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Everybody welcome Scheels to Target Walleye! Pumped to have them on board!! They have ALL the stuff fish-heads need, and the folks that work there seem to (somehow) spend even more time on the water than me lol. ????
Btw the Scheels links below are affiliate links, meaning if you go thru them to make a purchase we might earn a commission...at no cost to you. Thx SO much for supporting Target Walleye! None of this craziness would be possible without YOU. ????
Now, let’s dive on in...
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Lake Erie is a different animal ????
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Just caught my new personal-best walleye!
All thanks to Captain Ross Robertson of Bigwater Fishing out of Port Clinton, Ohio – guy is an absolute wizard on Lake Erie.
This new YouTube video is from what he considered an “off” bite...but he made some adjustments and made things happen in a BIG(water) way!
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John Hoyer’s cold-water killas ????????
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The man, the myth, the probably-doesn’t-have-anymore-room-on-his-wall-for-trophies legend John Hoyer seems to be able to catch walleyes anywhere and everywhere. If you want to do the same ????♂️ you’ve got to be versatile.
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Don’t be afraid to switch it up! Step out of your comfort zone and play with some different presentations to dial-in what’s working best for the current conditions and fish’s mood.
There’s lots of different ways to catch spring walleyes – here’s some of Hoyer’s go-to presentations in cool water right now into the ‘fishing opener’ time frame:
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I generally don’t fish any deeper than 12’ on opener, which makes it some of the most fun bites of the year.
An 1/8 or 1/4-oz jig and very soft plastic. The Berkley PowerBait Curly Bones and Bonefish [pictured below] are specifically designed to excel at very slow speeds. This makes it a perfect bait to pitch out, raise your rod tip a few feet, hold it there, and watch your line for the bite or when you hit bottom. Repeat and set the hook periodically. Natural whites by day, bright stuff at sunrise and sunset.
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A shallow-running crankbait. A Berkley Hit Stick or any shallow running minnow-style bait, trolled at 1.2-1.5 mph after dark. This can be the best catch rate of the weekend...especially if dealing with calm conditions or super clear water.
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Slip-bobber/leech. I will never say bobber fishing is boring because of the simple fact that it never gets old watching that bobber go down. If I’ve learned one thing from forward-facing sonar, set your bobber at least 2’ off the bottom...3’ is probably better.
1/8-oz jig and minnow. Simple yet very effective. Use the wind to create some float in your minnow, cast quartering casts to the waves, and let the jig swing back to center. Another tip – especially when using a shiner – is don’t worry about touching bottom.
Push the envelope. Rattlebaits [like the new Berkley Jack] known to work on the great lakes excel at times throughout any given day in May [on “normal” bodies of water like we fish in MN].
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Other fast-moving presentations like a 3/8- or 1/2-oz Fusion19 Swimbait Jig Head and The Champ Swimmer can outfish everything if the fish are in a good mood.
Good luck to those of you lucky enough to sneak out over these next few weeks, and during the upcoming ‘Fishing Openers’ across the Midwest.
And remember if you’re going head-to-head with friends or fam...pike are -1 ???? hahaha!
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How Tony Roach Rippin’ Raps in spring ????
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Walleyes can be – and usually are – downright stubborn...especially in shallow, clear water. While some guys bust out the slip-bobber, Tony Roach picks up a Rapala Rippin’ Rap and goes to work.
Btw I’m sure glad this “bad lipstick” color is on the walleye’s lips and not Tony’s lol:
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Tony: “There’s a lot of things that make a Rippin’ Rap absolutely deadly. It’s got a really loud thump, unlike any other bait. It also falls at just the right rate. And it has this really tight wobble as you rip it. This thing has the right action to catch a lot of fish. And you can fish these baits a lot of different ways.
“I compare it a little to the deadly Jigging Rap, but it falls slower and has more subtle action, which is ideal in spring. ...works best when water temps are 50-55°F.
“Rippin’ Raps fall nose-first...a natural-looking posture for walleye prey. We fish the #5, #6, and #7 models, but the #6 (2.5” and 1/2-oz) gets most play in spring.”
You already know that Rippin’ Raps come in some great stock colors, but here’s some Scheels exclusive colors you maybe haven’t seen yet. ????
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Of course sometimes you might wanna keep things a little more natural...and this is also the first time I’m ever seeing these "live smelt" and "live perch" patterns ???? that I will FOR SURE be adding to my cart for pressured, clear-water walleyes! ????
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Okay now back to the Roach’ster:
“Work the lure along the deep side of rock ridges and over depressions where walleyes often hold that time of year. Bottom transitions from sand-to-rock are also key locations....
“The retrieve is very important and it takes a little getting used to, as you learn the correct cadence. It’s not a fast ripping retrieve...the lure actually moves forward at a moderate pace, but with a lot of up-and-down motion. Walleyes typically bite either on the fall or when the lure first hits bottom, so you want to maximize those situations.
“As soon as the lure hits bottom after a cast, raise it up off bottom so it can fall again. It should contact bottom for only a split second before rising. After a few hours of doing this you’ll have this cadence down and you won’t have to think much about it.
“Long casts help you cover a lot of water.... I fish them on thin braided line (6- to 10-lb test) with a fluoro leader of 10- or even 12-lb test. Without a leader, the back hooks of the Rap sometimes snag the braid on a cast, wasting time.
“The heavier fluoro cuts down on the number of [zebra mussel] break-offs due to its abrasion-resistance. Moreover, a lot of pike are up shallow in spring, and it gives a bit more protection to have a 12-lb leader. And walleyes don’t mind a bit.
“To fish this way, rod selection is important. I favor a medium-light rod from 6’ 8” to 7’ 2”. And I like rods with an extra-fast tip section, since you often have to set hooks solidly from a distance. The softer action and length allow you to sweep the lure off bottom cleanly and keep the cadence right.”
Of course not all lakes have a ton of hard-bottom areas (rocks/sand) to work with, so:
Another good way to catch early-season walleyes on Rippin’ Raps is to swim them over and through the tops of new vegetation. With your boat in deeper water, fancast across spawning flats, making contact with the submerged vegetation. When your Rippin’ Rap hits grass on the retrieve, pop it free to trigger bites.
Awesome springtime bait. As with anything, you’ve gotta get a confidence-building day under your belt to stick with it, but then you won’t wanna put it down.
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Why Jason Mitchell frequents craft stores... ????
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I'll let him explain this one:
If you walleye fish, chances are you use live bait rigs at times. Here is a simple solution for organizing weights, hooks, swivels, line and other components for live-bait rigging.
Many hobby stores and sewing shops sell plastic canisters or cups with lids that screw or thread together. These plastic containers are cheap and work great for organizing tackle. Thread the hook cups together, the bead and swivel cups together and so forth. This is a great way to organize terminal tackle.
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And I believe that’s the same Flambeau box (Super Half Satchel Soft Bait Organizer) that a lot of folks use to vertically store their go-to bags of soft plastics.
Pretty slick! Especially for those little components that like to slide under the tackle tray dividers.
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The next time you poke fun at someone for...
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...rocking a backwards snapback, just remember Al Lindner did it first lol:
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Back when “selective harvest” meant selecting the biggest fish to harvest. ????
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From this IGFA FB post:
Derek Merricks...landed this impressive 42-cm black crappie. With this fish, Derek has tied the IGFA All-Tackle Length World Record for the species.
Derek was fishing with a live minnow when this record fish struck. After recording the length on his official IGFA Measuring Device, he was able to release the fish safely.
Had to look it up: 42cm = 16.5" ???? don’t get me wrong, that's a GREAT fish, but I thought it would need to be about 5” longer than that....
2. Vancouver Outdoor Expo being investigated for fraud
I also came across this random IG post from Sara Gamache that shared a clip from a local news station, and she said:
[Allegedly] Show promoter [*name removed* who allegedly used an alias when he was contacting vendors]...claimed he presold 50,000 tickets and it was the biggest outdoor show in the Pacific Northwest...less than 2,000 attendees showed up. Over 500 vendors from all over the world are out thousands of dollars in expenses.” [Allegedly]
3. MN/WI/MI: The onX Fish Midwest app is live ????
Meet onX Fish Midwest, the most comprehensive fishing tool to help find new lakes, and give you the confidence to get there. onX Fish Midwest is currently available in three states: Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan – and we’ll be adding more states throughout the year. Easily identify and filter new lakes by species, size, and abundance. Then go fish like it’s your home waters. Don’t chase reports, find your own success with onX Fish.
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If you’re a fish-head in MN, WI, or MI, you’re gonna want to add the onX Fish app (try it for free) to your phone’s home screen and put that puppy on speed dial! It’s literally a cheat code for finding your new favorite honey hole and so much more.
I’ve been using the app since last summer and found multiple new lakes in my backyard holding walleyes – sometimes giants! – that I never knew existed. There’s so many things you can do with their different filtering and layer options...more on that later.
You can get 20% off when signing up with code: TW on their site. ????
4. OH: List of the top-10 saugeye lakes
Saugeye = a hybrid between a walleye and a sauger, which are stocked in 60+ lakes by the Division of Wildlife. Of the 722 saugeye submitted to the Fish Ohio Program in 2024 (gotta be 21"+) here’s the top waters, not including Erie. Indian Lake, Buckeye Lake and Alum Creek Lake were the top 3.
5. MN: House bill would allow year-round bass fishing
Nothing against crappie and bluegill ???? but we’ve been waiting a long time for this and it sounds like it’s gained a ton of momentum!
6. MB increased its fine amounts
Few of ‘em:
- Using barbed hooks – $220
- Failure to carry your license while fishing – $174
- Fishing without a license – $298
- Transporting live fish away from the water – $486
- Unattended line – $220
- Bringing live bait into Manitoba – $433
- Possession of AIS (e.g. zebra mussels) – $1,296
- Failure to dispose of bait in an AIS Control Zone – $672
7. Apparently the median age for boat owners is...60?
Seems a little steep on this side of the boating world, but either way the cost of ‘em is getting wild.
8. 3 reasons why the Minn Kota Ultrex Quest is the best FFS troller?
From a Minn Kota IG vid:
- True steering cables to make precise adjustments
- Large directional indicator so you know exactly where your FFS is facing
- Square tubular shaft so the FFS transducer locks in perfectly with the directional indicator
Check the troller called Quest at Scheels.
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It's a great time of year to catch 'em from the bank – play nicely if any of you river-rats find someone in your "secret spot" hahaha:
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Back at ya with more in a couple. ????
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FRIENDS OF TARGET WALLEYE
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Target Walleye – walleye during open water and all species during hardwater – is brought to you by Al Lindner, Jay Kumar, Chris Philen, Brett McComas and other diehard fish-heads like you!
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Brett McComas is the main man for Target Walleye He was discovered in Brainerd, MN after years of wondering how in the heck people break into the fishing biz. He's in it now, but still can't answer that question.... Brett is one of those guys who majored in marketing, only because there was no such thing as a "fishing degree" at the time.... Get him at brett@targetwalleye.com
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