It’s been an interesting week of typical bi-polar weather in Minnesota. I did get out in a boat for the first time of the season on Mille Lacs, filming with Jim Crowley for his fishing show. Two days before it was 70+ degrees and sunny, with the smallmouth in pre-spawn feed mode, he caught a 26+ pound 5 bass limit. When we set sail, it was foggy, around 50 degrees air temp with a NE wind of about 10mph. But we did manage to catch some, should be a great episode.

Seems like this time of year, you need to be layered for color weather one day and sunscreen the next. The fish can react quickly too. This is the absolute best time of year for shore fishing with the window of time closing soon as it warms up, shore line weed growth starts getting in the way and fish move further away from the bank.

Caught my first walleye of 2026 last week. I’ve only been out fishing a few short trips this spring but did get this one on a Rapala X-Rap (size 10) in the NEW Crystal Shad color pattern. Fishing the Mississippi River, main channel break to a big flat. About 3-4 feet deep (location) right a sunset (timing). The water levels are down this spring, not a good sign for the year ahead. But this is the card we are dealt.

With limited weed growth, a jerkbait like the #10 X-Rap is a great choice for shore anglers. You can make very long casts which is 🔑, this works perfect for both walleye and bass. Colder the weather… slower the cadence.

With cold weather rolling in the the night before, using a slowed down cadence on the X-Rap was the main deal. We both caught some big smallmouth, and Jim got his personal best! Water temps were in the low 50s.

Champions Tour — Walleye Event Recap
Lake Mille Lacs | May 19, 2026 | Nitti's Hunters Point Resort

The Classic Bass Champions Tour walleye tournament had a field of 24 anglers competing for a $10,000 first-place check. Mother Nature didn't make it easy, a cold front pushed through overnight. The event used a Catch, Record, Release format, with boat officials on board to weigh each fish immediately before it was returned to the lake. I would like to fish one of these (catch-record-release) someday.

Allan Nistler topped the field, catching 18 walleyes for a total of 70 lbs 9 oz. Chad Paetznick finished second with 52 lbs 0 oz, and Robert Nitti rounded out the podium in third at 41 lbs 14 oz. The biggest single fish of the day, a 7 lb 1 oz, was caught by Mike Nelson (17th place).

Congrats to Allan and all the anglers who battled the cold front and made this inaugural walleye event a great success!

Hopefully this is the last major cold front as we head into summer. I’m ready for warm and sunny weather, and probably the fish are too (at least the bass). Hope you have a great week!