Chasen Walter, Chasing More & Bigger Walleye

The Marvelous Money Badger

chasenwalter@yahoo.com (Chasen Walter) — Sun, 15 Dec 2024 17:04:44 GMT

Episode 952 The Marvelous Money Badger

Today's episode is called the Money Badger.

I wanted to get clever and call it something different. But it's all about Berkley's Money Badger! I am not sponsored by Berkley nor am I given a product. They are a market affiliate partner so if you buy Berkley tackle from my website I get a small commission.

This episode isn't about selling you. It is about a product that I have used the last two years that frankly blows my mind! When the Money Badger's creator Dan Spangler told me about this new crankbait I would fall in love with I was excited because Dan was excited! Not to mention the fact that he and his team designed, it so of course he's going to like it but will I?

Well to answer the question. Yes. Yes without a shadow of a doubt. I used to rely on Rapala's #7 Shallow Shad, a 14 Husky Jerk and a Flicker Shad for big falleye. Yes I said "fall eye" that's what many in the business call big fall walleye. Now mind you those three baits have helped me catch a ton of biggins. Fat 22 to 28 in marble eyes. A few of which I kick myself for not weighing. Just measuring length.

Well during the last two falleye seasons I started using the Money Badger. Oh I tried some of my other confidence cranks but I ended up going back to the Money Badger and caught a bunch of 20 to 29 inch walleye. By the way I should have weighed that 29 incher I caught last fall. It had to have been all of 11 pounds.

Am I trying to sell you on buying the Money Badger? No, it has become a confidence bait. I shared it with a friend and he caught a walleye on the first cast.

⏯ Marvelous Money Badger

Seriously, Just Fish!

chasenwalter@yahoo.com (Chasen Walter) — Sun, 15 Dec 2024 16:44:06 GMT

Episode 947 Seriously, Just Fish!

A couple weeks ago I said, “ just fish”.

Well, I set out to practice what I preach. I decided it was time to go fishing without using my livescope, Vexilar T-pod, or worry about whether the barometric pressure was high or low. The only thing I was concerned about was the direction the wind was coming from with good reason. I simply wanted to fish the windy side of the lake. It has become the most important component to my daily fishing trips.

Especially in the late fall when I am rock hopping!

A few folks asked me what I mean by that and it’s simple. I am on riprap looking for those bigger fall walleye! It’s important to know that the baitfish and food the they are feeding on are on the windy side. That’s where you’ll find the bigger fish. I learned that about a decade ago and it’s held true each year.

Now I fish a calmer side. I catch white bass which I don’t mind catching by the way. They are a ton of fun And they fight like crazy. And some say they taste great! I’m a catch and release guy so the fight is fun, that's what I’m looking for. I caught 2 18 inchers the other day. Proud Anglers in South Dakota.

The interesting thing about my trips the last few weeks. Pressure has been super high and every time I see high pressure I decide not to fish, that has been a mistake. It has been 30.3 to 30.5 which is quite high. Guess what, I caught fish but they were eaters, 16 to 19 inches. The next day pressure dropped to 29.7 and I caught a fat 24 incher that weighed 8 lbs. And a 26 incher at 9lbs 14oz!

⏯ Seriously Just Fish

The Full Moon (Typsy)

chasenwalter@yahoo.com (Chasen Walter) — Sun, 27 Oct 2024 15:43:57 GMT

Episode 851 The Full Moon (Tipsy)

Ooo eee, Things got a little nuts Friday night!

It's not that often that I witness the craziness of a full moon! If it's a full moon I like to try to fish it but the June full moon was last Friday night when I was hangin' at the Rotten Dock Bar and Grille in Milfoil and all I heard was...

Someone pour me up a double shot of whiskey

They know me and Jack Daniels got a history

There's a party downtown near 5th Street

Everybody at the bar gettin' tipsy not Keller and Haines sippin' iced tea

Oh my and there sits Finley.

One, here comes the two to the three to the four

Tell 'em bring another out, we need plenty more

Two steppin' on the table, she don't need a dance floor

Oh my, good Lord.

Someone pour me up a double shot of whiskey

They know me and Beam got a history

There's a party down here at the rotten dock

Everybody at the bar gettin' tipsy

Curty, Nick and Benny drinking pounders then it hit me

One, here comes the two to the three to the four

Tell 'em bring another out, we need plenty more

Two steppin' on the table, they don't need a dance floor

Oh my, good Lord.

Someone pour me up a double shot of whiskey

They know me and Walker got a history

There's a party downtown near the Gas-n-Git

Everybody at the bar gettin' boozy

Jack, Jim and Johnny are my favorite kind is whiskey

Oh my, good Lord

This full moon’s been a mystery

sounds like fishin is history

Put down the pole cuz it's

…One, here comes the two to the three to the four

Tell 'em not to bring another one out

we don't need anymore

ripping off the label

we don't need to dance no more

Oh my, good Lord.

⏯ The Full Moon (Tipsy)

Crank At The Right Speed

chasenwalter@yahoo.com (Chasen Walter) — Sun, 27 Oct 2024 15:30:27 GMT

Episode 843 Crank At The Right Speed!

While staying in Algoma, Wisconsin and night fishing walleye on Green Bay, I spent a fair amount of time at the Algoma Hardware Store & Sporting Goods .

Kathy, the gal, who owns it is pretty intelligent when it comes to any type of fishing.

We got to talking about Walleye Nation Creations crankbaits and she said, "yeah they work but so does everything else". I said, "okay so what are you saying?" She said, "the biggest mistake people make is pulling every crankbait at the same speed. Most people pull crankbaits at 2 miles an hour give or take a little. The problem with that is each crankbait has a different action and to get the desired action from a certain crankbait it takes a certain speed. Take for instance Berkley's Flicker Shad . It might entice a fish to bite at 1.5 mph, the Salmo Hornet at 1.8 and the Walleye Nation Creations Reaper at 2.5. Pulling every crankbait at the same speed is just pulling a crankbait. You're not getting the desired action from the specific crankbait that you're looking for. And that's part of the reason people don't catch fish all the time, every time".

Yes there are other factors but speed is one of the most important. She said, "you need to drop that crankbait into the water and watch it. Is it giving you the action you are looking for? If not ,speed up or slow down to get the action you need". She said, "I love the science of it" and I agreed. I love the science of it as well but I didn't think about that specific science.

There's more to speed than speed.

⏯ C rank At the Right Speed

The New Boat

chasenwalter@yahoo.com (Chasen Walter) — Sun, 27 Oct 2024 14:07:39 GMT

Episode 829 The New Boat!

There's nothing more exciting than getting a new boat!

Okay maybe there are some other things that are more exciting but for those who love fishing a brand new boat is a ton of fun, until it isn't.��

I find myself surrounded by a lot of people at numerous types of fishing tournaments and it never fails. There are always a couple of anglers with stories to tell about their new boats. This is most certainly becoming the norm rather than an occasional situation. The interesting part of this story is it isn't any particular brand of boat it seems to be almost all of them. The speedometer doesn't work, the live well doesn't work, the lights don't work. There are so many stories of brand new boats that have to go back from where they came.

I'm not pointing the finger �� or blaming anyone, but you know the old saying "it must have been made on a Friday" seems to be a Monday Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday problem �� as well all of a sudden.

I bought a brand new boat a few years ago and the trailer they came with was too small and so were the tires that weren't fit for a wheelbarrow. One of the disheartening things about my purchase is the fact that I waited 20 years to have a brand new 50 horse motor and when I got one I was extremely disappointed. ☹️ Drop that thing into its lowest idol to troll and it would mix a drink. I'm not kidding, that thing vibrates the boat to the point of making my rear end numb. The sad thing is the manufacturer apologized for my experience rather than give me a solution.

I don't ask for much.

Whether you spend $20,000 or $120,000 when you launch your boat you just want it to work! ��

⏯ The New Boat!

Why Fisherman Don't Do Stand Up!

chasenwalter@yahoo.com (Chasen Walter) — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 22:17:54 GMT

Episode 788 Why Fisherman Don't Do Stand Up!

You ever wonder why fishermen don't do standup comedy?

I was actually watching an old episode of Johnny Carson and it made me wonder, why aren’t there more fishing comedians?

Thank you thank you, I've been having a great time.

I just got back from Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg !

I spent a couple of weeks there. You might think I made that up! Would you believe it's actually a lake in Massachusetts about an arrr (hour) from Boston? ��…

Thank you very much. It was great there, but I packed extra clothes. It's the longest name for a lake with 14 syllables.�� It's a fun place to visit but you have to stay a couple of weeks just to learn how to pronounce the name. ��

Anyway, did you hear the latest about Berkley's new bait, the Krej ! One look at it will make you'll laugh. ��

It has an upside down bill! It looks like Button the Busker …the guy on TikTok…that sings and violently plays a guitar using a suitcase as a drum. He's got the bill of his ball cap pushed up like Gomer Pyle…Gawly.�� The Krej. K R E J It doesn't even look like a word, much less sound like one. Is it German, Japanese or Swahili �� ...

Seriously, what creative and sophisticated meaning could this word have? Is it a marketing genius? I didn't see it. Until I saw it in the mirror! Would you believe it's actually, jerk (JERK) spelled backwards…(laugh hard).

It is truly a marketing genius. It's a jerk bait with a bassackwards name �� .

I Can't wait till Rapala introduces their new Par Nippir …chuckle… oh you like that one… Rippin' Rap spelled backwards. �� …you’re too easy. you fell for that one hook line and sinker! You’ve been a great crowd, thank you, I’ll be here all week.

⏯ Why Fisherman Don't Do Stand Up!

The Ethel and Mark Stevenson Story

chasenwalter@yahoo.com (Chasen Walter) — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 21:57:46 GMT

Episode 803 The Ethel and Mark Stevenson Story

Ethel was born without a name!

She was the princess of Lake Fork in Texas but became the queen of Bass Pro Shops !

In November 1986 she became the first to enter the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's ShareLunker Program. She became a mega star and fostered the idea of catch and release fishing. She put lake fork in Texas on the map as a mecca for Big Bass!

Ethel wouldn't have a story to tell if it wasn't for Mark Stevenson , a licensed guide who fished B.A.S.S. Top 100 Tournaments and is a member of the Texas Fishing Hall of Fame .

Mark and Ethel met on November 26th 1986.

Mark was fishing Lake Fork and Ethel was minding her own business until she took the bait. A jig and craw worm combo. And the rest as they say is history. Mark caught her after a cold front pushed through Texas leaving bright blue skies. Ethel weighed nearly 18 lb. and became the poster fish for catching and releasing and lived out the rest of her days in a 125,000 gallon tank at Bass Pro Shops in Springfield Missouri .

An estimated 20 million people visited Ethel at Bass pro shops. She was 27 and 1/2 in Long when she was caught. By the end of her life she weighed over 20 lbs with a 32 inch girth and measured 28 in Long. She died of natural causes at the age of 19 on August 5th 1994.

Probably the most famous fish that ever lived. 1500 people attended her memorial service that made national news. Founder Johnny Morris said, "Ethel was the best thing that ever happened to Bass Pro Shops".

She was a Texas State Record Largemouth and still the biggest Texas bass to be caught on an artificial lure!

⏯ The Ethel And Mark Stevenson Story

Fishing Lighted Planer Boards

chasenwalter@yahoo.com (Chasen Walter) — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 21:32:02 GMT

Episode 824 Fishing Lighted Planer Boards

I am absolutely in love with fishing with lighted planer boards at night!

I've been out here with a few friends from back home fishing Green Bay with Kinn's Sport Fishing out of Little Sturgeon Bay. It's a ton of fun.

We leave the bay at 6:00 p.m. and make our way around to the big lake as the sun is getting low in the sky. There are monster ships out here and it seems like the wind dies down every night. It's almost perfect, maybe even dreamy to be honest. Here's the cool thing: pulling planer boards behind a big boat on big water is phenomenal.

There are six green lighted planer boards on one side and six red lighted planer boards on the other side we troll a couple miles an hour about 100 yards off of shore for what seems many miles and frankly it takes about 2 and 1/2 hours then we make a great big wide swing and and fish another two to two and a half hours back to the marina. We generally call it about 11:00 p.m. depending on the number of fish we have. As we make our way back around the corner of the big lake to the marina one of the guides cleans all of our walleye bags and they are ready to take home when we walk on to the dock.

In May it gets a little chilly at night so we do wear our ice fishing suits but that's just for extra comfort. It's a trip like no other for me. We're always laughing having a good time catching really nice walleye, sometimes small ones but it's the 24 to 27 that make the trip a blast. There's an occasional 28 or 29 in. I have not had the chance to see a 30 yet but maybe tonight!

⏯ Fish Lighted Planer Boards

The White Otter Castle

chasenwalter@yahoo.com (Chasen Walter) — Sat, 30 Mar 2024 22:16:42 GMT

Episode 789 The White Otter Castle

Today the story of the White Otter Castle and the man who built it. YouTube influencer Jay Siemens was on a trip with John Hoyer and a few other fellas in search of big lake trout.

I had never heard of the White Otter Castle but Jay's visit intrigued me. I wanted to know more. Who built it and how did it get there? It's an amazing story but tragic for the loner who built what people call a Castle on the shore of White Otter Lake. James Alexander "Jimmy" McQuat better known as Jimmy grew up farming but left that somewhat lucrative life behind. He made the Trek via canoe to the spot on White otter lake he would call home. As a boy he was told ye'll never do no good. Ye'll die in a shack and that's the reason he built his log Castle. Jimmy was a loner but longed for love and had his chance but for some reason backed out. He didn't drink, smoke or cuss and He single-handedly felled trees, cut, hewn and placed the logs one by one all by himself. It was a massive home that looked more like a barn with a turret that stood 40 ft tall on property he truly never owned. He trapped his food but would go to a town called Ignace for supplies. A trip mostly by canoe. a full day there and a full day back. He would walk 12 miles to spend Christmas with friends but in 1918 he never showed. In the spring they found his body on shore, a button caught in his fishnet. His castle is now his headstone.

⏯ The White Otter Castle

Rod and Reel Redo

chasenwalter@yahoo.com (Chasen Walter) — Fri, 08 Mar 2024 18:37:53 GMT

Episode 777 Rod and Reel Redo

That's just a fancy title for rod and reel maintenance. Stuff that should be done for the open water season.

While brainstorming episode ideas with my good friend Aaron he said maybe it's time for a rod and reel maintenance episode. My first thought was a good idea. My next thought was maybe you've already done that or maybe it's something you don't do on a regular basis.

I'm going to admit I don't necessarily go through every rod and reel combo to make darn sure everything is ready to roll when the fish are! Then because Aaron got me to thinking I decided to look at my 21 rod and reel combos for open water fishing and I realized I had two cranks with bent or broken hooks, three different rods with bent eyelets, how that happened I will never know. Needless to say I have a couple of reels that have frayed and worn out Fireline ™ . I also have a rod with a busted tip. Now in my defense it was a rod we found that someone else busted and left laying on shore. Thing is, it was a fancy $200 rod and I have an extra 50 cent tip to make it like new again.

I should probably mention that I have four other Abu Garcia ™ Vendetta ™ rods and reels that I need to spool and rig for the season.

I'm pretty doggone sure you're thinking of yourself why does that guy need all that stuff just to fish open water? Not to mention the fact that he doesn't seem to put a ton of time on the water. Well that's a story for another time, now go check your equipment and get it ready for open water.

⏯ Rod & Reel Redo

Episode 779 Why So Much Stuff? The Answer.

I figured I'd take some time real quick to answer the question I posed during episode blank a couple of days ago.

I mentioned that I had about 25 rod and reel combos for the Open water season. I have multiple tackle bags as well. Now I don't have them in the boat all at once they are actually used in multiple locations not to mention the fact that I have a handful of rods I keep in my pickup, I have a number of them in my entryway in case I go fishing with a friend, I have a bunch that go in my boat and never leave and so on. I just learned that having three or four rods and using them in every application is too confusing and cumbersome. If you take something from your boat sometimes you may not put it back. You go out to fish and realize you forgot a rod or two in a friend's pickup or in their boat or even at home that won't happen to me anymore.

I have enough stuff to keep me stocked in every situation including tackle. Some tackle bags are bigger and smaller than others but each tackle bag is set up so I can fish just about any tactic anywhere.

Yes it costs a little more but it's a lot less frustrating to get the water and not have exactly what you want or need. Here's the cool thing when you buy stuff on clearance seasonally you really only have about 30 to $35 in each rod and reel combo. But that's a little secret I've kind of kept to myself for a long time. And by the way it's not cheap stuff, it's Abu Garcia and I have everything I need.

⏯ Why So Much Stuff?

Leap Year and Stuff!

chasenwalter@yahoo.com (Chasen Walter) — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 00:38:16 GMT

Episode 769 Leap Year and Stuff!

Leap Year, an extra day and a whole lot of history!

Presidential elections fall on a leap year but not all are leap years! Even though leap year happens every 4 years they are not all created equal. The rule is that leap year is divisible by 100 but not 400! So 2000 was a leap year but 1900 was not. The next leap year we will skip is 2100 so none of us has experienced a skipped leap year and you will have to live another 76 years to experience the next one…while studying this extra day I found a pattern to easily identify a leap year. Years with 20, 40, 60 & 80 then 12, 32, 52, 72 and 92 make it pretty simple to pick out a past leap year.

Like 1936 when Rapala carved his first original floating crank, in 1948 Howard Lund built his first boat, and the first fish finder for detecting fish underwater was developed in Japan. The first pontoon hit the water in Minnesota in 1952. Bob Meter invented the basic bottom bouncer in ND in 1964, then Al and Ron Lindner introduced the Lindy Rig in 1968, The Pocket Fisherman hit the market in 1972, Dave Genz made ice fishing history when he built his first flip top portable shelter in Minnesota in 1980, John Prochnow developed Power Bait for Berkley in 1988, In 2006 Vexilar introduced the FL-12 and FL-20, Humminbird rocked the fishing world with 360 imaging in 2012 and B.A.S.S banned the use of the Arizona Rig because it was too good. Frabill’s I-Float Suit and Apple's AirPods came along in 2016 and then there was Covid 4 years ago already.

Happy Leap Year 2024!

⏯ Leap Year and Stuff!

How Big Is Too Big?

chasenwalter@yahoo.com (Chasen Walter) — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 00:05:45 GMT

Episode 761 Go Really Big Or Go Home?

I am truly serious here. How big is TOO BIG?? I don't think we know!

As many of you may know I recently took a trip to Lake Winnipeg with my friend Kirk. We went on an exploratory trip to the big windy to discover the ins and outs of do-it-yourself greenback fishing!

Blackwater Cat Outfitters are certainly the way to go. But they were booked.

After spending a few days up there there's no doubt a guide is the way to go but it doesn't always work out. We rented a SnoBear from Matt and Icebound Excursions . He was awesome and it worked great.

We hit the ice, made our way to the suggested waypoint, set the snow bear on the ice and started fishing. We started to mark fish right away But they were super finicky. It took a silver Kastmaster with a single red hook to finally catch a few walleye.

I spent a fair amount of time studying the mega live. Watching how fish would react to a certain cadence and aggressive jigging. most didn't care for it at all. I did use my new Macro Beaded Snell on a dead stick and it worked. The fish disappeared until Kirk started rattling and making noise just to draw them in and it seemed to work. The traditional Lake Winnipeg stuff didn't work but a great big four and a half inch Little Doctor Spoon in gold with a 1/0 hook and 3 minnows did the trick. That contraption was about 7 in Long and watching that big walleye decide to eat it was amazing.

So how big is too big? I don't think we know because the biggest unconventional presentation did the trick. I guess go big or go home

⏯ Go Really Big Or Go Home!

The Anglers Mancave

chasenwalter@yahoo.com (Chasen Walter) — Sun, 11 Feb 2024 14:12:00 GMT

Episode 759 The Angler's Mancave!

You could probably search for a lifetime and still never have the perfect anglers mancave!

I've had a lot of fun trying over the last 15 years. I've actually got two spaces that I consider mancaves so I'm looking for twice as much memorabilia. I was looking at my walls wondering what else I should add and I started thinking about this episode.

I wanted to jog your memory. I wanted you to think back on all those awesome times you had with family when you were young. It's conversations like this that gets you thinking. Thinking about the old Scooby-Doo rod and reel combo from Shimano, maybe yours was Mickey the Mouse or Disney's Duck Tales combo, whatever, I'm almost positive we all had one. Unfortunately mine is at the bottom of a lake in Minnesota.

If those goofy orange life vests weren't so big one might look good hanging on the wall, the old fish locator from Lowrance looks good on a shelf, how about the pocket fisherman? Every man cave wall has to have Billy The Bass singing Don't Worry Be Happy, LOL! How about an Aladdin Angler Thermos ? You could have any one of 100 old vintage lures but you got to have one of the old galvanized tin minnow buckets! The Budweiser Talking Frog and while you're at it grab one of those old metal stringers, hang it on the wall, and you can hang anyone of your vintage lures from that old stringer!

I recently found an awesome man cave sign I didn't know I was looking for until I saw it and it should come in the mail any day it's called Marble Eye Lodge . I know you've got something to add so say it out loud right now…

It isn't the perfect man cave yet but we will get there thanks for your help!

⏯ The Angler's Mancave

Let's ZOOM In On This One

chasenwalter@yahoo.com (Chasen Walter) — Sat, 27 Jan 2024 01:42:15 GMT

Episode 743 Zoom For A Closer Look

I recently had the opportunity to have a conversation with a friend about the zoom feature on Garmin and that carried over to Humminbird. I apologize as the topic only pertains to those who fish with sonar. To be specific 2D sonar and I guess it would also apply to down imaging.

Zoom is a view option on Garmin and Humminbird possibly Lowrance but I don't use Lowrance on the ice.

When I started using my electronics a little over a decade ago I used just about every option possible. Basically I was just trying to learn about what it had to offer. I found zoom or split zoom was handy, but I found that it really didn't do me a whole lot of good. The more I understood the technology. With 2D sonar and down imaging everything you see on the screen is real time sonar with history. The key here is history. As I understood the bottom in relation to fish moving around on it, the zoom just wasn't necessary. Everyone needs to find that out for themselves.

Part of the conversation was practicing or using your unit on the couch! You have to fiddle with the thing so you know what you've got and know how to use it. In the beginning, probably once or twice even three times a week. You might think I'm nuts but in a couple of months I guarantee you will agree with me. You'll get to the point where you're fishing and decide you want to zoom in and you know exactly how to get there rather than fiddling around losing an opportunity to catch a fish.

The only reason you're frustrated with whatever electronics you own is because using it is not second nature. One tip. If you're going to zoom…go into your settings and slow down your chart speed .

⏯ Zoom In For A Closer Look

Pointing The Finger

chasenwalter@yahoo.com (Chasen Walter) — Sat, 20 Jan 2024 12:50:06 GMT

Episode 748 Who Is To Blame?

There's a fair amount of finger pointing going on. Who or what's to blame for everything these days?

Forward facing sonar is to blame; to blame for what? For being awesome! For being a cool tool!

Maybe you guys are getting sick of hearing about forward facing sonar, the arguments and all stuff that is going on in the social media world. One is blaming the other, the other is blaming another rather than pointing the finger at the person using it.

Live sonar doesn't catch fish. It doesn't kill fish. It doesn't choose to keep a limit of fish or a one person limit multiple times a day. It's people!

I catch and release and I'm very careful when catching and releasing. I try to get the fish back in the water as quickly as possible cuz I want it to live to be caught again and released again. Catch it and keep it, that's up to you.

When people go crappie fishing in 40 ft of water and catch dozens of crappie and only keep a few for eating chances are most of those crappie will suffer from the dreaded barotrauma and die.

People have to decide when to stop. Same goes for perch or walleye or any fish for that matter. People have to make good choices. I don't need to ice 60 perch for a picture. Those feeding frenzy days are awesome but it can strain a system. Imagine taking 60 perch out of a lake each day. Multiply that by just 10 groups of people on the lake (Limit 15 per person in SD, 20 in ND & MN) . That's 600 fish pulled from a lake in just one day that won't be restocked tomorrow like the jar Jif™ peanut butter at the grocery store. Those 600 fish are gone and if you continue to do the math the numbers are astronomical and makes me sad. Make good choices and no one will be able to point the finger at you !

Barotrauma, science and misconceptions:

⏯ Pointing The Finger

Don't Go Cheating Yourself

chasenwalter@yahoo.com (Chasen Walter) — Sat, 20 Jan 2024 12:29:40 GMT

Episode 746 Cheater, Cheater

Getting someone's secret settings is like cheating on a math test!

If you have an electronic fish finder no matter the brand no matter the technology and you are lucky enough to get someone else's settings. Are you super lucky or are you cheating yourself?

Sure it's nice to have the settings from someone who knows what they're doing and knows how to use that puzzling piece of equipment that you haven't been able to master yet, but is it really doing you any good?

I watch person after person use someone else's settings and frankly when all is said and done they're a little more confused than they are confident.

See if you peek over someone's shoulder and use their settings the only person you're cheating is yourself. You might have the same settings as Brian "Bro" Brosdahl , Jason Mitchell or Tom Boley but what does that really mean? Now that you've got it set up like Brian, Jason or Tom; fish aren't just going to jump through the hole now. Not even close.

The reason you're cheating yourself is you're not using your electronics to suit your needs. Everybody's needs are different including yours! It never fails that someone gets these fancy settings and becomes more confused. The answer and the reason for that is simple. You get someone else's settings but you don't understand why they are set that way and now you're trying to make what is comfortable to someone else comfortable to you.

It's great that you can get secret settings from multiple people but that doesn't mean you have to use them exactly the way they use them. Instead, use the information they gave you to learn your electronics inside and out and you could take all of those little tidbits and create settings for yourself that give you the confidence to see what you are seeing and catch fish. Make sense?

⏯ Don't Go Cheating Yourself

That 70's Show

chasenwalter@yahoo.com (Chasen Walter) — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 19:43:02 GMT

Episode 736 The Lakes, The Tackle & Frazier's Resort

I happened to watch an episode of Castle last night. Oh come on who's not a fan of Richard Castle and Nikki Heat, okay, Beckett!

It just so happens that episode was called that '70s show and I got to thinking about fishing when I was a kid in the seventies! What a bunch of awesome memories.

It was nothing like today. You wouldn't expect that though would you? Ha.

I was pretty lucky as a youngster getting to fish Devil's Lake, Lake Sakakawea and Van Hook Arm, and Lake Metigoshe in North Dakota and a bunch of cool lakes in Minnesota like Crystal, Lida, Franklin and Lizzie on a regular basis with my grandparents.

Grandma was a fisherman or fisherperson or whatever we have to call them these days. She had no problem being called a fisherman, matter of fact he was quite proud of that!

But that was in the 70's. My favorite real was a Zebco 33 and for some odd reason I had a loyalty to the 33 and only the 33. I didn't really care what I had for a rod. As a matter of fact I think I was still using one of the old metal rods with a cork handle.

Grandpa finally broke down and bought the Lowrance FISH-LO-KA-TOR or the little green box and that was pretty cool. We still used buoys but we made the switch from Hi-Lex bottles to the fancy buoy with the string and lead. Gave it a toss and you knew exactly where your fishing spot was. No GPS. No, there was no such thing as a bottom bouncer but we pulled a bunch of Little Joes and Lazy Ikes !

My fondest memory was Frazier's Resort on Crystal in Minnesota. They had a few Lung fishing boats but they still had the old green and white wooden boats…aw the memories!

▶️ That 70's Show

So What Up Walleye?

chasenwalter@yahoo.com (Chasen Walter) — Sun, 14 Jan 2024 15:16:58 GMT

Episode 752 Natural Instinct or New Instinct?

This is a lost episode I wrote on July 19th, 2023. I can't find it anywhere, if it's out there, so I will reshare it because it's a thought I can't let go of.

If you paid attention to anglers that have become super proficient with live sonar you have heard that walleye aren't always on the bottom like we were told.

When I was a kid I remember bait shop intel told us walleye were on the bottom so you've got to have your bait down there if you want to catch them. At that point it was true or so we thought! I heard those bigger and older than me talk about downsizing. "You've got to use the tiniest jig, the smallest hook, use 6 lb. mono and back troll so you can troll as slow as possible.

Well that was back in the late70's early and early 80's when the number of lakes that had fish in them weren't as numerous as they are today.

They found that more than 10,000 lakes in Minnesota and lakes in North Dakota and South Dakota seem to have tripled. So with all that water it makes sense to start stocking it with fish.

Stocked walleye grown in tanks. These itty bitty little walleye were born in concrete, steel or even plastic tanks. Think about it: a tiny walleye growing up with no rocks, gravel, sand, weeds or trees just a smooth shiny bottom. No need to hide, no need to hunt for food. a few times a day it just seems to drop out of the sky. Most of them got their food from the upper portion of the water column. So it was eat, swim, sleep, repeat. Then one day they were pulled from the pool and dropped into their new home with rocks, gravel, sand, weeds and big fish that wanted to eat them.

No wonder walleye act differently, their instincts are different. If you aren't catching them on the bottom chances are you will catch them somewhere else.

⏯ So What Up, Walleye?

The Wife

chasenwalter@yahoo.com (Chasen Walter) — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 13:53:23 GMT

Episode 683 Happy Wife, Great Life

Oh boy do I have a story for you...

On a recent trip to fish for jumbo perch on the Mississippi River just south of lacrosse. we had a little time to waste so we were site seeing in The La Crosse Commercial Historic District a cool place that once had the Guinness Book record for the most bars/nightclubs located on one street.

Well we were strolling down 3rd Street we were confronted by a particularly dirty and shabby-looking homeless man who asked me for a couple of dollars for dinner.

I took out my wallet, extracted ten dollars and asked, "If I give you this money, will you buy some beer with it instead of dinner?"

"No, I had to stop drinking years ago," the homeless man replied.

"Will you use it to go fishing instead of buying food?" I asked.

"No, I don't waste time fishing," the homeless man said.."I need to spend all my time trying to stay alive."

"Will you spend this on hunting equipment?" I asked.

"Are you NUTS!" replied the homeless man. "I haven't gone hunting in 20 years!"

"Well," I said, "I'm not going to give you money. Instead, I'm going to take you to the motel for a shower then you can join my wife and I for a terrific dinner at one of the best restaurants in town."

The homeless man was astounded. "Won't your wife be furious with you for doing that?

I replied, "Don't worry about that. It's important for her to see what a man looks like after he has given up drinking, fishing and hunting."

��

I got to thank Artie's Bait and Tackle - Econo Lodge Hotel on Big Stone Lake for sharing this piece on their Facebook page. I couldn't resist. I love my life and don't have a wife.

▶️ Happy Wife, Great Life

An Answer To The Next Big Thing

chasenwalter@yahoo.com (Chasen Walter) — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 13:30:55 GMT

Episode 731 More Cowbell, Please!

A few months ago I wrote an episode about the next big thing. I was actually asking a question. What will be the next big thing?

I mentioned Berkley's Flickers , Rapala's Husky Jerks , Salmo , the Smithwick Rogue Perfect 10 and the Wally Diver . The gist of my conversation was contemplating the next hot crankbait.

Well, we got that answer sooner than I ever expected. If you haven't been paying attention; the answer to the question is the Walleye Nation Creations Reaper ! At this point any color seems to be working quite well. 10 pounders 12 pounders 14 lbs 15, 16, 17 almost 18 pounds! The thing is almost like magic and it doesn't matter the lake, Oahe or Ontario! Bill McGannon and Brian Hunke each named a crank after themselves and back to back they caught a South Dakota record walleye all within 15 days after a stalemate of 21 years!

Now, Target Walleye seems to boast weekly of a new teener caught on a Walleye Nation Creations Reaper!

I had made the comment one day about the fact that walleye “don't fear the Reaper” and that got me to thinking. So, I reached out to Bill and said “hey the next crankbait you create has to be called, More Cowbell ”. Bill hadn't heard of the Saturday Night Live skit so he checked it out and replied back, “we'll have to do that in the future”. Well let's see how long and how strong the Walleye Nation Creations Reaper will stay. I have no doubt it will be extremely successful this spring (2024).

Anywoo…I felt it necessary to follow up on the next big thing not knowing it was just around the corner. If you don't have any of the Walleye Nation Creations Reapers you better get you some and hopefully we have More Cowbell soon.

▶️ More Cowbell

**Pictured: Lil Reaper

Yes, Perch On Tip Ups

chasenwalter@yahoo.com (Chasen Walter) — Sun, 24 Dec 2023 12:49:23 GMT

Episode 516 Tip Ups For Perch!

I think most of us rely on tip ups to catch walleye and Northern Pike.

I'm not a huge tip up guy...they don't really appeal to me that much, so I've created rattle reels that seem to be a little more versatile for catching walleye, northern and perch; they're just easier to set up and deal with.

My fishing partner Chad absolutely loves fishing tip-ups. He's got a number of awesome tip ups that are more like my rattle reel setups. Someday maybe we'll even bring them back to the market and share them with the tip up fishing community.

While fishing those jumbo perch we set out a number of tip-ups in a circle around us and got a little finessy with the rigging. They were mostly set up for catching northern pike, so the steel leaders, the big weights and hooks were just too much even for the jumbo perch. So we downsized the presentation and bam! We caught 8,10, and 12 inch perch on those tip ups. They really increased our target area.

They certainly helped me identify a pattern according to flags popping and whether there was a fish there or not. They didn't bite on every tip up but there was a specific pattern to those tip-ups and dead sticks that caught fish.

I've realized fishing tip ups are important if you're trying to establish a pattern. One thing we didn't do and it would have been perfect for perch was to rig a few of those tip ups with drop shots. An idea Pat Kalmerton shared with is a while back. Hindsight is 20/20! I wish we would have used his drop shot method. I truly believe we would have iced more perch. It's a little more finessy and almost foolproof.

My Trip To Namesville

chasenwalter@yahoo.com (Chasen Walter) — Sun, 24 Dec 2023 12:40:18 GMT

Episode 469 My Trip To Namesville!

I woke up one morning after a dream and wrote about Namesville. I think the thought hit after leaving Dr. Sonar’s office. I’m not getting any younger. So on my way out of town I stopped at Gunn’s Gas n Git to fuel up and grab a few things. Felix and Henry said the trip was long but Zippy told me once you go through Hawthorne and get to Peluso you’re two thirds of the way there and the rest is a piece of cake. Well after 5 hours on the road.

I pulled into Bartusek to stretch my legs and get a bite to eat and there at the stop sign in front of me was one of those super fancy sports cars…I think it was a Mariotti! Anyway I pulled into the Hutch and sat at the only table with a Candle! Met a couple of the regulars, Captain Troy and Mr, Bluegill. The food was fabulous so I decided on dessert. I’d have a piece of Mundt cake and a slice of homemade Pyzer to go. So it's time to hit the road and I kindly asked…Bro, what's the quickest way to get to Namesville from here? Mitchell at the table next to me said, head straight north, you go through a few Darling little towns, Lawson, Munsinger and Pudenz then take a right at the Girl of 10,000 Lakes, you’ll know you are there when you see Jenny and her son. I said thanks and hit the road.

A few hours later I pulled into Durick, which coincidentally isn’t far from Bowbells, to grab a scope for my gun. I bought a Valentz for Smith and Weaver and now that I think about it I’m not sure I got the Brandriet. Anywho, I said I’m headed to Namesville and the nice lady there said, 3 towns left, Nelson and Amundson, then all you should see are wheat fields. She told me the Durham should be ready for harvest right about now. But once you get to Kalmerton stop at Rinas & Brammeier, next Axtman, Deide & Prochnow, the fancy lawyers office. They’ll tell you where the hunting and fishing is the best this time of year. Ask Curt about the Reeff close to the Cliff where the Pirch Steck and ask him for the Mark. I think it's just above the Underhill.

Well it wasn’t long and I finally arrived at my destination! Namesville, what a place, if you listen carefully you can hear the Katz Houle. I’m excited, I’m living the life of Reilly and that’s a Huynh for me.

⏯ My Trip To Namesville

**The Names:

Dr. Sonar (Bruce Samson), Austin Felix , Joe Henry , Steve " Zippy " Dahl, Brad Hawthorne , Mike Peluso , Adam Bartusek , Tony Mariotti , Tim " Hutch " Hutchinson, Johnny Candle , Captain Troy Mattson, Mr. Bluegill Troy Peterson, Nick Mundt , Gord Pyzer , Brian " Bro " Brosdahl, Jason Mitchell , Stephanie Lawson , Amy Munsinger , Jennifer Pudenz , The Girl of 10,000 Lakes - Jenny Anderson , Brad Durick , Bowbells ND, Lewie Valentz , Jeremy Smith , Sean Weaver , Eric Brandriet , Joel Nelson , Brett Amundson , Jason Durham , Pat Kalmerton , Adam Rinas , John Brammeier , Zach Axtman , Troy Deide , John Prochnow , Curt Reeff , Cliff Pirch , Mark Steck , Curt Underhill , Bill Katz , Clay Houle , Mike Reilly and Tom Huynh !

Meet The Parents

chasenwalter@yahoo.com (Chasen Walter) — Sun, 24 Dec 2023 12:17:11 GMT

Episode 623 Of all the people I thought I would enjoy meeting...

It's the parents!

I thought it would be really cool to meet as many of the social media celebrities as I possibly could and I met a bunch more than I ever thought possible! I think that's because a lot of these social media celebrities are very kind and super respectful. But the one thing that surprised the daylights out of me was meeting the parents and in some cases a lot of the family!

I had the opportunity to meet Bassmaster Elite Tyler Rivet's mom and dad, and Bob Downey's entire family or what seemed to be their entire family. I had a chance to meet Dan Spengler, The Berkely bait guru's mom, sister and niece and nephew. It's been a blast meeting Duane Hjelm's parents as well, but Dewey's dad Dave has been a hoot he's got a great sense of humor and makes me laugh.

I think the most interesting part of meeting parents gives me the opportunity to really figure out where the social media studs come from! They love to tell you about their son or daughter and how they grew up and what they did and how they did things. When you're a storyteller those little tidbits are gold! Those fun and sometimes laughable tidbits of history don't just get to stay with the family anymore, they get to spread their wings and fly among the fans.

If I've learned anything in all my years of doing radio, it's the fact that I've learned people enjoy getting to know you better a little bit at a time. There's a connection or even a bond that forms that takes being a fan to a whole new level. So much love and also so much information. Glad to meet ya!

▶️ Meet The Parents

What's The Next Big Thing?

chasenwalter@yahoo.com (Chasen Walter) — Sat, 23 Dec 2023 23:45:22 GMT

Episode 467 Next Big Thing, I'm talking crankbaits.

When I say the the "next big thing", I'm actually talking about the next bait that catches fish like crazy!

There are those standards. The ones that get it done. Like the Rapala , the Berkley Flicker Shad , Salmo , and Northland . I guess I'm really trying to dial it in so we're talking the next big bite on a crankbait. Seems like there's always that one crank that does a better job than anything else.

I remember when it was a big husky jerk I'm talking 12, 14, 16 even 18! There was the Smithwick Rogue Perfect 10 ! The Reef Runner , the Wally Diver , the Rat-L-Trap and more…I've watched more people on shore fishing with some goofy odd looking thing I've never seen or heard of before catch more fish than me, using what's hot!

Here's a little secret: what's hot is marketing! Don't get me wrong, all of those companies that are marketing the next big thing have done their research! Their pro staff and R & D staffers are working hard to create baits that work. Baits that work better than the last one! That's a good thing and it's good for business! Business is good and it keeps the world spinning.

Last Saturday I walked into my neighbor's cabin and on the kitchen table were a pile of brand new crankbaits still in boxes. I said, "well would you look at that" and he turned around immediately and said "Shhhh. That's a secret, don't tell anyone!" His secret is safe with me but I walked out of his house thinking I don't have any of those! Better get some, they could be the next big thing. But how many and what color? My answer is three and something in white!

Does your tackle box look the same every season or is like mine ever changing?! Does that new secret bait work wonders for me? No. But but at least I have it in my arsenal and that gives me confidence and confidence is key!

To Buy FFS or Not?

chasenwalter@yahoo.com (Chasen Walter) — Mon, 18 Dec 2023 23:38:35 GMT

Episode 691 It's time for me to share my thoughts on live sonar

I do run into a number of people that ask me if they should get forward facing sonar or live sonar . Honestly my reply was, "heck yeah"! The next question; "is it really worth the money"? My next reply was, "heck yeah"!

Believe it or not after some experimentation and further use I may have changed my mind. There are so many factors that come into play when it comes to high-end electronics. I really think that forward facing sonar or live sonar should be considered high-end electronics. If you're a weekend fisherman or you fish even once a month, do you need live sonar? No. Do you need side imaging? No. Do you need GPS with sonar and down imaging? Heck yes! Good thing there, you can get into it without spending a whole bunch of money and you can still use it find fish and catch fish. With live sonar you will spend more money with an expectation it will catch more fish.

I spent the last two winters wondering why I couldn't catch fish. I now know after conducting an experiment, it's most likely the pinging of those multiple transducers that may have kept the fish away.

Should you sit on the ice in 5 to 12 ft of water with your live sonar on the entire time? I'm going to say, "no". I won't do that again. I will use it every time but not all the time. I used it for bass fishing and it was phenomenal, almost like a video game. If you think you need it, buy it. If you're on the fence, save the money.

▶️ FFS or Not?

Fish I.D. On!!

chasenwalter@yahoo.com (Chasen Walter) — Fri, 15 Dec 2023 23:24:42 GMT

Episode 659 Maybe the answer is easier than you thought

While fishing on Devils Lake recently with a very good friend of mine. I learned something from the way he had his electronics setup.

He had Fish ID enabled! Fish ID puts a little fish icon on the screen instead of arches. I was going to suggest that maybe he should turn that option off. Nobody really uses that and many experts suggest not using it at all.

Well I learned to disagree with that thought. I had to adjust my thought and opinion on it as well because it frankly came in very handy!

While we were cruising an old road bed and adjacent humps, those little fish icons kept popping up ding! ding! ding! ding! ding! ding! and I'm thinking we need to shut that Fish ID off! But the dinging didn't stop and it hit me that fish ID is telling us there are small fish swimming all over these two humps and I realized if there are small fish feeding here. There must be bait fish here, which means there are certainly walleye feeding here. Even the grebes agreed because they were making noise and getting full.

Anyway, we worked that area for 2 days, brought home 15 fish for the freezer and released many more. We had a blast. We had two great days of fishing and we never left Graham's Island!

Devil's Lake gave up some huge walleye during the National Walleye Tour Championship, but it also filled the freezer. Consider using Fish ID to find feeding fish. You may go home with a meal.

41 Inch, 25 Pound Walleye

chasenwalter@yahoo.com (Chasen Walter) — Fri, 08 Dec 2023 12:32:22 GMT

Episode 729 The biggest walleye ever caught and recorded!

Mabry Harper caught a 41-in 25 pound walleye with a 29 inch girth back in 1960 on Old Hickory Lake in Tennessee!

Those who actually saw it in person knew how truly massive it was but it was the 1960s there weren't many certified scales pictures from, but just about everyone had a yardstick but obviously only measures something that is 36 in nonetheless the handwriting on the picture says 25 lbs. 3 ounces, but story tells it was 25 lbs. 4 oz! Whatevs.

The interesting thing about Mabry Harper's walleye is the fact that the freshwater fishing Hall of Fame recorded it as a world record and then later disallowed it as a world record because somebody decided to do some fancy math according to the size of Mabry’s hands which nobody knows for sure.

That theory got the massive walleye ripped from the record books until a family member had a genius idea! Use the picture of Mary Harper , Mabry's wife, pictured below. Relatives knew exactly how tall she was so all they needed to do was blow up the picture of Mary holding the walleye and measure the fish once they had the life size poster. The walleye measured 41 inches long and was giving back its world record status.

Another picture that is important to this story is a picture of the massive head and a ruler. That head measured 6 1/2 in. I did the math on the 28 inch replica walleye I am working on right now. If you put the math to Mabry's walleye it equates to a 41 in walleye. Not 36, 38 or 40 but 41.

Amazing!!

▶️ 41 Inch 25 Pound Walleye

Left or Right Handed

chasenwalter@yahoo.com (Chasen Walter) — Thu, 30 Nov 2023 12:19:29 GMT

Episode 681 Right, Left or Wrong?

I know this is going to appeal to a very small audience and a very specific one at that but it's still something I want to discuss.

Since I was a kid the crank on my Zebco was on the right hand side. I'm right handed but it seems like the entire fishing world is left-handed or at least the crank on spinning reels are on the left but then a bait cast reel has a crank on the right.

I did hear recently that a lot of guys are switching to left-handed baitcasting reels so they're always cranking on the left hand side.

Well, I don't want to crank on the left hand side, I want to crank on the right hand side. I've been teased a little bit about the fact that I should be normal. Well, I'm right-handed so cranking my reels on the right side is normal to me.

Here's the lesson. I decided to succumb to the pressure and try using my left hand for cranking. Well the last two times I've been out, I've been very uncomfortable and frankly like a fish out of water, pun intended!

My world wasn't intended to do stuff with my left hand I tried I did my best and I have now realized that when I am alone cranking a reel with my right hand I can catch fish just fine.

So to those of you who are taking a little crap because you're not doing it right, do it your way the right-handed way, unless you want to do it left-handed. Fine.

Remember it's only wrong if it's wrong to you. Right!!

▶️ Crank It Correctly

The Walleye Puzzle

chasenwalter@yahoo.com (Chasen Walter) — Fri, 25 Nov 2022 12:10:13 GMT

Chasen Walter, Chasing More & Bigger Walleye

The Marvelous Money Badger

Episode 952 The Marvelous Money Badger

Seriously, Just Fish!

Episode 947 Seriously, Just Fish!

The Full Moon (Typsy)

Episode 851 The Full Moon (Tipsy)

Crank At The Right Speed

Episode 843 Crank At The Right Speed!

The New Boat

Episode 829 The New Boat!

Why Fisherman Don't Do Stand Up!

Episode 788 Why Fisherman Don't Do Stand Up!

The Ethel and Mark Stevenson Story

Episode 803 The Ethel and Mark Stevenson Story

Fishing Lighted Planer Boards

Episode 824 Fishing Lighted Planer Boards

The White Otter Castle

Episode 789 The White Otter Castle

Rod and Reel Redo

Episode 777 Rod and Reel Redo

Leap Year and Stuff!

Episode 769 Leap Year and Stuff!

How Big Is Too Big?

Episode 761 Go Really Big Or Go Home?

The Anglers Mancave

Episode 759 The Angler's Mancave!

Let's ZOOM In On This One

Episode 743 Zoom For A Closer Look

Pointing The Finger

Episode 748 Who Is To Blame?

Don't Go Cheating Yourself

Episode 746 Cheater, Cheater

That 70's Show

Episode 736 The Lakes, The Tackle & Frazier's Resort

So What Up Walleye?

Episode 752 Natural Instinct or New Instinct?

The Wife

Episode 683 Happy Wife, Great Life

An Answer To The Next Big Thing

Episode 731 More Cowbell, Please!

Yes, Perch On Tip Ups

Episode 516 Tip Ups For Perch!

My Trip To Namesville

Episode 469 My Trip To Namesville!

Meet The Parents

Episode 623 Of all the people I thought I would enjoy meeting...

What's The Next Big Thing?

Episode 467 Next Big Thing, I'm talking crankbaits.

To Buy FFS or Not?

Episode 691 It's time for me to share my thoughts on live sonar

Fish I.D. On!!

Episode 659 Maybe the answer is easier than you thought

41 Inch, 25 Pound Walleye

Episode 729 The biggest walleye ever caught and recorded!

Left or Right Handed

Episode 681 Right, Left or Wrong?

The Walleye Puzzle

Episode 707 Been Working On This For Years