Ahhhhh!! A Troller’s dream come true! Record everything you can in case mother nature repeats herself in the years ahead. You found something special and that area you are fishing in is key spawning grounds. The females will return and the males will follow. Record ice out date this year, surface temp at time of “harvest”, weather/wind conditions, barometric pressure, etc. Record, repeat, re-live are words I live by when it comes to extraordinary walleye catches when years earlier have been substantially different.

If you are headed up 494 N to get to Zimmerman I would go to Wayata Bait and Tackle. They are located on the north side of Hwy 12 about a mile or so from the exit off of 494N (Minnetonka area). They will aerate them in the bag/s and should last to Zimmerman no problem.

VMC launched 1/2, 3/4, and 1 oz Neon Mooneye jigs at ICAST a few weeks ago. They will be available to the trade later this fall.

Hi Chuck! How was your trip to Erie? Anything to report?

There’s a trail within the Fish Lake park (SW Maple Grove) that you can access the lake/water and get away from the crowds/park agents. The dog will need to be leashed until you get to the lake access. Take the paved bike/walking trail from the parking lot and head south then west which wraps around the south and southwestern corner of Fish Lake. The paved trail will come to an intersection where a dirt road (utility vehicle access road) runs north and eventually gets you down to the lake. The access point is right across the lake from the swimming area and is usually too far for anyone working the park to bother you. We, too, take our dog there for a quick swim and is fairly shallow.

Exactly, the fish will focus their movements in warmer water. The key is to find “cleaner” water with better visibility at the same time having a higher temperature. It’s a balance of water clarity and water temp. If you can find fish in “fishable” water with temps around 42-44 degrees you should be dialed in. Based on movements I would spread your lures out from depth ranges of 8′, 15′, and 20′ no matter what the water color, time of day, or temps. From there you can dial in your depths and colors once you establish a pattern. Mazurik launch in Lake Side is a great spot to head out giving you access to Marblehead and Kelly’s Island. Might want to check out Airport Reef on east side of Kelly’s. If the fish are on the move coming off the spawn it’s a great pinch-point and will protect you from any westerly winds. Be aware of the winds coming through the south passage in between Kelly’s and Lakeside/Marblehead. It can get pretty sporty in there with high winds and current flow. Catawba State Park on the north end of Catawba is also a great launch location for hitting the reefs/Niagara area. There are also ramps further west if you get a big west blow and don’t want to venture to far from shore.

Hi Chuck. I made my annual pilgrimage to the Western Basin 3 weeks ago and was met by fierce winds, dirty water, and cold temps. Fishing was slow due to these conditions, but we did manage a few over the weekend. Lake Erie Modis IS your best friend this time of year. Find cleaner water and you’ll catch fish. My experience over the last 18 years has been to look for semi-clear water… not super clear and not super dirty. The sediment/silt will hold more heat which is why fish focus their positions in these dirtier water areas, but are more difficult to catch. Find those “transition” zones of water clarity and hang on!!! When these fish come off the post spawn don’t be afraid to run your DHJ12’s within the top 10′ of the water column and get them out and away from the boat. Highest performance of colors will vary on light conditions. Sunny days usually equate to chrome finishes and transparent “glass” colors while darker days opaque colors in UV have worked better. Some of my go-to spots for trolling this time of year would include the areas around A and B Cans just north of the reef complex in 25=28′ or between Niagara Reef and D Can in 24-27′. These are high percentage ambush spots as the females come off their spawn. Have a great trip and hope mother nature puts the odds in your favor! No matter what the outcome Erie is a fantastic fishery and look forward every year to the opportunities she’s willing share! This post-spawner came off of Lucy Point (East side of Middle Bass) this year.

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I’ve been running the Goodyear Wrangler SR-A 111’s on my truck for 3 years now. Really impressed with the tires!! Benefits of this tire, for me, is the quietness of the tire as I travel 90% of the ware on highway. Secondly, with a truck I’m always more concerned about traction on wet roads especially in MN. These treds are specialized for added traction on wet roads and have never had any drifting or “slipping” which is common among trucks. Price is very reasonable and a great all-season tire!

I use exclusively Sufix Metered Tip Braid (polyester/Dacron) in 30 lb test. Size covers all species and adds a little more bulk to the spool for better management. It’s colored in 5′ sections which makes depth management a breeze! Depending on fish species targeted I’ll attached various lb tests of Sufix InvisiLine Fluorocarbon leader in 5′ segments to match the colored segments of the braid. Crappie Holidays!!!

The Marcum Wireless Remote Camera Panner works great for the camera cable management. You’ll notice a small 2-3″ clear piece of tubing that is attached to your Recon camera cable. That tubing is used to lock the camera cable into the panner docking system. I used this system for my Recon 5+ all of last year with no issues and will do exactly what you need and described above.

Tuma, VMC made a change to the hook size for the 1/16 oz Tungsten Chandelier. The 1/16 oz now comes with a #14 treble instead of the original #12. No more hang up issues as you described.

Here’s a quick shot of how I set up my LX-7, Recon 5+, and phone/GPS/Navionics App to the Marcum Lithium Shuttle platform. Phone is attached with RAM X-Grip which screws into either one of the 1/4 -20 accessory ports on the shuttle. I purchased a catch cover camera bracket for the Recon which then clamped down to the shuttle handle. Highly recommend purchasing the Marcum Wireless Panner Kit for this set up which will support the Recon cameras. Highly more effective for camera position and cable management. Both camera and phone can be powered by the USB ports located on the front panel of the shuttle. The picture is obviously for demo purposes, but Amazing system for the investment!! Let there be ICE!!!

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Suggest trying the Crooked chain of lakes just north of Nevis. West Crooked has a public access on the NW side or you can pay to launch at Happy Days Resort on the SE side which also has a canoe/kayak launch to the channel between West and Middle Crooked. Great fishing on both bodies of water for Bass/Pike/Panfish. Walleyes are there, but small in numbers. Haven’t fished East Crooked, but is a very clear and deep lake. You could also check out Waboose Lake just north of the Crooked lakes. There’s a small public access on there as well.

Fished both Cross Lake and Upper/Middle Whitefish for decades. First key note of instruction… if you are planning to fish over the weekend only fish at very low light periods and stay as far away from the Upper Cross Lake/Rush Lake/Lower Whitefish areas as possible. Absolute zoo of big power boats!

IMO Upper/Middle Whitefish breaklines from 25′-35′ looking for the sharpest breaks. I would start at the north shoreline of Middle Whitefish around the humps and power rig (live bait rig or bouncer/spinner combos) until you find fish. As the day progresses to low light you can slip up shallower along these sand breaks in 10-12 FOW and troll Jointed Shad Rap 5’s. Start your sets 50′-60′ back making contact with the bottom every so often.

When running multiple lines to either side of the boat it’s also good practice to run your outside lines higher in the water column and inside lines deeper. By running your inside lines deeper it will help minimize the chances of that fish from the outside coming in contact with your deeper diving inside lines. To re-deploy your outside line without having to reel in your inside line simply drop the lure and board straight behind the boat, maintain a straight heading, and free spool your line until your board is beyond the inside board. Takes a little practice but once mastered really saves time with gear. The only time I see benefit with flags is when pulling spinners with crawlers. Perch and White bass are notorious for short strikes and will make a mess of your day. Keeping your boards closer to the boat when trolling spinners will also help gear management/time. Typically when spinner fishing I’m only trolling around 1 mph maybe 1.3 at the top end so be ready to grab the rod and don’t rely as heavily on the clicker for strikes. Definitely “watch” the boards more so when pulling spinners than cranks. I’ve found a lot of success by dropping the board back when I see a light strike and letting the fish take a little more time to commit to the harness. Hope the info helps and have fun this year on the water!

From Peshtigo head south on Cty Rd Y about 6-8 miles to North Bay Shore Recreation Area. Great ramps/parking and centrally located to fishing grounds north to south. It isn’t quite as big as Oconto ramp/pavilion but will be more than adequate. Protective harbor/break-walls and easy docking/loading. If you want to fish the Peshtigo River there is a single lane ramp just south of the Rail Road tracks.

We’ve stayed at the Edgewood Motel in Peshtigo. Park the boat right at your front door and has power hook-up for batteries. Outdoor fish cleaning area behind the motel. Great Supper Club right across the street! Easy and affordable!

I’ve owned a lot of ice boots in my lifetime and found the Muck Arctic Pro to be the best all-round boot for standing on ice, sitting in a tree stand, and still having ability to walk around in. By no means a hiker or trekker style boot, but offer exceptional warmth, traction, comfort, and completely water proof from top to bottom.

VMC was aware of the issue and have changed the hook size to a #14. I’ve been using these jigs the last two years with a #14 hook and have worked flawlessly. Adding more components to the lower portion of the jig will either make the issue worse or reduce the action. I took it one step further and swapped out the stock treble with the VMC Glow Resin treble!! Matched the Glow Resin treble color to the Chandelier color. Fish catching combinations!!

Artistic Anglers out of Duluth. I have two mounts from them and know of several others as well. Amazing work!! They have a booth every year at the Northwest Sport Show and will probably be there again this year. You’ll be able to see dozens of species with various mounting styles.

Both the Recon 5 and Recon 5+ have the same monitor, pixels, resolution, Switchable Color & B/W….

It stays in place very well once stationary. Due to its light weight I wouldn’t use it while boat is in motion and I’m not sure how current will effect it as I haven’t had the opportunity to use it in those conditions.

Yes. The tubing adds the appropriate diameter to the cable to ensure position lock and rotation.

Yes. There is a small piece of semi-transparent tubing wrapped around the camera cable. The tubing can slide along the entire axis of the cable.This tubing is to be placed in the panner channel which will secure the camera cable to the panner system.

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I, too, live in MG but noticed the severe drop in water levels on Rice Lake not Fish Lake. Couldn’t find any data to support the reason…

There is a difference between 832 Braid and 832 Ice Braid. Sufix applies treatments to the 832 Ice Braid to enhance the hydrophobic properties of the braid thus making it better to use for ice fishing. Both lines are great for cold water fishing, but you’ll have added protection against ice build-up using 832 Ice Braid.