January 2018
4608 Tower St.
Edina, MN 55424
(612)440-7171
Twin Cities Walleyes Unlimited Monthly Newsletter
President's Letter:

Members,

This month I would like to encourage everyone to consider becoming involved with the Club as a volunteer, officer, and/or board member. Our March meeting is our annual meeting and the members will vote on 3 open board seats. 
Before the recommended slate is offered to the members, the nominations committee makes a list of club members who should be considered for an officer position, board seat, or both. After the list of qualified candidates is assembled the nominations committee meets to discuss and review candidates. They can also interview the candidates if it's deemed necessary. During the candidate review sessions, the nominations committee considers the candidates involvement in the club and its activities as well as a candidates commitment to the Club's mission statement, goals and objectives. The goal of the Club is to be inclusive, so if you are interested in being an officer and/or board member let us know by becoming a volunteer.
Email us at tcwalleyes@gmail.com if you are interested in helping with the Feb 11 ice fishing event, summer fishing outings, being a greeter at the monthly meetings or marketing and sponsorships. We need all hands on deck to continue the excellent growth and membership of the Twin Cities Walleye Club.

Thanks for your membership.

Joe Roach
President of TCWU
Last Meeting:
***see re-cap in newsletter below***
Twin Cities Walleyes Unlimited would not be possible without our sponsors. Please be sure to patronize all our sponsors: click on the link above to see our sponsors.
MN Military Youth Ice Fishing Clinic
Twin Cities Walleyes Unlimited and the Child and Youth Program of the Minnesota National Guard is hosting the MN Military Youth Ice Fishing Clinic on February 11, 2018.
The location is at the Disabled Veterans Camp Ground located on Big Marine Lake at 11300 180 th St. North Marine on the St Croix, MN 55047.
Event time is from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Volunteers are asked to arrive at 8:00 a.m. for instruction and set up. Youth registration for the event starts at 10:30. Lunch will be provided at 11:30 including chili and hotdogs, chips, coffee, cookies, hot chocolate, Gatorade, and water.
Youth and families from all military branches are invited to attend and participate. Online registration can be found at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090a4aaeaa28a5f58-military1 .
Our service men and women sacrifice greatly, affording us to live in the “Land of the Free”. However, often overlooked are the families that also pay a huge sacrifice while our service men and women are away from home. We have a unique opportunity to bring some joy to the military youth and pass along some knowledge and skill with respect to ice fishing and hopefully spark an interest in this great sport to the next generation. During the event kids will be able to fish and be recognized for fish caught with a weight in and certificate of species and weight caught.
Prizes will be given away at 2:00 for the participants. Ice skating is also available. (Skates not provided.) All are welcome to participate and volunteers are in need . With at least 75 youth expected to be at this clinic plus their families please consider participating and volunteering. Volunteer responsibilities are to help set up and provide basic instructions to the youth on ice fishing, and to establish a fun and safe atmosphere. You are welcome (Highly Encouraged) to bring your own fishing gear, including poles, lures, electronics, and shelters. No parking will be allowed on the ice during the event so any shelter or supplies needing to be driven on the ice should be done prior to 10:30 with cars and trucks removed. However, snowmobiles and quads will be allowed. MN DNR regulations apply for the event so all persons 16 years and older are required to have a MN fishing license if they plan to fish.

Please contact John Jordan to register as a volunteer or if you have any questions at jpjordan176@yahoo.com , or (612) 719-3834.

We are fortunate to have valuable partners in this clinic, including…

Clam Corporation and the ICE Team
Wounded Warrior Project
Morries Automotive of Brooklyn Park - Mike Zickermann, Fleet Manager
Old Dutch
Urban Ice Anglers
Dive Guys Big Fish & Fry

John P. Jordan
Board Member of TCWU
Guest Speaker Re-cap
Dave Genz - January
TCWU kicked off 2018 with special guest speaker Dave Genz.
Dave’s innovations over the past 30 plus years, helped create Ice Fishing as we know it today. His designs and influence resulted in the Clam Fish Trap ice shelter and an entire line of accessory products to improve ice fishing success for us all.

Fun Facts and History
  • In the 50’s his uncle built the first flip over Ice house.
  • In the 60’s the family made a wheel house.
  • He started hand making shelters in his garage. He made five the first year and worked his way up to 80 in year three.
  •  In 1992 he began his relationship with Clam Outdoors.
  • Dave was inducted to the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in 2011. 

 Dave's enthusiasm captivated the TCWU members. He fielded a lengthy question and answer forum that lasted the entire evening. Every member appeared to participate, which fueled really cool discussions around his fish catching secrets. He must have answered a hundred questions and his daughters were there to reward those who asked a question with a gift. Such a fun night, here are the highlights from the meeting: 

Fishing Tips
  • Look for fish on the first breakline in the weeds when the lakes freeze over. As the weeds begin to die over the winter, the oxygen will deplete and the fish will start moving out to Humps, Rock Piles, etc…
  •  Dave’s bait of choice is Euro Larva. He explained why they are so effective:
  • Insect Larva live at the base of drop offs and burrow into the edge of the structure.
  • They congregate there as drop offs naturally funnel food down to them.
  • They become active early mornings and evenings (come out of the holes), which turns on the underwater feeding chain.
  • Mimicking the movements of Insect Larva with Wax Worms and Euro Larva is the key to catching more fish. 
  • Target the sharpest drop-off, of the structure your fishing.
  • Hook the Larva lightly on the blunt end, and they won’t pull off.
  • Dave also recommends the Clam Maki plastics. They are uniquely hand poured resulting in softer baits with more of a lifelike movement.
  • Color is important with plastic, when the color is right they inhale it. Sunny day use orange, white, chartreuse and dark days use Glow.
  • You can combo live and plastics by adding Euro Larva.
  • Straight line is important for sight fishing and dead stick
  • Do a quick line stretch by holding the jig and pulling the line.
  • A fast jigging motion (cadence) will keep your line from spinning.
  • Don’t use a spring bobber, as it will negatively impact necessary jigging action.
  • Try sliding the knot down around the eye, so that the line lays in the direction of the hook. It will help keep your jig horizontal.
  • Sinkers will throw of the effectiveness of your jigging cadence and impact the action of your lure. Use a heavier jig instead.
Equipment
  • Rod, line and lure balance is important for your action. Use large diameter spools.      
  • A Rod that has a too much bend in it may not be sensitive enough. Match the rod to the lure and factor in the depth to insure proper jigging cadence.      
  • Dave Uses Trilene Micro Ice and noted that American lines tend to have a higher break point than stated. Four pound test could actually have six pound strength. He prefers to use line diameter as a guide when selecting line.
  • Mono will stretch and go back, however when fluorocarbon stretches it stays and then loses strength due to the stretching.
  • Single man ice houses allow mobility and versatility. Next time you go out with the gang, give it a try. It is also a great way to locate and track fish movement.
  • Uses tungsten jigs with European hook design.

Questions
Dave was asked what his go to lure is. The “Drop Kick” , which is a horizontal bait that he designed. You can view his presentation in action on You Tube. Take note of the different knot positions on the jig in the video.

Dave was asked about the impact of Light, is it an attraction or detraction? Should we keep the slush in the hole? His responses were:
  • Yes, light can impact and detract from your success.
  • If you are fishing shallow keep the slush in the hole, especially late season.
  • The hot spot is often riddled with holes during the late season. If they don’t freeze overnight you’re naturally tempted to fish them over and over. However fish will move out of those areas due to all the light coming through. If you are not getting action, move 50 yards or so away and drill new holes. Key on similar lake bottom and you should hit on them.
  • Try turning down the lights in your ice house.
  • If the fish are not biting well, try different times. Midnight can be very good and nice bites can be had at 4:00 am.
  • Walleyes feed above the weeds for bluegills at night.
  • Best fishing is the north and west side of the lake. The south side water is colder due to the north wind blowing the cold water south.
  • A good first spot to fish is the sharpest first drop-off on the northwest side of the lake.
  • Spend five minutes tops on a hole, then move.

Dave shared a few fishing stories and provided us with some helpful insights.
There is an interesting relationship between suspended fish off of a structure. They are often times suspended at the top of the height of a structure in the surrounding depth. So if you are in 30 feet of water off a hump that tops off at 10 feet, the fish will often suspend in 10 feet off of the hump.

Loves the new Augers that work with drills:
  • He has experienced drilling up to 700 inches of ice on one battery.
  • He likes the Clam Plate attachment, makes drilling easy.

Was fishing Bluegills one day and started to catch Walleyes in the middle of the day. He found 50 Baby Blue Gills packed into one of the Walleye’s stomachs.
He will use Panfish gear on Lake of the Woods (LOW) for Walleye.
  • Uses three, colored euro larva on each hook, so up to nine if using a treble hook.
  • Brian Brosdahl also called out using Panfish gear on LOW at one of our meetings last year.
  • Noise can be a positive factor on LOW. Use it to your advantage as it will move the fish around. Be ready when the Bombardier comes by.
  • Bring the kids out just before prime time so they aren’t frozen before the bite.
  • The first Drop into a new hole usually results in a catch.
  •  If the fish are not biting, consider water temperature as a factor. When the water temp reaches 37 degrees the fish will shut down. Fish are active at 39 degrees and above. The water column is usually coldest just below the ice and warms as the depth drops.

Russell Nelson
Board Member of TCWU
Conservation Corner - Spiny Waterflea

Spiny Waterfleas are an Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) found in several inland lakes and rivers in Minnesota. Spiny Waterfleas are zooplankton, microscopic animals, that negatively impact the local food chain of lakes and rivers by consuming other zooplankton species and limit the food supply for native species. Spinys are native to Europe and Asia and were introduced into the great lakes from ballast water of ocean going ships. They were first in Lake Ontario in 1982 and by 1987 had spread to Lake Superior. Spinys spread by attaching to fishing lines, downriggers, anchor ropes, and fishing nets as gelatinous blobs. You can prevent the spreading of Spiny Waterfleas by taking several steps; the first is to learn to recognize them, the second is to inspect and remove any gelatinous blobs from lines and cables, and be sure to drain water from your boat or other watercraft before transporting them from a lake that is infested with Spiny Waterfleas. Lastly, be sure to report any new infestations to the DNR. 

Will Roach
Board Member of TCWU
TC Walleyes Unlimited, Inc.
Like Us on Facebook:
Follow us on Twitter: