Lake Erie World Record Walleye

There have been numerous reports of large walleye being caught in Lake Erie this polar vortexed winter. Many are exaggerated beyond belief or just not true. The ranges are 37 to 41 inches in length and 17 to 19 lbs. No actual pics or certified weights have been produced. That's all changed now.

Grant McAllister of Toronto is a fishing nut. The kind like father Walleye or the Lindberg Flash, live to fish is an understatement. Grant a former guide is a walleye pro with experience on numerous tournament trails, including the Northern Ontario Walleye Trail, Tournament Trail and Quinte Fishing Series. This outing was with friends and while catching many large fish this was his PB, personal best. after posting on facebook he was told of the possible world record status.

The current Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame World Record, Division #4 - Ice Fishing, Catch and Release, Longest (only) Pole/Line, Walleye, is currently occupied by two 34-inchers in a tie. Grant's measured 35.3 inches long and weighed a whopping 14-pounds 10-ounces.

McAllister's approach to catching big fish is a one-two punch of calling them in and seducing them to bite with two vastly different jigging cadences.

"I'm a huge advocate of understanding jig cadence. After a lot of trial and error, my typical cadence involves two high lifts of the PK Spoon four or five feet, three short lifts of a foot, then three or four bangs on the bottom. Then repeat. Since I'm really ripping it, I go through a lot of minnows, something most guys don't do. But it's huge in drawing these big fish in. Then, once I have them on the flasher, it's like teasing a cat with a string."

The 'cat on a string' program is very much a finesse game, the goal being to get the walleye to slowly rise in the water column until it has no choice but to eat the bait.

Develope your own program and...

Get Outdoors Downriver.

New fishing, hunting and ORV license structure begins March 1

Michigan's hunting license structure is changing starting March 1. You can be sure it's confusing and will cost more. The brocure can be found here: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/license_restructuring_brochure_low-res_444799_7.pdf. You can find info on the new ORV sticker to ride a vehicle on non-private roads. If you drive on any 2 tracks you need this ($26.50) and if the trail is a designated one you'll need another sticker ($10).

A base hunting license is now required for all hunters. The base license allows you to hunt small game and purchase additional hunting licenses for other species. A base license is not required to buy a fishing license.
Deer hunters now have three license options to harvest antlered deer:

• A single deer license, which replaces the separate firearm and archery season licenses of previous years. The single deer license is valid for archery, firearm and muzzleloader seasons. With this choice, you will NOT be able to purchase a second deer license, but you will be able to purchase antlerless deer licenses where available.
  
• The deer combo license, which includes two deer licenses, one regular and one restricted, as in previous years. Both licenses are valid for archery, firearm and muzzleloader seasons. Antler point restrictions apply based on the area of the state where you hunt.
  
• The hunt/fish combo license, which includes the regular and restricted deer combo licenses, a base license and an all-species fishing license. This is an especially good choice for nonresidents, offering cost savings for those who have moved away or who still own property in Michigan and return to enjoy the outdoors. And for residents, the hunt/fish combo license is a quick and easy way to purchase four licenses at once.Antlerless deer may be still taken in archery season with deer and deer combo licenses as in previous years, and you can still apply for and purchase antlerless deer licenses where available until license quotas are met in each Deer Management Unit (DMU).
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• Starting March 1, you'll also see improvements to the license-buying process, with streamlined options for simplified purchasing at your local retail agent. The revamped system will help get your licenses faster and prevent duplicate purchases.
  There's also a new mobile option that will allow you to buy licenses using your smartphone or tablet and store licenses that don't require a kill tag – like the base hunting license – as a PDF on your mobile device or PC. You can find the new E-License with mobile capabilities at the same address, www.mdnr-elicense.com, starting March 1, or on the State’s MiPage application.

Such a deal. Hopefully the regs will be easier to understand but - note that deer regulations are not finalized until July, so it's important to review the 2014 Hunting and Trapping Digest for details on antler point restrictions and other regulations - so maybe not. If you buy more than 5 licenses like me, in the past a 15% discount was awarded. That's no longer the case so the cost of enjoying Michigan's great outdoors is going up. Unless you have property up north and only spend a few months here.

Get Outdoors downriver.

Polar Vorti

Wheather it's global warming or the wobblimg of the earth or just bad luck the onslaught of the string of polar vorti has caused many strange happenings. Most have occurred on our streets with people not knowing how to drive in 6+ inches of snow but some are coming from our waterways.

The Department of Natural Resources confirmed the catch of a new state record flathead catfish on Monday, Jan. 13. The catfish was caught by Dale Blakley of Niles, Mich., on Sunday, Jan. 12, on Barron Lake in Cass County at 3 p.m. The fish weighed 52.0 pounds and measured 46.02 inches. Blakley was ice fishing for crappies when he landed the record fish. The record was verified by Brian Gunderman, a DNR fisheries biologist, at the Plainwell office. The previous state record flathead catfish was caught by Rodney Akey of Niles on the St. Joseph River in Berrien County on May 22, 2012. That fish weighed 49.8 pounds and measured 45.7 inches. Prior to that, the record hadn’t been broken since 1943.

“Catching this fish was the most exhilarating experience,” said Blakley. “It was only the second time I’ve ever gone ice fishing and it was the only bite we had on the lake the whole day. This definitely sits at the top of my list!”


Not to be outdone:

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) confirmed the catch of a new state-record white perch on Friday, Jan. 24. This is the second state record caught in the month of January.
The white perch was caught by Aaron Slagh of Holland, Mich., on Tuesday, Jan. 21, on Muskegon Lake in Muskegon County at 11 a.m. The fish weighed 1.93 pounds and measured 13.25 inches. Slagh was ice fishing with a spoon when he landed the record fish.
The record was verified by Rich O'Neal, a DNR fisheries biologist, at the Muskegon field office.
The previous state-record white perch was caught by Kyle Ryan of Reese on Lake Huron in Tuscola County on July 13, 2002. That fish weighed 1.88 pounds and measured 13.25 inches.

So with snow in Jerusalem and all 50 states having an area with temps below 32 degrees F many firsts are happening all over. Buy a lotto and...

Get Outdoors Downriver.

Mich-Ohio Sportfishing Expo

The Huron Valley Sportfishing Club is proud to present the 2014 Mich-Ohio Sportfishing Expo, Feb. 8th & 9th in the MBT Expo Center at the Monroe County Fairgrounds

 

7th Annual
Mich-Ohio Sportfishing Expo
Presented by: Huron Valley Sportfishing Club
http://www.huronvalleysc.org

Feb 8th 9am-6pm & Feb 9th 9am-4pm @ MBT Expo Center, Monroe, MI
$5.00 Admission

• Tackle deals from Local and Major vendors
• 2100 sq ft of boats
• Food and soft drinks available
• Professional Charter captains
• Crawler harness tying demos
• Over 100 tables
ONE ON ONE SESSIONS WITH LOCAL BASS & WALLEYE PROS !!Fishing information at a family oriented fishing expo!!!
Free Parking
Free Fishing Seminars
Kids 12 and under FREE
Free Door Prizes—must be present to win
Free Fishing Simulator
Free Walleye Lure –to the first 100 paid admissions Sat. and Sun.

SEMINAR SPEAKERS

Capt. Dan Boileau- Detroit River Walleye

Jerome Dorlack and the Reel Naughty Team- Trophy Walleye All Season Long

Capt. Matt Sell- Trolling Crawler Harnesses

Matt Vermilyea- Bass Fishing Lake Erie

Capt. Brian Woodard- Trolling Crankbaits

Capt. Greg Warsow & Jerry Hinton- Perching the Detroit River and Lake Erie

 

 

There will be over 40 vendors there covering many outdoor and home products. This looks to be the best show yet.