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Today's Top 5
Closer look at the 22-lb AR state record walleye. 🀯
With all the controversy surrounding the current world-record walleye, a lot of folks believe this fish is the actual record.... πŸ€·β€β™‚οΈ

The current AR state-record walleye is a 22-lb 11-oz mammoth caught in 1982 by Al Nelson (during a tournament!) on Greers Ferry Lake. It's of course the 12-lb line-class world record, too. Can't see that being beat!
> "Nelson was trolling a Bomber lure from his aluminum on the night of Mar 14, 1982, when the fish hit at approximately 10pm.

> "...initially thought he had hooked a log, until the log began fighting back. After a 20-min fight, Nelson had the fish boated and was on the way back to his home dock of Fairfield Bay Marina."

Here's another look at the "log" and imo THE picture that really does the brute justice:
How insane is that?! Just a whole different caliber of fish.

I don't think any lake has kicked out more 20-lb walleyes than Greers Ferry Lake in Arkansas. πŸ‘€πŸ˜³ TWENTY-POUNDERS. Let that soak in for a second....

Some Greers Ferry background info from Keith Sutton here:

> Quite possibly, somewhere in Greers Ferry Lake swims a walleye the size of the one in this story. That news might surprise any walleye angler who has never heard of this 31,500-acre U.S. Army Corps of Engineers impoundment in the Ozark Mountains near Heber Springs....

> During past decades, Greers Ferry Lake earned a national reputation as one of the world's top hot spots for giant walleyes.

> Nov '78: Neva Walters of Heber Springs set a new state record with a 20-06 walleye.

> Mar '79: "Big Ed" Claiborne, a guide at Fairfield Bay Marina, landed a 21-09 fish to set another new benchmark.

> Mar 14, '82: Al Nelson of Higden caught a 22-pound, 11-ounce walleye.... That same year, at least a half dozen fish weighing more than 17 lbs were recorded during the late winter/early spring spawning run.

> Mar 1983: Mike Wallace set a new line-class record at Greers Ferry by catching an 18-04 walleye on 4-lb line.

> Fish exceeding 20-25 lbs could still swim in the reservoir, and it's possible an AR angler could break the record in coming years.

Of course those were all caught a long time ago, but genetics are genetics. So...
Are there any big ones still left in AR's Greers Ferry Lake? πŸ€”
I was trying to do some digging and really haven't seen any current pictures of big fish from there. But I did come across something called the "Greers Ferry Lake World Walleye Classic" that's happening Apr 2 this year. Couldn't find any past results πŸ€·β€β™‚οΈ BUT their minimum length to qualify for a big-fish prize is 27"...
This Keith Sutton write-up is from 2015, but still has some interesting info from that time:

> AR fish biologist Tom Bly: "I fully believe this lake has the potential to produce a new world record. Just a few years ago, I saw a walleye larger than the 22-11...and there could still be other giants out there, too.."

> The record-sized walleye Bly saw was released alive into Greers Ferry. ...that huge fish was captured and stripped of its eggs during the Commission's annual walleye project, a project that provides the fertilized walleye eggs needed by state fish hatcheries to raise stocking-size fingerlings.

> While he believes the lake could produce another record fish, he notes the chances are not as great now as they were in decades past.

> Tom Bly: "We saw a decline of larger walleyes (mid teens to upper teens) during the 1990s. This can be attributed to angler harvest and natural mortality of older walleyes. Walleyes, especially females, are long lived. Age and growth studies indicate it takes an average of 7 yrs for a female walleye to reach 21". A 32" female will average about 12 yrs old and 12 lbs in weight.

> "During the late 1980s and early 1990s, there was a lot of angling pressure on the older, larger fish, due in part to walleye tournaments. There was not much of an inclination for most anglers to release these larger fish...as a result, the population was depleted.

> "The numbers of walleye have increased over the years, but the majority of these are males, and they rarely exceed 20". In 2004, a 20-28" slot limit was implemented to encourage harvest of the smaller walleyes, primarily males, and protect the females. A further restriction of only 1 walleye per day > 28" still allows an angler to keep a trophy fish but prevents over-exploitation. There are still some walleyes in Greers that will top the 15-lb mark, but their numbers aren't as high as they once were."

> Bly and fellow biologists conduct electrofishing samples every spring when the walleyes make their annual spawning run...sampling has shown that the slot limit has had a positive impact on the population by increasing the numbers of walleyes seen in the slot limit.


> Removing the 20-28" protective slot limit for walleye...and implementing a 14" minimum length [daily limit of 6]. ...few anglers pursue walleyes at Greers Ferry, and enabling anglers to keep bigger walleyes will not damage the walleye population.

I'm assuming/hope that decision was also based on those increased numbers of fish in the old slot still being there, and not just because not many people target walleyes?

Couple other side notes:

They stocked 1,133,820 walleye into Arkansas' waters in 2021.


> AGFC hatcheries produced 17.6 mil fish. But rather than producing more hungry, grown-up fish to stock in major lakes, biologists have concluded that the lakes are well-populated with adults that need forage to grow.

About 60% of that 17.6 mil included shad, golden shiners, bluegill, redear and fathead minnows:

> "We're really pushing habitat improvement on lakes and more forage where there is a poor forage base. At Greers Ferry Lake, we've been pushing forage there for a lot of years, and it's made a big difference. Hatcheries have moved from stocking a large number of predator fish to producing the forage for those predator fish."

So who knows if any true BIGS still live in Greers Ferry, but I hope to find out one day – either in person or by seeing some caught-and-released evidence online somewhere….
Ever try leaving your bait directly on bottom? πŸ€”
All I know is that I'm definitely going to play around with setting a Northland Forage Minnow Jig RIGHT ON BOTTOM after watching this video of Brad Hawthorne talking advanced rattle reel tips and late-winter walleye locations. Feel like every time that guy talks I have one of those "why didn't I think of that" kind of moments. Check it:
"We've had 40 years to look at it. Now, everyone can see it."
- That's Mike Chiovitte, son of the late LeRoy Chiovitte, talking about his father's MN state-record walleye heading off to its new home! She will be permanently displayed at the Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center – operated by the Gunflint Trail Historical Society – which is only about 1 mile from where the fish was caught:
Quick recap on the long-standing record:

LeRoy Chiovitte (who passed on Nov 2019 after his third battle with cancer) caught the 17-lb 8-oz egg cannon back on May 13, 1979. Fish was 35.75β€³ long with a 21.25β€³ girth! He was specifically targeting monster walleyes with a #4 hook + shiner minnow on 8-lb line...fishing the mouth of the Seagull River – above the rapids – where it enters Saganaga Lake.

First time I've seen this specific photo of the record:
That pic is from John Myers' new write-up in the Duluth News Tribune. It's loaded with tons of interesting info on the catch and how it got to where it is now. Has nearly a dozen other great photos to help tell the story as well = for sure worth a read.
Proof females are more aggressive!
Settle down, ladies...🀣 we're talking about fish here lol.

Few snippets from Gord Pyzer's Outdoor Canada write-up below:

> I kept 9 crappies for a fresh-fish feast the other day, and when I cleaned them, all but 1 were females with bright yellow skeins of eggs:
> It's the same when I clean yellow perch.... Which begs the question that has been haunting me for quite some time: Do the fish group up by sex, or are the schools evenly mixed, with the females simply being more aggressive?

> To get the answers, I went to fishing buddy and biologist, Jeff Matity, who works at the Fort Qu'Appelle fish hatchery in SK.

> Jeff: "I agree 100%. Female perch seem to be standouts of this phenomenon. At first and last ice, my brother Jason and I will catch a few males, but in Jan and Feb our catch is almost 100% dominated by females. The big girls never miss a meal, while the males are unburdened by investing calories into reproduction."

> According to Matity, the female members of most CAN freshwater fish contribute as much as 1/3 of their body weight into the production of eggs. And while 1-lb of eggs has approx 1,300 calories of energy, it takes many more to produce them.

> Jeff: "That is the primary reason why ice anglers catch more females than males. Females are more active and hungrier all winter long. With males, it's not even close. They use virtually all of the calories they ingest for maintenance and growth. The production of sperm requires only a fraction of the calories they eat and that is only during the spawning period."

Females also live longer, grow faster and get bigger than males. Believe at least 2 of the 3 are true for humans too hahaha.

More interesting goods in Gord's full wite-up here where they dive into s'more details.
News
> The premium zinc, UV-coated body carries an Indiana blade mounted on the belly which swings loosely on the rise and fall to maximize both flash and vibration while creating the erratic action of a baitfish in trouble.

> Super-sharp black nickel treble hook.... The through-wire construction transmits vibration throughout the bait and ties in an elongated bait keeper wire for adding a minnow head:

That way your minnow heads won't fall off from jigging, and can sometimes catch multiple fish on the same minnow head = dropping back down faster when a pod is rolling thru:
Just dropped 2 sizes (5/32- and 5/16-oz) and 12 tasty colors on their site.


New '22 licenses are available right meow.



From 13" to 15", which is the same as the statewide regulation.


...in southern Lake Michigan and Lake Huron starting Apr 1. πƒ†πŸ€Ώ



Forget Jay – I wanna hear what this fatty-magoo walleye has to say!
Kidding of course lol.... Jay is one of those genuine dude's who is 100% the same person off and on the camera. If you haven't subbed to his YouTube channel yet (114K subscribers now) what are you waiting for?! Straight-up breathtaking cinematography and he sometimes even catches a fish(es). πŸ˜‰





11. You dreaming of early-spring walleyes yet?
Gonna be here before we know it.


In Green Bay tomorrow and Eau Claire (Mar 12). Learn how to REALLY use your Humminbird units from The Technological Angler – guy is dialed.


Well-deserved, man! πŸ™Œ

Btw there's a super cool story on how Steve's family surprised him with the news.


> MI Sea Grant recently announced 4 new research projects with o1ne common goal: protecting the Great Lakes.

> It committed almost $1 mil to the projects, including $225K from the Dept of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. In addition, university research partners contributed over $500K in matching funds.

> Their major topics are water use, walleye, invasive mussel larvae and harmful algae blooms.
Headline of the Day

Talking about Tom Huynh, a guy who is "single-handedly changing the trajectory of walleye fishing as we know it." Seriously. He's someone you're going to be hearing a lot more about going forward.

Dude came blasting into the walleye-tourney scene out of nowhere and ABSOLUTELY LIT IT UP. πŸš€ This pic basically summarizes the first 12 months he had ever really even targeted walleye on purpose:
Just insane, tho!!!

> "He has successfully married both bass and walleye fishing tactics, mixing both artificial and live bait and fishing in all areas and depths, even spots overlooked for walleyes. It's why he's picked up the reputation as something of a trailblazer on the NWT."

Really GREAT read on Tom here that's definitely worth checking out.
Few TargetWalleye.com Highlights




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Tip of the Day

Northern-MN guide TJ Erickson breaks down exactly how he finds the "sweet spot" while fishing mid-lake structure for walleyes:
Meme of the Day
This one's for all the tourney folks out there:
Bet he crushed 'em in pre-fishing tho.
Today's 'Eye Candy
They're gonna have to start making SnoBears bigger to fit all that Manitoba greenback in 'em. 🀯 Sheesh:
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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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