Twin Cities Walleyes Unlimited - Monthly Newsletter |
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Joy
Greetings Club friends! It brings me such joy to belong to a club like Twin Cities Walleyes. Connecting with friends, learning how to become better anglers, and during this time of year, it is so important to think about giving back to others.
Speaking about giving back, we are so excited to be hosting our 5th annual Minnesota Military Youth Ice Fishing event. This year’s event will take place on Saturday, January 29th. We are expecting a great turnout again this year, and we would appreciate your help. We need volunteers to make this event a success. Make sure to check out the article later in the newsletter to find out how to sign up to help.
We are also looking forward to our January 15th club outing and ice-fishing clinic with Tony Roach. Last year’s event was so fun and I can’t wait to chase some walleyes through the ice with Tony’s help. Space is filling up; so sign up soon to make sure you get a spot.
I wish you all a joyful holiday with friends and family! I look forward to seeing you at our January club meeting with our guest speaker Matt Nelson. Don’t forget to bring a friend, or it’s not too late to GIVE a Twin Cities Walleyes club membership as a gift to someone you know.
Dale Meinders
President of Twin Cities Walleyes Unlimited
Connect | Educate | Give
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Ice is setting up nicely on Lake Mille Lacs. Click on Tony's Photo for his the latest video tip on ice fishing spoons and sign up today for the Tony Roach Ice Fishing Club event scheduled for Saturday January 15th. See details below. |
Twin Cities Walleyes Unlimited and the Minnesota National Guard Child and Youth programs are hosting a youth ice fishing camp for Military connected youth.
We are looking for volunteers to support this event, which include; setting up fish houses, cutting holes, and coaching the kids on on ice fishing. See the complete event details below.
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TCWU Club ice fishing outing featuring
Tony Roach as our Guide Saturday January 15, 2022
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The Tony Roach 3nd Annual TCWU Ice Fishing outing and camp is on and scheduled for Saturday January 15, 2022 at Lake Mille Lacs!
For those who missed the December meeting, you will find Tony's seminar re-cap below. We are excited to perfect his fishing tips at first hand at the club outing.
Tony is stoked to host this event and has an awesome day planned for us.
Check out a couple of his latest videos by clicking on the links below to get tuned in on the latest and pick up some his favorite new lures and hot tips.
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Event Details
- Meet at Nitti's Hunters Point Resort at 7:00 am. Come a little early if you want breakfast, Nitti's start serving at 6:00 am and it is delicious!
- Tony will coach us up and lay out the game plan for the all day fish
- Tony will provide shelters, bait and transportation.
- You are welcome to bring your Portable Ice House, Bait, ATV's, and Snowmobiles
- Bring your fishing gear; Tony will make sure you are rigged up for success
- Lunch will be served on the Ice, but bring your favorite snacks and beverages
- Prizes, you Betcha! Tony has some cool stuff to award and so do we
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If you and your fishing buddies want to turn this into a weekend of fishing fun, contact Nitti's directly (see contact information below). Nitti's offers lodging and a variety of fish house rentals. Book your lodging now if you plan to make it a weekend of fishing fun!
Cost is $140.00 each (Tip not included) Kids 16 and under attend for Free!
Clinic includes shelters, lunch, bait, personal coaching from Tony and his guides and the latest ice fishing technology and equipment to try out.
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Space is limited
Special Thanks to Tony for hosting and supporting our club!
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January Guest Speaker
Matt Nelson from Fish-Lectronics
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Dear Club Members,
TCWU would like to welcome you to talk Fish-Lectronics, with Matt Nelson. Matt specializes in marine electronics parts, accessories, service, rigging and Ice Fishing sonar rentals. He has all of the electronics you need and can create the fishing experience you want.
Matt has been selling, installing and servicing marine electronics and electric fishing motors in the Twin Cites since 1980. He has the most complete inventory of sonar, gear and custom rigging accessories for MinnKota, Humminbird, Lowrance, Garmin and Vexilar. We are excited to have a Master marine technician join us to educate on and share pro-tips on rigging up our boats.
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TCWU Guest Speaker line up for 2021/2022 |
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Special Thanks to our Sponsors |
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TCWU Volunteer Event Saturday January 29, 2022
Minnesota Military Youth Ice Fishing Camp
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We are hosting Military Youth and their families for a fun day of ice fishing. We love your help with setting up coaching the kids and most importantly have some Fun! |
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We had an amazing turnout for the Military Ice Fishing Camp. Mild weather made for a record of over 100 youth, family and friends who enjoyed a wonderful outing of fishing, food and fun. All the kids had a great time and they all went home with knowledge and memories, as well as some goodies.
We are excited to host this event again this year. We are thrilled that current registrations are already nearing the fill limit of 175 for this event!!!
We need your help please Volunteer!
We would love to have 40 club members volunteer in 2022. Click on the link below to view all the details and check out the picture gallery to see first hand the smiles you can help us all make this year!
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Volunteers needed! We would love to have 40 Club members and friends volunteer to help make this a special day of fun for these families.
Setting up includes:
- Setting up ice houses, Thank you to Eskimo for providing shelters!
- Cutting holes and scooping out ice
- Setting up Heaters and chairs
- Take a kid and family fishing
What to bring:
- A couple extra chairs
- A heater if you have one
- A Hub ice house if you have one
- Two or three fishing rods
We may not need to use your personal equipment but it would be nice to have extra supplies on hand. if you have the time please bring your stuff along.
Event Details:
- 9:15 - Volunteer arrival
- 9:30 - Set up shelters, cut holes, scoop holes, ad chairs and heaters
- 10:30 - Registration begins. Meet and greet families and guide them to a fun day of fishing
- 11:00 - 2:00 Fishing!
- 12:00 - Lunch is served
- 2:00 - Big fish awards, give out prizes and pictures
- 2:30 - Tear down and close it up.
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Location:
Disabled Veterans Campground
11300 180th Street North
Marine on St. Croix MN
Directions:
- From Minneapolis take I-35W N
- To MN-36 E
- To I-35E N to exit 123A Main St
- Take Frenchman Rd, to Hwy-61 N, to 170th St East, to180th St N
From St. Paul take I-35E N
- Take Exit 123A Main St from I-35E N
- Take Frenchman Rd, to Hwy-61 N, to 170th St East, to180th St N
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I personally want to thank our members and friends for the support for this great event. Below see some fun pictures from last year we look forward to seeing you there.
John Jordan
TCWU Board Member
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Mille Lacs, Upper Red lake winter season walleye regulations announced
November 2, 2021
Ice anglers on Mille Lacs and Upper Red lakes can harvest walleye on both lakes this winter season.
A four-walleye bag limit, with only one walleye longer than 17 inches allowed, went into effect on Upper Red Lake on Monday, Nov. 1.
Effective Wednesday, Dec. 1, through Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022, winter anglers on Mille Lacs may keep one walleye between 21-23 inches or one fish longer than 28 inches.
DNR certifies new state record for muskie
December 6, 2021
An angler caught a muskellunge weighing 55 pounds, 14 ounces, from Mille Lacs Lake that the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has certified as a weight-based state record. The previous record was a 54-pound muskie caught from Lake Winnibigoshish in 1957.
DNR cautions about uneven conditions as ice season gets underway
December 21, 2021
Anglers in some parts of Minnesota have been venturing onto the ice for several weeks, while water remains open in other parts of the state. So far in December, weather in the state—which has included rain, snow and fluctuating temperatures—has affected ice-making and impacted ice that’s already formed.
As a result, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources stresses the importance of checking ice thickness with a spud bar, auger or other device before stepping out onto it. Do not rely on other people’s footprints, tracks or social media posts.
Below find some helpful Ice making and lake Ice thickness Charts
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TCWU Pro-tip of the Month
Featuring Tony Roach
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December guest speaker Tony Roach shares this “Pro Tip of the Month“
with Club President Dale Meinders. Thanks for the great meeting Tony!
Click on the photo below to hear what Tony shared
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Guest Speaker Re-cap
Featuring Tony Roach
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TCWU hosted Lake Mille Lacs area guide, tournament angler and educator Tony Roach at our December Club Meeting. We are truly grateful that he could make the drive down to join us at our club meeting. It was a cool experience to personally connect with a truly skilled and innovative angler who challenged us to try new techniques.
He shared his ice fishing strategy Safety - Preparation - Gear - Fish Finding along with meaningful pro-tips to improve our fishing skills and catch more fish through the ice. For those of you who missed the meeting you will find the re-cap below, enjoy!
Safety
Many of us can’t wait for first Ice fishing, which is often the best fishing of the hard water season, but we all need to think safety as well. Protecting yourself, family and friends from breaking through the ice is most important. Accident prevention is the goal and preparation is the key to everyone’s safety. Tony encourages us all to be prepared so you all can get out should an accident occur A few of his key tips are:
- Wear a float suit to keep you from dropping below the ice
- Have ice picks strung around your neck to help give the grip needed to pull yourself out
- Use a spud bar to check ice thickness. Take it slow and be cautious when venturing out
- Go with a friend, keep your distance and carry a rope you can toss
- Wear ice cleats to give each other traction to help get out or pull someone out
Preparation - Scouting, Mapping, Tech and Teamwork
Doing your homework can help you get on spots quickly, improve your fishing effectiveness and put you on fish away from the crowd.
- Tony loves paper maps and uses them to plan and mark potential fish holding locations
- Maps help you visualize the entire lake and are fantastic for creating a fishing plan. They may not always be exactly accurate but they will get you close. Investigate the areas that look promising and do your research in the fall before ice up with sonar and cameras to mark key structures in the target areas.
- It is common place for ice anglers to group up their houses on the deepest hole in the basin for panfish. However, it’s okay to stay away from the crowds for several reasons including noise and fishing pressure to name a couple. Tony has observed bigger fish on the edges of the basins at times.
- Try targeting the edges of deep basins and the sharpest breaks coming into shallower water and weed lines.
- Find and target the cabbage beds in these transitions during fall scouting.
- Use maps to help target these areas and find similar locations throughout the lake. A pattern you may uncover.
Gear
- Match your equipment and line for the fish you are targeting – Match the rod with its recommended line weight and appropriate jig for the species you are fishing for.
- If you are fishing for panfish with small tungsten jigs you need to use a light line (3 lb test is Tony’s choice) lighter line also allows you to stretch out memory fairly easily.
- Tony uses mono to eliminate braid freeze from fishing in cold weather outside
- Try Advanced Mono, which has 50% less stretch and is a good compromise over braid. Tony will use a braid mono combo when fishing in houses.
- Recommends bigger reels with bigger body spools to reduce line memory issues (2500 series reels work great).
- Use rods with very sensitive tips and plenty of backbone. This action is proven to help keep you from missing fish. Tony recommends the St. Croix Eye Raiser Ice Rod for Walleyes. They have extra fast action, reel seats, which are awesome and good backbone for hook sets.
- Use a swivel to eliminate lure spin. You need to keep control of your bait. You can learn so much by using an underwater camera. Get out and practice so you can test your presentations and see how your lure react to the line and rod. If you see your line rubber banding or you are seeing the memory in your line or that slinky effect it’s a sure sign you are losing control of the bait.
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Changes line constantly – If he is experiencing twisting and memory he uses the warm water trick and the buddy system to remove the memory twists
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Use the St Croix Dead Eye Rod and a bait feeder reel for dead sticking and also try this concept as a tip-up. The bait feeder reel is perfect match with this rod and the combination of these may trigger you to try a new technique. Check out Tony’s video to see this technique in action. Dead Stick Setup - with St. Croix's Dead Eye Rod
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Find the fish before you set up
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Start searching for fish before setting up on a permanent location. Pack light; a Rod, Bait Puck, Electric Auger, a Flasher and move around until you find fish even if you drill 100 holes.
- Fish for just a minute or two in each hole. You are looking for a reaction and are trying to determine how many fish are in the area. Marking one fish doesn’t mean it’s a good spot, you want to find several fish, so challenge yourself and keep looking.
- Work as a team, one person drilling and one checking for fish. This helps spread the gear between you and find fish quicker
- Technology can help you find fish quickly if you are out basin fishing for crappie, Panoptix is the hot tech that many are using, notice how quickly the fish move when using it, which is another reason to pack light and be mobile.
- When fishing deeper water you can typically locate with fish with a flasher alone. In shallow water expect to drop a line to draw them in in order to see them on your flasher. Tony uses underwater camera to find fish in shallow clear water basins, which allows you to drill less holes. Team up – one person drills and the other looks for fish.
- Fishing with a group allows you to spread out to help locate fish and or bigger schools of fish. On lakes such as Red lake, spread out up to a ¼ mile apart to help with the search.
- Take a look around at the surface of the ice. Do you notice rough ice, pressure ridges, patches of snow? Fish will relate to these above ice structures, which provide a cover
- Don’t overlook the in-between areas, edges of basins hold fish at the base. You may see fish suspended in these areas
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Abandon unproductive areas – Don’t be that angler that drills a bunch of holes and waits for them to come in, you wouldn’t do that in your boat.
Pro-tips
Ice fishing electronics Interference solutions:
- Try narrowing your cone angles on your sonar.
- Use Marcum’s IR as an interference solution and turn off the interference on all other sonar units, it works.
- Try, UV painted lures they attract like a glow lure and don’t need a light to power them up
- There are fish that frequent the shallows. Walleyes and perch are commonly found in 4 to 5 feet of water seeking young baitfish. Spear fisherman know this secret and have been fishing shallow for years.
- 95% or more of fisherman don’t fish shallow
- Got to be quiet, set up early before prime time
- Keep your lights turned down, no music and split up if partnered to improve opportunity. Tony commented that he “has never seen schools of walleyes swim into his lights.”
- Use tip-ups to really keep it quite in shallow areas and base camp on the basin edge.
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If you are not catching fish and the person next to you is throttling them:
- Check your line, swivel, bait.
- Make sure you are tuned up by reeling up and checking the action in the hole. Make sure your lure isn’t spinning.
- Breaking down basins, and fish on structure can be similar from lake to lake and spot to spot. If you find a successful pattern, try it in other areas and lakes. Then pull out the maps and mark all the positive locations to create a fishing plan to help get you on the fish quicker.
- Use the question mark icon to mark potential locations on you GPS until you identify it's structure
- Summer spots in August seem to mirror the February bite. There is that connection there, that when the water gets really warm and or cold their metabolism slows down and they slide off the basins.
- There are a lot of sonar mapping options and rarely are compatible with each other. Hummingbird is exclusive and not compatible with Lowrance. Lake Master is good on some lakes, and Navionics on others. Take time to do a little homework to dial in on the spots and use it to your advantage over those who don’t. You may find extended points and other structures that are not on the map chip.
Conservation and Stewardship are very important
We can easily over harvest due to technology such as Panoptix, GPS and other improved equipment. It can be a huge strain on the resource but if we all do our part we can pass this on to the next generation.
- Tony has seen a lake fished out in one winter – we need to be responsible, selective and consider releasing the nice ones to continue sustainable fishery.
- Clean up your trash and its okay to pick up other peoples trash, as well. It may be frustrating but it’s a good thing. Tony and his guides pick up everything they see when they are on the ice.
Tony thank you for joining us with your busy schedule. We appreciate you sharing ice fishing strategy and fishing tips on how to prepare for ice fishing success. We are all excited to try your techniques this winter and especially at our club fishing event in January. Thanks for hosting us, we can’t wait!
Continued success to you and enjoy the Holidays!
TCWU
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TC Walleyes Unlimited, Inc. |
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