By: Ben Patschull Ice-out in the upper midwest signals the beginning of the annual walleye rush. The melt of ice, snow, and spring rain cause river levels to rise, prompting walleye to transition from their wintering holes to their spawning grounds. In my home state of Wisconsin, anglers flood hotspots like the Wolf, Fox, and Mississippi Rivers with hopes of catching their personal best walleye.  Luckily for the fisherman, man-made barriers like dams act as beacons for walleye as they travel as far upstream as they can, making spring an incredibly easy time of year to locate fish. Angler ..read more

Jerkbaits are one of the most effective presentations in an angler’s arsenal. They feature a lifelike baitfish profile, an erratic action, and mimic a struggling baitfish better than just about any other presentation. In the early part of the year, from the pre-spawn through the spawn, they are especially deadly – as they allow anglers to rapidly and efficiently cover water to find groups of actively feeding fish. Here are 7 top jerkbaits you may want to add to your arsenal this spring: 1. Rapala X-Rap Karl’s Club$8.63 Non-Member$10.79 Aggressive bass want a fast-moving bait. It’s fun while i ..read more

By: John Neporadny Dam spillways in my region harbor large schools of walleye, white bass, trout, crappie and some bass as the dam serves as a blockade preventing fish from heading farther upstream. These fish gather in large concentrations below the dam throughout the winter giving bank anglers a golden opportunity to catch their limits. Spillway shorelines usually feature rock riprap which absorbs heat in the winter and draws fish to the warmer water close to the bank. Spillways also have steeper shorelines, which gives easy access to bank anglers who want to cast to fish wintering in ..read more

Richard “The Breeze” Nicholson pulled a 34-inch, 18.1-pound walleye from the Youghiogheny River in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, while fishing alongside his son Richard Nocholson Jr. The enormous walleye breaks a 41-year old record that was caught from the Allegheny Reservoir back in 1980. The duo was fishing with live creek chub minnows, a popular and oftentimes unbeatable technique for targeting fall walleye, and after a presumably epic battle, the behemoth was captured and in their hands. Richard Sr. had plans of turning his catch into dinner, but that was before his son looked up the curr ..read more

Wisconsin walleye swim in the Mississippi River, the Great Lakes, and nearly every lake or river in between. And these fish don’t go unnoticed, there are walleye clubs, walleye tournaments, and even a festival called the ”Walleye Weekend” held annually on the shores of Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin’s largest inland lake. While we can’t break down each lake individually, we did reach out to Ben Patschull, a lifelong Wisconsinite and Mississippi river rat with a burning passion for walleye fishing. Ben shares his approach to walleye fishing in Wisconsin by showcasing different methods and technique ..read more

The new Montana state record Walleye was caught from Holter Lake by Trevor Johnson of Helena, Montana. Appropriately, Trevor was using a “jig,” according to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Weighing 18.02 pounds officially, the fish measured out to 32” inches long with a 22” inch girth. According to the Minnesota DNR, an average walleye will take anywhere from 4-5 years to grow between 16-20 inches, with females growing faster than males. They also say that most walleye passing the trophy, 30-inch status will be female and can take over 20 years to grow that large. Walleyes growth can ..read more

Most ice anglers are weeks away from venturing out on frozen lakes in the pursuit of the aggressive ”early ice” feeding window. However, anglers fishing Red Lake in Northern Minnesota are on top of the early-season walleye bite. Ol’ Big Red A bird’s-eye view of Red Lake. PC: Wikipedia At roughly 427 square miles, Red Lake is the largest lake IN Minnesota. While considered one lake, Red Lake is divided in half by a sharp pointing peninsula that jets out from the east, creating Upper and Lower Red Lake. In addition to the physical separation between Upper and Lower Red, ther ..read more

That’s right. Mustard flavored walleye! While there are many ways to cook fish, this simple recipe doesn’t require much prep time, and it involves ingredients found in most American pantries. Ingredients: Walleye Mustard Flour Pepper Salt Vegetable Oil Process: Start with clean fish fillets Mix flour and pepper in a large bowl Add walleye to a separate large bowl Liberally cover and smother the walleye in mustard Place the mustard covered walleye fillet into the bowl with flour and pepper. Coat the walleye fillet in flour until the entire fillet is covered. Get vegetable oil nice and hot ..read more

The Road Runner Walleye Lure and Daiichi Bait Hook Kit contain everything you need to attract and catch walleye in all sorts of conditions. You get different sizes and colors of one of the most popular walleye lures ever invented, the Road Runner Jig Head. Thread on your favorite trailer, cast this jig, and let it sink. Then you can hop it or jig it or slow roll it to attract aggressive strikes from nearby walleye. But, an assortment of high-quality jig heads made with premium hooks is only half of what this kit has to offer! Daiichi Bait Hooks are some of the best you can buy, and ..read more

Each month anglers across North America anxiously wait to get their Mystery Tackle Box. While most anglers open their box and immediately go fishing (that’s what I do), the true legends first create ” MTB Unboxing” videos showing off their monthly box. Mystery Tackle Box Unboxings show you what these boxes are all about while also demonstrating tips and tricks from other anglers along the way. Here are 8 of our favorite Mystery Tackle Box Unboxings from April 2020. Angler: Tuf Outdoors Mystery Tackle Box: Bass Pro MYSTERY TACKLE BOX PRO Watch Tuf Outdoors, and his cat break down the MTB b ..read more