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Can't even make this up! A fisherman in TX found a submerged truck that was stolen in 2014. Dude was fishing on the west side of the Lake Jacksonville dam when he spotted the '99 Ford F-150 on his Garmin LiveScope in nearly 20'.

Get this: When the dive team pulled it up on shore, there was a largemouth bass swimming in the truck bed LOL:

Takes "bed fishing" for bass to a whole new level. 🤣

Fish was mid-scarf on another walleye yet still took down @ssenske's "hot steel" color Rapala Original Floater on the Knife River, ND:

What a savage! Only 3 things in this world scare that walleye, and they're all in the next photo: 1) Massive belly-dragging pike, 2) @ssenske's incredible mustache, and 3) the mini-hammer, Bridger:

Love it!!! 🙌

Funny enough this throwback write-up is talking about bass fishing, but it's spot on for wallies too:

> In ultra-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.

Here's what they mean by "frosted" colors:

I used to swear by the opposite of that rule – I'd always run chromes on sunshiny days, and more muted colors when it was overcast – but seems like things have flip-flopped since our local lakes have cleared up soooo much....

If you follow the bass tourney scene, you know that Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flat Worms have been all the rage in smallmouth derbies. Winning tons of $$$ and constantly sold-out everywhere.

For the last couple of seasons, I'd say the Acme Hyper-Rattle has sorta been like the Flat Worm of the walleye world. They catch the snot out of fish but are soooo hard to find in stock (specifically the biggest 2.5", 1-oz size) 'cuz everyone snipes 'em up.

BUT 👀 I just saw that FishUSA got a bunch of them in stock – including all of the brand new colors that we first mentioned in our ICAST special over the summer. Apparently it IS possible for ACME Hyper-Rattles to get even fish-sexxier:

This is the only reminder I'm gonna give you to stock up now while you're able to, 'cuz no doubt they'll be gonzo by the time summer rolls around. Could probably move them on the fishing black market for a pretty penny later this summer lol.

While there's a ton of similarities between walleye and their European cousin, zander...there's also a bunch of interesting differences. One of those we mentioned a couple weeks back was how zander will actually build nests and guard the eggs, whereas walleye are "broadcast spawners" and simply spread their eggs and milt over gravel/rock/sand and then abandon them.

TW reader Jason Matity was so touched by this information that he decided to make a short poem about it hahaha. It's worth a quick watch if you're in need a chuckle today, or if you just like seeing incredible underwater footage of toothy critter:

Yo Jason – you ever consider ghostwriting for rappers, or maybe taking a crack at a children's book? You might've just found a good side hustle! 🤣👊

The Lake Erie Walleye Trail AND Masters Walleye Circuit held a combined weigh-in on Lake Erie. Joseph Gibson and Bryan Beck's 2-day bag (10 walleyes) of 67-14 brought in more than $50K in cash + prizes. They're gonna need a bigger trophy room:

Amazing. Congrats fellas!

Btw Gary and Alex Kisel took home 'big fish' honors with an 11-lb 9-oz freakazoid:

It's a pretty incredible process. Few deets:

Lot of interesting info in this write-up on the different factors that affect when walleyes will actually spawn.

Chase Parsons won it last year with a 2-day bag (10 fish) of 31.70 lbs.

Apparently they've been dealing with some wild weather during pre-fishing:

An acoustic telemetry study this month will look at walleye in the Saginaw Bay and their spawning habits.

...in the Red River are different from Lake Winnipeg fish. I would have to guess yes.

Pretty interesting to see how regs on "The Big Pond" have changed throughout the years.

Called the Berkley PowerBait Agent E. Obviously it's gotta catch 'em in lakes with gobies:

But since we're talking secrets.... Did you know there's a species of walleye candy called the "sculpin" that's native in more waters than you'd think? 🤫 Google 'em. Learn 'em. Walleyes devour 'em.

When wake surfing at least 200' from shore and in water that's at least 10' deep,

...before hitting the water. If the bill passes, it would go into effect summer of 2024. Sounds like people under roughly the age of 35 would need to pass the boater safety/education course.

There's currently no requirements for adults. Kids who are ages 12-17 must pass a boating safety exam to drive one.

Random factoid from the write-up:

And a copy of the Lake Champlain ice fishing creel survey plan can be found on DEC's website.

Called Lunker Hunters and is a "mission-based rewards system" where folks can earn rewards (cash, Lunkerhunt products, or gift cards) for completing missions.

Did you know Clam Fortis Nets now come with the option of a 110" (over 9′) handle? 😏Still packs down nice:

And I can only poke fun at the topic because last year during our first Walleye Wackers league night on Gull Lake, we lost 3 fish that popped off within 5' of the net. So I literally swung into a local bait shop and picked up one of those Clam Fortis Nets the next day. Guess I'm gonna have to come up with a new excuse at weigh-in this year lol.

Same company who makes ScentLok and Blocker Outdoors apparel lines. The new fishing gear is called Whitewater.

They want to use the ethanol blend to try to fight high gas prices at the pump this summer:

I definitely would NOT run that in my outboard.

Yup, this is real life! 🔥 Here's your shot to win 3 new spinning sticks from 2B Fishing! Another gem brand under Paul and Gregg Thorne's Two Brothers Innovations = same fellas who make Elliott Rods, which I KNOW you've heard of. Little different feel, little wallet-friendlier price tag, equally awesome sticks in their own way.

Whether you're pitching jigs, snapping plastics and reaction baits, or pulling live-bait rigs...these 3 rods will have you covered!! Quick rundown of each rod from tourney-nut Will Pappenfus:

> 2B 63ML-F: Bigger isn't always better.... This short, yet incredibly versatile rod is an early-season jig pitching machine! Its length of 6'3" is ideal for putting the correct action into a jigging presentation while either fishing vertical or pitching towards a pod of fish.

> 2B 71M-F: Enjoy fishing reaction baits or throwing plastics for big walleyes? Pick up a 2B Genesis S71M-F and you will instantly feel the power of this rod. Stout enough to drive hooks home at a distance, yet features a great 'fish fighting' fast action.

> 2B 73ML-F: The Swiss Army knife of the Genesis walleye rods! This particular rod is soft enough to detect the lightest of bites while rigging, yet has enough power for sweeping hooksets when pitching light jigs (or Ned rigs 🤫). The medium-light power shines when you're looking to detect the bite and keep that fish pinned all the way to the net!

Takes just 10 seconds to enter by clicking the pic below – can share the link you get for bonus entries. 👊 Good luck!

...with super long-shank hooks like the Mission Tackle Shiner Jig? It's sort of like a TX Rig for walleyes (lol). Great way to keep those dollar bills straight and on the end of your hook until a fish hits 'em. Bonus points for less short-biters:

Btw there's just something special about their "glow blue" color in spring. 🤫

Take a deep breath...most walleye seasons will open back up in the next couple weeks!

It's gonna take more than a ND blizzard to keep Brandon Van Dusen off the water! He Simms'd up and went pitching an 1/8-oz gumball jig tipped with a 4" plastic into the current seam, hopping the jig down what he calls "the dinner line," and whammy!

National Professional Anglers Assoc.