Here's a new video breaking down exactly where I've been finding walleyes on EVERY lake I've been to recently, and the baits/techniques that have been fooling ‘em. ???? I hope this helps you get out and catch a few more fish on your local waters!

Thx much for watching! And I seriously appreciate all of your feedback under each vid – both positive and negative....

If you have, you likely won’t ever do it again! Unless you’re MLF (bassin’) pro Kyle Cortiana, who must have one heck of a callus built up on that bass thumb.... ????????????

Kyle: “Hands down the best day of walleye fishing I’ve ever experienced on the St Lawrence River!!! Best 5 walleye went over 40 lbs and the biggest was 32.5” long!!”

And he’s a repeat offender lol:

Reminds me that I put together a list of “22 unique ways to hold a walleye” a number of years back. For sure worth hitting up again if you need a chuckle – click the pic below to see ’em all:

The lakes haven’t turned over yet, but these colder nighttime temps have us in the first stages of the process.

...usually starts to occur around mid-Sept.... A lot of the bait and fish that have been suspended start making a major migration back up into the shallows – in many cases in spots they were at in the spring – and it will just get better and better. Start bunching up on key [shallow] structures.

And that’s where Al gets cranky and hits ‘em in the face casting Rapala Shad Rap Elites. I love seeing how genuinely excited he still gets over catching a “big eyeball!” ????

TW fan Dan Nelson was trolling for king salmon on Lake Sakakawea last week...bouncing 12-lb cannonballs and squid/flasher combo off the mud bottom in 80’ of water and caught this 29.5” walleye chasing smelt amongst the salmon:

Bouncing 12-lb cannonballs in 80’...who’da thunk?! Obviously we can’t NOT nickname this technique “bowling” or “Kingpinning” lol.

Hahaha! Thanks for sending in, Dan!

- That’s Jason Mitchell trolling himself into quite the predicament. ????

Jason talking: “You are looking at a mess! Hoping for a big walleye until this Mr. Whiskers started to roll below the boat. Three lines in a tangled mess and it is time to cut lines. What is the biggest mess you have ever had in the boat where the only answer is a pair of scissors? Remember if we can’t laugh at ourselves...we don’t have as much fun laughing at other people.”

No doubt!

I actually had one of those moments "where the only answer is a pair of scissors" the other day when I buried a #2 VMC RedLine Series Finesse Neko hook into the top of my foot after stepping too close to my dropshot setup on the front deck of the boat. Youch! But honestly Mitchell's mess looks sketchier HA!

1. MI: Kavajecz leads NWT Championship after day 1.

Keith Kavajecz was leading the NWT Championship on Lake Huron after day 1 (of 3) with 5 for 19-15 and he had all of his fish in the first 2 hours.... ????

Keith: “You know today everything just fell into place and the right fish decided to bite. My practice was not all that great, like most of the other anglers out here this week, but a little tip from my traveling partner Jim Carrol pointed me in the right direction and the magic came at the right time.

“You never know what could happen tomorrow, but I feel like I left a few swimming, so I am really happy to be in this position and look forward to launching my Nitro boat again in the morning and making this the best championship event I can.”

NY native Thomas Slawatycki is nipping at his heels in 2nd place with 5 for 19-10:

Thomas: “This has been the best event I have had all year. Unlike a lot of anglers, I had a really decent practice and I am dialed in fishing deep and slow, just like how I like to catch'em.”

Thomas was another top angler that repeated leaving biting fish and culling several times throughout the day before heading back into weigh-in at AuSable Harbor of Refuge in Oscoda, MI.

“I’m not a young guy out here, so to have this opportunity and to be in this position at an event like this just means so much. Tomorrow my plan is to go put five more in the livewell and hope to make the cut.”

And ND’s Brian Bjorkman is in 3rd with 19 lbs even:

Brian: “Man I gotta catch my breath to think about what happened today. They are there, and the bite is getting better and better each day since I found the juice in practice. I don’t want to jinx myself, but this is the most confident I have felt in a long time”.

Brian reported having an area that is presenting biting fish both up shallow and out in deeper water, the key is just to keep moving and stay in rotation to the biting window.

“The only key to what I am doing, is I am looking at them on forward-facing sonar. Without that, it would be darn near impossible to catch them the way I am.”

Good luck, all! Can’t wait to see how it all shakes out over the 3-day slugfest. They’ll likely just be wrapping up the day 2 weigh-in by the time this email sends out...but you can check the live leaderboard here – only the top-10 get to fish day 3.

2. MN: MTT championship is happening Sept 12-13.

On Lake of the Woods. The grand prize is a 2024 Skeeter 1910 powered by a 200HP Yamaha SHO!

3. Some awesome sonar screenshots...

...shared by Humminbird on FB showing examples of schools of crappies hanging out around man-made fish cribs. MEGA Side Imaging first:

And here’s a look at the MEGA Down Imaging:

Absolutely love when folks take the time to break down exactly what they’re seeing on their electronics. ????

4. ND: 2024 Yar-Craft owners tourney, Lake Sakakawea, Sept 14.

“The 2024 Yar-Craft Boats Owners Invitational is hosted by North Country Marine and Motorsports out of Garrison ND on beautiful Lake Sakakawea on Sept 14 this year. Teams of 2 or 3 people will “brave the wave” on the 2nd largest manmade lake in the United States for a basket of beautiful Lake Sakakawea gold and a chance at being named the best of the best! ...the rules and registration sheet can be found [here].

5. Bryan Seti new national sales/marketing mgr at G3 Boats.

Seti will also continue his current role as GM of Yamaha's WaterCraft Division. Within both positions, Seti will leverage 25 yrs of proven sales and marketing expertise to propel both the G3 and WaterCraft brands.

6. Al Lindner’s Lund 2075 Pro V is for sale.

Said he’s selling all his open-water stuff and focusing 100% of his efforts towards ice fishing this season. Okay, not really...but check this thing out!

Also for sale: 1) Jeff Simpson’s Lund 1875 Impact XS, 2) Jeremy Smith’s Lund 1875 Pro Guide, and 3) James Lindner’s 2075 Pro V Bass XS.

7. Teenage boys save drowning yellow lab...

...using CPR during a Minnesota fishing trip. Way to go, fellas!

8. Wildlife Forever's Fish Art Contest is open now.

The annual program invites youth from around the world to connect with nature and learn about fish and aquatic habitats while exploring creative art and writing. Since its founding in 1997, the Fish Art Contest has reached over 85,000 youth in 46 countries building future stewards of the outdoors.

The free contest [runs now thru Feb 28] is accessible to students from kindergarten through 12th grade. Each year, thousands of entries pour in from across the globe, reflecting the program’s widespread appeal and impact on youth.

9. MN: North Metro Ice Show, Oct 26-27.

At the Adrenaline Sports Center in Ramsey.

10. SD: Dakota Angler Ice Institute, Nov 8-10.

At the Sioux Falls Arena & Convention Center.

11. MB: Winnipeg Ice Fishing Show, Nov 9-10.

At Red River Ex Place.

12. MN: Blaine Hard Water Expo, Nov 16-17.

 At the National Sports Center in Blaine.

13. MN: St. Paul Ice Show, Dec 6-8.

At the St. Paul RiverCentre.

14. WI: Wisconsin Ice Fishing Expo, Dec 13-15.

New bigger venue at the EAA Grounds in Oshkosh.

15. MN: Arrowhead Ice Fishing & Winter Show, Dec 13-15.

At the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center.

16. MI: Ultimate Fishing Show - Detroit, Jan 9-12.

17. NY: Greater Niagara Fishing Expo, Feb 13-16.

Brosdahl: The summer-to-fall walleye migration.

We’re not quite to fall fishing yet, but summer is just starting to slip away. Brian “Bro” Brosdahl talks about the fall walleye migration in this full MidWest Outdoors write-up, droppin’ a few fishy excerpts below:

Water temps determine most of the long-term patterns in lakes...summer patterns will hold as long as the surface temps remain above 70 degrees.

When the real fall cool-down begins, summer patterns fall apart pretty quickly and the fish start their fall migrations and put on the feedbag to get ready for winter.

Minnows and small fish gather in larger schools and make their way into deeper water. Their main defense...when they move deep…is to travel in large schools, so they can ‘hope’ somebody else gets eaten instead of them.

Where walleyes go and what they do depends largely on the type of lake they live in, and what options they have for habitat. Access to deep water is a critical aspect of fall and winter locations for most species of fish.

...walleyes in large shallow lakes that don’t experience thermocline during the summer will often move towards the shallows in the fall.

Walleyes in deep lakes usually move into deeper water in the fall, using complex structures that can provide all of their needs when the lakes eventually ice over for the winter.

...I like to concentrate on the big shallow lakes early in the fall, and then move to the deep lakes later in the fall, when the water temps cool into the 50s.

Bro keeps talkin’ more about the specific rigs he uses here.

Leave it to Ice Team to bring the heat cold. ???? Oooof.

Time for another round of: “Bass thumb? That’s cute!”

Was sent this fish-sexxy snap from TW fan Brandon Field. His father-in-law, Todd Schram, had this waldo absolutely lunch-box a #3 “holographic topper” color Moonshine Shiver Minnow outta Escanaba, MI. Great pic!

Thanks so much for reading! ???? Hope you have a fishy weekend.

National Professional Anglers Assoc.

MN-FISH

Target Walleye LLC

422 Laurel Street

P.O. BOX 541

Brainerd, MN 56401

 (218) 824 5026