NPAA Club Partner
Published September 29, 2011
September 26, 2011 Fargo, ND, Moorhead, MN
FM Walleyes Unlimited, Inc., is pleased to announce that its October 20th meeting will feature a panel of professional anglers to discuss fishing opportunities and tactics on Devils Lake.
The panel will feature Professional Anglers Dave Randash, Troy Morris, Corey Heiser, Don Denning and Chad Maloy. Randash, who is a guide on the lake, will lead the panel. Morris, Heiser, Denning and Maloy all fish the Masters Walleye Circuit and spend considerable time trying to unlock the secrets of Devils Lake walleye fishing. The panel will share their tips and tactics on finding and catching fish on this ever changing lake.
The community is invited to this FREE event which will take place at the Kelly Inn on Main Ave & I-29 in Fargo, ND on Thursday, October 20th. The doors will open at 6:30 and the meeting will begin at 7:00.
This event is free and open to the public.
For more information contact Scott Brewer at (701) 388-4408 or Kyle Agre at (701) 492-1242
Thursday, September 29, 2011
The Art of Triggering the Bite
by Ted Pilgrim with Tony Roach
Lure Moves for Walleyes in Reality
Last February, fresh off a phenomenal trip to the current version of hog walleye heaven—Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba—Tony Roach could hardly keep himself from jumping out of his Snosuit. “Here we were,” Roach exclaimed, jigging arm twitching randomly, “Standing out in the middle of the ‘Winnipeg Wasteland,’ ripping these clunky rattling crankbaits—lures like the Rapala Rippin’ Rap. You’d pound these things into the bottom with heavy line, didn’t matter, and halfway up your jigstroke, WHAM, these big ‘eyes would jolt your arm to a dead-stop. Locals were catching 12-pounders on 20-pound test baited with hot dogs!” Befuddled, Roach muttered, “If I could experience one or two bites like that at home each winter, I’d be a happy camper.”
What you must understand at this point is that like the rest of us living in the real world, Roach is used to jigging tough winter walleyes with the finesse and precision of a puppet master. His walleyes are your walleyes. And on rush hour traffic fisheries like Mille Lacs, Minnesota, clouds of baby perch and ciscoes surround walleyes in every direction. For these “real world” walleyes—the direct opposite of the roving hunters on Lake Winnipeg—feeding requires no more movement than snapping their jaws.
You begin to understand why Mille Lacs walleyes remain some of the most frustratingly selective specimens on the globe. Roach deals with these snooty fish nearly every day of winter, so you’d think he’d be sneaking off to the Lake Winnipegs of the world as often as possible.
Not so. As a fulltime guide here, failure doesn’t compute. But more than that, though he’ll deny it if you ask, Roach likes his fish a little on the tough side. He’s got a fiery streak, and to be perfectly honest, T-Roach keeps catching walleyes pretty much all winter long anyway.
The deal is that Roach has simply learned to read the moods of each individual fish as it slides across the screen of his MarCum flasher. Among top-tier fishermen, it’s pretty much what the game of jigging for walleyes through ice eventually becomes—a one-on-one duel with each fish, as revealed by electronics. If you’re paying attention, you learn a few things. And if you’re good, you eventually recognize certain clues that unfold on screen, reacting appropriately with lure moves and tweaks. T-Roach knows, for example, that when a school of bait that’s been littering his screen for minutes suddenly vanishes, it’s time to get aggressive with his jigging strokes. Big mamba-jamba is lurking.
The Triggering Game
If Roach is using one of his high-resolution MarCum cameras, the view of such a fish biting on screen can be utterly thrilling. Usually, he reserves the camera for tough bites, though, opting for the flasher anytime he’s on the move. Beginning with the active fish Roach encounters on fresh spots, then progressing to trickier walleyes and finally, those bottom-hugging sloths he terms “comatose fish,” Roach provides a play-by-play analysis.
Burners (Active Fish) - Roach: “We call hot fish “burners” because they paint these deep red blips on the MarCum screen. When you mark a burner a foot or so off bottom, you know there’s a good chance you’re going to get bit. I’ll often start with a heavier, semi-straight spoon such as a 3/8-oz Buck-Shot or even a Rapala Rippin’ Rap. Hot fish—especially bigger ones—relish biting big flashy baits.
“When my spoon has dropped to about 2 feet above the fish, I’ll stop it and watch for a reaction. You want that burner to swim over, rise, and strike. If the fish chases but doesn’t hit, I give the spoon a short, semi-soft pop-pop with the rod tip, then do a slow raise—pulling it up a foot or so before pausing again.
Passive Aggressives – Next are fish that chase your spoon, over and over, but won’t bite. “I’ll give the lure two quick pops to gauge the fish’s interest. If the fish slides back in, I’ll go back to slowly raising the spoon again. Often, the fish will continue to follow. Watch the speed the fish swims as it follows, and try to match it with the speed of your spoon’s ascent. This keeps the fish’s interest much more than if you pull it up too fast or too slow.
“A move that often seals the deal here is to do some gentle shaking of your wrist while you’re raising the bait. You need to be able to do the raise-shake very slow, often no more than an inch at a time. As you’re doing this, you often feel just a tiny bit of extra weight—like the spoon has picked up a small weed. Reel down quickly and bury the hooks!”
Read More At Walleye Central
Lure Moves for Walleyes in Reality
Last February, fresh off a phenomenal trip to the current version of hog walleye heaven—Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba—Tony Roach could hardly keep himself from jumping out of his Snosuit. “Here we were,” Roach exclaimed, jigging arm twitching randomly, “Standing out in the middle of the ‘Winnipeg Wasteland,’ ripping these clunky rattling crankbaits—lures like the Rapala Rippin’ Rap. You’d pound these things into the bottom with heavy line, didn’t matter, and halfway up your jigstroke, WHAM, these big ‘eyes would jolt your arm to a dead-stop. Locals were catching 12-pounders on 20-pound test baited with hot dogs!” Befuddled, Roach muttered, “If I could experience one or two bites like that at home each winter, I’d be a happy camper.”
What you must understand at this point is that like the rest of us living in the real world, Roach is used to jigging tough winter walleyes with the finesse and precision of a puppet master. His walleyes are your walleyes. And on rush hour traffic fisheries like Mille Lacs, Minnesota, clouds of baby perch and ciscoes surround walleyes in every direction. For these “real world” walleyes—the direct opposite of the roving hunters on Lake Winnipeg—feeding requires no more movement than snapping their jaws. You begin to understand why Mille Lacs walleyes remain some of the most frustratingly selective specimens on the globe. Roach deals with these snooty fish nearly every day of winter, so you’d think he’d be sneaking off to the Lake Winnipegs of the world as often as possible.
Not so. As a fulltime guide here, failure doesn’t compute. But more than that, though he’ll deny it if you ask, Roach likes his fish a little on the tough side. He’s got a fiery streak, and to be perfectly honest, T-Roach keeps catching walleyes pretty much all winter long anyway.
The deal is that Roach has simply learned to read the moods of each individual fish as it slides across the screen of his MarCum flasher. Among top-tier fishermen, it’s pretty much what the game of jigging for walleyes through ice eventually becomes—a one-on-one duel with each fish, as revealed by electronics. If you’re paying attention, you learn a few things. And if you’re good, you eventually recognize certain clues that unfold on screen, reacting appropriately with lure moves and tweaks. T-Roach knows, for example, that when a school of bait that’s been littering his screen for minutes suddenly vanishes, it’s time to get aggressive with his jigging strokes. Big mamba-jamba is lurking.
The Triggering Game
If Roach is using one of his high-resolution MarCum cameras, the view of such a fish biting on screen can be utterly thrilling. Usually, he reserves the camera for tough bites, though, opting for the flasher anytime he’s on the move. Beginning with the active fish Roach encounters on fresh spots, then progressing to trickier walleyes and finally, those bottom-hugging sloths he terms “comatose fish,” Roach provides a play-by-play analysis.
Burners (Active Fish) - Roach: “We call hot fish “burners” because they paint these deep red blips on the MarCum screen. When you mark a burner a foot or so off bottom, you know there’s a good chance you’re going to get bit. I’ll often start with a heavier, semi-straight spoon such as a 3/8-oz Buck-Shot or even a Rapala Rippin’ Rap. Hot fish—especially bigger ones—relish biting big flashy baits.
“When my spoon has dropped to about 2 feet above the fish, I’ll stop it and watch for a reaction. You want that burner to swim over, rise, and strike. If the fish chases but doesn’t hit, I give the spoon a short, semi-soft pop-pop with the rod tip, then do a slow raise—pulling it up a foot or so before pausing again.
Passive Aggressives – Next are fish that chase your spoon, over and over, but won’t bite. “I’ll give the lure two quick pops to gauge the fish’s interest. If the fish slides back in, I’ll go back to slowly raising the spoon again. Often, the fish will continue to follow. Watch the speed the fish swims as it follows, and try to match it with the speed of your spoon’s ascent. This keeps the fish’s interest much more than if you pull it up too fast or too slow.
“A move that often seals the deal here is to do some gentle shaking of your wrist while you’re raising the bait. You need to be able to do the raise-shake very slow, often no more than an inch at a time. As you’re doing this, you often feel just a tiny bit of extra weight—like the spoon has picked up a small weed. Reel down quickly and bury the hooks!”
Read More At Walleye Central
Fargo Area fishermen reach Masters Walleye Circuit finals
FARGO – Four teams of area fishermen have qualified for the Masters Walleye Circuit World Championship to be held next month in Prairie du Chien, Wis.
The team of Corey Heiser (West Fargo) and Ken Cumber (Jamestown, N.D.) finished fifth in the MWC team of the year race while Don Denning and Chad Maloy (both of Fargo) finished 10th and Troy Morris (Fargo) and Kevin Bruer (Robbinsdale, Minn.) finished 15th.
Ron and Spencer Deutz of Moorhead won the MWC’s father and son team of the year title. The Deutz team finished second in the MWC West Division point standings while Heiser and Cumber finished fourth, Denning and Maloy fifth and Morris and Bruer eighth.
Original Article
The team of Corey Heiser (West Fargo) and Ken Cumber (Jamestown, N.D.) finished fifth in the MWC team of the year race while Don Denning and Chad Maloy (both of Fargo) finished 10th and Troy Morris (Fargo) and Kevin Bruer (Robbinsdale, Minn.) finished 15th.
Ron and Spencer Deutz of Moorhead won the MWC’s father and son team of the year title. The Deutz team finished second in the MWC West Division point standings while Heiser and Cumber finished fourth, Denning and Maloy fifth and Morris and Bruer eighth.
Original Article
Gibbins claim unprecedented 4th RRWT title
By Ken Johnston, Editor, R.R. Record
Everyone, including this year’s Rainy River Walleye Tournament champions, Jason and Oliver Gibbins, found the bite to be really tough for both days of fishing.
“It was a struggle after that [all day],” they added.
However, those two fish—weighing 7.75 and 5.72 pounds—vaulted them to the front of the 90-boat field. Combined with two smaller walleye, they were about five pounds up on their nearest challenger after Day 1.
The Gibbins had 15.48 pounds while Christian Armstrong and partner, Mark Nault, were sitting in second with 10.61 pounds, just edging out Christian’s dad, Dave, and uncle, Darren, who were in third after Day 1 with 10.55 pounds.
Many anglers reported a tough day of fishing. “It was a tough day with just little taps and little fish!” recounted Ted and Leo Heyens (Team #50).
While they weighed in four fish, they sat in 38th spot with 4.36 pounds, which was a story-teller weight.
Only about five pounds separated fifth place and 50th place.
With that in mind, many anglers hoped for a better bite on Day 2 (Saturday). But again the wind blew from the east and fog delayed the start of fishing by about an hour.
Some said the delay was costly as the biggest fish caught on Day 1 appeared to be reeled up early in the morning.
For one team, however, the timing seemed to be just right. Dan Armstrong and Sean Kilpatrick (Team #85) travelled upstream about 10 minutes.
Near the Clementson Rapids, Kilpatrick had a hit that had them both excited—a big walleye. Just how big, though, would not be known until later in the day.
Tournament rules allow for anglers to bring in big fish earlier than the weigh-in- if they feel the fish could die from stress in the livewell.
Kilpatrick said the big fish fared well all day. They did, however, have some reservations about a smaller fish later in the day.
Read the rest of the report
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