How Ross Robertson targets BIG late-season walleye
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Still a few diehards hitting the big water where things haven’t locked up yet! ???? And Lake Erie guide Ross Robertson has 5 things for them to consider in this In-Fisherman write-up, few excerpts below with Ross talking about a flat-calm December day where they “never saw another boat and just flat-out smashed walleyes darn near in sight of the boat launch.”
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Go fast
On that aforementioned December day, we set out of a small river connected to Lake Erie for a very specific reason. The river was much warmer than the lake itself and was just full of baitfish. One of my favorite lines that I have spewed many times in the pages of In-Fisherman, “fish don’t go far from the grocery store.” For that reason, I stared intently at my Humminbird graph as we drove out into Erie at around 25 mph. When setup properly today’s modern graphs can mark both baitfish and fish at these high speeds, which allows you to quickly eliminate water. When the water is cold, fish tend to be congregated in tight schools or pods and once you find them it is nirvana, but without a tactic like high-speed marking it can feel more like looking for a needle in a haystack.
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Go slow
Once you do locate fish make sure to slow down, way down. When the water is 40°F or less you need to remember you may only be a few days from the lake starting to ice up and that slower is often better. Lures that have a softer rattle, action and suspend can be the best option. For these reasons the Rapala Husky Jerk is my go-to when temps dip. These can be both slow trolled or casted depending on the conditions.
Go quiet
Most anglers forget how much sound travels in water and never fully understand how spooky walleyes really are. I have witnessed it so many times in my fishing career I get paranoid even when someone drops a thermos in the boat, and for good reason. Simple things like not slamming compartment lids, turning off unnecessary electronics and using a trolling motor at the lowest speeds possible all will help you get extra bites at this time of year. Modern technology such as live sonar or underwater cameras have shown me in real time just how temperamental walleyes are, enough to prove it really isn’t paranoia.
Go high
In order to have success in the cold-water periods, you typically must put multiple pieces of the puzzle together to have success. That previously mentioned day we caught walleyes in the top 10’ of the water column that were not marked while fishing, but only seen while traveling at high speed. These high riders often are not only some of the biggest fish, but the most aggressive fish. Trolling them with planer boards well away from the boat is one option.
The other is to utilize modern technology such as Humminbird’s Mega Live. Forward-facing sonar has created both a buzz and a stir because of its effectiveness. The ability to see fish only a few feet below the surface or right on the bottom anywhere from directly below the boat to more than a hundred feet away is a game changer. Regardless if you have or plan on using either one of these technologies, know that walleyes can be found much higher in the water column than most anglers will fish them at this time of year.
Go low
While fish can be high in the water column, they often spend more time on or near the bottom. These fish can be very temperamental, much in the same way they are in a month when you try to ice fish for them. For that reason, ice tactics can be the go-to, the difference being it is much easier to move around and target more and different fish than when you are drilling a separate hole each time in the winter.
Go to ice fishing lures such as the Rapala Jigging Rap, Rippin’ Rap, VMC Rattle Spoon, Silver Streak Rattle Streak and even occasionally a blade bait like the Rapala Rippin’ Blade can be all stars.
When you aren’t getting bit or are short-striked, slow down and don’t overlook using a live or dead minnow to help seal the deal. With that said I have also had some really good days using a heavy sized VMC Moon Eye Jig and soft plastic minnow like the Z-Man Diezel Minnowz or Jerk Shadz fished more aggressively to trigger a reaction strike.
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Boat control is often as important as the lure itself. The only saying of, “go low, go slow”, has stood the test of time for a reason. A trolling motor like Minn Kota with Spot Lock allows you to hover in place without having to focus all of your energy on keeping the boat in place and is much quieter and more efficient than lugging a heavy anchor up and down too.
If you can bring yourself to get out of the treestand or duck blind in the late fall or early winter, these tips may just help you experience some of the best walleye fishing of your life.
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How long to let ’em eat on rattle reels...
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...before setting the hook. Age-old question that can be a HEATED debate in the fish house! ???????? Here’s Brad Hawthorne’s take on it from a couple years back, but still solid info:
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Funny enough the more I think about it the more it makes sense. If my fishing rod was sitting there and got bit...I would never wait 30 seconds to set the hook, I would grab it as fast as I could and pop ’em. But then when a tip-up or rattle reel goes off, I’m always overthinking how long to wait....
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How folks navigated ice roads before GPS ????
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Super interesting post from Coots Lures on FB!
Repurposed Christmas trees used to mark lanes and safe passages on Lake Winnebago during the winter. Photo is from 1959 and a practice that continues.
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The holes are drilled at an angle when the trees are first set, so that the trees lean towards shore and aid in directing anglers to the landing.
The trees marking the road are set 1/10th of a mile apart.
At the half mile marker or every 5 trees, the tree is turned upside down. This is to indicate a half mile of travel.
Mile markers are as follows:
- 2 trees = 1 miles
- 3 trees = 2 miles
- 4 trees = 3 miles
- 5 trees = 4 miles
- 6 trees = 5 miles
Trees lying down mean poor ice conditions or danger. Please steer clear of these areas. Never move any trees on the lake as they all serve a purpose.
Trees marking the road at a landing do not mean that the ice conditions are suitable for cars and trucks to travel on. Trees are put out to assist anglers that walk, snowmobile, or use their ATV to get to their favorite fishing spot.
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The newest “Top 5” of the week! ????
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In case you missed it on YouTube, here’s episode 79. ???? Hope you enjoy!
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Also a big thx to our friends at Sea Foam for keeping us running smooth and making this fun video series possible!!
For those of you who have put your boat in storage for winter, don’t forget to use Sea Foam! Their Marine PRO product is designed just for marine engines – cleans and lubricates your motor, helps prevent corrosion caused by ethanol and water, and stabilizes tank fuel up to 2 years!!
If you can’t find Marine PRO near you, original Sea Foam still works great in ’em to dissolve fuel residues AND for fuel stabilization. May be the #1 automotive additive in the US, but it was originally invented for outboard motors.
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2. MT: Fisheries plan for Fort Peck Rez emphasizes walleye
Maintain a 3-yr average catch rate of 3.6 walleye per net during summer surveys and stock 3 mil fingerlings annually.
Promote shoreline vegetation growth and maintain critical spawning habitats for species like walleye....
Collaborate with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to stabilize water levels, particularly during key spawning seasons.
3. MI: Sebewaing man convicted in ice fishing assault
Last Feb we shared a wild story of an ice fishing dispute that nearly led to a drowning. There was a heated exchange between several ice fishermen on a canal that flows into Saginaw Bay (in Sebewaing Township) when one of the dude’s allegedly used an airboat to drive around three fishermen, breaking up the ice, and causing one of them to fall thru into the frigid water.
He has now been found guilty of several charges, including assault with intent to do great bodily harm....
4. SM Lithium 24v now priced at $299.99 all season!
Seriously sick deal (normally about $450!) on an incredible unit.
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You ever go to grab something you think is gonna be heavy and it ends up being WAY lighter than you expected? Like a moving box full of can koozies...grocery bag of paper towels...or maybe an empty suitcase.... The Lithium 24v has that same effect.
I’ve been running the snot outta mine the last few seasons and LOVE it! Think of it as a lightweight (8” weighs 14.3 lbs, and the 6” is 13.3 lbs) run-and-gun version of the ’benchmark’ StrikeMaster Lithium 40v.
*walleyes and my earrrrly-ice setup not included lol
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I also just came across this YT video from Joe holland that does a nice job of showing what you can expect to see in real-life situations with fish on the screen:
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Speaking of this new unit....
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Yup, this is real life.... ???? We've teamed-up with Garmin to giveaway their NEW Panoptix PS22-IF Ice Fishing Bundle! A compact, portable, touchscreen live sonar unit for hole-hopping.
Takes 10 seconds to enter below and can share the link you get for bonus entries. ???? Good luck!
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Minnow tipping options for jigging spoons
Jason Mitchell compares the pros and cons to tipping jigging spoons with a full minnow vs half minnow vs minnow head. Some interesting nuggets on something most folks overlook!
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There's 2 types of ice anglers out there: 1) The folks who have been playing, prepping and tinkering with their gear for weeks, and 2) the scramblers! ????
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A fish-sexxy twofer courtesy of a VMC Hatchet Spoon – I LOVE that "glow voodoo haze" color:
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Little more info about the new Hatchet Spoon:
When the Hatchet Spoon hits the water its intense rapid start & fluttering energy delivers maximum action and vibration grabbing the attention of aggressive fish. We’ve dressed this spoon with a Marabou teaser tail which conceals a super sharp VMC treble hook. Oversized holographic eye and a variety of UV polished metal attractor and custom color patterns. Ultra Glow colors last up to 15 min.
Thing has a nasty-good action underwater! Quick preview of that in this short IG reel.
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Fish-head Will Pappenfus might just have to change his nickname from ‘Walleye Will’ to ‘Bluegill Bill’ in the winter lol. ???? He’s already been icing some absolute units while sneaking out after work in northern-MN, including this 11” skyscraper he coerced topside with an Elliott ‘Evolution Ice Series’ ES44UL-XF ???? yup, a 44” ice rod!
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Hope you get to hit the ice again soon, too!
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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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