First Cast
Welcome to the first issue! Been wanting to start a newsletter like this for a few years. It will evolve over time, depending on feedback, trends and amount of content each week. There will be mix of fishing how-to’s, destinations, tackle/gear tips, health/fitness tips, throwback/historical content, memes and more. Just wanted say THANK YOU for joining on this adventure!
Shore Lines
Minnesota Fishing Opener!
Minnesota Fishing Opener was this past weekend! This is a time honored tradition… like the Rose Bowl and Iditarod. Planned on some shore fishing but after driving to my first spot, which was too windy, the truck decided that was enough. On the plus side, if I ever want to be a certified GMC mechanic with all the truck issues over the past 12 months, I have a nice head start.
Unlike other states, Minnesota has an “official start” to the open water fishing season, with the primary focus on the state fish… WALLEYE! Though, this year was different with the change in the bass season. You can fish for largemouth and smallmouth bass open all year on inland waters. The majority of anglers agreed this was the right change (at least from my perspective). I do plan on getting out this week to catch my first 2026 walleye this week after fixing the Fetzer Valve with some gauze pads and some 3 in 1 oil…
The Tackle Box
Springtime anywhere, any fish….
This is a bread and butter combo. But the different ways it’s fished can produce different results. Here’s a couple:
River ➡ Walleye ➡ Fast Current ➡ From Shore: Slow rolling (reeling along the bottom) a 1/4oz or 3/8oz VMC Mooneye Jig with a narrower body style swimbait like the Rapala Crush City “The Mayor”. Experiment with 2.5-3.5”, sometimes they prefer a certain size, but smaller is usually better for more bites. This retrieve will of course also trigger river smallmouth. Win-Win.
River ➡ Walleye ➡ Slow Current ➡ From Shore: Snap jigging a 1/8oz (2-5 feet) or 1/4oz (5-10 feet) or 3/8oz (10+ feet) VMC MoonEye Jig with a narrower body style swimbait like the Rapala Crush City “The Mayor”. These are just general suggested depth ranges. The narrower the sides of the bait, the faster the fall. I get way more percentage walleye bites snap jigging than smallmouth.
Add a little Loctite to where the swimbait meets the jig head for maximum usage.
Throwback
Minnesota Fishing Opener 2020
Looking back at the 2020 season, it actually snowed on opener day! Traded the snow for strong winds this time. Would you rather be fishing in snowfall or heavy winds?….
Last Cast
I will be adding in more sections as time goes on. Feels good to finally get this published and out. Hope you have a great week!