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4608 Tower St.
Edina, MN 55424
(612)440-7171
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Twin Cities Walleyes Unlimited Monthly Newsletter
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President's Letter:
Members,
As we move toward spring our thoughts turn to open water fishing. But, we don't have to wait until May to work on improving our Walleyes skills. We can take a trip to Florida and try them out. Recently, I was in Florida and met up with Rich Strong, a TCWU Club member. We decided to surf fish at the condo where he was staying. We made a brief trip to the local tackle store (if there is such a thing as a brief trip to the tackle store). At the tackle store we purchase cheap rods, pre made leaders, and miscellaneous other tackle. For bait we got live shrimp, but later switched to frozen shrimp. They worked equally as well.
We started our fishing adventure by visiting with a couple of guys who also lived in the condo project. They said they fish everyday and then do a fish fry. We were not interested in the fish fry just their advice on how to surf fish! They were very helpful and shared their knowledge. But, their technique did not work for us. So, being Walleyes folks (and hearing the voice of Brad Laabs as well as our other speakers saying fish them like you would a walleye moron) we rerigged. rods just as if we were walleye fishing in Minnesota.
It worked! We caught 10 different species of fish and successfully released them all.
In the end, we realized that our walleye fishing skills translate to other types of fishing. So, get out and practice your fishing skills. You never know when you will need them.
See you on March1.
Joe Roach
President of TCWU
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Last Meeting:
Thursday, February 1st
Tom Neustrom
***see re-cap in newsletter below***
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Next Meeting:
Thursday, March 1st
Babe Winkelman
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Twin Cities Walleyes Unlimited would not be possible without our sponsors. Please be sure to patronize all our sponsors: click on the link above to see our sponsors.
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Recap of the MN Military Youth Ice Fishing Clinic
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By all measures the MN Military Youth Ice Fishing Clinic was a big success. Sure there were lessons learned and due to them this event will be even better next year. Even with the cold (-4 with wind chill) the kids stayed warm and had a great time. While not a lot of fish were caught, enough perch were pulled out of the holes to keep the excitement going, and that is exactly what we are looking for, getting the next generation excited about fishing. In all, we had over 50 kids from military families who attended the event and over 140 people including their family and volunteers. The expectation is that this event will continue to grow every year.
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I can’t express enough the appreciation I have for all the support this event received. From the 12 members of TCWU that participated, to the other organizations that partnered with us and the MN National Guard Child and Youth Program. Even our fearless leader, Joe Roach, helped cook and dish out lunch for participants. (Just goes to show that Joe is willing to do whatever it takes to support and grow TCWU.)
In addition to TCWU and the MN National Guard Child and Youth Program I want to express a heartfelt thanks to the following...
· Clam Corporation and Mike Smith
· The Ice Team and their Professionals
· Morries Automotive and Mike Zickermann
· Urban Ice Anglers and Karl Erickson
· Dive Guys Big Fish & Fry and Matt Wilkie
· Tanner and George
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Also, we want to sincerely thank the following for their donations…
· The Wounded Warrior Project
· Vados Bait and Tackle
· Old Dutch
· HyVee
· Cub Foods
· Fresh Thyme
· Others who wish not to be named
Sincerely,
John Jordan
Board Member of TCWU
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I find it hard to believe that February is halfway over already. Mother Nature is still making ice here in Minnesota and the walleye season has only two more weekends left. Ice anglers will certainly pursue crappies, perch and bluegills well into March but I do love those walleyes.
Hard-water anglers will be after them on the lower Rainy River and Four Mile Bay on Lake of the Woods.
I now find my mind changing gears to getting on the open water in my boat. I am melancholy about putting the ice gear away, it has been a cold one this season for sure.
My favorite target coming up soon is the Rainy River. The upper portion of the river from Pelland down stream to Manitou Falls, which is often open by the third weekend in March. Shore ice at the boat landings can be an issue. Call ahead and check local conditions at area resorts and bait shops before you venture out. The Clementson and Frontier ramps tend to lag a week behind, followed by the lower river at Baudette to Four Mile Bay, which usually are open early April.
Slip drifting down river with a jig and minnow through mid-river troughs and holes is most effective. High river flow will force fish to the shoreline current breaks. Pitching crank baits can be really a fun way to spend a day on the river in these conditions. I have anchored or slowly slip drifted down the river and casted Jigging Raps, but it can be a tricky deal and the snags are certainly a risk. As I always tell my buddies…if you lose a bait, go buy six more!! There are unexpected factors that to be aware of such as; river level, water flow, run-off and debris in the river.
I encourage all fishers of fish to follow and do what they like best. I really like to ice fish but I guess I like the open water just a little more. That may be weird because I wear all the clothes that I wear on the ice. I think it is a mental game at this point. It is always personal preference and it is always fun for sure. I encourage everyone to get out and enjoy the outdoors in your
own way a
nd if the Walters are not biting, maybe the sturgeon are ready
to play??
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But that is another page to turn. A really fun page, too.
See you guys out on the water, or ice……
Jim Wood
Vice President TCWU
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TCWU welcomed Tom Neustrom as our February guest speaker from Grand Rapids, Minnesota. He avidly participates in our fishing community and has served on numerous advisory committees for the Department of Natural Resources. Often involving con
troversies; such as bag limits and walleye stocking in our top Walleye Lake fisheries.
He was elected into the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame in 2015. He shared his story, tips and insights with us, which is re-capped below. Thank you Tom!
Electronics
- Understand your electronics. There are so many options and settings you can get caught up pushing too many buttons and spend less time fishing.
2-D Graph
- Use Enhance/zoom feature in separate window. One shows the spot and the other the fish. Believe in what you see.
- Long streak marks are fish on the move.
Down Imaging will show fish that 2-D and Side Imaging won’t picture.
- Run them all if you have enough screen!
Side Imaging
- What speed do you lose side image? 5 mph or over.
- Typically runs at 1.5 mph when checking out fish with sonar, faster when scouting.
- 19 cone angle.
- Try tilting your motor when running SI for clear readings.
- Set distance out to 35 – 50 feet (most accurate).
- Likes to run two units – one for graphing fish and one for navigation.
- Fish piling up off the bottom means the bite is on.
- GPS – high frequency is accurate to 3-5 feet.
- Coming soon: Attempting to change the color of a fish in newer tech so you can see them easily.
Equipment
- Uses Medium Rods. All rods are good. Don’t buy them through the internet/online. You can’t truly know what you are buying if you do or what the feel is like.
- Uses a fast tip rod.
- Likes the Pistol/Split grip handle for more feel.
- The upside down Ice fishing rod hold was discovered to have more feel on the grip and that is why its used.
- Only a few rod manufacturers make 100% graphite rods. They will always retain their shape. Graphite composite rods will lose their shape and stay bent if they are stored that way.
- Sitka gloves are amazing for cold weather fishing, check them out.
- Use Sunscreen and protective clothing; Visited a doctor at urging of his wife and they did find two spots. If you participate in Water and Golf sports, get checked every couple years.
- Uses Bullfrog 5 and will apply up to 5 times a day.
Fishing Methods
Spinning a web for walleye by refining old techniques
- #3 Colorado Spinners (#5 in darker water) – pull them in shallow water-keep off the bottom.
- Uses mostly smooth spinners but will use hammered.
- 1 to 1.2 mph.
- Back troll – sometimes with a drift sack out.
- Lets out 25- 30 feet of line.
- Uses a 3/16 ounce bullet sinker to keep you weedless.
- Always put a bead between the sinker and swivel. Shock absorber for the knot.
- Ties his own spinners. Gold Spinners 1 ot long shank hook. 6 small beads (mix up the colors).
- Gold hooks 90% long shank.
- Half crawler double hook is good.
- Never uses a 3 hook set up
- Uses 14 – 17 mono leaders due to line wear from spinner rotation.
- If you use braid don’t set the hook hard unless using a soft rod.
- Uses 8/32 suffix look for a round line.
- Hook thru the mouth up thru the belly and just barley have the hook tip out his back. Test it out for action.
- Use line counters for trolling. Consistently gets you in the strike zone.
- Uses a 5 foot leader.
Power Jigging
- Uses a heavier jig and fishes faster. You will trigger active fish. opposed to finessing.
- Try VMC Mooneye pill shape jigs, which allow faster drop and erratic retrieve.
- Green and Chartreuse are the best colors for walleye to see on the color spectrum.
- Ownerhooks are finest sharpest also likes VMC hooks. Buy a 100 quality hooks for $20 instead of 1000 average hooks.
Jigging Raps
- Rod tip 4 foot jig = Rap moving 2 feet.
- Lift it, bring it back rhythm/cadence is most effective.
- Braid with fluorocarbon leader, with a swivel.
- Polymer knot
Swimbaits
- Fish spring and summer shallow.
- Stretch the tail for improved action.
- Likes 360 swimbaits.
- Don’t pop and jig it too often, it’s a swimbait designed to swim.
Boulders and weeds = scared to lose your bait.
- Locate fish, come back and fish those pinpointed spots.
- Use a lighter jig or more buoyant bait it will help keep your bait out of the snags.
- Fish cabbage, 6-15 foot weeds are great for predatory ambush.
Fishing Tips
Spot selection
- Plan ahead and narrow the gap. Plan your top spots, you can move from spot to spot quickly and won’t waste time deciding where to go next.
- Where is the wind blowing? Use wind as a spot indicator.
- When fishing shallow, fish on the windy side of the lake.
- Shallow water = walleyes tucked in or on top of weeds.
- When fishing structure, windy conditions tend to pile up the fish on the back/reverse side of the structure.
- Walleyes will continuously use a main route to swim up on a bar. Use your maps to key in on these potential routes.
- Uses three tools for fish locations and identification.
- Contour Elite mapping software enables you to load your lake mapping chip on your computer. Makes it easy to do research in your home and you can print off the maps on your printer.
- Lake Mapping Chip.
- Camera for fish identification. Suckers look like walleyes on a graph, camera not necessarily needed but nice to have.
- Fish are food oriented and there are walleyes are in the shallows.
- Has been fishing shallower much more often, and is catching walleye all season long in 4 to 12 feet of water.
- Catches more fish by using half a Crawler. Keith Kavajecz also commented on this.
- A Drift Sack will improve boat control. It must open when you throw it in the water. Recommends Drift Master.
Check out Fishing Tackle retailer, its free and has all the latest news on new tackle and equipment.
Can’t replace time on the water, get out and fish/practice.
Russell Nelson
Board Member of TCWU
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Conservation Corner
Flowering Rush is an invasive, perennial aquatic herbaceous plant that has spread across the country, from the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River to the northern US and southern Canada. Flowering Rush can be indentified with it's sword like leaves and pink, umbrella shaped flowers. Originally this Eurasian plant was sold commercially for use in garden pools but active spreading of the species has made it illegal to sell, buy, or possess the plant. Flowering Rush threatens native shoreline plants by competing for resources. In order to manage the plant in public waters a special permit is required from the DNR and methods of mechanical management include cutting below the water surface several times a summer to control spreading, chemical management is also option.
Will Roach
Board Member of TCWU
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TC Walleyes Unlimited, Inc.
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