2007 Walleye Photos

The cat guys had a the idea of starting a thread for posting favorite fish pics from the current year and it has been a good read so far. A good idea is a good idea… so I’m going to start a similar thread here and pin it to the top of the forum. I’ll leave it in place for the duration of the 2007 season. By the end of the year we should have one heck of a interesting thread that will keep our photos and stories from 2007 in one easy to find location.

The photos don’t have to be of big fish or for any reason “significant” beyond just being of a walleye caught in 2007. If you have a story to share with the photo, so much the better!

I was only able to make it out on the ice walleye fishing twice this season. Once on mille lacs lake and the other on Lake of the Woods. My largest walleye on the mille lacs trip was a 28″ fish that was caught while filming one of our first In-Depth Outdoors TV episodes. We were a little “green” on that shoot as we forgot to take any still photos of that fish.

But we learned our lesson up on LOTW. These two walleyes, the first a 29″ and the second a heft 30″ fish, were caught “back to back” over about a 10 minutes time span.

Here’s the 29″.

Here’s the 30″. These fish were particularly exciting for me as they were both caught on camera filming an ice shoot that will air early winter – 2007.

Both fish were caught on a 1/8 ounce go devil (perch pattern) tipped with the head of a shiner minnow.

For the ice nutz in our group, here’s a link to the full report from that ice trip >>> Late Season Lake of the Woods Ice Fishing

For those interested in planning a trophy walleye ice fishing trip you’ll definitely want to look at a mid-march trip out of Wigwam Resort.

Last year he was proud hope to repeat

Here’s one of my favorites from open water so far this season. It isn’t the largest fish I landed in 2007 but it does represent a marked improvement in my ability to consistently catch fish casting blade baits.

This fish taped 27″. In the past I had struggled to consistently catch fish using this technique. A refinement in equipment, adding a 6′ 6″ Legend Elite instead of using heavier and stiffer 6’8″ avids, made all the difference in my catch rates.

I just like this one because it has my kids in it. I can’t wait till they are old enough to fish with me!!!

That’s a GREAT photo! And it looks like you boated some DANDY saugers too.

Well here is a Mille Lacs 26 from the long awaited opener! Hopefully this will be the start of a great year on the big lake!!!

Here’s mine to start the year, just posted on the biggest thread, but a ’07 fish so here it is again and hope I can get something up before the end of the year again.

Perhaps you can start one on each of the species pages…

Mark

Here is my first “willow cat” eye, plucked about a month ago!
Nothing like fishing flooded timber, huh Lenny! (Thanks for being there with the net! )

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adding a 6′ 6″ Legend Elite made all the difference in my catch rates.

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Mike W has (or had) a picture of a 24″ eye I caught on a blade this spring with my legend elite. I’ve definetly had much better success this year with blades after getting info from Dean and upgrading the rod.

Hey Mike! What ever happened to those pics?

dd

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adding a 6′ 6″ Legend Elite made all the difference in my catch rates.

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Mike W has (or had) a picture of a 24″ eye I caught on a blade this spring with my legend elite. I’ve definetly had much better success this year with blades after getting info from Dean and upgrading the rod.

Hey Mike! What ever happened to those pics?

dd

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I was greatly over-working my blades with the heavier, less sensitive avids. There aren’t many techniques that I’ve tried that can’t be done flawlessly with an avid. For me, pitching blades was one of those techniques were I struggled miserably to CONSISTENTLY catch walleyes prior to adding an elite to my arsenal.

For what reason, does a person need such a sensitive rod for? You are running superbraids too, doing this right?

Yup, fireline or power pro. I guess the reason was my inability to feel what I needed to feel with the avid. I was pulling too far and too fast to get minimal feedback from the blade. Basically all you want it to do is pick up off the bottom, flutter a few times and fall back down. With the avid I assume I was picking it up too far, pull too fast to get the blade to vibrate enough for me to feel what it was doing and I was also moving the blade too far. I was seriously struggling and it was really peeving me off.

A switch to the Elite and I was catching fish on blade with the best of them. Other guys might be able to get by fine with a cheap-o rod. I do know that I was “trying too hard” paying extra attention to every last detail, angle and vibration to pick up the feedback I felt like I needed with the avid. As soon as I started to throw blades on the elite I was getting the feedback I needed and I was able to relax and just fish. And shortly there after I started catching fish.

I think you are right on the money with that James. With the Elite you feel that vibration as soon as the bait gets picked up off the bottom. So you “feel” you are getting something out of doing the less is more aproach. When I was using less sensitive rods I constantly wondered if I had crap on my blade. So I would overwork it to feel that vibration.

dd

Here’s a 28.5 we got on Mille Lacs opening day.
Mike Heinen
Cold Spring, Mn

And a double on 25’s.
Fun stuff!!!

Yup, same here, never caught fish on a blade, until I borrowed Deans elite. With the rods I was using I was working the blade way to much to get the feeling of the blade, or I’d lay the blade right into the rocks, couldn’t feel when it settled to the bottom. After littering the river with blades in the rocks, I had to order some of those rods for myself. Now the blade is my first go to pitching bait.

If your in the market for a new pitching rod, see Dean, take one out for a try, your wallet will regret it

But you’ll smile every time you pick that rod up.

Jami

Hey Jami!
I was letting my Uncle use my Elite this past weekend and at the end of the trip he was writing down the info on the rod/reel combo because he liked it so much. Then I told him what it cost and he lost interest immediately.

dd

ML or M action?
fast or x-fast speed?

I went with the ES66MF which roughly translates out to a Elite Spinning – 6’6″ Medium Power Fast Action. The Medium Light was lacking the needed “oomfff” to handle bigger fish in current in my opinion.

Was just looking at thes tonight Joel. Here you go.

Here are 2 my cousin and I caught in our first walleye tournament this year. They helped us to win the tournament by over 7 lbs. They were 8 and 9 lbs.

Thanks Mike! I have so little pictorial evidence that people might think I’m full of -it.

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Here are 2 my cousin and I caught in our first walleye tournament this year. They helped us to win the tournament by over 7 lbs. They were 8 and 9 lbs.

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Ben

That is a fantastic photo. Congrats on the tournament win as well.

Keep those 2007 Walleye & Sauger photos coming guys.

Speaking of saugers…

This one was caught on a guide trip by customer Mark Flenn. Below is a little snippet from the original report.

This one was 23.5″ long and was weighed by Dean at 5.5 lbs. I don’t weigh fish very often but this girl was a tank. Even Dean “I’ve seen a billion saugers” Marshall let out an “oh my….” when he saw it for the first time. After the photo she went back into the river to make more sauger babies.

This fish was caught on a ringie and 3/8 ounce Sour Apple Precision Head. You know its windy when you’re 20′ away from your target and you’re “drifting” 3/8 ounce heads to stay in control of the baits.

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went with the ES66MF which roughly translates out to a Elite Spinning – 6’6″ Medium Power Fast Action.

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I have a couple of the same rod as well as well as two ES60MF for jigging. They are unbelievable rods…both of them

Your comments on “overfishing” blades was insightful. This past spring I tried casting and pitching the smaller blades, before this I had only fished the larger ones verticle. I did have some success but with my heavier Avid I did have some difficulty with feel and gaging lift and fall in current. Though I could see the opportunity in fish blades in hindsite I think I was “overfishing” them.

For those familiar with fishing blades in current or along breaks, wingdams, etc, do you tend to fish them casting slightly down river letting the current bring the lure parallel to the boat? Any prefered techniques anyone would like to share?