Twin Cities Walleyes Unlimited - Monthly Newsletter |
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Happy New Year
Greetings Club friends! I hope your New Year is off to a great start. The clubs New Year started off with a great presentation from 2022 National Walleye Tour Champion John Hoyer. John shared several ideas from how he breaks down a lake, how he uses his electronics to spot fish and the tactics he uses that can help us put more fish in the boat. Check out the speaker notes below and don’t forget to go to our website to see the Pro-Tip from John. A big thank you to John for an awesome presentation kicking off the New Year.
Also a big THANK YOU to Tony Roach for guiding us out on Mille Lacs for our 4th Annual Ice Fishing Event. We had a great turn out, so I also want to thank all the club members who joined us for a fun day on the ice. Tony and his crew did an outstanding job making sure we were all comfortable on the ice, giving us advice on the right tackle and techniques and putting us on spots to catch fish. Make sure to check out our Facebook page to see all the great pictures of the walleyes we caught during our day.
Thank you to all the club members who were able to join us at Scheels where we hosted the owner of RipaLip, who gave a great presentation on electronics. Dave shared information on Hummingbird, Lowrance and Garmin, how to network these units to trolling motors and the unique features of each one. Thanks Dave for the great presentation. And thank you to Scheels for letting us use their training room for this event.
Because of bad ice conditions, we unfortunately have to cancel this year’s Minnesota Military Youth Ice Fishing Event. Thank you to all the members who signed up to volunteer. We are looking forward to getting back on the ice next year!
I look forward to seeing you all at the February club meeting with our guest speaker Lynn Niklasch and don’t forget to bring a friend!
Dale Meinders
President - Twin Cities Walleyes Unlimited
Connect | Educate | Give
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Membership has it's advantages
Join TCWU or renew today by registering on-line at:
You can find out more information about Twin Cities Walleyes Unlimited and our Events by going to our website and on Facebook
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Lynn Niklasch joins TCWU
Guest Speaker on Thursday February 2nd
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TCWU welcomes you to talk fishing with Lynn Niklasch!
Hello Club Members, We are excited to host Lynn Niklasch at our February 2nd club meeting. Lynn is a multi-species angler based in Oconomowoc, WI with nearly 20 years of full-time professional experience as a guide and diverse tournament fisherman. He is a United States Coast Guard Charter Captain and Wisconsin licensed guide specializing in walleye fishing.
Lynn's mission is to ‘Teach the Joy of Fishing’, equip others with techniques they can use on their own, and to pass along the knowledge that was shared with him as a child. He ensures that his clients are satisfied with their experience, the trips are enjoyable for children and he encourages adults to spend time with children in the outdoors.
Lynn offers trips to Southeastern Wisconsin lakes, Wisconsin, Rock and Wolf River Systems including Winnebago, Bay of Green Bay and Lake Michigan. Lynn demonstrates how there is always something biting somewhere, whether it’s pan fish, trout, salmon, musky or walleye.
Lynn has been featured in several TV segments and magazine articles such as of Outdoor Wisconsin, Midwest Outdoors and In Fisherman. We are excited to learn from his expansive fishing knowledge and look forward to seeing you at the club meeting.
To learn more about Your Fishin" Pal Lynn, check out his Social Media:
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TCWU Guest Speaker line up 2022-23 |
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Sponsor Spotlight - Onyx Outdoors |
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Onyx is the exclusive life jacket sponsor of professional bass fishing leagues; Major League Fishing Cup Tournament, Bass Pro Tour, and now TCWU!
They are offering a 40% discount on all online purchases
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From innovative inflatable life jackets to high-performance rainwear, every piece of Onyx gear is designed to help you experience the outdoors on your terms. Whether your next adventure involves fishing, hunting, paddling or cruising your favorite lake, our gear keeps up with your every move and gets you back home safely. So, when you’re prepared to take on whatever the day throws your way, you can be sure that we’ve always got your back.
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Giving Back
MN-Fish Donation - Governor Walz Supports
Funding for Hatcheries and Boat Ramps
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TCWU members present a check to MN-Fish to support important investments in for Minnesota Hatcheries and Boat landings. |
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MN-Fish sponsored the Minnesota fishing summit, which included Governor Walz, Commissioner of the MN DNR Sarah Strommen and our Club President Dale Meinders back in May 2022. We are excited to see some positive traction influenced by MN-Fish and our fishing leaders
Check out the link from Outdoor News for the full article and to learn more about the exciting news.
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Special Thanks to all our Sponsors |
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Tony Roach club outing re-cap Lake Mille Lacs |
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Thank you to Tony Roach for guiding us out on Mille Lacs for our 4th Annual Ice Fishing Event. We had a great turn out, which made for a fun day of fishing. Tony and his crew did an outstanding job making sure we were all comfortable on the ice, giving us advice on the right tackle and techniques and putting us on spots to catch fish. Below find a few fun pictures of the event and make sure to check out our Facebook page to see all the pictures.
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If you are interested in opportunity to fish with Tony Roach Guide Service - Check out his Social Media page for more information.
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Looking for a great resort to fish on Lake Mille Lacs, try
Nitti's Hunters Point Resort
Their resort features Modern Cabins, Fishing Launch Service, Full Menu Dining & Bar, RV Park, Ice Fish house rental.
5436 479th St, Isle, MN 56342
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Scott Barron and Gary Meyers proud owners of new St. Croix Ice Rods for Biggest Walleye |
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New DNR tool provides health information for thousands of lakes
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has created a new online tool, called the Watershed Health Assessment Framework for Lakes (WHAF for Lakes), providing easy access to water quality and health information for thousands of Minnesota lakes....Minnesota Lake Health Tool
DNR looking to fill 200 paid summer internships
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is looking for passionate and dedicated students interested in learning more about natural resource careers through paid summer internships.
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TCWU Pro-tip of the Month |
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TCWU January guest speaker, NWT Champion John Hoyer shares this “Pro Tip of the Month“ with Club President Dale Meinders. John breaks down the different action, technique and retrieves to try with your glide baits.
Thanks for the great meeting John!
Click on the photo below to hear what was shared!
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Guest Speaker re-cap
Featuring John Hoyer
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TCWU welcomed 2022 NWT Champion John Hoyer as our special guest speaker at our January club meeting. John has been passionate about fishing since he could hold a fishing pole. He started his Pro fishing career by achieving Co-Angler of the Year in 2015. His success since has been nothing short of amazing, with two NWT Championship titles to boast! John's Minnesota connection aligned perfectly with the club members. He crafted his seminar around the lakes we commonly fish and shared several Pro-tips.
For those who missed the meeting you will find a recap of John's presentation that featured his four step approach to fishing, which is sure to broaden your fishing knowledge, enjoy!
Key to success - 4 step approach
- Pre-game planning – Before you go to the lake use Navionics, Google Earth and lake maps to identify and target structures
- At the lake use your 2D Sonar, and GPS to locate the structures
- Side Scan the structure to get a view of it and does anything stand out
- Use forward facing sonar ability to roll up on a spot and not only see fish, and the biggest fish, which is what we are targeting
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John used his 4 step approach to break down Leech Lake
Observations of Leech Lake - lake maps
- It has a lot of structure and contour
- It's a fairly shallow lake, which tells you that the water warms up quickly
- There are Islands in the main part of the lake, that represent potential spawning areas and summer holds
- Big long bays provide stable water and will hold walleye in the spring
- Walleyes are creatures of habit, they like the best spots on the lake
- Pine Point, Stoney, Ottertail, the Duck points.
- The Walker Narrows area will have current every day of the year and walleyes love current
Navionics
- Take note of the red stars, they are gold and identify the biggest boulders in the lake
- Use the distance pins to determine how far you need to travel or limit your travel
Google Satellite Maps
- Use satellite maps to identify potential structures, which will save you time
- Zoom in to identify sand cups, weed beds and similar areas in the lake
- Focus on pure sand cups with weeds, which will be more productive, then a mix of sand and rock. Walleye love sand!
- Satellite imagery will show deeper pockets/holes on these structures, which is a nice visual that Navionics might miss or can't show
2D Sonar
- You can observe fish marks at 20 MPH on plane
- Mark fish waypoints when traveling to a spot and check them out on your return
- You may have to adjust your transducer for optimal readings
- Practice this technique on long sand stretches
- Fish images will be shorter (no arches) but the thickness of a fish will be normal size
- Check the water temperature at the boat landing to establish a baseline to measure changing temps. One half degree of change can make a difference
- Wind changes will move warmer water and the fish will follow
- Water temps will rise during the day and trigger late afternoon bites
- Pro-tip - Turn down your sonar sensitivity to filter out smaller fish if you want focus on big fish
- Fish Mark length is relative to the speed you are traveling
- Fish that are marked directly under the cone give off a crisp 2D image and measure at a true depth
- Fish marks on the outer edge of the cone angle are not as crisp and may measure a foot deeper
- Fish mark identification at different speeds
- 5 MPH = nice arching marks
- 10 MPH = start losing arches
- 20 MPH = just a hash mark
- The width remain constant at all speeds
Down Scan
- Cuts through the structure and shows fish more clearly
Side Scan
- The most important innovation and advantage for fishing
- Standardize your side scan settings to maximize fish identification and viewing consistency
- 12 inch screen = 120 feet maximum distance
- 9 inch screen = 80 foot maximum distance
- 7 inch screen = 60 foot maximum distance
- Practice on the Lake Mille Lacs sand flats, they are perfect to train on
- Once you start catching fish take a break and practice your side scanning
- Start at trolling speed, and then try 3 MPH and 5 MPH on your practice runs
- Image size is dependent on the direction of the fish: Broadside will be larger than front facing
Forward facing sonar
- It’s just like ice fishing but horizontally
- You can quickly scan a structure for fish. Side scan would require circling the entire structure
- You can target specific fish
Pro-tips
- Walleyes like to sit three feet off the bottom in weeds
- Green Bay/Door County is a bucket list place to fish but it’s not easy. It has quality fish just not in quantity. Weather can play an impact
- Lakes can have current seems look for them and fish them like you would on rivers
- If you are catching fish, ask yourself why are these fish here? Identify the pattern
- Shiner spawning happens a couple weeks after walleyes spawn and some fish will hold shallow and wait for them
- Slow trolling in clear water will move the fish out of your cone angle; Pro-Tip is to run over it at higher speeds to capture a fish mark in the cone
- Do an internet search on the best place to mount your transducer specific to your boat
- Only a few variables you can adjust in clear water conditions
- Switch to a lighter line such as 4 pound test line or leader
- Longer leaders
- Keep your boat as far away as you can from the structure and cast
- Lindy rig – Tie a 12 foot Fluorocarbon leader to your line and swivel, and then a 6 lb test leader from swivel to hook
- Use Planer Boards
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Special thanks to John for joining our club to talk fishing. We had an amazing meeting and appreciate all the walleye fishing tips and the 4 step approach you shared. John has awesome social media content including YouTube video's, Websites, Facebook and The Next Bite. Check out the links below if you have time, he has shared a wealth of fishing knowledge for you to view.
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TC Walleyes Unlimited, Inc. |
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