Well boys when most walleye fisherman draw up a day few would hope for the flat calm bluebird weather in the transtional month of June. Give me the weather that has me strapping on my Frabill “Stormsuit” and I’ll be one happy fisherman chugging my morning coffee eager to hit dock each morning. I too would be amongst that group of anglers that likes inclimate weather. However as we’ve been working a dominate mid-ranged shallow water transitional area with newly emerging weed lines frankly I questioned my judgement to start the day yesterday. At night it is ritual for me to look at the forecasts prevailing wind direction and speeds while we prepare the next days gameplan. Of course weather prediction is certainly not a perfected science, but gives us a starting point for the day. I told our customers we are going to have a very short string on the pattern we are going to try considering our “Umbrella Drink” weather conditions we will be fishing in. My theory was our elite sized fish wouldn’t vacate these prime locations that surely still bodes ample supplies of food. These girthy walleyes known to be a bit more light sensitive than the smaller males might find the nearest slightly deeper water with some slight flow. BINGO!! Pull out the blotter from behind your ear team! We’ve stamped a blackout on a subtle movement that kept a serious bend in our rods all day long baby!! Literally only 1-2 feet deeper in very slight current seams we flat out murdered the big walleyes all day long. I wouldn’t have been shocked to see CSI investigate this Walleye attack. High noon, dead calm, lotion slathering conditions, and we repeatedly jerked girthy walleyes out of several current seams as the fish migrated a short distance into the easiest food source. 30-35 walleyes between 17-24 inches mid-day 9-4pm with a customers PB 26 and another 26 1/4 inch walleye. Nice meal of eaters and smiles for miles. 
I feel the term “Transitioning” is often over used yet seldom really understood. It is more often cool lip service not really applied to anyones walleye game. Walleyes make simple movements IMO. They move to spawn in the spring and them simply follow readily available food sources slowly working to cooler waters as summer arrives. Walleyes aren’t as smart as guys like to make them out to be…….EAT/SPAWN. Heck…..Just like most guys. Don’t overthink this. Most understand the spawn part, but few really grasp the EAT PART. Do you bring the family to the picked over buffet?? Or do you strap on your roomy sweatpants for the feast that keeps on giving all weekend long?? Walleyes eat where the eating is good. Sometimes it is a bug hatch while other times it is a minnow run. Getting in touch with what is on the menu while your up here or anywhere else will greatly enhance your success rates when it comes to BIG FISH!! Yesterday I talked with 6 fisherman at a resort that have caught 3 walleyes in 3 days of fishing. Listening close they told me they think the lake is dead……..and look to fish elsewhere next year. I clearly understand to complexities a guy faces trying to make chess moves with walleyes in 220,000 acres of water. Deadwater elimination can be a daunting task to say the least. I will say I feel their pain, and they are partially correct in that precisely where they were fishing this time of year…….YEP it is dead!! They did well catching 3 good fish. Vast fisheries such as Rainy Lake, and other border waters warm……….SLOWLY!! In fact our surface temperature readings yesterday were 62 degrees. Sounds prety warm?? Try take a dip in that water and you’ll quickly find out that is pretty darn cool yet. Beyond that remember that is a volatile surface reading which is a crude estimate of what fish feel deeper in the water column. 62 degrees is precisely what I was reading 3 weeks ago as we started chasing big black crappies. Too often fisherman are way ahead of the transitional curve when really this seasonal movement of the biggest and baddest fish is much more methodical in nature. The emergence of summer vegetation especially in sandy areas provides a highly concentrated food source walleyes LOVE LOVE LOVE!! Leeches, bugs, crayfish, minnows…..YUM YUM to walleyes! With our highly advertised dark waters of this bog stained body of water big fish are packing on the LBS with very little attention from most anglers!! rigging a jig and plastic in a weedless fashion can allow the hardcore plastic guys long casting into loads of big feeding fish. Stickbaits too allow guys to quickly uncover massive pockets of fish focusing on washed in food sources. Ideally of course you are presented with early season winds, yet on those days Mother Nature gives the boat controller a day off…..fish the seldom discussed current seams located in many areas of these big fisheries. Trust me fish don’t move 4 miles in a day because it is a nice day while leaving the food pile. SILLY SILLY RABBIT!! Rather 99% of the anglers sit out and wait on summer haunts for the fish to show up qouting BS like we’re in the “Shutdown period” or other industry nonsense.
Now take this theory one step further and utilize the modern day technological advancements of “SI” with Humminbird and locate precisely what you want to fish. Don’t use it yet??? SILLY SILLY. I suppose you think Flashers are still some sort of witchraft also!! 
3 of our most prime locations have been much more understood with a side imaged visual of what I want to see. Catching and dominating fish on this pattern has allowed us to duplicate it in other locations. Now we just need the time to structure scan a bit more. Time……is simply the toughest thing to come by these days!!
We’ll see you on the water team!!
Thanks Dave for bringing up the boys to saddle Rainy Lakes Broncos with Dorsals!! I had such a great time on the water with your team!! I’m not sure who said Big walleyes don’t fight, but it must have been from someone who hasn’t caught many
Good Luck Team!! The “Skeet Retreat” is anxiously awaiting the next big fish parade!!
My wife vetoed my July trip to Rainy, instead I’ll be sweating my rear off in Florida. The only upside is the potential for better scenery on the beach. Nice reports Granrud!!
The busier we get the better fishing we have. Simply put……We’re always doing it, so we should be pretty good at it!! LOL!! I assure you my family feels extremely fortunate to have met so many other fisherman like ourselves. Each year I meet another group of guys that we simply click with. I know we’ll be fishing together for years to come. That……..Is simply priceless on a personal level for me. We’ve formed so many new frienships over the last years I can’t even count. My wife the “Fishing Queen” also is a fishing addict. Although the otherday she did threaten to hire her OWN fishing guide becuase of my busy schedule. Of course I welcomed the thought and said……..”Bring your GPS HUN!!” LOL!! Seriously though we are officially reaping the benefits of our initial hardwork spending every moment we can on the lake hucking baits!! Our return customers are now friends and my job is frankly…….PRETTY DARN FUN!! TIRING…….BUT FUN!! Our ability to connect with fisherman from the eyes of a tourist has been something that continues to make our phones ring all season long. I fully understand when a guy gets one week to fish up north. We try our best to ensure those 7 days are the best 7 days of their year!! 
