ON LAKE WINNIBIGOSHISH
For the cold-weather angler, winter fishing's big payoff is peering into a crystalline cylinder of clear water while ice creaks loudly ...
And fish bite.
With luck, as with fishing in other seasons, in winter a rhythm sooner or later commands an order to things.
On Wednesday on this huge lake, through about 17 inches of hard water, that order was: Bite. Wait. Bite. Wait.
Set the hook.
Read The Rest Of Dennis Anderson's Story On Winnie Perch
( I know we are WalleyeTackle but sometimes you have to fish the hot bite )
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
Interview With Chase Parsons - FLW Tournament Winner
by Julia (Juls) Davis
Joining us for our next Monday Night Fireside Chat on January 23, 2012 is one of our favorite Guest Hosts, Chase Parsons. Always informative, funny, and easy going, he is the perfect host (Not to mention he can type pretty fast too, which is always a good thing).
Chase (pictured here in an FLW Outdoors Photo) is from Brillion, WI and a phenomenal angler. As a seasoned Professional
Angler, Chase found his first victory in a major, while competing on the National Guard FLW Walleye Tour event at Lake Oahe, SD in August of 2011. Cashing a check for $52,000.00 had to be a thrilling experience for a new husband and father, so let’s find out what he thought of that experience, together in the chat, shall we?
Back in 2010, Chase did one of our “Twenty Questions” interviews, so instead of repeating that information, you can view his previous interview to find out about his history as a fisherman, hunter, and all around outdoorsman here: http://www.walleyecentral.com/articles/?a=2346
This year, I thought it would be best to just get right to the knitty-gritty of his 2012 season and expectations.
Please mark your calendars for Monday Night, 7pm Central Time, and join us in the Walleye Central Chatsite, where you can sit and chat with this extraordinary competitor.
Juls: Thanks for taking the time to do this Chase, it’s much appreciated. Please tell us who your sponsors are this year?
Chase: Sponsors are Nitro/Tracker Boats, Mercury Marine, Bass Pro Shops, Fin-Tech, Sebile Baits, Berkley, Fishouflage, Mustad, Lowrance, Oakley, Motorguide, Smooth Moves Seat Mounts, Otter Outdoors, Striker Ice Technical Wear.
Juls: Please tell us what your plans are for 2012 and, if there is anything special you want to talk about, please do!
Chase: My 2012 schedule will be very similar to 2011. I plan to fish all of the AIM and FLW Walleye Tour Events. I had a great time last year on both circuits and fishing tournaments is the most exciting part about my career.
Placing 2nd in Angler of the Year last year, to Tom Keenan on the FLW, just added more "fuel to the fire." Keenan better be on his game this year again, because I'm coming for his title!
Between tournaments, I'll be busy shooting several "The Next Bite" television shows, which air on NBC Sports, and also possibly a few Bass Pro Shops "Outdoor World" shows.
In my free time, I'm going to hang out with the family; wife Bridget and 7 month old son, Logan as much as possible, because without their support, I couldn't do this for a living. If 2012 is as good as 2011, I'll be a pretty lucky man.
Juls: Do your sponsors have any new products you would like to tell us about?
Chase: I'm happy to say all of my sponsors are on-board once again for the upcoming season. Without these companies supporting me, I wouldn't be fishing for a living. Otter Outdoors and Striker Ice Technical Wear are two new companies that I look forward to working with for many years to come. Each company builds top of the line products for the "ice" season, which will be a great fit for us, as Dad, Keith and myself are beginning to spend more time in that market now. We even went up to Lake Winnipeg to catch some of those giants through the ice last year, with Keith actually shooting a "The Next Bite" show, which I believe just aired a few weeks ago. It's an exciting time right now for us, as in the past we haven't taken the opportunity nearly as much, to get out on the ice.
Juls: What are your thoughts on the FLW for 2012? And, what do you think of the schedule, sites, the sponsors involved, and your expectations for each site.
Chase: I am looking forward to fishing all of the FLW Events in 2012, simply because I love fishing tournaments. I have to be honest and say that I feel the locations as far as tournament waters aren't nearly as good as 2011. Either way, someone is going to win each event!
Redwing (Mississippi): I think the FLW is getting pretty lucky with the winter weather in terms of this event. Being as early as it's scheduled; it could have been a pretty brutal event with a bad winter. However, the way it's looking, the bite probably will be pretty good but hopefully guys won't be on top of one another. It's one of those places where if you don't draw a low boat number, you might be pushed out of the winning spot.
Lake Erie: I always look forward to goimg to Erie and this is an event I expect to be better than last year. If we can get lucky and have better weather this year, guys should be more spread out and monster weights will come in again. Never a bad place for a tournament...
Lake Oahe: I'm probably a little bit partial to this one, since I was lucky enough to win this event last year, but I love fishing Oahe. I've always had good luck on that body of water and usually guys will be fishing a bunch of different techniques, in a bunch of different areas. I'll be willing to bet there will be a certain style "bass bait" in more boats, than in any walleye event ever in the past. :)
Escanaba: This is pretty local for me, being that I live close to Green Bay, but I think this event might be the biggest overall letdown of them all. I've placed well at this time of the year in tournaments of the past (PWT), but it's always a pretty tough place to fish in the August time frame. There will be plenty of zeros and one fish weights BUT a few guys will catch them good. The one thing I was looking forward to, was fishing an event out of Escanaba without the slot limit, but it looks like that'll be back on by the time we are there. Probably the toughest bite of any of the qualifiers which actually makes it the easiest to win...
Quad Cities/Championship: I've never fished there, so that makes it exciting! I love learning new waters. On the negative side, the people I've talked to that have, for the most part aren't excited for this event. Insanely late in the year, but from everything I've heard it had to be, otherwise the bite would've really been poor.
January 19, 2012
Angler, Chase found his first victory in a major, while competing on the National Guard FLW Walleye Tour event at Lake Oahe, SD in August of 2011. Cashing a check for $52,000.00 had to be a thrilling experience for a new husband and father, so let’s find out what he thought of that experience, together in the chat, shall we?
Juls: Please tell us what your plans are for 2012 and, if there is anything special you want to talk about, please do!
Chase: My 2012 schedule will be very similar to 2011. I plan to fish all of the AIM and FLW Walleye Tour Events. I had a great time last year on both circuits and fishing tournaments is the most exciting part about my career.
In my free time, I'm going to hang out with the family; wife Bridget and 7 month old son, Logan as much as possible, because without their support, I couldn't do this for a living. If 2012 is as good as 2011, I'll be a pretty lucky man.
Juls: Do your sponsors have any new products you would like to tell us about?
Chase: I'm happy to say all of my sponsors are on-board once again for the upcoming season. Without these companies supporting me, I wouldn't be fishing for a living. Otter Outdoors and Striker Ice Technical Wear are two new companies that I look forward to working with for many years to come. Each company builds top of the line products for the "ice" season, which will be a great fit for us, as Dad, Keith and myself are beginning to spend more time in that market now. We even went up to Lake Winnipeg to catch some of those giants through the ice last year, with Keith actually shooting a "The Next Bite" show, which I believe just aired a few weeks ago. It's an exciting time right now for us, as in the past we haven't taken the opportunity nearly as much, to get out on the ice.
Juls: What are your thoughts on the FLW for 2012? And, what do you think of the schedule, sites, the sponsors involved, and your expectations for each site.
Chase: I am looking forward to fishing all of the FLW Events in 2012, simply because I love fishing tournaments. I have to be honest and say that I feel the locations as far as tournament waters aren't nearly as good as 2011. Either way, someone is going to win each event!
Redwing (Mississippi): I think the FLW is getting pretty lucky with the winter weather in terms of this event. Being as early as it's scheduled; it could have been a pretty brutal event with a bad winter. However, the way it's looking, the bite probably will be pretty good but hopefully guys won't be on top of one another. It's one of those places where if you don't draw a low boat number, you might be pushed out of the winning spot.
Lake Erie: I always look forward to goimg to Erie and this is an event I expect to be better than last year. If we can get lucky and have better weather this year, guys should be more spread out and monster weights will come in again. Never a bad place for a tournament...
Lake Oahe: I'm probably a little bit partial to this one, since I was lucky enough to win this event last year, but I love fishing Oahe. I've always had good luck on that body of water and usually guys will be fishing a bunch of different techniques, in a bunch of different areas. I'll be willing to bet there will be a certain style "bass bait" in more boats, than in any walleye event ever in the past. :)
Escanaba: This is pretty local for me, being that I live close to Green Bay, but I think this event might be the biggest overall letdown of them all. I've placed well at this time of the year in tournaments of the past (PWT), but it's always a pretty tough place to fish in the August time frame. There will be plenty of zeros and one fish weights BUT a few guys will catch them good. The one thing I was looking forward to, was fishing an event out of Escanaba without the slot limit, but it looks like that'll be back on by the time we are there. Probably the toughest bite of any of the qualifiers which actually makes it the easiest to win...
Quad Cities/Championship: I've never fished there, so that makes it exciting! I love learning new waters. On the negative side, the people I've talked to that have, for the most part aren't excited for this event. Insanely late in the year, but from everything I've heard it had to be, otherwise the bite would've really been poor.
Ice Fishing for Huge Walleye - Red River - Video
Ice Fishing the Red River for huge walleyes. This is an amazing fishery producing many walleye over 30 inches, and 10lbs!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Subtle, Softbait Walleye - Video
You're in the boat Springtime Walleye Fishing with Al Lindner. Listen to methods and insights on the fine art of understanding Walleyes.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Ice Fishing Monster Lake Erie Walleye-Fishing - Video
Jonny finally gets on the hard water of one of the great lakes, Lake Erie! He is chasing some huge Erie walleye and the bite is hot!
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Ultimate Outdoor Adventures Ice Fish Walleyes - Devils Lake ND - Video
Steve "Zippy" Dahl takes the Ultimate Outdoor Adventure Crew Walleye fishing through the ice on Devils Lake, North Dakota
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Baudette, MN will host AIM events on beautiful Lake of the Woods in 2012 and 2013
AIM announced today, a two year deal was signed with the Lake of the Woods Tourism Bureau where the town of Baudette, MN will host AIM Pro Walleye Series and their revolutionary "Catch, Record and Release" tournament format for two consecutive years. The 2012 Pro / Co - Angler tournament dates are August 16, 17 & 18 and the 2013 tournament dates will be August 15, 16 & 17.
For 2012 AIM has also announced that the previous $250 registration fee has been dropped. Additionally, AIM has also lowered the previous $1,500 Pro entry fee down to $1,200. Co- Angler entry fees are $300 and all Co-Anglers will fish all three days, randomly paired with a new Pro on each day.
It's been nine years since the city of Baudette and Lake of the Woods has hosted a true professional walleye tournament and AIM and its owner's couldn't be happier to be asked to bring that excitement back to the area and showcase it's now incredible population of walleye. Local anglers agree that right now, walleye fishing on the Lake of the Woods is as good as it has been in recorded history. August is "trophy time" on the big lake and with the AIM CRR seven fish limit, anglers and spectators alike could see daily bag weights easily exceeding 50... but perhaps even 60 pounds!
Complete Article
For 2012 AIM has also announced that the previous $250 registration fee has been dropped. Additionally, AIM has also lowered the previous $1,500 Pro entry fee down to $1,200. Co- Angler entry fees are $300 and all Co-Anglers will fish all three days, randomly paired with a new Pro on each day.
It's been nine years since the city of Baudette and Lake of the Woods has hosted a true professional walleye tournament and AIM and its owner's couldn't be happier to be asked to bring that excitement back to the area and showcase it's now incredible population of walleye. Local anglers agree that right now, walleye fishing on the Lake of the Woods is as good as it has been in recorded history. August is "trophy time" on the big lake and with the AIM CRR seven fish limit, anglers and spectators alike could see daily bag weights easily exceeding 50... but perhaps even 60 pounds!
Complete Article
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Beer-battered fish - Recipe - Video
Hugh demonstrates a recipe from the River Cottage Fish Book: white fish, deep-fried in a batter made with beer.
Rockford teen lands state-record walleye
Nick Tassoni caught a walleye so big Saturday that it broke the longest-standing gamefish record in Illinois.
Tassoni, a 15-year-old freshman at Rockford
Auburn, boated his 14-pound, 12-ounce walleye from the Pecatonica River while trolling with his dad, Dave, in between the Macktown and Two Rivers forest preserves.
After a slow morning, Tassoni latched into something around 1:15 p.m.
‘‘I finally put the motor in reverse, and we went after this fish because he couldn’t move her,’’ Dave said.
They assumed it was a snagged carp.
‘‘But I knew it was a walleye when it got within 20 feet of the boat and started shaking its head,’’ Nick said.
It weighed 14.9 pounds on their Berkley digital scale. That would smash the Illinois record set when Fred Goselin caught a 14-pound walleye from the Kankakee River in 1961.
They squeezed the fish into a red Coleman cooler,
then motored to Two
Rivers. Dave called conservation police officer Brian Alt, who printed the necessary paperwork and met them at 2:15 p.m. at Pinnon’s meat market in Rockford. The fish caused so much hubbub that the scale was moved to a back room.
‘‘My family had a cabin in Minnesota for years, and we never saw anything that prehistoric,’’ said Brian Overbey, who weighed it. ‘‘All you heard in the store was gasps and aahs. When I put it up on the scale and saw the actual weight, that is when I was really shocked.’’
The 31-inch female with a girth of 201/4 inches weighed 14.75 pounds.
‘‘It is absolutely gorgeous,’’ said regional fisheries biologist Dan Sallee, who verified it Sunday. ‘‘A lot of times you get those big old fish, and they get gnarly-looking. This was a beautiful fish.’’
See the photo and read the full article
Tassoni, a 15-year-old freshman at Rockford
Auburn, boated his 14-pound, 12-ounce walleye from the Pecatonica River while trolling with his dad, Dave, in between the Macktown and Two Rivers forest preserves.
After a slow morning, Tassoni latched into something around 1:15 p.m.
‘‘I finally put the motor in reverse, and we went after this fish because he couldn’t move her,’’ Dave said.
They assumed it was a snagged carp.
‘‘But I knew it was a walleye when it got within 20 feet of the boat and started shaking its head,’’ Nick said.
It weighed 14.9 pounds on their Berkley digital scale. That would smash the Illinois record set when Fred Goselin caught a 14-pound walleye from the Kankakee River in 1961.
They squeezed the fish into a red Coleman cooler,
then motored to Two
Rivers. Dave called conservation police officer Brian Alt, who printed the necessary paperwork and met them at 2:15 p.m. at Pinnon’s meat market in Rockford. The fish caused so much hubbub that the scale was moved to a back room.
‘‘My family had a cabin in Minnesota for years, and we never saw anything that prehistoric,’’ said Brian Overbey, who weighed it. ‘‘All you heard in the store was gasps and aahs. When I put it up on the scale and saw the actual weight, that is when I was really shocked.’’
The 31-inch female with a girth of 201/4 inches weighed 14.75 pounds.
‘‘It is absolutely gorgeous,’’ said regional fisheries biologist Dan Sallee, who verified it Sunday. ‘‘A lot of times you get those big old fish, and they get gnarly-looking. This was a beautiful fish.’’
See the photo and read the full article
Monday, January 9, 2012
Friday, January 6, 2012
Spinner Rigging for Walleye - Lindner - Video
Spinner Rigs combine the best aspects of coverage and temptation. New artificial softbaits add new dimensions to an angler's tactics for Walleyes. Al Lindner goes out with Gary McEnelly to show you a few of these spinner rigs.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Walleyes in Weeds - Lidner - Video
To catch walleyes consistently you need to understand the basic nature of this fish; how they move seasonally in your favorite lake. You're in the boat in late spring with Al Lindner and Dan Sura as they talk about walleyes in the weeds.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Fine Tuned Rigging for Walleye - Video
Al Lindner and Dave Csanda show how to adjust to conditions when fishing for Walleye. Backtrolling and the use of Lindy sinkers are techniques you'll see.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Lake of the Woods Walleye at Sportsman's Lodge - Video
In this episode we head north to Lake of the Woods for some phenomenal walleye fishing thanks to Sportsman's Lodgel Be sure to listen to the fishing tips brought to you by Beef of Fathead Guide Service.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Red Lake is hot for early season walleyes
By: Brad Dokken, Grand Forks Herald
WASKISH, Minn. — Finding Jonny Petrowske’s fishing spot on Upper Red Lake was as simple as finding the 2-inch cigar butt he’d poked into a chunk of ice somewhere along the north shore.
Perhaps that explains why we didn’t have another fish house within miles of us one Monday morning. Minnesota’s portion of Upper Red Lake covers 48,000 acres — the remaining 60,000 acres lies within the Red Lake Indian Reservation — and a glance across the big lake suggested at least 60,000 ice chunks covered the frozen horizon.
That’s a lot of ice to not find a cigar butt.
“It’s a lake where you have to be away from people” to do well fishing, Petrowske said. “We see it all the time.”
Mission accomplished.
Petrowske, 36, of Waskish, operates Outdoors with Jonny P., an outfitting business that includes guided summer fishing, fall bear hunts and sleeper fish house rentals. Upper Red Lake has flowed through the family for more than a century, and Petrowske is the fourth generation to make a living on the big lake.
There’ve been a lot of changes here in the past 20 years: The collapse in walleye populations that in 1999 triggered a recovery program in state and tribal waters, the crappie boom that turned Upper Red into a mecca for slab panfish in the wake of the walleye collapse and, more recently, the walleye comeback that has returned the big lake to prominence as one of Minnesota’s top walleye fisheries.
Before the walleye population collapsed in the 1990s — the result of overfishing in state and tribal waters — fish larger than frying-pan size were rare, Petrowske said.
“These are bigger walleyes than we’ve ever caught,” he said. “We used to go to 6 feet of water, hook on a minnow and drop a jig and fill the bucket with small fish. You never caught a walleye over 16 inches. I remember my sister caught a 3-pound walleye, and it was big news.”
Fast start
Ice fishing on Upper Red got off to a fast start as soon as anglers started venturing out in late November. The fishing last weekend slowed for many anglers — too many people and too much noise, according to Petrowske — but he was confident the spot he calls “Fail Safe” would produce a few fish.
The spot had all the ingredients for attracting walleyes, with a rock hump that topped out at 7 feet before dropping into 12 feet of water and a muck bottom.
Two days earlier, Petrowske had hosted a film crew, and three anglers iced 74 walleyes in a matter of hours.
The sun was shining that day, though, and the walleyes were on top of the hump and biting “as fast as you could catch them,” Petrowske said.
This day’s forecast called for sunny skies, as well, but someone forgot to tell the clouds. So Petrowske set his Otter portable fish house in deeper water.
The clouds, he figured, would drive the fish deeper.
“The best fishing has been from 10 to 2, but it changes every day,” he said. “It changes with the weather.”
Lines were in the water less than 15 minutes when Petrowske iced the first fish of the morning, a 17½-inch walleye too big to keep because it fell within Upper Red’s 17- to 26-inch protected slot limit.
He followed up with a 15-inch walleye a couple minutes later, but the fish flopped out of his hands and back down the hole before he could put it in the bucket.
“Oh, well. I wanted a 16-incher anyway,” he said.
Rough ice - Read the rest of the article
WASKISH, Minn. — Finding Jonny Petrowske’s fishing spot on Upper Red Lake was as simple as finding the 2-inch cigar butt he’d poked into a chunk of ice somewhere along the north shore.
Perhaps that explains why we didn’t have another fish house within miles of us one Monday morning. Minnesota’s portion of Upper Red Lake covers 48,000 acres — the remaining 60,000 acres lies within the Red Lake Indian Reservation — and a glance across the big lake suggested at least 60,000 ice chunks covered the frozen horizon.
That’s a lot of ice to not find a cigar butt.
“It’s a lake where you have to be away from people” to do well fishing, Petrowske said. “We see it all the time.”
Mission accomplished.
Petrowske, 36, of Waskish, operates Outdoors with Jonny P., an outfitting business that includes guided summer fishing, fall bear hunts and sleeper fish house rentals. Upper Red Lake has flowed through the family for more than a century, and Petrowske is the fourth generation to make a living on the big lake.
There’ve been a lot of changes here in the past 20 years: The collapse in walleye populations that in 1999 triggered a recovery program in state and tribal waters, the crappie boom that turned Upper Red into a mecca for slab panfish in the wake of the walleye collapse and, more recently, the walleye comeback that has returned the big lake to prominence as one of Minnesota’s top walleye fisheries.
Before the walleye population collapsed in the 1990s — the result of overfishing in state and tribal waters — fish larger than frying-pan size were rare, Petrowske said.
“These are bigger walleyes than we’ve ever caught,” he said. “We used to go to 6 feet of water, hook on a minnow and drop a jig and fill the bucket with small fish. You never caught a walleye over 16 inches. I remember my sister caught a 3-pound walleye, and it was big news.”
Fast start
Ice fishing on Upper Red got off to a fast start as soon as anglers started venturing out in late November. The fishing last weekend slowed for many anglers — too many people and too much noise, according to Petrowske — but he was confident the spot he calls “Fail Safe” would produce a few fish.
The spot had all the ingredients for attracting walleyes, with a rock hump that topped out at 7 feet before dropping into 12 feet of water and a muck bottom.
Two days earlier, Petrowske had hosted a film crew, and three anglers iced 74 walleyes in a matter of hours.
The sun was shining that day, though, and the walleyes were on top of the hump and biting “as fast as you could catch them,” Petrowske said.
This day’s forecast called for sunny skies, as well, but someone forgot to tell the clouds. So Petrowske set his Otter portable fish house in deeper water.
The clouds, he figured, would drive the fish deeper.
“The best fishing has been from 10 to 2, but it changes every day,” he said. “It changes with the weather.”
Lines were in the water less than 15 minutes when Petrowske iced the first fish of the morning, a 17½-inch walleye too big to keep because it fell within Upper Red’s 17- to 26-inch protected slot limit.
He followed up with a 15-inch walleye a couple minutes later, but the fish flopped out of his hands and back down the hole before he could put it in the bucket.
“Oh, well. I wanted a 16-incher anyway,” he said.
Rough ice - Read the rest of the article
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Door County Ice Fishing for BIG Walleyes January 20, 2009 - Video
Watch Dale Stroschein of Wacky Walleye Guide Service reel in a 7 lb+ walleye through the ice in Door County, Wisconsin
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