Chris and I left Davenport early today for a half-day of pre-fishing on the Illinois River at Spring Valley. The Saugers were waiting for us! Changed crankbaits and caught two really nice ones right away! Couldn’t take video because other pro boats were close by. We were off water by noon, got the boat and…
What Walleye Lures Will We Use at Spring Valley?
by Gary Speicher, NPAA #128 •
Hello to all our Walleye Wisdom watchers! I wanted to file a quick report before leaving early Monday morning to meet Ranger/Evinrude Pro Chris Burns in Davenport, IA and head on down to Spring Valley, Il, for some pre-tournament fishing with Chris and his brother, Dan, from Denver, CO. We’ll be on the Illinois River…
Let the Tournament Games Begin!
by Gary Speicher, NPAA #128 •
The excitement of competitive walleye tournament fishing was captured by a great FLW Outdoors photographer last year while Tommy Skarlis from Dorchester, Iowa and I were teamed up for the first day of the FLW event at Red Wing, Minnesota. Our last fish was the biggest caught up on a small wing dam below the…
Big Smallie chases off Big Walleye!
by Gary Speicher, NPAA #128 •
Chris Burns caught this nice Smallmouth Bass while we were trolling for walleye. I think the Smallie must have scared away a big Walleye and took Chris’s bait!! You never know what you might catch trolling the waters of the Great Lakes!! The Smallmouth Bass population on Lake Erie around the Bass Islands has exploded…
Tin or Glass-what’s the Best?
by Gary Speicher, NPAA #128 •
The debate goes on each year in the Spring as anglers who itch for a new boat (or new to them boat) evaluate the pros and cons of aluminum versus fiberglass. Each boat has their strengths and weaknesses. I’ve owned both–the big Lund you see above plus a nice Ranger 620 with Chris Burns…
Happy Easter from the Speicher Family!
by Gary Speicher, NPAA #128 •
We are blessed to have such a wonderful family and I want to introduce you to our children who were home with us over the weekend and went to Palm Sunday Church service with Sue and I. From left to right, there’s Sarah, Chris, Matt, and Amy Saiger. Chris and Amy live in the Chicago…
When to Use a Slip-Bobber: When You Want to Catch’em!
by Gary Speicher, NPAA #128 •
Greg Bohn is a long-time fishing guide in northern Wisconsin. The past few nights I’ve been reading his book from the mid-80’s about catching walleyes in the wood. It reminded me of his presentation about slip-bobber fishing Greg put on at one of Ted Takasaki’s Walleye Masters Institute in Chicago a few years ago. I…
Grown Man Caught Eating Walleye Sushi!
by Gary Speicher, NPAA #128 •
Our good friend, Dave Zapf, took this picture of me just about devouring a little walleye–or, as he calls it, walleye “sushi”. The fish from Canada’s Lake Lac Seul come in all sizes but leave it up to me to catch a rare little one from this great fishery! (P.S.-That fish should be about a…
Chris Burns Catches Monster Walleye!
by Gary Speicher, NPAA #128 •
Chris caught this huge walleye while we were fun fishing for a day after the FLW Walleye Tour event on Little Bay de Noc a couple summers ago. Do you think we could catch one like this DURING the tournament?! Anyway, we went over to Big Bay to a spot Chris felt the big girls…
Matt Speicher’s NE Iowa Trout Fishing Report
by Gary Speicher, NPAA #128 •
With the vast majority of Iowa rivers surging with high water making the majority of them unfishable, why not hit up a NE Iowa trout stream? Trout streams, for the most part, remain clear and the fish are HUNGRY! Drew, a good friend of mine, caught 17 trout Saturday…including a couple of nice browns on…
