Man, this is a really great little tip from ???? Korey Sprengel talking how to dial in your crankbait speed while casting.

Folks are (rightfully) uber picky when it comes to crankbait trolling speeds – a couple tenths of a mph can make all the difference in an okay day vs a great one. So why don’t we pay close attention to our crankbait speeds when casting? ???? I suppose it’s because there isn’t a # on a screen staring you in the face that you can adjust up or down with the click of a button....

Korey says more often than not you're actually reeling waaaay faster than you'd think while casting cranks...hitting speeds you’d be appalled by if you were trolling – especially in the fall.

SO here’s a quick trick on how he dials in that crank speed while casting by focusing on the feel of the bait and the load in the rod tip:

Couple more crank-casting nuggets from Sprengel...

How he casts with the wind to maximize his crank’s running depth and cover more water:

And here’s Sprengel running through his go-to crankbaits for CASTING and the depth ranges he likes ‘em in:

I was sent this gem from NWT stick Evan Rosemore (owner of Rosemore Outdoor Gear) of a gorgeous golden walleye his dad, Steven, caught while practicing for the AIM National Shootout on Lake Sakakawea:

It was caught in the Van Hook Arm on a jig and creek chub while fishing next to some submerged willow trees in 20’ ???? how fun does THAT sound?!

Btw here’s a pic of another they caught outta there in case you’re curious what they usually look like lol:

Per usual, Tom does a good job of explaining the “why” and “how” and not just the “what” in this video. He says 3 tips, but there’s more like 100 in here hahaha. Little table of contents for you in case you want to jump to specific parts...

• Really good jig-fishing breakdown starting at 4:01 to about 10:45. Talks lots of specifics.
• Around 13:26 he shows some Humminbird MEGA Side Imaging examples showing exactly what he's looking for and what the fish are relating to this time of year.
• From around 20:57 to 24:16 there’s a GREAT rundown of Tom’s 2 favorite jig-fishing rod – very different setups for very different types of jig fishing. Those are the Elliott 7' 3" ML-F (lighter, finesse-y) and the Elliott 6' 9" M-F (snappier, aggressive).

Here’s the full video he just posted last night:

From this Fishing 411 TV post:

“While trolling with a spread of Mag Lip 3.5 baits, this walleye bit one lure then moved over and ate a second bait running nearby. Here clearly pictured are the two baits in the fish's mouth. Honest to God, this is how it happened and we have it on video. Strange but true.”

That walleye was getting in on the happy hour specials one way or another! ???? #2for1s

Did you know your baits could be trolling at a different speed than your boat’s running?

That’s why some guys measure lure speed at trolling depth, instead of watching the boat speed. Makes my brain hurt too (lol) so gonna bust out a quick example:

Ever noticed when you’re pulling a tuber/skier/wakeboarder/etc behind the boat, how when you make a turn you can whip ’em super fast outside the wake? Or how they’ll slow waaaay down when you turn the other way and they stay inside the wake??

Same thing happens to your baits underwater. Can also happen from currents, thermoclines, wind, etc.

A company called Fish Hawk actually makes speed and temp probes just for that so you can make sure you’re consistently running baits at the exact speed that’s getting ‘em bit.

Check out this Gerry Bourgoin shot of his Fish Hawk where the boat’s going 3.8 mph, but the lure’s running 2.5 mph at depth:

And look at that temperature difference!

Gerry Bourgoin: Without knowing ‘down speed’ I’d assume my ‘surface speed’ would be the same as my lure at depth...so I’d go 2.5 mph at the surface which would barely be moving my spoons at 1.3 mph...and not fluttering properly.

Now you know....

1. OH: Fisherman rescues stranded kayaker...

...who was treading water through the night (11 hours!) on Lake Erie.

2. MN: MTT Championship day 1 kicked off today...

...on Lake of the Woods. The grand prize is a 2024 Skeeter 1910 powered by a 200HP Yamaha SHO! Boats were due in at 4:00 and 4:15 – sounds like they'll be updating the day 1 leaderboard here.

3. OH: Lake Erie Fall Brawl kicks off Oct 19

Costs just $35 to register in the Brawl and fish any time (during Oct 19 – Dec 8) in the OH waters of Lake Erie – from the bank or in a boat – biggest fish wins. Tons of prizes including a fully-rigged 2024 Ranger boat.

4. OH: National Fishing Expo’s ‘Walleye Slam’ starts Oct 18

Costs just $40 to enter. Over $300K in cash + prizes up for grabs, including a $175K Warrior V238 boat package going to the heaviest single walleye caught outta the OH waters of Lake Erie thru Dec 1 ???? and the 2nd heaviest fish takes home a $52K Toyota Tundra SR5.

Btw you could enter both the Walleye Slam and the Fall Brawl at the same time and double up on prizes.... ????

5. NS: Up to $500K fine for releasing bass?!

Yeah, you read that right. Anglers fishing in 3 different areas of Nova Scotia can be fined up to $500K for tossing back a smallmouth bass. The same goes for chain pickerel in a certain watershed.

Smallmouth bass were introduced to Nova Scotia legally in the 1940s to provide additional angling opportunities to waters adversely affected by dams and rising water temperatures due to the loss of overhead cover from logging. Since that time, they have moved out of the waters they were originally introduced to and are competing with native coldwater species such as salmon and trout. This has become an even bigger problem recently, as lower water levels in some rivers have concentrated the fish, and the smallmouth have been eating trout and salmon fry and parr.

To help combat this, the Nova Scotia Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture has implemented a mandatory catch-and-kill order for smallmouth bass in the Margaree River watershed. This includes Lake Ainslie in Inverness County and part of the LaHave River in Lunenburg County. Anglers that catch a smallmouth bass in those areas must kill the fish and retain it. Failure to do so can result in a $100K fine for a first offense and up to a $500K for a second offense, with the possibility of 2 years’ jail time.

Chain pickerel are also a problem in the province. Introduced illegally in the 1940s, they have done damage to native fish populations since then. Control measures have been made in the past, though the area subject to the new regulations have not had such efforts in recent history. Anglers fishing the East River in Pictou County must also euthanize any chain pickerel caught, or face the same $100K/$500K fine schedule, including possible jail time.

6. MN: Cass Lake MWC, Sept 13-14

7. MN: Walleye Alliance Fall Classic on Pelican Lake...

...(just north of Brainerd) is happening Sat, Sept 28.

They’re doing a guaranteed $5K to 1st place again this year! It’s a $300 team entry fee and they’re capping it at 50 boats. Such a fun, well-ran event by a team of folks who work their tails off to better walleye fishing in the Brainerd Lakes Area. ???? I’m already signed up to fish it with my buddy Christian Hoffman – hope to see you there!

8. Tom Huynh's Vexus DVX22 is for sale

9. Amped Outdoors has new Portable Power Stations

Introducing our new 600W and 1500W Portable Power Stations. The perfect solution for any outdoors person camping and ice camping or have a backup solution during power outages!

I can already tell you I’m gonna need to snag one of these for “Clamping” trips this ice season. ????

10. Predator Fishing World Championship, Oct 3-5

The 15th World Championships of Predator Boat Fishing with Lures will be held on Upper Lough Erne, Lisnaskea, Co. Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. Lough Erne is the name of two connected lakes and the second biggest system in Northern Ireland. Its two lakes are widened sections of the river Erne that joins the two flowing through the town of Enniskillen in the middle.

Our location is the Upper Lough, the smaller of the two lakes covering an area of approximately 13.3 square miles (34 km2) with average depths of 7.5’. Known for its abundant fish stocks there is a large population of perch and pike over [39.37"] are regularly recorded. Big fish, especially pike, are expected to be a major player in this championship. During the 3 day competitions, 2 boats with 2 anglers in each per country will fish. Any pike or perch over the minimum length will count towards the team’s points. There is no requirement to catch both species...the teams can target whichever species they think will score them the highest. Each day, the team that gets the most points will get 1 “penalty”, the lowest scoring team gets the most “penalties”. The team with the lowest number of penalties after 3 days wins.

You’ll recognize the walleye hammers that make up our team:

11. Wired2fish Coffee partners with The Filter Project.

Wired2fish Coffee, a brand that donates 25% of its profits to clean water, conservation, and faith-based initiatives, is proud to announce its partnership with The Filter Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing sustainable clean water solutions to communities in need.

As part of the partnership, Wired2fish Coffee will donate a portion of their profits to The Filter Project to support their missions to bring clean water and the good news of Jesus to the people of Kenya and beyond.

12. They make fire blankets for lithium batteries?

Boley's cheat code for catching walleye on any lake.

You do NOT need $50K in electronics to go out and catch yourself a walleye dinner! ???? And one of the absolute best ways to put fish in the boat this time of year (without even needing any fancy electronics) is by running bottom-bouncers with a spinner/crawler along the edge of structure where it meets the basin:

“I think you walleye guys need to start throwing bigger baits...."

- That’s Nicole Lynn Outdoors talking about this big ol' gravel lizard that took down her Musky Innovations Bull Dawg!

Just a little something to chew on while you're busy throwing 1/8-oz jigs with a chunk of nightcrawler and getting turned down lol.

Sending ‘er off with a paunchy walleye Shiver’d up by Tommy Kemos while filming an episode of The Next Bite TV on Lake Sakakawea:

Hope you have your hands full this weekend too! ????

National Professional Anglers Assoc.

MN-FISH

Target Walleye LLC

422 Laurel Street

P.O. BOX 541

Brainerd, MN 56401

 (218) 824 5026