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UTDOOR CONNECTION
MAY 2016 ESTHERVILLE NEWS Find this publication online at www.esthervillenews.net under 驶Sections始
STORIES, ADVICE AND INFORMATION FOR OUTDOOR LOVERS
STUDYING YEARLING MUSKIE SURVIVAL ON BIG SPIRIT L AKE
THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2016
ESTHERVILLE NEWS/ESTHERVILLE, IA
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STUDYING MUSKIE SURVIVAL ON BIG SPIRIT LAKE The local chapter of Upper Great Plains Muskie Inc. Chapter 29 (Iowa Great Lakes), along with a donation from the nation‐ al chapter’s Hugh Becker Foundation and the Heartland Muskies Inc. chapter from Clear Lake, have donated a combined total of nearly $15,500 to help the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Iowa State University fund a study of yearling muskie survival on Big Spirit Lake. Once muskies hatch they are held in the hatchery the first summer and then sent to the Lake Rathbun Hatchery in September and held in cement lined ponds until the following spring, when they have reached 10‐12 inches in length. Larry Perry, President of the local chapter says, “This is the first study of this type, and we all feel it will provide excellent data that we have never had before. Our local club donated $6,500, the Hugh Becker Foundation donat‐ ed $7,000 and the Heartland club from Clear
STEVE WEISMAN OUTDOOR EDITOR
Lake donated $1980.” Jonathan Meerbeek, Iowa DNR Research Biologist at the Spirit Lake Hatchery, believes this study will have a profound impact on the ability of the fisheries personnel to increase the survival of yearling muskies and help more of them to reach the 30‐inch length (4 years). “Currently we really don’t have the data to deter‐ mine what happens to these fish once they are released into the lake. Normally we don’t see these fish until they are around four years of age. At that point, they begin to appear in our nets and we can track them after that with PIT tags.” Meerbeek notes that
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there is concern about the mortality between the time they are released as 10 to 12‐inch yearlings and when they next are able to get data on them at about year four. “This funding gives us the opportunity to purchase 64 telemetry tags, along with a receiver and anten‐ na to monitor these fish during those first crucial months.” The study Later this spring, the study will begin when 64 muskie yearlings will be fit‐ ted with radio telemetry tags that will allow both DNR and Iowa State University personnel to monitor and track the movements of these fish through the first four months of life in Big Spirit. For this year, Iowa State University has provided the receiver and antenna to be able to track the fish. “We want to know if sim‐ ple changes to our stock‐ ing techniques can improve survival of year‐ ling muskies,” says Meerbeek. “All of these yearlings will have win‐ tered over at our Lake Rathbun facility, and will be brought here in special climatically controlled tanks in May.” Once here the yearlings will be stocked under three dif‐ ferent scenarios. “The first group will be stocked in Hales Slough once they arrive. Hales Slough has been the DNR’s traditional stocking location because of the favorable yearling habitat conditions there. However, one of our con‐ cerns is that once released, they have a ten‐ dency to just hang around that area. With the
Fisheries Biologist Jonathan Meerbeek (second from right) shows members of the Upper Great Plains Muskie Inc. Chapter 29 the antenna and receiver that will be used to track yearling muskies. Club members include (L to R) Leo Kofoot, Larry Perry, Tom Gude, Steve Horswell and Mark Mitchell. Photo by Steve Weisman
telemetry tags, we will be able to track them and better see what happens to them. We will learn quickly whether the stress of the trip and nearby predators take their toll.” The second group will be held at the hatchery for 24‐48 hours before they are stocked. “By doing this, we will be able to track a group of yearling muskie that we have tried to alleviate stress from being transported.” The third group of year‐ lings will be taken out off shore in Angler’s Bay. The DNR wonders if stocking yearlings off shore may reduce predation risks from both fish and bird predators. “We will take these fish out 200 yards or so from shore. We will then track these fish and see what their survival is compared to the other two groups.”
The tags themselves will last 3‐4 months, which means they will be easily tracked through the sum‐ mer. “Our monitoring will be very intense for the first two to three weeks after the stocking occurs.” Fish will be tracked daily up to two weeks post‐ stocking and tracked weekly until August 31. Tracked individuals will be considered dead if no movement is detected in four consecutive encoun‐ ters (i.e., initial survival estimate). Perry says the local mem‐ bers of Upper Great Plains Muskie Inc. Chapter 29 are excited to be part of the study. “The fact that we were able to get enough money to get three differ‐ ent control groups is very important. This will give us data that we have never had before, and at the same time, we will be able
to learn more about what is going on in the muskie habitat and the lake itself. We also hope that what we learn from this study might be used in other parts of the country.”
Yearling muskies are stocked in Hales Slough.
THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2016
ESTHERVILLE NEWS/ESTHERVILLE, IA
The meanest walleye BY JASON MITCHELL
Photo submitted
walleyes but there are a cou‐ ple of presentations that really shine depending on the profile of the weed bed. Day in and day out, a swim bait with a large plastic pad‐ dle tail is tough to beat. The reason swim baits are so deadly around weeds is because of the large gap sin‐ gle hook that can be snapped and shredded through weed stalks and because the larger hook allows you to put more pres‐ sure on the fish and keep them hooked up. Now fluke style and curl tail baits can all work well but I have always been a fan of a large paddle tail because of the vibration and thump that comes off these baits. I believe this thumping tail does the best job of pulling fish up out of weeds because fish can feel the
vibration. Fishing these baits is mere‐ ly swimming and sliding along the edges and open pockets or swimming over the tops of emerging weeds while snapping or popping the lure when you make contact. This snap or pop not only cleans off hooks but also triggers fish. If anglers make a common mistake with swim baits and weeds, I would dare say that many anglers use too small of a swim bait. Four to five inch or sometimes larger swim bait bodies present an easy target, move water and slide and glide more slowly towards the bottom so that the bait can be swam just over the tops or through the edges of the weeds. Soft plastic swim bait options that have large paddles and offer that exaggerated
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Using swim baits Both flats and contours can hold fish and there are many ways to fish weed
Jason Mitchell often finds that shallow weed patterns are often overlooked on many fisheries. These aggressive fish might be some of the meanest walleye you encounter all summer.
vibration like Kalin’s Sizmic Shad are the meal ticket. The biggest challenge I find when targeting weed walleye through the sum‐ mer is that weeds can grow amazingly fast through the summer and you often have to relearn even familiar loca‐ tions. There are times when the weeds can literally grow six more inches in a matter of a few days. Early in the season when the weeds are just starting to grow, fishing is relatively easy. As the weeds begin to reach for the surface, the windows of clean water become more precise and narrow. A partic‐ ular size of swim bait or jig hook that was perfect a week ago can become obso‐ lete when the profile of the weed bed changes. Finding the right lure and fishing the right angle so that the lure can be worked clean through the correct zone takes a somewhat methodical approach. When the fish are aggressive and cruising higher in the water column or roaming the open pockets or open water above the weeds, these fish are easy. When fish are tighter to the bottom or along the bottom edge of the weeds where they become deeper and sparser, the window is much more limited because you are going to need a presenta‐ tion that lands in front of the fish. This is exactly why swim baits shine day in and day out because the depth can be manipulated and controlled so that the bait fishes down to the fish.
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I make no secret for my love for shallow weed pat‐ tern walleyes. These fish are aggressive and will hit baits with force. Spend any time chasing muskies and sooner or later, don’t be surprised to find your retrieve inter‐ rupted by a big old “Walter” smashing down on a buck‐ tail or spinnerbait. These weed fish don’t even act like the walleyes many of us were groomed to catch in our youth when we thought we had to use six pound test and fish as slowly as possible as close to the bottom as possible. These fish play by a different set of rules and more anglers have discovered that weed walleye patterns hap‐ pen throughout the entirety of each summer. As a general rule of thumb, most walleye do seem to follow the old play book that is move out over deep structure and basins as sum‐ mer progresses, but there always seems to be a per‐ centage of fish that stay in shallow weeds throughout the season. These patterns can be as fickle and fleeting as any other pattern but what makes weed patterns appealing to this angler is that they are often over‐ looked because many wall‐ eye anglers hate fishing weeds. We are essentially zigging when everybody else seems to be zagging. On so many fisheries from Saginaw Bay to the Missouri River reservoirs and many natural lakes in between, these populations of fish don’t get touched and that is what makes these pat‐ terns so good.
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THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2016
ESTHERVILLE NEWS/ESTHERVILLE, IA
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A TIME TO LEARN AND A TIME TO CELEBRATE CLEAN WATER BY STEVE WEISMAN
To say I am excited would be an understate‐ The Iowa Great Lakes is a ment! These four days are wonderful area to live, designed for us to learn work and play! We are more about what is being blessed with an abun‐ done, how each of us can dance of lakes. Big Spirit, do our part and finally cul‐ East Okoboji, Upper Gar, minating with Saturday Minnewashta, Lower Gar, night’s celebratory con‐ West Okoboji and Center cert by the legendary Boz Lake. Added up we have Scaggs in Preservation nearly 12,000 acres of Plaza at the Arnolds Park water. At the same time, Amusement Park. Here is a these 12,000 acres of look at what’s on the water are all part of a agenda for each day: 90,631‐acre watershed. August 10: Field Day in Sooner or later, one way Lake Park from 5 p.m. to or another, this watershed 7:30 p.m. impacts all of our lakes. •Anyone interested in The good news is there is conservation in and agri‐ so much we each can do cultural landscape, and to ensure that the runoff those who own or operate that goes into these lakes a farm in northwest Iowa is as clean as possible. or southwest Minnesota are encouraged to attend. August 10‐13: a time to •The Dickinson Soil and learn and a time to cele‐ Water Conservation brate OUTDOOR EDITOR
District, in partnership with Iowa Learning Farms and the Clean Water Alliance, is sponsoring a soil health field day. This event is focused on raising awareness for the value of managing your farm to improve soil health. Speakers include profes‐ sionals advocating for soil health and local farmers who can testify to what improved soil health has meant to their farming business. August 11‐12: Prairie Lakes Conference from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 3:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. @Arrowood Resort & Conference Center in Okoboji. •Conservation profes‐ sionals and the general public are invited. •The $100 registration
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Boz Scaggs cost for the conference includes the two‐day con‐ ference, meals and an evening social on Aug. 11. Registration is open at www.plciowa.com. •Everything in the world is connected, and a vibrant example of that is where prairie and lakes meet. A mutual admiration society, these two ecosystems affect each other and depend on each other in the Iowa Great Lakes area. •Keynote speaker David Thoreson, who combines stunning visuals and story‐ telling about the intercon‐ nectivity amongst people, land and water, both at the local and global levels, will kick off the confer‐ ence on Thursday morn‐ ing. •Each day will include a series of concurrent ses‐ sions and breakout ses‐ sions. August 13: The annual
“We Pedal Clean Water” conservation bike ride will be held from 8 a.m. – noon. and is sponsored by the Soil and Water Conservation District and The Dickinson County Conservation Board. The ride this year will be around Big Spirit Lake. •Riders will meet at Orleans Beach (next to spillway) and then bike around Big Spirit stopping at five different locations to learn about clean water projects. A snack and rest‐ room break will take place at Mini‐Wakan State Park. August 13: Okoboji Blue Water Festival at Preservation Plaza at Arnolds Park Amusement Park from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. FREE OF CHARGE!! •30 clean water exhibitors throughout the green space •Fun‐filled, clean water‐
themed activities for kids •Water quality and natu‐ ral resource speakers (panel) under the big tent •Three fishing seminars from 1‐4 p.m. presented by John Grosvenor, M. Doug Burns and Johnny Campbell •Opening music by The Claudettes (7:30 p.m.) • Headliner – Boz Scaggs (9 p.m.) What an opportunity See why I am excited? I know lots of folks are working during the day, but the evening Field Day (evening) is available as is the bike around the lake. These are both chances to learn more about what is being done and to help all of us gain a connection on how important our efforts are for clean water. Those are good, but, wow, am I excited about Saturday afternoon. With 30 exhibitors scattered around the green space, it will be like a county fair, so to speak. We will get a chance to see and talk with experts. Most impor‐ tantly, we can learn how we can have a positive impact on all that enters our watershed and even‐ tually our lakes. Now that’s pretty powerful stuff! Plus, thanks to an incred‐ ible list of doors, every‐ thing is free, right down to the headliner, Boz Scaggs! This is an opportunity for really valuable family time and a way to help our youngsters see what stew‐ ardship is all about! Taking the words from Greg Drees, who has worked extremely hard to put this together, “Preservation Plaza will be a hub of activity in the afternoon, all culminating with the great Boz Scaggs on stage that night!”
THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2016
ESTHERVILLE NEWS/ESTHERVILLE, IA
Pull: Busters participate in target program BY STEVE WEISMAN OUTDOOR EDITOR
When we think of spring sports, we often think of track, golf and tennis. However, there is another spring sport that is really growing: the Iowa Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP). This program, which was established in Iowa in 2006, is committed to supporting organized youth, high school and collegiate clay shooting programs across the state. The Emmet County Clay Busters, which is now in its third year, has a squad of 26 shooters, 19 varsity level and 7 intermediate level. Above from left are Cole Anderson, Chris Amdahl, Derek Kossuth (3 teams), Jason Enerson. Dickinson, Lyon, Buena Vista, Palo Alto (2 teams), of 16 yards. So far, Jason Cherokee and Sioux County “With the nice weather early, actually got started in Enerson and Derek Gebel all offer competition. late March, a couple of have both had the top score Organized by volunteer co‐ weeks earlier than last year. in competition for the Clay head coaches Rich Jordet Unfortunately, the weather Busters with a score of 45 and Ike Peterson, the coach‐ hasn’t cooperated so well as out of 50. ing squad now has a total of we have gotten into our “We have already had six volunteer coaches, shoots.” competitions at Algona, which, according to Jordet, Here’s an amazing statistic: Emmetsburg and here at the really helps make it a lot eas‐ the 26 shooters have already Izaak Walton League ier to give all of the shooters gone through about 8,400 grounds. On Saturday, May the help and encourage‐ shells and the state competi‐ 7, we will host an eight‐team ment they need. The other tion isn’t until June 9‐10‐11! shoot here in Estherville,” volunteer coaches include At each competition, the says Jordet. Darin Refsell, John Peterson, shooters will each shoot Jordet adds, “They are Andy Brown and Brian two rounds of 25 shells to really shooting well, espe‐ Lauritsen. make a combined perfect cially in practice. If they Normally, practices begin score of 50 from a distance could do that in a shoot, in April, but Jordet says,
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Commission OKs Iowa migratory game bird seasons DES MOINES — The 2016-17 migratory game bird seasons were recently approved by the Natural Resource Commission of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
Youth Waterfowl North Zone: Sept. 17-18 South Zone: Sept. 24-25 Missouri River Zone: Oct. 1-2
27, 2017 Missouri River Zone: Oct. 8-16; and Oct. 22-Jan. 27, 2017
Statewide Dark Geese- Canada Geese, Brant Doves: Sept. 1-Nov. 9 Woodcock: Oct. 1-Nov. 14 and White-fronted Geese 2016-17 Seasons North Zone: Sept. 24-Oct. 9; and Oct. Snipe: Sept. 3-Nov. 30 Ducks, Mergansers and Coots North Zone: Sept. 24-Oct. 2; and Oct. 15-Jan. 4, 2017 Rail – Virginia and Sora: Sept. 3-Nov. South Zone: Oct. 1-9; and Oct. 22-Jan. 11 15-Dec. 4 South Zone: Oct. 1-5; and Oct. 22- 18, 2017 Missouri River Zone: Oct. 8-16; Oct. Special September Canada Goose Dec. 15 Season in designated zones around Missouri River Zone: Oct. 8-9; and Oct. 22-Jan. 18, 2017 Des Moines, Cedar Rapids/Iowa City 22-Dec. 18 Light Geese – White and Blue-phase and Cedar Falls/Waterloo: Sept. 3-11 Snow Geese and Rossʼ Geese Special September Teal North Zone: Sept. 24-Oct. 9; and Oct. Light Goose Conservation Order – North Zone: Sept. 3-11 White and Blue-phase Snow Geese and 15-Jan. 13, 2017 South Zone: Sept. 3-11 South Zone: Oct. 1-9; and Oct. 22-Jan. Rossʼ Geese: Jan. 28-April 15, 2017 Missouri River Zone: Sept. 3-18
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THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2016
ESTHERVILLE NEWS/ESTHERVILLE, IA
6
Life can be so fleeting BY STEVE WEISMAN OUTDOOR EDITOR
W
ow, 12 years can pass by so quickly. Back in 2004, I had the privilege of interviewing the famous Americana and wildlife artist, Terry Redlin. My wife and I actually went to Watertown and spent two hours visit‐ ing with Terry, his wife, son and Julie Ranum, the director of the Redlin Art Museum. Having grown up in South Dakota, I guess you could say we had a common bond: love for the beauty of the great outdoors. However, he had the ability to capture those images and bring them to life on canvas. My wife and I began collecting Redlin prints way back in the late 1970s, and we simply quit, well, because we ran out of wall space. One of our first prints, “Evening Surprise,” took me back to my childhood days on the farm. The print depicts a farmer harvesting the final few rows of a cornfield just at dusk. The sun‐ set is so magnificent, the way only Terry could capture it. Right in front of the combine an explosion of ring‐necked
PPowering owering the and
pheasants erupts, scattering in every direction. It captures the very memories of my childhood. That is the way with the Terry Redlin prints. They always capture a story of America’s rural past. For so many of us that is nostalgia at its best. Then in 2007, I learned that he had retired from painting and from being in the public eye. However, as I learned later it wasn’t by choice. No, he was stricken by dementia. Now, I learned that Terry Redlin passed away on Sunday, April 24 at the age of 78, Thankfully, so much of Terry’s artwork has been preserved and placed in the Redlin Art Museum on the outskirts of Watertown, SD. If you have never been there, it is worth the trip. The museum was actually designed by his son Charles and built by Redlin to repay the state of South Dakota for an art scholarship awarded to him when he was young. The museum displays over 160 of Redlin’s original oils, early child‐ hood sketches and so many newspaper
throu through gh .
DEGREE OPTIONS IN:
The author, his wife Darial and Terry Redlin pose for a picture during a 2004 interview. Photo by Julie Ranum
and magazine articles about his career. The museum is open year around for the public at no cost. It is with great fondness that I remem‐ ber Terry’s words about his works, “I love to tell stories with my paintings, to remember the experiences of my youth, to imagine events related to me by older
folks that I had the privilege of knowing. America’s rural past, in my eyes, was a wonderful place full of both beauty and opportunity. How fortunate I have been to spend my life creating memories of those distant times for others to enjoy. I only hope that my art is worthy of the subject.”
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THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2016
ESTHERVILLE NEWS/ESTHERVILLE, IA
7
WALLEYE, Continued from Page 3
STEWARDSHIP TIP:
Handling fish BY BEN LEAL III
Maintain control of the fish Fish that are allowed to bang around on streamside rocks or the bottom of a boat If you plan to release a fish, it is important harm themselves and expend a lot of undue to give it a chance to survive and thrive. Here are several tips to keep in mind as you energy. Depending upon the fish, you can control it by cupping your hand (or hands) release fish. around it, cradling it, grabbing it by the bottom First, and foremost, keep the fish in the lip, or grabbing it across the back. Under no water. circumstance should you ever grab a fish by Donʼt lift fish out of the water – donʼt even the eyes or gills (despite what youʼve heard touch the fish if you donʼt have to. Many fish before or seen in outdoor magazines). Avoid can be released without ever touching them. squeezing fish around the belly, as this can Just bend over, remove the hook with your hand or with pliers and let the fish swim away. damage internal organs. Handling large fish Research has shown that keeping a fish in If you are going to handle a large fish and the water dramatically increases its chances want to take that hero shot, support the of survival. Speaking of keeping the fish in the water, use a waterproof camera and pho- weight of the fish and hold it horizontally tograph the fish underwater rather than going rather than vertically. Their internal organs are supported by their buoyancy while suspended for the hero shot. Keep your hands wet when handling fish in the lake. Holding a large fish vertically will cause all their organs to slide down which will If you do handle a fish, and you do it with stress the fish if handled for very long. This is dry hands, it can cause some of the protecsignificantly important when handling large tive coating (“slime”) on the fishʼs skin to fish like a 15 pound northern pike. come off. This coating is designed to protect Remember to Catch Photo and Release trofish from disease. Wet hands reduce this risk and can actually make it a little easier to han- phy fish so that Iowaʼs fisheries maintain the gene pool. Limit you catch donʼt catch your dle your catch. Some anglers prefer soft wet limit and practice selective harvest. We Are gloves. Stewards… Recycled Fish Program Director
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fish that are riding high in the weed bed, you can use crankbaits or stick baits with a tremendous amount of success. Last sum‐ mer, we filmed an episode in northeastern South Dakota’s Glacial Lakes Region near Webster where we caught some really big fish rolling Salmo Stings over seven to nine foot weed flats. The weeds nearly reached the surface and this particular shallow running suspending twitch bait proved deadly. You can cover more water with a faster trolling motor speed when using hard baits and most definitely wear out the aggressive easy to reach fish in a particular weed bed. What always shocks me however is the number of fish that can be tallied by going through the same weed bed at a slower more methodical speed with swim baits. Swim baits catch the fish that the crank baits miss. Why these two lure categories compli‐ ment each other so well stems from the dive curve each bait possesses. Imagine a standard crank bait or stick bait going through the water column during a retrieve. The dive curve is going to be half circle shaped. Snap the lure to get it down and the lure is going to be at the deepest about half way through a retrieve before
it begins to rise towards the boat. With hard lures, you can clip the tops or sides of the weeds at a faster rate. Hard lures typi‐ cally have more noise; more flash and can probably pull fish in from greater dis‐ tances. These characteristics make them shine for finding fish, eliminating water and catching fish that are on. The swim bait takes a different route back to the boat that can be manipulated much more so than hard baits. The swim bait can be retrieved to take a similar half circle shaped route back to the boat in a much more subtler fashion but it can also be lifted or dropped to cover a portion of the water column that hard baits will miss and do so at a slower speed. When fish are tucked in tight to the bottom of the weed bed or holding tight along an inside or outside edge, you can reach these fish with a swim bait. The single hook is also easier to clean and free when you make contact versus the multiple hooks on a crank bait or stick bait. When these fish are on, they are extremely under rated predators that can out compete both bass and pike on many bodies of water. These fish won’t need finesse and that is what makes this style of fishing so much fun.
THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2016
ESTHERVILLE NEWS/ESTHERVILLE, IA
Walleye ideas BY BOB JENSEN FISHING THE MIDWEST FISHING TEAM
Walleye season is either here or very near all across the Midwest. Now that walleyes are or will be fair game throughout walleye country, here are some things to keep in mind regarding walleyes. Some anglers are reporting the spawn happened a bit earlier than usual this year. The timing of the spawn varies from region to region, but it should be com‐ pleted soon. After the spawn and throughout the summer, walleyes are often thought of as fish that like to be near deeper structure. While it’s true that these glassy‐eyed fish often can be found near rockpile and points and sunken islands and deep reefs, there are also times when they’ll be in the shallows. Walleyes, like any other fish, go where the food is. If their food is shallow, the walleyes will be shallow. If their food is deep, they’ll be deep. Sonar is a critical tool for catch‐ ing walleyes, especially when
they’re deep. It works well to cruise deep areas with a close eye on the sonar. If you see what you think are walleyes on the sonar, fish the area. If there is no life, keep looking. This assumes you have the sonar properly tuned. If the sen‐ sitivity is set too low, you proba‐ bly won’t see much. The Raymarine sonar units that are becoming very popular are easy to tune and they draw a great picture of the underwater world. Some of them provide a dual‐look at the walleye’s world, which provides even more revealing images and makes our search for fish easier. If the food is shallow, that’s where the walleyes will be. We’ve caught walleyes a good number of times on wind blown points in just two or three feet of water. If the wind blows from the same direction for a couple of days, find a shallow rocky point and cast jigs or crankbaits. You’ll probably get bit. Weedlines also hold lots of walleyes. Look for points or pockets in the cabbage weeds.
Just as an irregular feature on the bottom of the lake will con‐ centrate walleyes, an irregularity in a weedline will concentrate fish. A jig and minnow will catch weedline fish, but we’re going to be ripping the jig off weeds frequently, and that will also usually rip the minnow off. A better addition to your jig is a minnow shaped Impulse plastic tail. I also took some really nice walleyes last year on the new UV Mimic Minnows. Some jigs are made to be used with plastic. Slurp! Jigs are a good example of a jig designed for plastics.They have a bait holder and long‐shank hook that were designed to be used with plastic. Try using a jighead that contrasts in color with the soft bait. In addition to catching walleyes on the weedline, you’ll catch a variety of other species. Walleye season is here or very close. If you keep these ideas in mind, you’ll be able to have a much better walleye‐catching season.
8
The author with a typical early season walleye taken on a jig/plastic combo. Smaller male walleyes might make up most of your catch early in the season. Photo submitted