Unleash secrets of the deep, LakeMaster digital GPS lake maps break new ground By Larry Myhre
Reprinted from the Sioux City Journal
Picture a lake map GPS chip that you could slip into your depth finder that is so accurate it shows contour lines in increments of one foot.
It is so precise that it literally draws a picture of the lake’s bottom.
Coupled with your GPS/sonar you can now place your boat on the exact spot on the map.
Star Wars technology?
Not any more.
Enter LakeMaster, a new company dedicated to bringing the angler accurate fishing maps.
It is a division of Waypoint Technologies, Inc., a privately-owned company located in Little Falls, Minn.
Their goal is to produce the most accurate lake maps available. Their products include high quality paper maps, PC computer software packages and digital GPS lake map cards.… Continue reading
Those Dog Days Of Summer By Gary Howey
Those of us, who have been patiently waiting for the warmer weather to get here, have gotten our wish.
This is the time of the year when the temperatures will start to rise, as will the humidity, making for perfect conditions for nasty weather and tougher walleye fishing conditions.
This time of the year, fish have a lot of different conditions they have to adjust or relate to including: rising water temperatures, rising/falling barometric pressure, high water, low water and the summers bright sunlight all making walleye fishing during the Dog Days of summer tough.
There are a few keys to locating and catching fish this time of the year. Deeper water and areas with less sunlight penetration are where the fish will be located this time of the year.
With the rise in water temperatures, walleyes and other species of fish will head into deeper water searching out comfortable water temperatures.
These deep-water haunts provide the cooler water temperatures that the fish need to survive when things heat up.
There are several reasons that the fish will relocate into the depths. Another of these is that their food source, baitfish has moved down bringing the predator fish with them.
There are several methods that will allow you to take these Deep-water fish, those that have worked well for me are: leadcore line, snap weights or downriggers dragging crankbaits.
During this time of the year, the movement of the fish can vary drastically, especially just prior to a sever weather change.… Continue reading
Bounce your way to walleye success This sinker on a wire arm is, hands down, our best walleye rig By Larry Myhre
Here’s the best walleye fishing tip you will get all week.
Grab a handful of 2-ounce bottom bouncers and some spinners, a couple dozen crawlers and head for Lake Francis Case.
Troll the mud flats at 1 1/2 to 2 miles an hour and you will catch more walleyes than you ever thought possible.
The mud flats won’t be hard to find. Just look for the concentration of boats.
Memorial Day weekend signals the beginning of some fantastic walleye fishing on this big reservoir. But, it could be Big Spirit Lake, East Okoboji Lake, Storm Lake or any number of other walleye waters within driving range.
The bottom bouncer and live bait rig will be the way to go all summer long.
When word of this unique fishing sinker first came out in the late 1970s, a lot of old walleye hands sneered at this awkward- looking wire with a big hunk of lead on it.
The Lindy Rig was king at the time. That meant a small, maybe 3/8-ounce, sinker which slid along the line so you could feed line to wary walleyes. Fish something like this on those windswept Minnesota walleye lakes? No way.… Continue reading
Ice Out Walleyes Gary Howey
When fishing for walleyes this time of the year, they’re certain methods that will out produce all others.
I was reminded of this on a trip we took a couple of weeks ago up into South Dakota.
We were fishing with Team Outdoorsmen Adventures members Larry Myhre, Sioux City, IA. And Joel Vasek, Geddes, SD.
Joel runs the Missouri Valley Guide Service had excellent luck fishing up stream towards Chamberlain.
Because of ice on the river he had to launch above the dam at Ft. Thompson and then head up river to several holes that had produced on his last trip.
We were on our first drift through the spot with Joel jigging up front while running the bow mount with Larry on my right who was also using a jig.
With good fishermen like Larry and Joel, I needed all the advantage I could to keep up with them so I was cheating just a bit.
I was using two rigs, one a dead rod with a Lindy walking sinker jig with a Northland soft body floater riding about 2 foot above it off the bottom. While this rig bounced along the bottom, I worked my second rod with a jig off the back of the boat.
The first bite came on the dead rod, with a fat 15” walleye taking the minnow that was attached to the floater.
I wasn’t surprised as this rig has always produced for me, especially during the early spring season when water temperatures are cold.
It’s a no brainier rig as the fish tight to the bottom are attracted by the jig dragging along the bottom and those fish that are suspended above move in on the floater.
What I have is a rig that allows me to cover everything from the bottom and the two feet above it.
The rig works best when left alone to slide along the bottom and if there’s a little wind, the bouncing of the boat adds a natural action to the bait.