TCWU is excited to host one of our favorite local angler's and educator's Jon Thelen as our headline speaker at our Thursday May 1st club meeting.

Jon is an experienced professional angler who channeled his passion of fishing into a career as a fishing educator through media and speaking opportunities.

Jon truly enjoys sharing his fishing knowledge. Helping anglers improve their skills and success on the water, is a sincere passion for Jon. He really has this unique ability to share his fish catching strategies in an easy way we can all understand. 

We hope you are all excited to meet Jon in person, and learn from a life time of walleye fishing experience!

Fun facts and a little history about Jon

• Jon began fishing tournaments in 2003 earning his way to the PWT.
• He has written/contributed to over 150 articles and graced the cover of over 30 magazines.
• In 2015, Jon became the Field Producer and Host of Lindy’s Fish Ed Television
• He started up Destination-Fish, which features television shows, YouTube videos, Facebook page and his website Destination fish.com. Television 
• Jon mentioned that he used to keep secrets to himself when he was a Professional Angler. Now that he has become a fishing educator he loves sharing all his secrets away.

Jon received great news in January that he will be inducted into the Minnesota Fishing Hall of Fame in 2025. Congratulations Jon! and we look forward to seeing you at our club meeting on May 1st!

Learn more about Jon Thelen, Destination Fish, and more check out his Social Media links below.

Destination-Fish Video Channel

Facebook

Fish Ed TV

Scheels Fish Fest 2025 is coming up this weekend Friday April 11th and Saturday April 12th.

They will be featuring Great Deals, and the top fishing vendors will be in attendance to personally answer your fishing questions.

They are featuring 4 of the top fishing educators to help get us tuned up for opening fishing. See the names and times below

Guest Speakers include: Tom Boley, Tom Huynh, Johnnie Candle and Josh Douglas Mark your calendars, this is a great opportunity connect, and learn. We look forward to seeing you all there!

Tom Boley: Friday April 11, 6:00 - 7:00 pm

Johnnie Candle: Saturday April 12th, 12:00 - 3:00 pm

Tom Huynh: Saturday April 12th, 10:00 - 11:00 am and 4:00 - 5:00 pm

Josh Douglas: Saturday April 12th, 4:00 - 5:00 pm

SCHEELS FEATURES excellent customer service, world class brands, educational seminars and events that enhance our outdoor experience.

Many of you have experienced their top notch customer service. They are experts are passionate about the products within their department and Deliver plus one for every customer. You will experience, an engaged team of employees who are dedicated on providing the best retail experience in the eyes and minds of you, their customers.

They carry world-class brands and back every product they carry with the SCHEELS guarantee. You can feel confident knowing you’re purchasing the same footwear, apparel, and gear professionals rely on.

They host seminars with well known fishing educators such as Johnnie Candle, Tom Boley, Tom Huynh, and Joel Nelson.

They feature events such as Ice Fest and Fish Fest, which include awesome prizes, guest speakers, sales and giveaways.

SCHEELS is gearing up for Spring fishing and is loaded up on all the outdoor gear and tackle you need. Make sure to get a head start on the fishing opener by coming to Fish Fest to get what you need!

Check them out online at...Scheels.com

Welcome to one of our fine club sponsors Agency Bay Lodge! They are a family-owned resort located on beautiful Leach Lake in Walker Minnesota. The lodge is nestled in, on weather protected Agency Bay, which features wicked awesome fishing structure, a short cut to the main lake and a quick two mile run to Stoney Point. The city of Walker is a short boat ride from the lodge, which adds a fun boating and day trip experience!

Amenities at Agency Bay Lodge:

• Bait and Gift Shop
• Boat docks with Electric Boat Lifts
• Cabins and lake homes on the water and 1200 feet of lakeshore.
• Additional 800 feet of private lakeshore and sandy beach (only accessible by boat)
• Air Conditioning in Cabins, fire pits on the Lakeshore, Kayaks, Canoes, and Pedal Boats
• Night life fun close by at Northern Lights Casino

We highly recommend you check out our club friends and sponsors Bob and Jen Weeks at Agency Bay Lodge. They know fishing, run a fantastic resort and are amazing hosts. You'll find their contact information below highlighted in summer sky blue. Click on the link to learn more! Agency Bay Lodge

Welcome to Glen Lake Animal Hospital!

It looks like warmer sunny days are just around the corner and now is a goodtime to schedule your pets for their annual tune up for all the little things warm weather brings. A few things to update are pet vaccines, parasite control, allergies, dental check-up and getting them slowly back into shape to avoid injuries. A full check up for your pet will help make sure the warm weather season is enjoyable for all.

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, and 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.

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.

Contact Us

Phone: 952-935-1232

Fax: 952-935-0852

Email: general@glenlakeanimalhospital.com

Address

14805 Excelsior Blvd.

Minnetonka, Minnesota, 55345

Website: Glen Lake Animal Hospital

Runs True Fishing LLC is a family owned business who strives to create quality handcrafted tackle. We believe in creating high quality gear to improve your fishing success. We feature Bottom Bouncers, Spinners, Blade Baits, Dodgers, Double Rigs and Blade Baits 

Check out the Minnesota DNR Fishing Home Page

The Fishing Home Page on the Minnesota DNR website is loaded with all the latest updates, tools such as Lake finder, regulations, helpful tips and more all on one easy to navigate page. Take a look If you haven't had the chance to check it out. We recommend bookmarking this to your web favorites. It is a one stop shop for all MN fishing information.

Click on the link below to learn more.

MNDNR Fishing Home Page

Lower St. Croix River has several regulation updates ahead of 2025 fishing opener

The following regulations have changed for the Lower St. Croix, which spans 52 miles from the Taylors Falls Dam to the St. Croix’s confluence with Pool 3 of the Mississippi River: Click on the link below to learn more.

Lower St. Croix fishing regulation changes

DNR sets open water fishing regulations for Upper Red Lake

Anglers fishing on Upper Red Lake during the 2025 open-water season that starts Saturday, May 10, will have a five-walleye possession limit, with only one walleye over 17 inches allowed. Click on the link below to learn more.

Upper Red Lake Walleye Limits

2025 fishing regulations for walleye on Lake Mille Lacs

Anglers on Mille Lacs Lake will have the opportunity to harvest two walleye daily during the upcoming open water season, which begins on Saturday, May 10, and continues through Sunday, Nov. 30. Harvested walleye must be 17 inches or greater, and only one of them can be over 20 inches. Click on the link below to learn more.

2025 Lake Mille Lacs Walleye Regulations

TCWU March guest speaker Nick Lindner shares this “Pro Tip of the Month“ with Club President Dale Meinders on preparing for May fishing opener by tuning up and spooling up your reels.

Thanks for the great meeting Nick!

Click on the photo below to hear what was shared!

TCWU welcomed Nick Lindner who continues the Lindner fishing legacy as a third generation angling educator and media professional. His influence from James, Ron, and Al Lindner developed a love for multi-species angling throughout his childhood. He enjoys fishing all year long.

We were excited to host Nick who gave an Eye-opening presentation on Dropshot fishing for walleyes. It was truly a great meeting and for those members who missed, not to worry. You will find a detailed re-cap of Nick's presentation below.

Dropshot Fishing is a Versatile Bait Delivery System not just for Bass or vertical fishing!

It’s a way to present some of your favorite baits, to the fish with a new look, from a rig that presents them differently. It’s simply a hook, line and sinker presentation, that was developed in Japan. Dropshot rigs were adopted by the Bass circuit and quickly replaced all the finesse fishing techniques because it was so effective.



This technique is one of Nick’s favorites for fishing bass and he learned that it is extremely effective for catching walleye. He calls it out as his number two tactic for catching walleye, with jigs at number one. Nick always has a dropshot rig in the boat ready to go and uses this bait delivery system regularly.

Why should you take the time to learn how to drop shot?

There are distinct advantages that dropshot rigs provide over other methods. 

• Gives you the opportunity to fish a weightless presentation
• It’s a great way to present finesse baits to fish in deeper water and also shallow water
• Allows you to quickly get your presentation on the structure
• Gives you more time to soak your bait in the zone, which allows you to work the fish longer
• Allows you to fish snaggy structures effectively and eliminates re-tying of your rig if you do get hung up
• Results in a high hook up percentage.
• Works great in cover, weed lines, large boulders, timber
• Consistently holds your bait off the bottom, which keeps it clean and free of lake bottom slime, weeds and other 100% of the time

Nick prefers cast and retrieve over dragging. The weight should be in contact with the bottom and you’re working the slack of the line, which creates movement to the bait.

"Cast it out and work the bait, not the weight."

• Nick typically makes casts in the 40 – 60 foot distance
• Cast to the fish and let it drop to the bottom before reeling in
• There is a short learning curve to hooking up on a fish. Often times you’ll feel the push up and or the line pull away when using live bait. The secret is to follow the fish for roughly two seconds before setting the hook. Nick recommends a sweeping hook set and if you get thumped really hard, set the hook immediately

Once you get used to it you will land almost every single fish because there is nothing for the fish to leverage when using a weightless hook presentation

Hooks

• Live bait rigging - use a Number #2 to a 1/0 aught Octopus live bait style hook
• Primarily nose hooks his live bait but sometimes wacky rigs a leech
• Use straight long shank hooks for threading night crawlers or plastics
• Use the VMC Finesse Neko hook for crawlers. The bait keeper is a critical for holding the nose or your crawler in place with a natural look

o  Fishing tip – use this hook on all of your crawler harnesses.

• Use Gamakatsu G-finesse hooks for threading plastics

Other hook presentations to consider – There are a lot of different hook options, which create fun enhancements to try

• Texas rigs
• Fly tie feathers on the hook
• Weed guard hooks
• Screw Lock finesse swimbait hooks

Tie your hook directly to the line, and use a Palomar knot. Nick uses the Palomar Knot for everything, because its easy and strong!

• Important! - Run the tag end of the line back through the eye of the hook before tying to the weight. It will keep your hook in the proper position

Line

• 8 lb braid main line to eliminate stretch and create consistent casting and presentation
• Use 6 to 8 lb fluorocarbon leader. Use lighter line on pressured and clear water lakes
• Tie the braid to the fluorocarbon leader with a uni-knot

Rod and Reel

• Rod length is traditionally shorter due to its vertical presentation. Nick likes a longer rod for casting and hook sets.
• Uses a 7’3” Medium lite fast action rod
• Use a 2500 size high quality reel with a good drag. Drag is critical because its such a light presentation

Weights – the four styles of drop weights

• Cylinder, Conical, Ball, Bell
• Nick uses the conical weights, which consistently slip in and out of weeds and rocks.
• Lighter weights tend to snag less than heavier weights
• Attach by tying an overhand knot the end of the drop line, thread it through the wide gap on the drop weight and then cinch it up into the pinched section to hold the weight. This allows for easier breakoffs of the weight only and eliminates re-tying your rig. You just slide on a new weight.
• Nick will tie a knot to the drop sinker in the weeds or if the weights are sliding off
• Use a 1/4 to 1/2 ounce weight depending on where you are fishing
• Lakes typically 1/8 – 1/4
• Rivers upsize as much as you like
• Tungsten vs Lead – Tungsten has better feel and is 5 times louder than lead. Try them both to determine your personal preference. Default to lead when fishing snaggy structures
• Deeper water tend to have a longer dropper line, typically 18 inches
• In spring or in shallow water typically 12 inches
• Clear water use longer dropper lines

Play around with the length to tune into what is working best that day

• Fishing tip, Smallmouth bass like longer dropper lines

Baits - Dropshot allows you to present your bait with a consistent action, whereas jigging typically has an up and down motion. Its just a way to make your bait look a little different out in the water

• Most popular artificial bait for all species are Finesse Worms, Senko’s, Berkley Flat Worm, Finesse Grubs, Swimbaits

Live bait for walleye’s

• Great for pressured bodies of water
• When bobbers aren’t triggering fish to bite
• You can use lighter tackle and finesse
• Night Crawlers work great - thread them on a long shank hook with a bait keeper
• Pinch a third of your crawler off. Typically have 1 1/2 inches of your crawler extend past your hook
• Leeches - Nose hook right behind the sucker
• Minnows - Typically nose hook and will tail hook when targeting small structures, weed patches, and individual fish

 

 Drop Shot Tips

• Critical that you Jig the bait and not the weight
• Use the lightest weight possible, to avoid spooking the walleyes
• Never stop experimenting to learn different variations, presentations and looks
• Mille Lacs Walleyes on the Mud - use 1/4 ounce weight with a Crawler, at 2 1/2 foot off the bottom
• Mille Lacs Smallmouth - target rocks and weeds, use 3/16 ounce weight, leech, 18 to 24 inches off the bottom 

Watch Nick's YouTube video "Dropshot Walleyes". It provides an awesome on the water instruction on using the dropshot technique. Click on the photo above to view

Fishing tips continued

• Where there is one fish there are usually others
• Fish are moving and you can target them quickly with dropshots
• Dropshot presentations are not widely used for walleyes, which will let you present baits in ways most fish haven’t experienced
• Dropshots will give you a lateral presentation that a jig and plastic won’t give you
• Nick uses drop shots ice fishing for several reasons
• The weight drops to the bottom and the fish won’t see it on the line above the hook
• You can use heavier weight in deep water to get back down quicker
• Eliminates the need for bobbers and bobber stops. You always know how far off the bottom your bait is
• Dropshot with plastic works great for catching slot fish. Plastic crawfish seem to attract the larger walleyes, try them when you are chasing big fish. Again, this is another unique presentation that most walleye haven’t seen. Shorten your drop line to 12 inches for realistic presentation when using craws
• Use craws with medium size pinchers such as Zoom Z-Craw
• Walleye usually hit plastics hard, set the hook immediately when they strike
• Weightless Senko’s hooked wacky style are deadly for bass. They sink slowly however and take forever to drop into deep water. The dropshot gives you the opportunity to utilize Senko’s in deep water.
• Northland Eye Candy Grubs works really well and have great action with subtle movements due to the super soft plastic. The thin tail has amazing action and it may be the most realistic plastic on the market
• Nick likes natural colors with a dropshot presentation, that don't have flash. Fish them slow and deliberate
• Black hair jigs 1/16 to 1/8 ounce resemble a leech and work well for walleyes. They are a little tricky to cast, and an unique option is to dress your hook (Fly Tie) with marabou jig hair, which allows you to cast this presentation easily
• The Dubuque Rig is great for river fishing where two lines are allowed. Cast it out, let it hit the bottom, lift, drop and swim

Special thanks to Nick for joining our club to talk fishing. We had an amazing meeting and appreciate all the walleye fishing tips along with the different techniques and presentations you shared.

Nick is an amazing angler, innovator guide and educator. He is is active on social media, which provides a great source of information, on the latest techniques and fishing tips.

To learn more about Nick Lindner Fishing check out his Social Media

Nick Lindner Facebook

Nick Lindner YouTube

Nick Lindner Instagram