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4608 Tower St.
Edina, MN 55424
(612) 440-7171
tcwalleyes@gmail.com
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Twin Cities Walleyes Unlimited Monthly Newsletter
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Featuring Ted Takasaki
Thursday March 5, 2020
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Ted Takasaki is coming to speak at our March 5th, club meeting. Mark your calendar's and reschedule any conflicts, you don't want to miss out on a chance to learn from a master walleye angler and educator!
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TCWU hosts Ted Takasaki at our March 5, 2020 Club Meeting
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TCWU welcomes walleye fishing legend and
Hall of Fame Angler, Ted Takasaki
to speak at our Club Annual Meeting on Thursday March 5th.
Ted is one of the true pioneers and
foremost educators on catching walleyes.
He was a dominant force when he was on the professional tour; winning the prestigious PWT Classic Championship in 1998 and the 1995 PWT Top Gun Angler Award.
Don't miss out on this great opportunity to spend the evening
with Ted!
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Meeting Location:
BLOOMINGTON KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS,
(aka Bloomington Events Center)
1114 American Blvd. W.
Bloomington, MN 55420
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Socializing - 6:30 PM
Presentation - 7:00 PM
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I Love This Club!!
As I Look at what we are doing, where we have been, and where we are headed, I am really very proud of Twin Cities Walleyes Unlimited. We are a family and have created a wonderful bond over the last 4 years that we all can be proud of. It has been my pleasure to be a part of this group from the beginning and look forward to our future.
I am sitting here thinking about my 2 years as President of the club, and so pleased to able to share this with everyone that has supported the organization. This support has helped to keep TCWU headed in the right direction. I have been so blessed to be part of this organization and I look forward to this upcoming year. We have great people, a great organization, and a great common mission.
Fishing is a good mission.
The ice season is still with us, and we have had some fun club times on hard water. I want to say thank you to everyone that attended the Tony Roach Walleye Camp on Mille Lacs Lake in January. The Long Lake Club outing was super fun as well. We may have needed to refer to our outing as the Twin Cities Crappiethon! We had a nice day and a great turnout. Thanks to all that joined us on the lake.
Our premiere event this winter was the Minnesota Military Youth Ice Fishing Clinic on Big Marine Lake February 9
th
. What a great day!! We had a wonderful group of kids, parents, club members, and volunteers. This event would not have happened without the diligent effort put forth by Gloria and John Jordan. I thank you both and ask all at TCWU to recognize and thank them for what they did to make this event the success that it was. I really believe that this will be our signature outing every year from now on. Look for Mr. Jordan’s recap of the event in this newsletter. We had a super day on the ice and welcome everyone next year.
As I am writing this letter, I realized that this will be my last President’s Letter of my tenure. The last 2 years has flown by and it has been a blast to be a part of. I want to say thank you our great Club members for your support, and certainly to our awesome Board of Directors that have provided direction and guidance to myself and the organization. I will continue to serve on the Board of Directors for 2020-2021.
I am pleased to introduce our incoming TCWU President, Mr. Dale Meinders pictured below. Dale has been with the group from the early times and has been a valuable asset to TCWU while serving on the Board and with his involvement with Twin Cities Walleyes. Thank you, Dale!
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I am so excited and looking forward to the upcoming meeting in March. I can’t wait to meet and talk with Mr. Takasaki and hear all that he is going to share with us. I urge everyone to come out on March 5. Bring a friend. Heck, bring two or three!! Let’s make 2020 a recruitment year and get us to 400 members strong.
See you all at the Clubhouse on March 5th!!
Keep on Fishin’ everyone!!
Jim "Doc" Wood
President of Twin Cities Walleyes Unlimited
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Minnesota is often referred to as the State of Hockey -- but for one night Minnesota will be known as the State of Fishing! Show your support by attending the Rally for Fishing! on Monday, March 23rd, at 7:00 PM, Wild vs Avalanche.
This special event includes:
- A pre-game a chalk talk before the Wild take on the Avalanche with the MN-FISH leaders.
- A Wild branded fishing lure will be awarded to the first 200 attendees that arrive for the chalk talk through this ticket package.
- A $5 portion of ticket proceeds will be given to the MN-FISH Sportfishing Foundation.
Do you have old fishing gear that's collecting dust?
Please bring it and donate to the Old Fishing Gear Drive as you enter the game.
Drop off containers will be
at gates 1 and 3.
Event Details
Date: Monday March 23
5:00 - 6:00 pm Pre-Game Panel
7:00 pm Game Time!
How do you sign up?
Click on the link below to order tickets & sign up in one swoop.
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Group tickets available!
You can bring your own team of anglers, youth fishing league members, pro-staff, friends or business customers.
Please contact Corey below if you would like 8 or more tickets.
Corey Scatturo
Get your tickets today!
This is an awesome opportunity to see a Wild game. It is a hot ticket with an added bonus of fishing legends and fun.
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MN-FISH provides a strong voice for Minnesota anglers and fishing related businesses to the State Legislature and DNR regarding all things fishing.
They advocate, protect and restore aquatic fish & spawning habitat in lakes, rivers and streams.
Seek greater reinvestment back into sport fishing, representing a portion of the estimated $271 million in annual state taxes derived from Minnesota’s $4.2 billion fishing and marine industry.
They support scientific and common-sense fish management for all game fish species, review DNR fish stocking policies and fish management programs to maximize anglers’ success.
Advocate and seek funding for new investment in fish hatcheries, public accesses, fishing piers and shore fishing facilities.
Individual Membership Options
Charter Member
- FREE 2-Year Membership
Founding Member
- $35 annual dues
Life Member
- $250 one-time donation
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2020 Minnesota Military Youth Ice Fishing Clinic
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I find it amazing that even with the snow we still had a good turnout for the 2020 Military Ice Fishing Clinic. Snow started overnight and continued until about 11:30 am, making the roads difficult to be on. Travel was not advised but we are Minnesotans and a little snow doesn't hold us back.
Even with bad road conditions we still saw 35 – 40 kids show up and they were all excited to ice fish. Unfortunately, not many fish were caught. Regardless, all the kids had a great time and they all went home with knowledge and memories, as well as some goodies.
The support was there with a dozen or so TC Walleyes' members, along with club friend and HOF inductee
Steve Pennaz, who was
there to help out as well as other volunteers. I personally want to thank our members and friends for the support for this great even.
Special thanks to the following donors and volunteers who went over and above with their support of the event.
Brian Bro Brosdahl, Minnesota National Guard Child and Youth Program, Northland Tackle, Eskimo Ice Fishing Gear, Clam Outdoors,
Mike Zickermann - Fleet Manager at Morrie’s Brooklyn Park, Urban Ice Angers, Dive Guys Big Fish & Fry, Minnesota DNR, Vexilar, Cabelas, Vados Bait & Tackle, Tanner Wiese and his girlfriend Shelby, my wife Gloria and our friend Julie Seibert, Keith Seibert for the use of his wheel house.
Old Dutch, Hy-Vee, Fresh Thyme, Cub Foods, Byerly’s and Lund’s
Each year we receive more support and interest from not only our own TC Walleyes' members but from those in the industry. I am already looking forward to next year, it is always a great time. Thanks everyone.
John Jordan
TCWU Board Member
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Lucas on his Big Catch
So I told everyone to be quiet and then the fish will come in. And then I saw a big Northern Pike through the Ice hole and he swam away.
So then I told everyone be very very quiet and then Bam! He ate my minnow and he started yanking my rod and I had to reel really hard. Then he came through the hole and we all cheered we got the Northern!
Then I yelled "I caught the Northern!"
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Thank You Eskimo for providing awesome shelter from the Snow Storm!
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Great job John and Gloria Jordan and the TWCU volunteers; Steve Pennaz, Wes Noyes, Brenda and Bob Dittman, Brad Dybdahl, George Zarns, Chris Grubb, Pat Bergstrom, Doug Stelten, Kail LaVigne, Rusty Nelson, Lisa Wood, Doc Wood, Dale Meinders, Ben Roach, Joe Roach
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Glen Lake Animal Hospital is a full service veterinary hospital offering Wellness Exams, Vaccines and Preventative Medicine as well as services in the areas of Surgery, Internal Medicine, Dentistry, Radiology,an Online Pharmacy, and an In-house Laboratory.
The Glen Lake Animal Hospital doctors and staff are committed to providing quality health care to our patients.
It is a pleasure to serve our clients and patients and we enjoy our role in fostering and strengthening the human-animal bond.
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When you arrive you will be greeted warmly as we check you in.
The doctors and staff at Glen Lake Animal Hospital understand the special role that your pet plays in your family and we feel privileged to partner in your pet’s healthcare. It is our commitment to provide quality healthcare throughout the life of your pet.
We all know that going to the doctor is stressful and it is no different for our animal friends. We pride ourselves on compassionate care, and our staff has extensive training and experience in the animal care field. We see patients at scheduled appointed times, this way we can spend the visit in a quiet examination room, allowing ample time with the veterinarian and certified veterinary technician.
Please let us know if your pet has any special needs that we can accommodate to make your visit to our hospital the best experience for you. Our staff are pet owners too, and your pet will be treated like one of our own.
Welcome to Glen Lake Animal Hospital!
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Below you will find contact information for our Veterinary Hospital in Minnetonka. Please contact us to make an appointment!
Contact Us:
Address:
Glenn Lake Animal Hospital
14805 Excelsior Blvd.
Minnetonka, Minnesota 55345
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2020 shelter removal deadlines
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Dark houses, fish houses and portables must be off the ice no later than midnight for each of the dates given in the categories below. County sheriffs may prohibit or restrict the use of motorized vehicles if dangerous ice conditions are present. If shelters are not removed, owners will be prosecuted. A conservation officer also may confiscate, remove or destroy any ice structure and its contents if not removed by the deadline.
Inland waters
- South of line - March 2, 2020
- North of line - March 16, 2020
Border waters
- Minnesota–Iowa - February 20
- Minnesota–Wisconsin - March 1
- Minnesota–North and South Dakota - March 5
- Minnesota–Canada - March 31
Dates of removal are determined by an east-west line formed by U.S. Hwy. 10, east along Hwy. 34 to Minnesota Hwy. 200, east along Hwy. 200 to U.S. Hwy. 2, and east along Hwy. 2 to the Minnesota-Wisconsin border. After removal dates, shelters may remain on the ice between midnight and one hour before sunrise only when occupied or attended. Storing or leaving shelters on a public access is prohibited.
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Lead poisoning of a loon
It started when the DNR received a report on a loon that had not migrated. It was the day after Thanksgiving, and the lake was freezing. The loon was keeping a small hole open in the ice on Big Jay Gould Lake near Cohasset in Itasca County. Members of the Cohasset Fire Department used the "ice angel" air boat and wet suits to retrieve the loon. Early the next morning, the loon was taken to the Garrison Animal Hospital and was diagnosed with lead poisoning. An x-ray showed that a lead jig-head was in its stomach, and blood tests indicated a blood lead level of 2.28 parts per million (ppm). By the time the lead jig was removed, it was too late. The lead had already poisoned the bird. It died. Lead poisoning occurs in birds of blood levels greater than 0.2 ppm and birds usually die with levels greater than 1.2 ppm.
One lead sinker can poison a loon
A loon with lead poisoning behaves strangely. It may fly poorly, have crash landings or stagger onto the ground. The loon begins to gasp, tremble, and its wings droop as lead is carried through its blood stream. As the poisoning worsens, it eats very little and hides among aquatic vegetation, staying behind when other birds migrate. It becomes emaciated and often dies within two or three weeks after swallowing the lead jig or sinker. It takes only one lead sinker or jig to poison a loon.
How poisoning happens
Loons routinely swallow pea-sized pebbles on the bottom of lakes. The pebbles pass to the stomach and help in digestion, like grit in the stomach of a chicken. When fishing sinkers are lost during fishing and drop to the bottom of the lake, they can be picked up by loons or by waterfowl like ring-neck ducks and trumpeter swans. Some loons also swallow fishing jigs when they mistake them for minnows. As the lead sinker or jig is exposed to the acids of the stomach and to other pebbles, lead enters the bird's system and slowly poisons the bird.
Is it time to get the lead out? You can help
Give nontoxic sinkers a try. The less lead we handle and release into the environment, the better off our we and the wildlife will be. Next time you clean out your tackle box and make a list of replacement tackle to purchase for the upcoming fishing season, be sure to include nontoxic fishing sinkers. Currently there are many non-toxic sinker alternatives on the market made out of bismuth, tin, stainless steel, tungsten, ceramic, recycled glass and natural granite. Because weights of the different materials vary, you'll have to experiment to find what works best for your type of fishing.
Ask your local bait and tackle store to stock environmentally friendly unleaded sinkers. Two examples are Gremlin Green and Bullet Weights. Some major discount stores have made a special effort to increase the variety and supply of non-lead sinkers. Never throw old tackle into the water or on shore. Consider lead sinkers and jigs as toxic material and dispose of them at household hazardous waste collection sites. To insure that future generations hear the call of the loon we need to safeguard their environment. Even if you don't fish, share this information with family and friends who do. Just tell them to "Get the lead out!"
A conservation dilemma
In 2003 Minnesota's loon population was about 12,000 birds, and the numbers appear stable. There are, however, some potential threats to the long-term survival and status of loon populations. One of those is the threat posed by lead fishing sinkers and jigs.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency did a study to examine loons for high mercury concentrations. The mercury study incidentally discovered that loons were dying from lead poisoning. Out of 101 dead loons that were analyzed, a total of seven died of lead poisoning and an equal number died from fish line entanglement. The fish line problem is fairly straightforward and can be reduced by urging anglers to avoid disposing of waste fish line in our lakes. The lead poisoning problem is more complex.
Biologists have studied the effects of lead sinkers and jigs on water birds and birds of prey since the 1970's. In areas where loons breed, lead poisoning from sinkers or jigs may account for up to 50 percent of the dead adult loons found by researchers.
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Special Thanks TROPHY Level Sponsors
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Did you know there is a
Take a Kid Fishing weekend, and its FREE!
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Minnesotans 16 or older!
who take a child fishing who is 15 years or younger do not need a fishing license of any kind on this special weekend.
Click on the Take A Kid Fishing logo for more information and helpful tips.
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Thank You LUNKER Sponsors!
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Guest Speaker re-cap featuring
Steve Fellegy
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What a treat to have Steve Fellegy join the Club at our February Meeting. We all appreciate you coming down from northern Minnesota. Thanks for sharing so many cool fishing insights, strategies and spending a little extra time with members after the show. Here is a re-cap of Steve's presentation for those members who
couldn't make it.
Here is a little bite about Steve:
Steve is best known for finding walleyes and getting them to bite when no one else can. He
is a three-time PWT winner and two-time champion. He grew up on Lake Mille Lacs and quickly became a fishing wiz kid. He started guiding at the young age of eleven and was very competitive. He would basically compete daily with his brother Joe guiding customers on the lake.
"They ain’t got wings & they ain’t got shovels, they gotta be somewhere."
There are times when we don’t catch fish, and wonder if the lake we are fishing actually has fish. The DNR has been stocking it, the test nets say there are good numbers, but no matter how hard we fish we can't seem to catch anything.
Maybe the lack of catching is a result of a lake with a perfectly balanced food chain and any hot action is more a result of timing or a feeding frenzy. Maybe our lack of success is due to the health of the lake itself. It could be because the lake is filled with baitfish, that are thriving in an environment that can sustain their population, while offering game fish plenty of food.
Lake Mille Lacs on the other hand is coming off one hot summer with some of the best fishing and biggest fish caught in large numbers. Looking at the AIM Pro Series results from last year there were 15 teams that weighed in over 40 lbs and another 6 teams with over 39 lbs. No other tournament on the tour comes close to these totals. Steve commented,
“It’s an amazing time to fish Lake Mille Lacs, but the bite is on for all the wrong reasons.”
The lake is completely out of balance primarily due to a lack of baitfish, netting of spawning fish and an overabundance of big fish. These three factors are resulting in cannibalization of walleye fry and all other baitfish, which is crippling all of the inhabitants of the lake. There are so many big fish in the 26 to 28 range and they are hungry. Steve commented,
“they are eating machines and they will bite on anything, including a spark plug and a set of keys that I tried, just to prove a point.”
The hot bite may be awesome and we should all part take in it while it’s there. However, the big concern is that over half of the fish we are catching on Mille Lacs are 20 inches and over, which is unheard of.
Currently the only fish anyone seems to catch are too big to eat, and the biggest fish are often scrawny, which supports the theory of an under fed population that’s biting because they’re hungry.
Steve commented, “I believe within the next couple of years, we will start to see a crash.”
Steve would like the lake re-balanced by removing the large walleye before this happens.
“We need the DNR to open up the lake for anglers to keep more large fish in an effort to balance the lake. There are too many big fish. We need to get those big fish out of there,”
he said.
Hotter-than-average summers in recent years have contributed to die-offs of tullibees, or cisco, which are the bread-and-butter food of Mille Lacs predator fish. Biologists believe older walleyes are cannibalizing young walleyes at a higher rate than normal due to lack of baitfish.
The question was asked; Steve, how do you fix the problem? –
"Keep as many fish as we can to let the bait fish catch up, maybe up to 90% of the population."
Sound crazy?
We all remember the crash at Red Lake and the impressive rebound it achieved.
South Dakota experienced a similar crash in 2011 when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was the forced to open the emergency spillway on Oahe Dam near Pierre. Little did anyone know that the lake and the walleye population would soon be in trouble when they discovered a substantial portion of Oahe’s most important baitfish, the rainbow smelt, were washed through the dam. The lake was immediately compromised and thrown out of balance when the primary forage base disappeared, the walleye population suffered and an unheard of tactic was taken to re-balance the lake.
They lake was loaded with small walleye and they chose to allow anglers an unheard of limit to bring it back. Four walleyes 15 inches or longer, with only one over 18 inches, and an additional 10 fish under 15 inches, for a daily total of 14.
The good news is that the smelt are now recovered and even better news is that the nature of Oahe’s game fish were forced to adapt to new food sources, which took some pressure off the smelt as they continued to recover.
It will be interesting to see what the future brings to Lake Mille Lacs.
Interesting facts and fishing tips
- From 1952 to 1985 there were no smallmouth bass seen or caught by Steve Fellegy. Now the lake is a smallmouth hot bed.
- Mille Lacs doesn’t have a ton of smallmouth habitat, it’s mostly mud out there.
- When one species goes down another will go up.
- Netting only covers 10 miles of the shoreline.
- Every female walleye netted costs three years of good spawning lost.
- Muskies are way down in numbers and have relatively no impact to fish populations.
- The Northern population is not as big as the DNR says, not any more than there used to be.
- 98% of the shoreline is rocks, which is key for walleyes whereas smaller lakes are opposite having mostly soft bottoms.
- Commercial walleye stocking outfits can raise more, bigger and better fry than the DNR.
- Stocked walleyes that are reared in shallow ponds grow up in the weeds and will inhabit the same areas in the local lakes they are stocked in.
Weed walleyes, why weeds and how do you find them?
Why weeds?
- Weeds are often the largest holders of food in the lake. They host the entire food chain starting with insects, minnows, young-of-the-year fish, and panfish, which in turn brings in the predators like walleyes.
- Weeds provide shade, cover, and create high levels of oxygen over other areas.
- Weeds provide ideal ambush spots, where they can feed on unsuspecting baitfish without having the chase.
Back in the day, Steve used to find them in shallow water at night by using spotlights on the bow.
“When you find them they will be there waiting for you in the morning,”
Steve commented.
Since then the Minnesota DNR has ruled this practice out as an illegal activity.
"Look for the spot on the spot on a weed line,"
said Steve. Weed variety is a good thing, especially where one variety meets another. For instance, if you are fishing a cabbage bed and you run into a patch of coontail you will defiantly be in a walleye holding location. Coontail in a cabbage patch is one of Steve's favorite weed hot spots. Thus, a spot on a spot on a weed line.
"They don’t move up and down from shallow to deep water as we often think."
Steve claims that there are two strains of walleyes, deep water and shallow water.
Steve did a study placing transmitters on walleyes and the shallow water walleyes stayed shallow and the deep water walleyes stayed deep. They caught all but one of those walleyes and that was a 26 incher who kept swimming away from them, they couldn’t get close.
- It’s hard to catch them shallow as they can easily see and hear you, and somehow knowingly stay out of casting range.
- Shallow water walleyes will not stick around when a boat comes by.
- Use slip bobbers, they are a good presentation to use to keep your distance.
"Catching walleyes isn’t hard, finding them is the trick"
We don’t spend enough time looking for walleyes. You can learn more about a lake in one day than an old timer may learn in a lifetime.
- Start by eliminating non-fishy spots.
- Get to know your electronics and what you are consistently looking at.
- Take your sonar out of automatic mode, set it up and keep it that way. Automatic mode is constantly adjusting, which creates inconsistent readings and will make it hard for you to learn what a fish looks like at different speeds.
- Go shallower in late June when they stop biting. Steve catches fish in 5 feet or less but you need wind for cover or you can’t get close to them.
- Target fast drops from the weed line or shoreline edges when looking for shallow water walleyes.
- Envision prime mid-lake structures and look for similar locations that are close to shore. Walleyes will run and hold in those areas.
Fun Fact:
Steve is the only man in the world to get bit on the nose by a Walleye. It was a PWT tournament on Lake Mille Lacs when he caught a perfect 19 ¾ and didn’t want to shorten his leader so he got his nose a little too close to bite the line off. Bam! That Walleye clamped down on his nose and he literally needed help getting it off.
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Thank You KEEPER Sponsors!
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Thank you VALUED Club Donors
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TC Walleyes Unlimited, Inc.
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