TCWU May 2019 Newsletter

May 2019

4608 Tower St.

Edina, MN 55424

(612) 440-7171

tcwalleyes@gmail.com

Twin Cities Walleyes Unlimited Monthly Newsletter

Club fishing outing is on Saturday June 1st Check out the event details located just below The Photo's of the Month section.

Volunteer opportunity, we need your Help!

TCWU and Fraser Group Home are

hosting our 2nd annual Fishing Buddy Event

for residents and individuals with special abilities

On SATURDAY JUNE 8, 2019 at 9:00 am

We are absolutely thrilled to again partner with Fraser Group Homes this summer for fishing outings where volunteers from TCWU help Fraser Group Home residents fish from shore/piers.

We are looking for volunteers to help with this event.

Volunteer tasks to include; prepping equipment, serving lunch, assist residents in baiting hooks, releasing fish, tutoring about fishing and physically assisting some Fraser residents.

TCWU will be supplying all the equipment for the event; Rods, Bait and Tackle along with all the Food and Fixings for lunch. We just need your help to make the event a Great Success!

Two ways to sign up:

Click here to Email our Event Coordinator Josh Laabs

Call Josh directly at 612-666-3030 - Make sure to clearly leave your name and phone number if you get voicemail.

Event Details:

9:00 am - Volunteer Coffee and Doughnut Breakfast.

9:15 am - Prep fishing rods.

9:45 am - Josh Laabs will gather volunteers for final prep and instruction.

10:00 am - Fraser residents arrive for check in and escort to fishing piers.

12:00 pm - Lunch!!!

Location:

Moore Lake Park Shelter #2

5898 Central Ave NE, Fridley

WHAT TO BRING:

Small panfish kit to make easy repairs and quick tactical adjustments.
Water or your favorite soft drink (for yourself).
Sunscreen.
Fold out chair if you need to get off your feet.

To learn more about Fraser and what they do for their residents and clients, click here: www.fraser.org

Last year was just a blast. We are looking forward to more successful outings this summer. See you out there!

May Guest Speaker Re-cap

Featuring Scott Glorvigen

Thursday May 2, 2019

Special thanks to our May special guest speaker Scott Glorvigen.

We truly appreciate you coming out and spending the evening with our club!

Scott captivated the entire group for a solid hour and a half and stayed late after the meeting to answer questions and spend individual time with us all.

Scott engaged club members to ask questions and handed out a lot of cool gear for all those who asked one. As you can see below, lots of questions!

Scott is very passionate on the importance of fishing and how it brings people together. " Fishing is the one activity that will bring anyone and everyone together creates fun and smiles."

Lund Life vest anyone?

Above is a picture of Scott in action. He brought a ton of energy, which fired up the club members.

Donation for TCWU

Scott singled out our Club for providing, supporting and participating in volunteer fishing opportunities such as Fraser, Cops and Bobbers and Military Youth events.

He was so moved he pulled out a check and donated $1,000 to support our events.

Pictured is Past President Joe Roach accepting a $1,000 check from Scott Glorvigen.

Thank you Scott!

Meeting Re-cap

Scott walked through his history of fishing, which included early stories on running into the Griz on Winnie, fishing the PWT and creating his WIRED2fish.com fishing media and informational website. He had some really cool insights on jig fishing and plastics. He shared uncommon techniques for catching Walleyes, UV baits and shared several of his favorite tricks.

For our club friends who couldn't make it to the meeting, here is a re-cap of what you missed.

Scott mentioned that we sometimes become creatures of habit. We find a presentation that works and then we stick with it. Walleyes are the most versatile fish that swims; they will behave like every fish in the lake at any given time. Catching walleyes in the weeds using bass presentation is a common example of this behavior. Be versatile and think outside of the box.

Plastics

Berkley PowerBait Pro Twitchtail Minnow is a favorite plastic.
It has a tremendous amount of movement, which is a key advantage over a heavy non-moving plastic.
Gives the ability for a really erratic presentation, which is an advantage over a paddle tail plastics. The paddles slow the presentation down, and cancel out the opportunity for this type of presentation.
Match your plastic color with the color of the jig.
Use light braid for long casts to not spook fish.
Be aggressive these are jerk baits.

Paddle tails do catch Walleyes; they are especially good in current and when using slow presentations.
They are not all created equal; you want a flexible active motion on your paddle tail plastic.
Keitech Swing Impact baits have really good action and are impregnated with a heavy dose of squid scent if you are looking for a differentiator.

Big plastics for Mid-summer Walleyes in the weeds.
When water temps are the mid-70’s
Try using Zoom super flukes (Big ones) hooked upside down. Try this set up when water temps hit the mid 70’s in the end of June.
MegaBass Dark Sleeper is another one of the better deep thick nasty weed baits. Pitch it in and swim it on the bottom. Use Perch, and Bluegill colors.

Walleyes on drop shots? The bass anglers killed them on Lake Mille Lacs during the Bassmasters Tournament.
Use scent impregnated plastics.
Bad scent from hands can impact the catch; use no scent soap to wash.

UV Factor - Lures made with reflective UV finishes

Many predator species can see reflected UV light naturally, which is driving a whole new approach to fishing lure design. Lure makers in the Northwest trout and salmon market started using this knowledge to their advantage decades ago. The concept is really starting to catch on now as lures are beginning to pop up on shelves everywhere.

UV baits work during the day as they need UV rays to enhance them.
Glow baits needs to be charged and work well at night.
Organisms naturally have UV properties, so the concept is relevant.
UV baits are excellent choices for dark or stained water as they will enhance your presentation.
Scott likes VMC UV Moon Eye and hammerhead jigs. Lime green is a favorite color

Hair Jig world’s first artificial lure

Hair jigs work, you can tip them with live bait and small plastics.
The Griz put rip jigging on the map and is a big proponent of using these jigs.

The Jigging Rap

The Jigging Rap was designed as a Winter bait 50 years ago and is Rapala’s #1 selling lure. They come in several different sizes and Scott uses each size at specific depths.

In deep water over 18 feet use # 9’s, then 7’s then 5’s as you work shallow.
Color doesn’t matter, it’s a reactionary bite.
Use a round nose snap with a barrel swivel and a mono leader tied to braid.
Jigging Raps work year round.
Likes to making casts most of the time.
Likes to fish them up the break typically.
Likes to find fish before he switches to or fishes with Jigging Raps.
Jigging Raps are now available in UV finishes.

Tips and Tricks

Best live bait jig = Stand up Fireball wide gap jig by Northland Tackle.
Favorite color Watermelon.
Size, start with 1/8 oz wide gap hook and move to heavier jigs based on drift and depth.
Secret trick is to bend/offset the hook to keep it off your line and improve your hook sets.
Plastic on Plastic. Try tipping your plastic with another piece of plastic. Use the same plastic but smaller and tip the tip of the hook.
Use your electronics they work. Make sure to understand and master down scan and side scan to locate fish.
Limitations are in our heads; ever seen a tiny perch hit a giant lure?
Key on the deepest water running into the deepest weed line.
Look for the largest pockets of forage and concentrate on those areas.
Stinger hooks; hook them right on the top of the back behind the dorsal fin with two hooks facing up.
Does Color matter? A lot of times no. Night time maybe if you use a glow.
If fish are down there and not is biting, change your color or down size your bait.
Typically fish Jigs in 0-15 feet of water. Uses 1/8 oz. in 4 to 8 feet, 1/4 oz. in 8 to 12 feet, and 3/8 oz. thereafter.
Best knot is a polymer knot. Knot must be straight twelve o’clock. Realign your knots, especially river fishing to keep your knot at twelve o’clock.
Use 2 foot mono leaders on braid
If you buy something, use it next time out. Learn how to use the new tackle you buy.
Check out Scott's WIRED2fish.com website for fishing tips, instructional videos, tackle reviews and the latest news.

Fun Facts:

Scott's website WIRED2fish.com posts fishing related topics 11 times a day and connects with an audience of 35,000 people a day.
Video is big, in 2018 they publish 404 videos that experienced 56,000,000 views.
Called us out for what we are doing with our volunteer efforts, fishing brings people together. It makes kids smile.
Tony Dungy is a longtime client/friend.
Sports took away fishing time from Kent Hrbek with his father, which he would trade his career to fish one more day with him. Keep this in mind and make sure to spend time fishing with your family and closest friends.
Scott and Marty are the true Minnesota Twins (Twin Fish heads, ha ha!)

Thanks again Scott for coming out to spend time with the TCWU Club. You opened our eyes to some new concepts and techniques, we loved your passion and you made it FUN!

For more information on: WIRED2fish.com

Check out the Sponsor Spotlight directly below.

Sponsor Spotlight

A special welcome to new club sponsor

Fishing is our way of life!

WIRED2fish.com is one of the largest outdoors media companies in the world. They have millions of readers and viewers that access their website and various social channels.

How they got Started:

Fishing is our way of life. We all tried to have “normal” jobs at some point, but we just couldn’t shake our undeniable love for fishing. So we followed our passion and started Wired2Fish.com,

" Our goal is to help other anglers and casual fishing folks learn more about the sport and enjoy their time on the water more by catching fish."

How they do it:

They provide fishing tips, how-to videos, articles, tackle reviews and more to keep anglers up to date with the best techniques and tackle available for sport fishing. Their website is amazing and their Facebook page is loaded with content and daily posts. . They truly supply people with the most up-to-date and detailed information and resources about freshwater sport fishing. They have taught millions of anglers across the globe how to fish and be more productive on the water all through social media.

Giveaways?

As all of us in attendance found out at the May meeting, Scott Glorvigen is extremely generous at sharing the gear they receive from vendor companies. You definitely need to check out the WIRED2fish.com website if you like to win really nice gear. Reels, rods and tackle are featured and given away quite often. Not just one either, often times its 5 reels or 5 winners getting 12 lures. Pretty Cool!

Click here to join the WIRED2fish.com experience!

President's Letter

Happy Spring Finally…., Maybe?

After my last two newsletter article I kept hoping to see a normal spring in Minnesota. That apparently is an elusive thing anymore. I was so happy for fishing opener to arrive and should have flown a kite instead. Wow, the wind was crazy north of Brainerd that weekend, as I expect it was where you all were fishing as well. And then we had this last weekend…., yikes!! Rain, cold, wind.

Memorial Day Weekend is upon us now, and it must be time to get on the water.

Our TCWU group has a lot going on these days. I want to send a big thank you shout out to our May speaker, Mr. Scott Glorvigen. I really enjoyed his talk and have had many positive comments sent to me regarding his presentation and the time he spent with our crew after the meeting. We welcome Scott to our club. You are always welcome to join us.

We had an excellent field trip to the Able Seedhouse and Brewery on May 8 to enjoy the Fishing Opener Kick-Off event they hosted with our new sponsors, Omnia Fishing and Able brewery, in association with another TCWU sponsor, Filson. It was very well attended and we appreciate the sponsorship support from these folks. Another big Thank You must go out to Mr. Matt Johnson with Omnia and Able, we really appreciate all you have done in the last few weeks, and we look forward to a long relationship with you.

We are looking forward to June 1 for our first open water club outing of the year. Please check our website for details and email/Facebook any questions that you may have. We will try hard to get everyone out that wants to fish. We will have open boat seats so please call or email any questions you have.

June 8 we are excited to take the folks from Fraser House fishing again. Look again at our website and Facebook explaining the volunteer opportunities. This is a great event and hope to get 20 volunteers from our organization to support this endeavor.

Finally, as we all are busy with the summer fishing season, please send us pictures of your adventures so we can post to our members. This is a great way to share your catches and brag a bit!

I look forward to seeing all my TCWU friends at these upcoming events!!

Tight lines all….Jim “Doc” Wood

President of Twin Cities Walleyes Unlimited

Click here to Renew your TCWU Membership Today

Guest Speaker line up for 2019/2020

We are excited to announce another great line up of Guest Speakers for 2019/2020

Special thanks to club member, Past President and Guest Speaker Coordinator Joe Roach for pulling together another amazing list of speakers. Way to go Joe!

Minnesota DNR News

Did you receive an Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Survey from the MN-DNR?

The MN-DNR recently sent out a survey regarding AIS. Did you receive it? If yes, this your chance to share your concerns and ideas. There are several options where you can check the " Other Box" and write your own personal comments. Make sure to take advantage of the " Other Box" by taking the time to write thoughtful and thorough comments, with supporting detail.

DNR continues aggressive starry stonewort management

Starry stonewort is an alga that looks similar to other native plants and can form dense mats, which can interfere with use of a lake and compete with native plants.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is issuing permits for pilot projects, working with local governments and lake associations, and partnering with researchers to limit starry stonewort in Minnesota after it was first confirmed in the state in 2015. The first confirmation was in Lake Koronis, Stearns County.

Impact, treatment & facts:

Starry stonewort may double or triple in size within two to three years.
Hand removal by divers in small, localized areas appears to be effective.
Copper treatments have shown to slow the spread.
Repeat copper treatments can reduce abundance and slow spread in a given season.
Most native plant communities have seen minimal impacts from copper treatments, though a native type of algae that looks similar to starry stonewort, Chara, has been damaged by treatments, that's a big Bummer!

How you can help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species?

Clean aquatic plants and animals from watercraft.
Drain all water by removing drain plugs and keep drain plugs out while transporting watercraft.
Dispose of unwanted bait in the trash.

Before moving to another water body, especially after leaving infested waters:

Spray your boat & trailer with high-pressure water.
Rinse with very hot water (120 degrees for at least two minutes or 140 degrees for at least 10 seconds).
Let your boat and trailer dry for at least five days.

Details about starry stonewort and other aquatic invasive species are available at mndnr.gov/ais .

Mille Lacs Walleye

Limit Reminder

Friday, May 31 is the last day you are able to keep a Walleye:

One Walleye over 28 inches.
Or one Walleye between 21 and 23 inches.

Interesting Mille Lacs

Night Fishing Change

Beginning June 1, anglers may fish for muskellunge and northern pike at night but may only possess and use artificial lures or sucker minnows longer than 8 inches.

Special Thanks TROPHY Level Sponsors

Performance Fishing Gear for Anglers

Visit our website

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Visit our website

Club Member Photo's of the Month

Congratulations to all on a successful softwater opener!

The Brew Crew, Dave, Korban, Kohen and Amos Brewer took advantage of a hot Crappie bite and large bonus Bucket Mouth!

Catfish D claims the catfish weren't biting, so he went after Walleye and boated this nice Whitetail. Looking Good Dan and your Walleye ain't looking too bad either! Don't worry warm Catfish Days are coming soon!

Brad Flett landed this beauty

30 inch wall hanger. Congrats Brad!

Scott Weinrich and the Boo-Yeah

Fish-Head Crew were loving Red Lake. Nice stringer, looks like a great time!

When Dan Camp got to his favorite Walleye lake the banks were covered with Snow and the lake temps were cold!

He chose to try for a little Steelhead action and hammered four beauties including a 31 inch Silver Torpedo! Good call Dan, way to change your tactics based on conditions.

TCWU Club Fishing Outing Quickly Approaching SATURDAY JUNE 1, 2019 a 7:30 am

We all get together one night a month to talk and learn about fishing. Now it’s time to put that knowledge to work.

We are very fortunate to have so many amazing lakes, that provide great fishing opportunities within the Twin Cities Metro area. This makes the task of selecting lakes for our Spring and Fall outings a difficult one.

After discussion with the other members of the board, Dan Camp and Paul Johnson have come up with two lakes that will hopefully provide a fun day on the water and put a few fish in the boat.

The Spring outing is coming quickly on Saturday June 1st on

Lake Washington in Meeker County

located just West of Dassel and due North of Hutchinson

Here are some fun facts about the lake:

It is relatively shallow, with a max depth of 17 feet.
Between 2007 and 2015 nearly 12,000,000 walleye fry have been stocked into the lake.
The most recent net data shows a large population in the “eater” size range.

You are coming and how many fishing buddy's you are bringing.
You are bringing your boat and if you have room for another club member if needed?
You don't have a partner or boat, lets us know so we can partner you up with someone. (Space may be limited based on turnout).

Click here to email TCWU if you plan to attend. Please include your pertinent from sign up information listed above.

Event Details:

7:30 am - Arrive at Landing, feel free to come earlier.

7:45 am - Fishing strategy breakfast meeting, TCWU will provide coffee and doughnuts.

12:00 pm - Lunch provided by the club! Feel free to bring a favorite side dish.

Location:

South Access on Lake Washington

Two ways to get there:

Take US 12 west - left on County 14 (south) - left on 215th Street

2. Take US 12 west - left on County 15 (south)

Take a right on 700th Ave (north)
Left on 210th Street and follow this road to the Boat landing. Google maps list two additional street name changes once you turn onto 210th Street, but you never turn off of the road. (690th Ave - to 215th St) See the Satellite image for clarity on this strange road map.

Update on Club Friend Tommy Skarlis

Hello TCWU club members,

great news!

In case you haven't heard, our club friend Tommy Skarlis has revealed he is battling a brain tumor. Everything has been going exceptionally well so far and Tommy was able to pack up for home on May 22nd.

Tommy commented as he left:

" I couldn't have done it, nor move forward without Christ and your prayers and support. I am eternally grateful. May God bless you all."

He is looking forward to start loading the LURELOCK tackle boxes and getting ready to start hoisting a few of these critters!

We all at TCWU wish you a speedy recovery and hope you get back on the water soon!

Thank You LUNKER Sponsors!

Doc's Knots

To no ones surprise, Doc Knot's has over 1,000 Facebook views.

(Okay maybe some surprise there)

Regardless we all find these demonstrations very helpful and we can pull them up at any time we need them.

Club President Doc Wood provides his latest knot demonstration, on how to tie his favorite snell knot.

This Knot is very easy to tie, works with braid and and most importantly it's dependable.

Click on Doc Knot's picture to view his latest video demonstration.

Bait School 101

Bait school is in session. Our goal is to learn little about the live baits used to catch Walleyes. Each month we will feature a specific bait and learn about their patterns, locations, forage, and spawning.

This Month's Lesson:

Leeches and Night Crawlers

This month we are going to learn about the Wiley and Wiggly baits, Night Crawlers and Leeches. They are two strange creatures but Walleye's sure love them.

So, what bait do I use?

Many of us fish these two baits based on the time of year, typically we fish opener with minnows and then move into Leeches and Crawlers. Water temperature actually can play a big part in your decision making. Minnows usually work best in the 40 to 55 degree temperatures. Leeches and Crawlers start to work better as the temps reach 55 degrees and above.

Cool mornings and cool water usually make minnows the perfect choice. As the sun comes up the water will warm and switching to Leeches or Crawlers once the temps start getting above 55 degrees. may make the most sense.

Surface and shallow water temperature may be much warmer than deeper drops. Consider this when choosing your bait, try Leeches and Crawlers shallow and minnows deep.

Fun facts about Night Crawlers

They can be found just about everywhere; gardens, lawns, under logs, forests, riverbanks, mud flats, woody peat, and in compost. They do not typically thrive in farm fields however due to pesticides, low soil nutrients and chisel plows.

Can grow to 14 inches long.
Life expectancy average of 6 years and can live up to 10 years.
They form and live in deep vertical burrows up to 6 feet deep.
At night they come to the surface to feed. Diet consists of decaying plant matter, dead insects and feces. They have a mouth and also absorb nutrients through their body from the soil.
Night crawlers are hermaphrodites. Each individual worm contains both male and female reproductive organs. However, the worms still mate with another of their species in order to reproduce.

Fishing tips for Night Crawlers

Night Crawlers aren’t used enough on slip bobber rigs, give them a try. Use the whole worm. Run the hook through the nose, run him up the shank and out. Thread it over the hook eye and even up the line a little.
Night Crawlers work best starting in June through September
Live bait rigs over deeper bars that top out at 25 to 40 feet, are best during the day.
Mike Frisch called out one of his favorite rigs as a bottom bouncer and a Crawler pinched off at four inches. He worked shallow break lines in the 12 foot range and moved deeper.
Working weed lines will attract panfish attacks. However we all know there are Walleyes in the weeds, so you may be worth the effort.

Fun facts about Leeches

Minnesota has several varieties of Leeches; Ribbons, Diamondbacks, Horse, Ring, and Bloodsuckers. Basically, the only ones good for fishing are the Ribbons.They are black or brown and are generally lightly spotted. They will curl up in your hand when taken out of cold water, and have a consistent somewhat meaty texture to them. Horse leeches are mushy and come in all colors also, they are what you will see swimming in most lakes, fish don't eat them.

Ribbon leeches are found in small shallow ponds that don't have fish. Grandpa used to catch them by poking holes in coffee can, and throw chicken parts (especially livers) in it for bait. Then just tie a rope on and throw it into the pond. Wait a day or two and you should have a can full.
In late fall they ball up and burrow in the mud just below the frost line, where they hibernate through the winter.
Leeches are very similar to Night Crawlers as they are also hermaphrodites and they mate with another Leech.

Fishing tips for Leeches

Leeches work best on live bait hooks and can be paired with a bead or your favorite Lindy Rig style float.
Slip bobber rigs allow your leech to swim naturally.
Heavy jigs limit their ability to swim naturally. Try to use a 1/16 oz. jig or the lightest jig possible.
Most fishermen hook them through the suction cup. Try hooking the leech slightly behind the suction cup. You may not lose as many from cast offs or panfish attacks.
Leeches sense the safety of nearby cover and will try to swim to it. The result is enticing live action.
Check your Leech, if it doesn’t swim well, change it.
Not getting action, retrieve the rig and examine it for problems. The knot may have slipped or the Leech may be gone. Some Leeches also seem to give off a Walleye-repelling odor. Change the bait and see.
Beware of the Leech death roll. Sometimes they ball up so tightly you can’t get them off the hook. Check to see if they are hooked properly. They might have been frightened by a Walleye into a protective ball?Whatever the cause, a Leech will never return to the swimming action you want once it starts the death roll. Get rid of it.
Load up on your favorite sizes of Leeches in bulk during the early in the season when their quantity is in peak. Then you will have plenty when they become scarce.
Sort and throw out the bloodsuckers, which are often mixed in. They are often spotted with an orange underside. Walleyes won't eat them.
Caring for bulk Leeches is easy.
Put them in a plastic container a half-inch of water put them in refrigerator at 37 to 42 degrees to mimic winter conditions and they will hibernate.
If you add too much water or store them at too high a temperature, they won't hibernate and eventually die, so check in on them until your temp is dialed in.
Check the water and change as needed.

Russell Nelson, Board Members TCWU

Newsletters are now available on the website

Hey great news members, We have made a few changes to the www.tcwalleyes.com website, which include PDF's of our past newsletters posted to the News and Newsletters tab. If you are looking for those missing Guest speaker fishing tips, well now you got them any time you need. Click on the link below to check it out.