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From the Bow
The Walleye Central Newsletter
Walleye anglers are whacking and stacking loads of fish this season from the Pacific Northwest, to Arkansas over to the eastern Great Lakes. Walleye fishing is gaining in popularity thanks to the variety of techniques anglers can use to hook hogs or limits of tasty walleye fillets.
Sure, years ago many anglers thought of walleye fishing as a slow-paced worm dragging affair with very little excitement. Not today. With all of the open water techniques used by the pros and the rip-jigging in your face river and reservoir techniques that can help you bag a limit of walleyes in the shallows of your favorite river, reservoir or lake walleye anglers can cast, drag, jig, slip-bobber rig or troll for their favorite quarry.
Myself, if I can find a shallow water crankbait bait or deep water rigging action I am happy. Actually I am happy anytime I am out on the water chasing fish.
Have a great month!
Dave Landahl
 Minnesota
Paul Myrdahl
Minnesota Walleye Opener looking good.
Minnesota Walleye opener will be here soon. If you haven't picked already you'll have plenty to choose from. Mille Lacs, and Winnibigosh are 2 of my favorites. Mille Lacs continued to put out plenty of walleyes in the 4 to 8 lb range over the winter and anglers should expect more of the same for the open water season. The slot has been loosened a bit this year with a protected slot of 20-28 inches with on over 28 to start the season and switching to 22-28 with one over 28 on July 15. The diversity of structure on this lake makes it hard for and angler to decide where to fish. A good place to check early season is on the north end of the lake. Look for large, shallow sand flats to that are holding baitfish and walleyes along with them. 10 to 15 foot depths are a good place to start looking. When fishing this shallow try to get your baits as far away from the boat as possible, especially during sunny conditions. If the shallow sand don't produce look to one of the many rock reefs that are scattered throughout the lake; especially when the wind is blowing.
Winnibigosh is expected to have an abundance of fish this year in the 14 to 16in range. The protected slot on Winnie is 17 to 26 inches with one over 26. The bite on Big Winnie during the early season is usually pretty shallow during the 1st part of the season. How shallow? Walleyes can be caught in knee to waist deep water. Snap jigging weed beds is an excellent way to put fish in the boat. Fish can also be caught along the break lines of the many of the sand bars that are located through out the lake. Whatever your choice, be safe and good luck.
MTT @ Redwing
Minnesota Tournament Trail Team of the year is at it again. Pat Rooney and Virgil Malbraten start the 2004 season right where they left off in 2003 with a 1st and 7th place finish on April 17th & 18th. Pat and Virgil spent both days jigging a back eddy and the sand flat immediately down stream from this eddy. The area was located between Everett's resort and the lock and Dam area. Saturday had this team placing 7th with 13 plus pounds of fish with an estimated 8-pounder that was lost at the side of the boat. Sundays luck was better with the team bringing 20.06 lbs of fish to the scales to capture 1stth place and solidify a 20 point lead in this years race for the team of the year. The team also took 1st in the big fish pot on Sunday. Nice job guys.
The MTT returned to Redwing on May 1st & 2nd for another round of Walleye action. The bite had slowed a bit with the spawn being over and fish spreading through out the system. Some teams ran from Redwing to the southern end of Lake Pepin just north of Wabasha to catch their limits. Fish were being caught at the head of the lake and the Wisconsin back channels were good producers as well. Walleyes and saugers were being caught in a variety of depth ranges from 5 to 17 feet. Big fish were still to being caught with 8 lb plus fish being brought to the scale both days. Crankbaits, three-ways, and jigs all produced good numbers of fish. The MTT will be heading to Big Stone Lake on the Minnesota /South Dakota border on May 8th - 9th for 2 more single day events
 Lake Erie (OH) May Report
By: Tim "Toolman" Joseph
"Island Paradise"
The month of May brings warmer temperatures and hot walleye action to the Western Basin waters of Lake Erie-to be more specific-the Island area of the Western Basin. A percentage of the entire lakes population of walleyes congregates in the major rivers in the west end of the lake and many more gather on the major reef complexes found in the Western Basin. As the walleyes complete their spawning mission, their thoughts turn to replenishing their lost strength. At the same time, the hungry 'eyes have an inner call to return to their summer haunts. All this takes place as water temperatures are raising, which in turn increases the already hungry fish's metabolism. All this means active aggressive, rapidly moving walleyes to the Erie angler. The Islands are a Paradise for anglers to intercept these nomadic predators on their return trip.
By looking at a topographic map, you can see the natural "neck-down" features that the islands area provides. Add to that their effect on Erie's underwater currents and you begin to realize just what kind of "funneling effect" the islands have on nomadic fish. Locating the most active fish is critical in maximizing your success in fishing these. In most cases fish seen deeper are less active, even though the marks deeper look "better". Often times these deep fish just can't be coursed into biting. The marks I look for are usually much more scattered, but higher in the water column. Often times the "hooks" will appear 20' down in 40'+ deep areas. A typical search would involve cruising and looking for marks before wetting a line.
Once you've selected a likely starting point, I'll set out a variety of presentations to see what the fish. Spinner rigs behind 2 or 3 colors of lead-core line off side planers are an excellent way to present something that looks and smells good to eat for these voracious, toothy beasts. Another way to put your bait in "the zone" is adding 1 to 2 oz snap weights or in-line weights. Lead core, snaps and in-lines all give the bait different actions depending on speed and direction changes and wave action. Try different weighting methods because under differing conditions, all of the various methods mentioned can shine. I vary my trolling speeds for spinners generally from as slow as .5 MPH to as fast as 1.8 MPH depending on the day. If I think the fish are "on" I'll start on the upper end of that spectrum. After a cold front, the slow end will likely produce better.
Crank baits are another excellent way to put some big hungry walleyes in your livewell. Again after locating a likely area, set up to troll crankbaits at or slightly above (as much as 10') the level the best marks are showing. I traditionally haven't had as much success with the "high fish" bite which can be hot nearer the reef areas earlier, in April. They will suspend well up I the water column, though. For color choice, start with the more natural colored baits in cleaner water, as often is the case in the Islands area. Trolling speeds usually work best in the 1.2-2.0 MPH ranges.
Tourney Time-May Schedule (Erie)
5/7 WWA Erie-Catawba State Park
5/8 WWA Erie-Catawba State Park
5/15 GNWC- Cranberry Creek (rescheduled from 5/2)
5/15 WOWC_Cranberry Creek (rescheduled from 5/2)
Colorado
Dave Kooser
Chatfield Reservoir, May 2003
Fact Sheet
Date: May 2, 2003
Location: Chatfield Reservoir (SW Denver)
Weather: Scattered Clouds, 67 degrees, variable winds from the southwest up to 12 mph
Water: Visibility around 3 feet, 54 degrees
Techniques Used: Slip Bobber and 1/16 oz orange jig with leech, 1/8 oz. orange jig with leech and Lindy rig with a leech.
In preparation for the Colorado Walleye Association's first tournament of the year, the Chatfield Ice Breaker, my tournament partner and I hit the ramp at 6:00am. Before launching the boat we assessed the wind conditions and decided immediately that our first technique would be slip bobber fishing as there was almost no wind. After launching the boat and turning the wheel over to him, I started to rig up with a small Thill bobber and a fluorescent orange 1/16 oz. jig. Once on our spot and after reading the depth at 16 feet, I set the bobber stop at 15 feet and hooked on a leech. Within 10 minutes I had landed and released two 16-inch walleye. Good start but 16-inch fish cannot even be weighed, as there is an 18-inch minimum on that lake. We stayed on that spot, a submerged roadbed shoulder, for another 30 minutes landing a few more undersized walleye.
Our next stop was a large flat south of the swim beach. There our fishing technique was changed. In the previous spot, we were fishing a very specific spot and depth and moved around very little allowing us to present a small jig under a small bobber. Fishing the flat required us to constantly move using the electric trolling motor. I tied on a fluorescent orange 1/8 oz. jig. My partner tied up a Lindy rig with a size 6 light wire hook. Both of us topped our offerings with a leech and opened the bail on our spinning reels. Over the course of the next 2 hours, we zig zagged across the flat and landed more "dinks". One repeatable pattern we found is that by watching the Lowrance X91, we could see minor deviations in the bottom (ditches, humps and bottom consistency) and as our offer was drug over those deviations; we could pick up a fish or two. We never saw the fish on the X91 probably because the fish moved out from under the boat as we passed over them.
We finished the half-day of pre-fishing by crossing the old river channel and locating a few submerged humps. The tops of the humps were at 10 feet surrounded by 20 feet of water. Using the same jig and Lindy setups, we started circling the hump at the 20-foot depth. With each successive full circle around the hump, I started working shallower, 18 feet deep, then 16 feet deep. About half way around the hump on the 16-foot depth pass; I felt the boat shift to one side. My partner is a quite guy, especially when catching a fish. I have learned to look back when I feel the boat rock to one side or the other and as I looked back the first thing I saw was his rod bending into a sloppily written "L" shape. His chuckle, grin and the stressed rod gave me all the clues necessary to determine that he had a decent fish on. Setting my rod into one of my Ram holders, I grabbed the net. We landed a 22-incher, good enough to weigh, but one day too early. Our hopes were that we'd find him and all of his schoolmates tomorrow morning during the first tournament of the year.
Check out the Colorado Walleye Association at www.cwaonline.net to get additional information about their tournaments, activities and meetings.
 'Eyes on Dunkirk
John Forbes
Although the New York State Walleye season opened on May 1st, the fishing action so far has not really started. A few hearty Lake Erie anglers have been trying the near shore night fishery, when the lake conditions permit, with little success reported to date. Night fishing off the "reef" west of Dunkirk generally does not get good until later May. Rapala's, Yo-zuri's and other floating stickbaits are generally the best bet.
Don Ryan, of Chadwick Bay Marina in Dunkirk reports that the fishing for walleye and trout off the Dunkirk pier has been spotty, but the bait has finally moved in so conditions may improve. Local anglers continue to report good catches of bullhead off the Dunkirk City Pier, and along the breakwall to the east of the pier. Worms and commercial bullhead baits have been working well.
Remember the Lake Erie minimum is 15"; and the daily creel limit is 4.
Over on Chautauqua Lake, Randy Peterson of the Bait Pond, also is reporting spotty action so far. Those
finding success are using Rapala's, with Black/Silver or Firetiger working the best. Crappie fishing continues
to be up and down as well using live minnows and tube jigs.
While we wait for the walleye action to pick up, the big news the last two (2) weeks has been the wonderful salmon and trout fishing on the western end of Lake Ontario. With many local anglers making the short trip up to participate in the Lake Ontario Counties Derby, which concluded on May 2nd, there have been regular reports of days with 30 fish or more on the line.
I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to head up several times this past week as well. One day we had 31 fish on, boating 22, almost all lake trout. Over the weekend we boated an additional 6 fish, the biggest of which was an 18 lb king salmon. Depending on whom you ask, a variety of lures have been working well. Most frequently mentioned are "orange crush" flutters spoons, either off the downriggers, or 70-80 feet back off the dipseys. Cut bait rigs, and spin doctor/fly combos have also been working well.
Marshall Ehmke, a veteran local angler, placed 1st in the salmon division with a 23.08 lb king salmon. The
fish was taken aboard local Capt. Bud Marsh's "Alibi Charters". Several others local residents were on the
leaderboard during the contest.
DERBIES:
The $1000 a Day Derby returns again in 2004 on Lake Ontario from May 1-August 31, 2004.
Website: www.1000adayderby.com
The Southtowns Walleye Association holds the annual derby on Lake Erie from June 19-June 26, 2004.
You must be a member to fish this event, but can join with your derby registration form.
Website: www.southtownswalleye.com
The Ameri-can Walleye Derby sponsored by the New York Walleye Association will be held in Dunkirk
on July 10 and July 11. This is a 2-4-man team contest, total 2-day weight. Entry fee is $175.00/team.
The Kinzua Allegany Walleye Association (KAWA) will hold a Lake Erie Tournament on August 14 and 15. Membership in KAWA is required ($35); two-man entry fee is $225. www.kinzua-walleye.com
INFORMATION:
Tackle/Tips: The Bait Pond 716-763-9471
Docks/Info Chadwick Bay Marina 716-366-1774
Charters: Alibi Sportfishing Charters 716-792-4805
www.alibisportfishingcharters.com
Capt. Bud Marsh
Food: Payne's Kettle and Keg 716-363-7556
 May Wolf River Country Field Report
Joel "DOC" Kunz
This is the time of year that really got me sold on the Wolf River Country area for walleye fishing. Sure the spring run was the first walleye quest that brought me to the Wolf, but it's the sheer diversity in fishing available to walleye anglers during the first post spawn period that has since been so inspiring. Want some practice with the jig? Just pick a stretch of river where deep water is available near where young of the year baitfish are swimming and you've got walleye. Vertical jigging is effective as is pitching the shallows and working the drop-offs. Not a river rat? There are plenty of rock humps and points that hold walleye on the lower lakes of the system and working a Lindy No-Snagg or Veggie jig on the edges of the emerging cane beds will produce fish. Slip bobbers are also very effective and can be worked, wind swept along the edges on the cane beds or along some of the vertical drops in the river channel and along rock humps in the lower part of the system. Trolling is also very popular in the area and lots of walleye are caught in this manner. Small deep diving crank baits such as #7 Shad Raps, Hot-N-Tots and others will catch fish anywhere from 7 to 15 feet behind the boards. Other baits that do well are baby Husky Jerks, Thundersticks and other small "stick Baits" along with crawler harnesses. When fishing a crawler harness I like to use the new Berkley GULP night crawler, sometimes adding a small piece of real crawler to the front hook too. Sure you will catch a great variety of fish along with the walleye you are chasing, but by paying attention to simple "keys" you can maximize your catch of walleye and limit the number of "other" fish you catch. Local anglers in the Winneconne area also like to pull 3-ways along the sharp breaks in the river channel around the bridge and near the Wolf's confluence with the Fox. A small streamer fly on the business end of the 3-way is often tipped with a small leech or minnow. Leeches are a great option for jig fishing too and will often pull walleye from deep water below schools of white bass feeding in the shallows and are what I prefer to work around the cane beds whether on a jig or slip bobber.
Wind and a small boat was another reason as a young man I found this area and preferred it to the expansive Lake Winnebago. Sure anglers will be catching lots of walleyes out on the big lake using techniques as previously described on the numerous reefs, rocky shorelines and by trolling over open water. Now that I am more experienced and have a bigger boat, (and friends with bigger boats) I fish on Winnebago so much more then I ever did. Still, when the wind is blowing I'm glad that I have spent over 30 years nosing around this system. Even Lake Poygan can be daunting when the wind is blowing, as the shallow waters can be ripped to a torrent in a short period of time. That's when the meandering tree lined shores of the Wolf are so friendly and every clam bed or spring hole on the river with any windbreak, is subject to probing for the marble-eyed fish I so love to chase.
For more information on the Wolf River Country area visit www.wolfrivercountry.com
Joel "Doc" Kunz is a freelance outdoor writer/photographer/educator and is a member of the Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers (AGLOW)
 Trolling Crankbaits
Rick Gardner
Figuring out how and when to troll crankbaits effectively can be a very intimidating proposition for most of us. When I first started experimenting with trolling techniques, I found myself overwhelmed with information and questions...What color crankbait should I use? What body style should I use? How deep should I troll? How fast should I troll? Where should I troll? When should I troll? It all seems so confusing and complicated, where do I start? Well...
Question: How do you eat an Elephant?
Answer: One bite at a time!
The key to simplifying the trolling problem is to solve it one piece at a time. When I'm faced with a trolling situation, I consider five main variables that I adjust as I fine-tune my trolling program. I've prioritized them from most important to least important, so that I can solve the trolling problem "One bite at a time".
1. Location
2. Depth
3. Speed
4. Lure Shape and Size
5. Color
Location
Obviously, no matter which presentation you use, you can't catch fish in a location where they are absent. As everyone knows, once you locate walleyes you can probably catch them with a lot of different techniques...the technique you select should be the most efficient and effective for that situation.
When I see fish on my sonar that are spread out in areas such as a long breakline, a sweeping point, a flat with weeds, or relating to suspended baitfish, I know it's time to give trolling a try.
When fish are spread out, and not really relating to a single point or feature, techniques that involve covering large amounts of water in a short period of time are very efficient. These techniques increase the number of fish you will contact within a given period of time. Trolling crankbaits in these situations is very efficient, and typically entices the most active fish to bite...and sometimes the biggest fish are the most active fish!
Depth
Once I've found a location that looks like a good trolling scenario, I begin to consider the next most important variable. Depth!
I will use the depth of the fish that I mark on my sonar to give me a clue about which depths to start trying. In a typical scenario such as a flat or a long sweeping breakline, I might mark fish right on the bottom, and a few fish suspended.
In this situation, I'll select a few cranks that will run deep enough to tick the bottom every now and then to pick up aggressive fish near the bottom. I'll also select a few cranks that run at various depths throughout the water column to pick up aggressive suspended fish.
Once I've found a depth that the fish consistently prefer, I'll put most of my baits at that depth, and then begin adjusting the other variables in the trolling equation.
Speed
After I've found a location, and a target depth, I'll play with speed to determine if the fish have a preference. The easiest way to quickly adjust speed is to run the boat in a "zigzag" fashion. As you take the boat through the s-turns, the rods on the inside of the turn will slow down, and the rods on the outside of the turn will speed up. Take note of which "side" of the turn receives the most attention from the fish...inside rod hits mean the fish want it slower, outside rod hits mean the fish want it faster. This is a good rule of thumb, however I've seen fish that are attracted to the acceleration, not the speed (I've actually had situations where fish were attracted to the change in speed, not the absolute speed itself...just a little tip to keep in the back of your mind).
Lure Shape and Size
When I start the process to figure out the correct depth, location, and speed, I'll typically favor a lure body shape that replicates the forage base of the lake. For example, if I'm in a system with a forage base of Shad, I'll start with a few shad shaped baits. I'll also usually start with 1/2 of my lures having internal rattles, and half without rattles. However, I try not to let myself get "pigeon holed" into thinking that just cause it's a Shad based system that's the only style I should use.
As I get things dialed in, I'll play with the various "major" body styles to try to find a preference. The four major styles are: Shad shaped, Banana Shaped (or curved), Stick-Baits, and Jointed Baits. All of which come with or without rattles.
If you find that the fish prefer a very fast presentation (3 - 5 mph), you'll have to make sure that the lures you are using can handle that speed. Some smaller cranks will wobble so fast at high speeds; they will begin to run sideways, or at too high a frequency to be effective.
Color
Once I have a good location, a preferred speed, a productive depth, and an attractive lure shape, I start fine tuning color. Usually through the process of nailing down the other variables, I've been playing with a lot of different cranks, and through this process I've probably tried a lot of different colors. I always ask myself, "Which colors have been the best so far?"
At this point, I try keeping all other variables fairly constant, and start experimenting with different colors. I typically start with variations that can be generalized. For example: Bright baits (such as Fire Tiger or perch), dark baits (blacks, browns and dark greens) and neutral colored baits (such as shad colors). A good rule of thumb to start with is "Bright baits on bright days and dark baits on dark days".
Fine Tuning
When I first start trolling in a situation, I consider all variables independently of one another, and try not to change more than one variable at a time. This is the classic scientific approach. I use this approach because if I change to many variables at one time, I can't tell which one had the effect of triggering bites. It's not necessarily a bad thing to catch fish, and not know why. However, if you know which variable triggered the bites, it's easier to replicate and/or adjust in the future.
The whole process is iterative, and ever changing. As I begin to fine-tune my presentation, I constantly use at least one rod as the "experimentation rod". I might run this rod at a different depth than the rest; perhaps use a different color or body shape, etc. Sometimes if I find that I've selected a body style that I wasn't using when I was trying to determine the optimum speed, I'll run through various speeds again to see if the new body style has a different "sweet" speed than the ones I tried before.
Every good troller that I know is changing, adjusting, and experimenting all the time. I've had fishing partners tell me that the busiest day they've ever spent in a boat was a day trolling with me...
Eventually, time and practice will give you an intuitive sense of all of the trolling variables, and which ones need to adjusted and when. As a start, keep the five main variables in mind, and don't try to eat the whole elephant in one bite.
Take care, and if you ever see Cabela's Ranger #720 on the water, stop by and say hi.
The Bait Box
Saginaw Bay Area Michigan
Ed Clements
The tournament season is off and running, all the tours in Michigan have kicked off and the PWT and RCL national circuits also have started. Congratulations to Mike Mink and Mike Bokun, winners of the Detroit River MWT. These guys could handline in a mud puddle and catch walleyes. Congrats also go out to Gus White who won the Michigan RCL Walleye League on the Detroit River. Good Friends Mike Jurik, Al Kukla, and Nate Seiferlein also had good finishes in the RCL League, Nate finished 6th , Al finished 7th, and Mike took a 9th place check. Must be the boats from Lindys that brought all the luck! The first ever Grand National Walleye Cup event in Michigan took place on April 25, 2004 on the Detroit River out of Elizabeth Park. Paul Curmi and Mike Jurik fished together in this one and looks like they make a good team as they finished in 3rd place. The PWT kicked off with its first event of the year at Winneconne, Wisconsin. Fishing looked really tough from the results, most anglers did not get a limit and the fish were only averaging about one pound. John Gillman had a good showing finishing 18th; Mark Sak fished as hard as he possibly could and hung in there to finish 55th. Tommy Skarlis won the event for his third April win on the PWT.
Walleye fishing also opened last weekend on inland waters. I did not hear much about the Saginaw River or Tittabawassee River. Saginaw Bay still remains hot for walleyes, all the way from the mouth of the Saginaw River up to Augres. There have also been a few sporadic reports of smelt near Augres. The smelt have been so hit or miss the last few years that you really have to get lucky and hit it just right to load up on those critters. I am going to try to go once or twice this week and I will try to let everyone know if I have any success. Another good walleye spot is Houghton Lake, late April and early May can really be good for nice fish.
May should be an exciting month for fishing. Look for Saginaw Bay to remain good all through May for walleyes. The Detroit River will hold fish all month and they can be caught either handlining or jigging. Houghton Lake is a good bet, and don't forget about Holloway Reservoir near Flint. Holloway can be absolutely awesome trolling Hot N Tots or Shad Raps. The Michigan Walleye Tour heads to Lake St. Clair for its second stop of the season on May 15-16. The RCL Walleye League does not have a stop in Michigan during May, but will resume on Houghton Lake on June 5. The national RCL Walleye Circuit will be in Port Clinton, Ohio on April 28-May 1. The next stop for the Grand National Walleye Cup is in Muskegon, MI on Muskegon Lake May 23. Don't forget about the local and marina tournaments; Labadie Auto Dealership is sponsoring a tournament at Hoyle's Marina on May 22. I hope everybody has good luck fishing, don't forget if you have photos, articles, or anything else you would like me to put in this newsletter just pass it along. Take care and good fishing.
 Oh Canada
Steve Morrissette
From Niagara Falls to the Lakes of Southern Quebec Bordering Vermont
St-Catherines, Niagara On the Lake
My departure from Quebec was difficult, snow and blowing snow with the temperature at -5 was shaking up my dreams. But as we traveled west into Ontario the weather was getting better. Getting on the water the next morning made it all worthwhile... Salmon and Lakers of a very respectable size gave us some real good action. Fishing with "riggers" and planer board we managed to boat over 50 through the next couple of days.
Next year I will be back for sure.
At this time of the year I was focusing mainly on Lake trout, they are very active in the top 30 foot of water. The first days were quite productive with specimens between 7 and 13.3pds.. Slow trolling 1.3 to 1.7 mph was the key. Water surface temperature is around 38 degrees.
In a few weeks it's going to be ouananiche (landlocked salmon) on planer boards using streamers, Yo-zuri and top guns. On Lake Memphremagog you can expect to catch Landlocks between 1 and 5 lbs. and occasionally bigger.
Lake St-Pierre and the St-Lawrence River
In the Montreal region you have 2 great options:
Opening day will find many fishermen east of Montreal at the "chenal Corbeau" and the Sorel islands seeking out the walleyes. Drifting in the channel while jigging with power grubs will produce some nice eyes.
In the port of Montreal the target depth and tactic is 40 feet of water - jigging and you will catch saugeyes, as many as you want . On the south side of the river fish on the rocks "rip-rap" and the walleyes will be waiting to greet you. Best method is to troll with Shad Raps, Wally Divers and Bomber Long A's , following the rock edges in deeper water. Night is the best time.
Good fishing
MWC Diary
Rick Larson
All I wanted to do was conk that MWC partner of mine on the head.
But as I plucked that one-pound of lead weight from the storage compartment, my anger had me devising a plan to test the limits of my heavy-duty ten-foot long dipsey diver rods.
Now I'm sure your already thinking this story is way to imaginative to be for real (really, conking this guy on the head has been on my mind more than once!), but if you could humor me, please click to the main page of Walleye Central and click up the April newsletter, scrolling way down the page to read my story as to why I was provoked to such a tizzy.
However, to those of you who are already familiar with our (Pete Huibregtse and I) entry to the MWC Spring Valley Tournament, and it's story, might I go on a bit as to how my anger stained reasoning lead to this unconventional use of one pound weights hitched to such long fishing rods.
First of all, pole lining is a very acceptable form of trolling in this farmland creek muddied water of the Illinois River. Cause you see, one is allowed to used two baits per fishing rod in this river and pole lining is the ticket to using this method effectively.
So, if you fashion your line with a wire leader similar to that of what the hand liners use, you can set two leaders from the one main line, by using a shorter lead and connecting it to the lower swivel (that's the closest to the weight), and then a longer lead connected higher.
This is an excellent presentation to have a bait following the other.
But as in not the case with hand lining, using two rods will give the fisher person double chances by being able to present four baits adding your 2nd rod. And then, also adding your partner's four more baits, giving a humongous advantage to the users.
Now I don't want to take credit for such a new and exciting innovation, as many have wrote tremendously informative stories of this double bait tactic. Heck, just a few short months ago I remember reading about this in an article penned (or rather typed), by one Jimmy Seiwart, who wrote at length in The North American of this tactic in conjunction with lead core lining.
And so on with pole lining and hand lining. But what Pete, a long-time MWC participant can say, is he has never seen this heavy a weight used on such a long rod. Course, I'm sure that Parsons, Kolinski, Gray, and the rest of these innovative individuals can talk of using this presentation! It's just not known by me!
But am sure there ARE others who have never heard of this. As can attest by the stares and off hand comments - from those fishing close by. Some even having to say something about our use of dipsey divers and down riggers. Yeah right people! That innovative am not!
But anyway, enough bragging!
So back to the facts. The very real reason to be using this innovation is twofold plus. First, the long rods do get the lines out away from the boat and prevents tangling - with the inside straight out the back of the boat rods.
And secondly, no doubt there are fish that either skirt out away from the boat, or are just are inline being 10 feet off to the side. Capeche?
Plus! Being able to use such heavy weights gives one much better control as to the depth of the presentation in such swift current, wanting them (the baits) to hug the bottom.
So now, all you gawkers know what we were trying to pull (literally). I really believe that we would have had a better MWC finish had the water not rose and soiled our baits with river condiments.
Ok, now that am able to get that off my chest, there are a few other tidbits of the Spring Valley story I would like to finish up with.
One is a matter of the MWC Tournament director Kristine Houtman. Want to say that this person is very devoted to the job at hand and does an excellent job of handling the duties of this position. But as always, I have an opinion about something.
And that is not all of us participants can win the same tournament! To stand on stage and proclaim to all the participants in the auditorium that every one of us ought to think we can win, is a very brave statement to make. Your only going to disappoint two hundred and nineteen of us! Pass the hankies people!
Then another, and more to finish our (Pete an I) story in the April Newsletter; remember when I typed about that first spot we visited on the first day, and only caught one nice sauger? Then we decided to leave the spot, because we weren't use to only catching one fish in such a longer period of time?
Well, we decided not to fish this spot the second and last day of the tourney, because we felt the rising water would change the current and wash the fish out.
But when we were packing our clothes readying for the ride home, at the hotel next door a patron who also entered the contest came back with a report of a limit of fish.
Right smack dab in our first day first stop spot!
(Still slapping my forehead and thinking if only)......ARGH!
Pro-File Q&A
By Dave Landahl
 Carl Grunwaldt
DL-How long have you been a professional touring angler?
CG- This is my fourth year. Prior to that I was fishing bass tournaments here in Wisconsin.
DL-How long have you been fishing?
CG-Since I was two years old. My father actually tied a rope around my waist so I couldn't reach the edge of the boat while we trolled for trout and salmon on Lake Michigan. One of my earliest memories is filling my mother's bathtub with bullheads, bass and panfish we caught on a local golf course pond. It was quite a sight!!
DL-Do you have a favorite body of water to fish for walleyes or any other species?
CG-For walleyes, LAKE ERIE!! But my favorite fishing is drifting some of the smaller rivers here in Wisconsin for smallmouth and/or muskies.
DL-What is your most important accomplishment, fishing or otherwise?
CG-Earning my B.A. in philosophy.
DL-How many days per year are you on the water fishing or preparing to fish tournaments?
CG-Approximately seventy.
DL-How many days per year are you fishing for fun or relaxation?
CG-Not nearly enough. Maybe fifteen to twenty. My other days on the water are spent chartering.
DL-Are you married, do you have any children?
CG- Am not, do not.
DL-Do you travel alone to the tournaments or do you have a travel partner?
CG- Lone Ranger
DL-Which circuits are you fishing in 2004 and will you fish all of the events?
CG-All of the PWT's, at least two RCL's, possibly more. I hope to throw in a couple MWC's, and some others. I fished both the RCL and PWT in entirety last season, and it was mentally and physically exhausting. And it cut down on some critical pre-fishing to a couple key events for me, so I told myself I wasn't going to put myself in that position again. That being said, I'll probably fish 'em all, again.
DL- What is your definition of a professional fisherman?
CG- By definition, a person who earns the majority of his/her income via tournaments, or chartering/guiding, writing, educating, or a combination of the aforementioned. But personally, I think the person who works to ensure that our waterways and environment are protected for generations to follow is the one worthy of the most respect.
DL-Who are your sponsors?
CG- Cabela's, Evinrude, Ranger, Maui Jim, Matzuo, Garmin, Berkley, Off Shore, and all my buddies at Pamp's and Bob's in Green Bay.
DL- Are there any people you admire in the fishing industry?
CG- Too many to mention. But if I must mention a few, I have much respect for Seelhoff, Skarlis, Gofron, Parsons and Charlie Moore.
DL-Did you ever have any fishing or sports idols growing up.
CG- Bart Starr. Proficiency and dignity personified.
DL-What is your fondest memory of a fishing tournament?
CG-Perhaps not my fondest memory, but certainly the most memorable experience was the drive back to the ramp during the 2001 MWC Green Bay tournament. In literally a matter of minutes, the sea turned from flat calm to the nastiest stuff I have ever been on. I ended up driving the last two miles in about a foot and a half of water, inside the breakers, to ensure getting back on time. I looked over the side of the boat, and rocks were whizzing past at fifty miles per hour. I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. Don Ertman and I just made it in on time, and ended up winning the tournament.
DL-What victory means the most to you?
CG- In 1999, I was fishing the Bass Champions Team Trail. It was highly competitive circuit with some highly skilled teams. My partner, Gary Adkins, and I won the last tournament of the season to solidify our standing as Team of the Year. Most wouldn't consider it a 'major' accomplishment, but it was to me.
DL-What is your involvement with the NPAA?
CG- Long-time member, #670. I hope to do as many of the youth events as I can this year.
DL-What role will the NPAA have in the future development of professional fishing?
CG- With the new board members, and their selfless time and devotion, the sky is the limit. Many good things are happening, and things are moving in a very positive direction.
DL-What is your favorite part of being a pro angler?
CG- The competition. I love to compete against these guys.
DL-What is the worst part of being a pro angler?
CG- Second place.
DL - Were you an athlete in high school? If so what sports did you play?
CG- I was a football player, and was also involved in the martial arts.
DL- What is your favorite sport besides fishing?
CG- I grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It's hard not to be a Packer fanatic.
DL - Describe the ideal day of fishing for Carl Grunwaldt.
CG- Floating down the Wisconsin River in my ten foot jon boat casting a little bucktail for muskies.
DL - If you were not a professional tournament angler what would you do for a living, and would you be happy doing it?
CG- I would devote all my efforts towards my charter business. I have known since I was a little boy that all I wanted to do was fish.
DL-What do you dream of achieving in professional fishing?
CG- I would love to achieve a victory in a major bass tournament. I just achieved my first major walleye victory. To achieve both would be extremely gratifying to me.
DL-Thank you very much
CG- Thank you, Dave. It was my pleasure.
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