Thunder Bay Walleye Club Newsletter May 2014 PO Box 812 Alpena, MI IT IS FINALLY OVER

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1 Thunder Bay Walleye Club Newsletter May 2014 PO Box 812 Alpena, MI Officers Board of Directors President Jim Leeseberg Bill ONeil Vice President Dave Birmingham Richard Hubert Finance/Recording Secretary Dennis Burns Eric MacKenzie Kevin Cosbitt May is upon us, so don t forget to purchase your new 2014 fishing license and your boat launch sticker! IT IS FINALLY OVER Yep, it s been a long, long winter and so far a cool, rainy and windy spring. There was some concern if Hubbard Lake would be ice free and launch ramps in for our first tournament, it was with about 2 weeks to spare. CLUB TOURNAMENT RESULTS HUBBARD LAKE 6P - 2A It looked like the day/night could be not too bad however at the start of the tourney the wind did increase out of the NW which blew down from north to south and added rain. Oh boy. However things did improve later in the evening, some what. 41 contestants fished with only 2 boats not weighing in. Boats that did all put 5 fish on the scale. Richard and Steve Hubert with Hunter Rousseau took first place pulling up 15.2 lbs, second went to Erich Carlson and Wayne VanDyke lbs. and third is Jon Kruttlin and Bryan Lapine scaling lbs. The fishing action did help to outweigh the weather. More details on how, when and where at this meeting. Next tourneys are Grand Lake May 18 th 7a to 3p with launch at the DNR south end. This tourney will be the first of 3 challenges. Long Lake and Hubbard Lake will be included this year if until some wins. This will be paid only one time this year. Grand Lake Bonus A $500 bonus will be paid to the team weighing the heaviest 3 Walleye exceeding 10 pounds. In the event that more than one team weighs over 10 pounds the 2nd place team will win $100. All participating boats will have a colored ribbon that need to be visible on the bow of the boat. All participating boats must be inspected by 6:45 a.m. All fish weighed for the bonus must be brought alive to the weigh-in. You must be a TBWC member in good standing to win. In the event the bonus is earned, the payout will be given at the June meeting where the winning team will be required to disclose their winning techniques and locations. This bonus is held in conjunction with and in addition to our regular tournament. Come on out and give it a try 1

2 OTHER UPCOMMING CLUB TOURNAMENTS Thunder Bay Walleye Club presents the 17 th Annual Night Eyes Challenge A 2 night fishing tournament for walleyes on Thunder Bay OPEN TO THE PUBLIC Friday May 30 st, & Saturday May 31 st, :00 P.M. until 1:00 A.M. each night Alpena Boat Harbor Entry Fee: $30/person 80% payout based on 50 participants: 1 st Place $ nd Place rd Place th Place th Place 50 In addition there will be a $100 prize awarded for the largest walleye each night. For more information, contact: Dave Birmingham, Tournament Director, OR jackieodennyb@frontier.com Long Lake June 8 th 7a 3p Launch Long Lake Park This may be a bit on the late side, but it is great, and sometimes overlooked information. Courtesy of Dennis Gulau Spring Fishing Spring Walleye fishing can be one of the most productive times of the year. Crankbaits are often the go to presentation this time of year. Here are a few tips that you may try that could help you put more fish in the boat. Preparation Consistency can be key! Your line counter reels are a tool that helps you be consistent in your presentation. In order to do that, they have to be loaded with the same type and amount of line. To make this easy, spool a given amount of backing on each reel, say if your reel holds 1500 feet of ten lb, put 1100 feet on as backing tape over the line with electrical tape to mark it, then tie on, and load the remaining 400 feet. This way each spring you can just strip off the top 400 feet of line and reload with fresh line. After all of your reels are loaded with fresh line, set them all up in a line and pull out line across your lawn, pull out feet of line and compare the reading on your reels. Hopefully they are all reading within a couple feet of each other. Don t worry what the number is on the dial, just that the numbers match or are close. Many reels of the same make and model with the same amount of line loaded will vary wildly in read out. This makes it impossible to be consistent in your presentation. Don t worry if the amount of lie out matches the reading on the reel. You re really only concerned with consistency rather than actual line length. 2

3 Now let s catch some fish on those cranks. Generally, you want to match the hatch with cranks. Smelt imitators and shad body baits are typically the first choice in the spring. Think big. The bait that is still alive in the spring is fully grown, Rapala and 7-9 Shad rap style baits are a good starting point. Don t get caught up in the rules of crank bait fishing. Mix it up and see what the fish want. If you want the slow roll of a shallow diver, but want it deep, try a snap weight in front of it to get it down, and don t be afraid to run a deep diver on a very short lead to keep it up high. I once had a great day on the water pulling Super Rouges on a 4 foot lead. Scents can make the difference in the cold water don t be afraid to experiment with them. A piece of crawler on the front hook may make the difference. If big baits don t bring a strike, size down, think 7-9 Rapalas, T-Stick Jr s, baby T-sticks, #5 Shad Raps. Don t be afraid to make some noise. Many times spring water is dirty, baits with rattles can really shine in those conditions. Crazy bright colors can shine in stained water. Speed changes can produce strikes, troll a zig-zag pattern to speed up and slow down your baits. Slow is not always the best in cold water, try some fast speeds to see if that is what the fish want. Water color can make a difference. Dirty water and clean water can both hold fish, try fishing both types to see where the fish are each day. Temperature is key, when the water is cold, look for those pockets of water that may be 1 2 degrees warmer than the surrounding water. Many times the fish are more active in the warm water pockets. Most of all think safety. The water is cold, and the wind usually blows in the spring. Dress accordingly, and wear a life jacket and use your kill switch. Have fun. The club has cleaned fish for the 3 rd time this year by the DNR survey netting operations. 1 st fish were 4 tubs all Steelhead from the AuSable river. 2 nd were again 4 tubs a mix of Lake Trout, Walleye, White Fish and Burbit. 3 rd was 9 tubs (WOW) of Lake Trout taken form the wreck area. All in all about 200 lbs. of filets were delivered to the St Bernard s Friendship Room helping to feed those people in need of a meal. Thanks to all who helped with this great effort not only to feed but allow a resource to make it to the table. The DNR has Frye nets in front of the cement plant on the new reef. They are marked however there will be some between the markers. Erich Carlson and Wayne Vandyke, rated #1 in the NTC, are competing in the Cabela s National Team Championship (NTC) on May 29-31, 2014 in Green Bay, WI. The Cabela s National Team Championship is a result of partnerships formed with walleye tournaments, circuits and clubs across the nation. Anglers that have secured invitations through these organizations have an opportunity to compete for added cash and prizes in a true national championship tournament. The Cabela s National Team Championship continues Cabela s commitment to the sport of tournament walleye fishing by creating a national championship that will allow grass-roots anglers to shine under the spotlight of national media attention. Daily Weigh ins 5:00pm our time Live Stream Broadcast on Walleye Central or MWC Tournament Hot Line

4 2 nd Annual Hooked for Life June 14, 2014 Lafarge Paxton Quarry Last year was the first and was a huge success. 168 kids along with their parents attended the event at no charge. 6 stations which included basic tackle, fishing knots, fish and bait, learn to cast, nature walk, fishing regulations and safety. Age divisions were 2-5, 6-, 9-12 and Every child left with a prize and a smile. The goal is to provide every child the opportunity to learn how to fish while being safe and enjoy the outdoors. The club is supporting the event again this year. Annual Thunder Bay Walleye Club Awards Banquet Saturday, MAY 17 th, 2014 Alpena Sportsman s Club Agenda Doors open at 4:30 Setups will be provided BYOB Games/Appetizers 5:00-7:00 Dinner at 7:00 Awards to follow dinner Door Prizes! Games! (for kids too) Raffles! Women s Baskets! Dinner By Sherrie O Brien Country Apple Catering is certified by the State of Michigan Hors D oeuvres (Veggie Tray with crab dip), Dinner, Baked Chicken, Homemade Swedish Meatballs, Kielbasa with Sauerkraut, Real Mashed Potatoes with Gravy, Buttered Corn, Glazed Carrots, Green Bean Almandine, Hot Rolls, Salad, and Desserts. Dinner is $15.00 per person at the door. 12 and under are free. ***Please RSVP by Monday, May 12th, your name and how many adults, 12 and under will attend to Dennis Burns at and leave a message or to jackieodennyb@frontier.com. You do not have to be a member to participate. Please note that we will have to have an accurate # when you RSVP. We will not be able to accept ANY last minute attendees at the door for dinner. From time to time there is a cancelation so if you forgot to RSVP by Monday May 12th contact Denny to see if we can accommodate you. 4

5 CLUB MEMBERSHIPS CAN BE PAID NOW. Single person membership is $15.00 per year. Family membership is $25.00 includes all persons living in your household. If you don t know if your memberships are due contact Denny Burns at or see me at a meeting. members have the membership year after their last name on s sent by Denny Burns including the newsletter . Regular mailed member s membership year is on the envelope. Make checks out to TBWC. Please consider contributing to the Newsletter! IT SURE WOULD BE A NICE ADDITION TO THE NEWSLETTER Do you have a fishing or hunting story that is worthy of sharing? Do you have any fantastic pictures to share? Do you have an awesome recipe that you are willing to share? It doesn t necessarily have to be about fish. It would certainly make the newsletter more interesting. If you have something you d like to share please send it to Erich Carlson s walleyesnyper@hotmail.com. I ll be sure it gets in! The author can remain anonymous if you so desire, just indicate your preference when submitting something to Erich Carlson. Walleye Club jacket orders If you are interested in getting a Walleye Club jacket, please give Steve Hubert a , so he can make it worthwhile to put orders together. It is really not a cost saver to order one jacket at a time. If you plan on getting one, call ahead, so he can plan for orders. Steve will have hats, t-shirts, TBWC decals etc. at the monthly meetings for you to purchase. Here is a list of high quality hooded sweat shirts we have left. Stone washed light blue, 1 M, 4 L, 4 XL, 1 XXL at $30.00 ea. Dark Grey, 4 L, 5 XL, 1 XXL, 3 XXXL at $25.00 ea. Light Grey, 1 M, 5 XL at $25.00 ea. Dark Blue, 4 XL at $25.00 ea. All have a small club logo on the left breast. All items are at club cost. Looking for upgrades, repairs, spring tune up? Call the Boat keeper! Most of you already know that TBWC member Greg Trelfa is a great mechanic. Why order from the big stores when Greg now has access to a full line of marine parts and accessories for all the major brands like Johnson, Evenrude, Mercury, Yamaha and more? He can also supply you with the latest in electronics from Lowrance and Hummingbird, and does professional high end installations as well. His kind of personal service is hard to come by, so if you are looking to upgrade some electronics or need some repairs or maintenance done and want it done right at very competitive prices, give Greg a

6 WELCOME NEW CLUB MEMBERS Mark Snyder Alpena Matt Franklin Adam Hume Oscoda Eric McCausey Oscoda Bill Brado Mike Karner Search tbwalleye.com for the latest tournament results, newsletters, and blog. Todd has posted the up to date tournament results including weights, and points earned. Please let Erich know the events you are involved with by calling or or me at we d like to promote our member s activities and accomplishments. NEXT MEETING Wednesday MAY 14 th, 7pm 2014 ACC Besser Tech Center (Room -126) it s the large room to the right as you go in the front entrance in the BTC on the north side of Johnson St. Meetings are the second Wednesday of every month unless otherwise noted in the newsletter. (Please note: If the college is closed due to weather conditions the meeting will be rescheduled) Agenda: Gota question, What would you like to see from the club? Club Banquet Need Setup help and Game attendants Club Tournaments Lets talk fishing Grand Lake Challenge Hooked for Life Kids Fishing Al Douglas and his nice last ice catch at the Floodwaters 6

7 One of the Pre-fish Hawgs in Detroit 7