Northland Deep-Vee Jig. The longer shank and bait-keeper seem to keep the plastic pinned better than most jigs.

> "Dress the jig with your favorite paddletail – the Impulse Paddle Minnow is a great option. I usually stick with natural colors (shiner, smelt) unless the water is really stirred up, then I'll switch to something brighter (chartreuse and pinks).

> "I love the 6' 10" ML XF-action from 2B Fishing...that quicker action allows you to get more snap out of the jig. 10-lb braid to a 10-lb fluorocarbon leader – the leader doesn't have to be long, 2-3' max...fluoro because it has less stretch and visibility than mono."

Thx Will! 👊

...one of those On 'Em hats hahaha!

1) First up is Seth Lubbers who found himself a MEGA-wad of jumbo perch in SD:

2) Sent this one from TW reader Gerry LaBau – think I'd probably hit Spot-Lock and cast port-side until my arms got sore!

3) And here's my bald head running into a wad of walleyes stacked on a little 20' rock hump surrounded by deep water. Fall is in the air!

Only got one of them to bite, so guess I should be wearing an Off 'Em hat instead. 😂

- That's TW fan Mike Hungle talking about this Quasimodo walleye that Courtney from @hungle_outdoors caught and released outta SK's Last Mountain Lake:

No arguing that resemblance:

In life and in fishing life! This one's from The Technological Angler:

Also saw a comment from Larry Leal under the original post that said:

Sheesh!

Costs just $30 to register in the Brawl and fish any time (during Oct 15 - Nov 28) in the OH waters of Lake Erie...from the bank or in a boat. Cool thing is you only need 1 bite to get in on the goods = biggest fish wins.

They're giving away a decked-out Ranger Boat to both 1st and 2nd place – combined that's roughly $250K going just to the top 2 spots. Cash prizes will be awarded for 3rd thru 5th place based on the # of entries, which in 2020 was another $195K cash. Insane.

Make sure you register by 11:59pm Oct 11.

Yup, this can (and does) get even crazier! Big thx to Eric Fritz for the heads-up:

There's a new kid on the block called National Fishing Expos WALLEYE SLAM. They're giving away a 2022 Warrior 238 with a 400hp Merc and 15hp Pro Kicker loaded with Lowrance, Recon rod holders and other sponsor gear. Get this: The derby actually coincides with the Fall Brawl so you could potentially win both at the same time (🤯2 boats!) if you register for both.

They're paying down to 10th place and I think it's super cool they'll have separate classes for shore and kayak anglers, but of course you can still win the main prizes as well.

Bunch more info here on their site or can check out the Walleye Slam FB page.

On the Mississippi River "when one vessel failed to maintain proper following distance, hitting and ramping the vessel in front." Man, that word "ramping" is terrifying...can see it and feel it. 🙏 Prayers up to the 2 folks left seriously injured.

Northern pike: A 15-yo Brecken Kobylecky caught a 46.25-incher outta Basswood Lake.

Muskie: Todd Kirby tied the current record with a 57.25-incher that was also caught outta Lake Vermilion.

Congrats!!

Relax...I'm not taking any shots at Mr. Candle lol.... This is the first time in 24 years he's missing the NPAA Conference (says he's got a conflict!) but that doesn't mean you have to. It's happening Oct 20-22 in Sandusky, OH. Great opportunity to learn about the business side of the sport by attending workshops, seminars and networking events. More info here.

> "Marathon Man Jeff [Kolo] Kolodzinski is on a 9/11 fishing mission! He will fish for 24 hours straight in an effort to break a Guinness World Record by catching 2,977 fish – one fish for EVERY LIFE LOST on 9/11. ALL funds raised go to Fishing For Life to support their NextGEN program and the local First Responders of Spring Bay, IL."

Btw that would mean catching more than 2 fish per minute for 24 hours straight 🤯. Go and get 'em, Kolo! And a big thank YOU.

Were hit hard from the fish-killing virus VHS in 2005-2008, now speculating that round gobies are eating muskie eggs.

Westin is based in Denmark and is a big time player (the biggest?) in zander goodies. A couple years ago it looked like the Euro bait company was going to jump into the US market, but then it didn't happen. Have still seen a number of their baits crossover into the walleye world.

Tuesdays at 8pm CST.

That's T-H's 4th acquisition of 2021 and their 14th acquisition overall.

This group always seems to be doing cool things for the sport. 🙌

With so many new people being introduced to this sport we all love so much, I need to remember to do a better job of sprinkling some back to basics type things in these here emails. Shoot, I see plenty of "seasoned" folks that could learn a thing or 2 from this vid:

"If you go to a party, and you show up with some buffalo chicken walleye dip...they're gonna be talking about you for a real long time."

- That's Chef Jow breaking down a tasty walleye appetizer recipe in this Bigwater Fishing YouTube video. Looks like an awesome way to switch it up from the usual fish fry:

Headlamps and hawgbellies! Way to commit @thehorseshoekid:

National Professional Anglers Assoc.