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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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Off to a great start!
Greetings Club friends! What a great way to kick off our fall club meetings in person with our good friend Dave Genz. Thanks to all our club members that attended and to the Knights of Columbus for having a safe environment for us to host our events.
Dave gave a great presentation and what made it even better was all of the questions our members asked. Make sure you check out the speaker recap and the exclusive “one-question” video tip we recorded with Dave, which you can find on the Educate page of our website.
Our Wasserman Lake fishing pier project is off to a great start with $200 raised so far towards our $1,000 goal. We look forward to presenting our check to them in the spring.
I can’t wait for our November 5th meeting and guest speaker Dr. Charles Krueger. He is the uncle of board member Dan Camp and professor of Fisheries at Michigan State University. We all want to know how to catch more fish and his presentation titled “Prying into the secret lives of fishes” sounds like a great way to start.
I look forward to seeing you all at the November meeting and don’t forget to bring a friend!
Dale Meinders
President of Twin Cities Walleyes Unlimited
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Tony Roach joins TCWU
as our Special Guest Speaker at our December 3rd meeting
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Important Slot limit changes to Lake Mille Lacs and Upper Red Lake. Check out the Minnesota DNR news section below for all the details.
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Do you have a son or daughter who is on a high school fishing club team? We would love to support them as sponsor! Contact us by clicking on the Green Fishing Club Sponsor Available tab above. |
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Featuring Charles Krueger
Thursday November 5, 2020
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TCWU welcomes Fishery Scientist Charles (Chuck) Krueger as our special guest speaker this month. Chuck brings years of study and experience, to share and will present on the use of acoustic telemetry in Great Lakes over the past decade entitled, “Prying into the Secret Lives of Fishes”. He is certain to provide us all with a new perspective that most anglers haven't experienced. We are very lucky to have Chuck join us all the way from Michigan. You don't want to miss out on this one, so mark your calendars and we will see you all on November 5th.
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Cool facts and a little history about Chuck
- Chuck is an avid fisherman and outdoorsman, who authored 180 fishery science publications and co-edited 3 books.
- He attended the University of Minnesota and achieved (B.S. 1974; Ph.D. 1979) and Iowa State University (M.S. 1976).
- First professional positions were with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
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Chuck was appointed by President Ronald Reagan as the U.S. Commissioner of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission and re-appointed by President Bush from 1988 to 1998.
- Chuck established the Great Lakes Acoustic Telemetry Observation system in 2010, which launched an array of cutting-edge research on fish movements, behavior, and habitat use.
- He advanced the application of fish stocking through widely-cited management guidance publications and papers that evaluate genetic approaches to restoration.
- Has many years of fish tagging and monitoring data to share
- Last fished Lake Mille Lacs on September 5, 2020
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Attn everyone a couple of updates for our meeting on Thursday |
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- This months meeting will be held in the main auditorium on the first floor. The extra space will help us all keep a safe distance
- The Knights of Columbus is serving beverages but the Restaurant is closed
- Masks are required, and we will have some spares for those who need one
- Our first meeting went really and had plenty of room for safe social distancing. We hope you can join us this month!
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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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Special Thanks to TROPHY Level Sponsors |
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2020/2021 TCWU Meetings and Guest Speakers |
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Welcome back TCWU Club Friends!
We are getting back to normal and have an awesome line up of guest speakers scheduled for 2020/2021. We are lucky to have a large facility to host our events and will be sure to have everything needed to host our club events safely. Check out this years speakers below!
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TCWU featured on Minnesota Bound |
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TCWU was featured with our FRASER fishing friends community on Minnesota Bound just a few weeks ago. We are excited to share the link with you all, as it was recently posted on the web. Special thanks to all of you who support the club over all and these special events. Giving back a little time to take our friends fishing makes for a day of memories. It gives us all that special uplift, which creates the passion to come back and do it again. Our feature is about 6 minutes into the show, enjoy! |
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Our Lake Mille Lacs outing was a huge success! We had a great member turnout and our newest TCWU member Scott Kummet took home the coveted TCWU trophy with a beautiful 25 3/4 inch walleye. Scott was on fire as he also landed a 34” northern pike white bottom bouncing for walleye just before lunch.
We are currently in the process of planning our winter club outing, keep an eye out for more information in upcoming monthly newsletters!
Enjoy the picture show!
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Club President Dale Meinders passes the TCWU Trophy to Scott Kummet who took home top honors with a personal best 25 ¾” Walleye. |
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Scott also landed a personal best 34” Northern Pike on an epic 20 minute battle. Congrats Scott, way to go! |
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TCWU Club President Dale Meinders lead Pre-fish planning, which paid off with a bunch of fish catching! |
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Nick Bergstrom hoists a beautiful 18 1/2'” walleye. Nick also hooked into another “huge” walleye, unfortunately the kicker motor didn’t like the fish and let her go, :( |
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Dawn Lavigne had her game face on with this 23 inch beauty! |
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Taking a walleye selfie, Posing for the camera, what a beautiful smile you both have! |
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Dan Camp is on the Board! |
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Classic TCWU lunch break
Thanks to all for the awesome
fun fishing for sure!
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Lake Mille Lacs winter anglers allowed 1 Walleye starting Dec. 1, 2020
Winter anglers on Mille Lacs Lake will enjoy a walleye harvest this winter for the fifth season in a row. Starting Tuesday, Dec. 1, anglers will be allowed to keep one walleye between 21-23 inches or one fish longer than 28 inches. This is the same regulation as the last two winter seasons.
“It’s good news that anglers will be able to harvest walleye again this winter,” said Sarah Strommen, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. “Conservative management continues to sustain good fishing on Mille Lacs.”
Upper Red Lake Walleye regulations change for the winter season
Anglers fishing during the winter season on Upper Red Lake in northern Minnesota will have a three-walleye bag limit, with only one walleye longer than 17 inches allowed. The new regulations, which become effective Sunday, Nov. 1, lower the possession limit from the four-walleye limits in place during the 2020 open water season "Anglers should remember to bring a good measuring device along with them on their trip to Upper Red Lake,” said Andy Thompson, Bemidji area fisheries supervisor with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. “Many walleye will measure just above, and just under, the 17-inch size restriction.”
Trout stocking via helicopter means more fish for anglers, who new?
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources typically uses trucks to stock fish, but traditional methods can’t be used in some of the state’s difficult-to-reach lakes. In those waters, airplanes have been used for years to provide aerial stocking.
But recently, Anglers will have the opportunity to catch trout on remote lakes in northeastern Minnesota following helicopter-based fish stocking efforts this fall.
Minnesota DNR statement regarding USFWS decision to remove the wolf from the endangered and threatened species list
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is aware of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS’s) decision, announced today, to remove the wolf from the federal endangered and threatened species list throughout the coterminous United States. Prior to this action, the wolf in Minnesota was federally listed as threatened. In our July 2019 comments on the USFWS’s then-proposed delisting, we concluded “all evidence indicates that the gray wolf population in Minnesota has recovered” and federal protection under the Endangered Species Act is no longer warranted in the state.
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Thank You to all our Sponsors and Donors! |
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TCWU Club President Dale Meinders interviews September guest speaker Dave Genz who shares this “Pro Tip of the Month"
Click on the image below to link to Dale and Dave's discussion.
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Dave Gentz - Guest Speaker Re-cap |
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Going back in time
It’s the 40 year Anniversary of the Fish Trap fish house, which has survived the test of time. Dave’s friend saved two of the originals; one in the HOF and one at Clam, check it out some day.
Dave recalled convincing his wife into sewing the 5 original fishing houses. Then 20 and then 80 and then that was it. That’s when he partnered with Clam and the rest is history.
Old time ice fishing vs current day.
Back in the day we chopped holes, sat on cold old beat up metal buckets and used unforgiving stick poles.
Today we have electric augers, which are so easy for everyone to use, custom buckets that are powered with lights and charging systems. Our rods are state of the art with short handles, better sensitivity and high end reels. We old timers all remember losing that 2lb Crappie when they went into a death spiral on those stick poles, grrr but hey those days are over!
What are Dave’s Favorite things and a few fun facts
- Favorite lake = where ever they are biting
- Favorite new lure = the Silky. A jeweler friend came up with the new Silky idea and used his skills from earing backings and threading to create this lure. It’s made from silk, which comes naturally from Silk worms. Natural silk seems to make fish attracted to bite and hold on to the bait longer.
- Silky's catch everything including bait such as Redtail's. Try fishing them on an ice fly and catch your own walleye bait instead of paying $15.99 a dozen.
- Favorite sonar is the Vexilar 30. It has nice features, multiple cone angle options and less interference. Runs for days with lithium batteries.
- Dave is a mono guy in the winter, says “braid brings up water which freezes guides.” He will use braid in deep water to eliminate stretch.
- Clam has a new jigging rap that incorporates the fin into the lure, it won’t break off, try it!
- Dave uses a polymer knot on lines 4 lbs or less and a clinch knot over 4 lbs
- John Gillespie fished plastic one day and Dave found them all over all over his boat at the end of the day. He never saw anyone who caught more fish on plastic and that’s because John would switch to a new bait on every a tear.
- Ice Line Color. Dave uses red line at times so he can line watch. Red is the first color that disappears in the water. That’s why we use red hooks, the fish can’t see them. Naturally Red line will disappear as well. Check it out someday.
- Scheels brings in fishing pros to coach up their fishing staff, which no other store does. Dave loves Scheels make sure to check out their new store in Eden Prairie!
Precautions for early ice
- Walk with a chisel and if it goes through it’s not safe
- Float suits are big sellers. Moms are big fans and are buying more of these to keep the family safe.
- Carry and use ice picks, ice cleats, and a rope with a waited dummy to allow you to toss a rescue line effectively.
- Don’t lead, LOL!
Connecting youth to fishing
Young people love technology. Make sure to introduce them to advanced fishing electronics. They are like video games in a way and will connect fishing to technology, which =’s fun! Also, go to a lake where you can catch fish all day to keep them interested.
Fishing tips
- On first ice key on the sharp drop into the deepest part of the lake
- Panfish are in the wide bands of depth in first ice. Work the weeds where the oxygen is.
- Mid-Season = sunken Islands, etc…
- Shallow water can be the coldest part of the lake at times, try to hone in on 39 degree water to improve fishing success.
- South ends of the lakes are colder than north end because the north wind blows all the cold water down to the south end and cycles the warm water back north.
- Four people fishing independently in a one man fish houses will catch more fish than four guys in one house. Splitting up encourages movement, whereas four in a house discourages moving.
- Don’t fish until you see fish on your graph
- If you find yourself missing hook sets switch to pistol grip. Turn your hand sideways and set the hook with your wrist.
- Use the regular grip for different presentation techniques. Cadence and rod balance can be more effective when using this grip.
- Switch to fresh Maggots If your go to bait isn’t working. They give off a fresh scent and Minnows even peck at that fresh juice.
- Try extending your jigging rap bottom treble hook 3 inches. It was illegal in the world fishing competition, so it must work.
- They say, dress for success. Wear breathable clothing if you are exerting energy, and non-breathable for staying warm
- We were taught to wait for the bobber to go down to the bottom of the hole then set the hook but noodle rods and spring bobbers change the game. If you get a bite and you miss on the hook set, count down 1, 2 and if you still miss count to 3, 4 … Its hard but when you feel the bite you may have to drop/walk your rod tip down and let them take it.
- Keep your jig cadence moving to keep the jig from spinning
- Jig erratic when there are no fish around then when on the screen tone it down and coax the bite
- Dave says it’s necessary to feel the lure bounce. When you can’t feel the bounce that means the fish has your lure.
- If you use a sinker you will feel the sinker and not the jig. Try tungsten jigs and eliminate the sinker.
- Tungsten metal melting temp is higher than the hook so it’s a twostep process, which requires jig makes to solder the tungsten to the hook. That’s why Tungsten costs more.
Special thanks to Dave for kicking off our 2020 club meetings. The meeting went very well and was good to get out and talk fishing.
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TC Walleyes Unlimited, Inc. |
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