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Z-Man Report
Z-Man walleye pro Dylan Nussbaum
A self-confessed “bass angler for walleyes,” young Z-Man walleye pro Dylan Nussbaum has helped popularize an exciting, interactive approach to his favorite species. “For me, it’s all about solving the mysteries of finding and catching walleyes,” contends the Pennsylvania based tournament champ. “Every day is a different challenge, and that, to me, is a lot of fun.”
Nussbaum recently reflected on fishing strategy with forward-facing sonar (FFS). Recognized for his talents at actively casting artificial lures and soft plastics from the bow of his boat, Nussbaum offers compelling perspectives on what has become the biggest trend in freshwater fishing today . . . sonar “sight fishing.”
Z-Man: When did you first start using forward facing sonar (FFS) for your walleye fishing?
Dylan: I got my first unit—a Lowrance Active Target—about two years ago. If I’m up casting from the front deck of my boat, I’m using FFS one hundred percent of the time. The more I use it, the more I learn about fish and their real-world response to my lure. It’s pretty addictive. (laughs).
Z-Man: Tell us about your on-water learning curve with FFS.
Dylan: For me, it didn’t take long—maybe two or three outings—before I started figuring things out relative to fish species ID and seeing my lure on screen. These units are pretty intuitive and easy to use, especially once you see what a walleye looks like on screen and then confirm its size once the fish is in the boat. A walleye or a bass tends to paint a pretty solid image. But a carp or a muskie, for example, can look a little grainy on the screen. Walleyes generally (though not always) move within a foot or two of bottom. They typically move and react to your lure just a little slower than a bass, for example.
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MDNR Report
Walleye Electro-fishing
Beginning in late September through early October, anglers throughout the state are asked to be on the lookout for Michigan DNR personnel conducting walleye recruitment surveys – a tool that helps fisheries managers determine how many walleye either were produced naturally or survived stocking in 2022 (commonly referred to as a given year’s “young-of-year” fish).
Using electrofishing boats, crews will survey the shallow areas near the shoreline of lakes at night with the goal of capturing young-of-year walleye. On larger lakes, two or more electrofishing crews using separate boats may operate at the same time to cover more area.
The crews will work both on lakes that have been stocked with walleye and lakes that have not.
“Conducting surveys on both stocked and unstocked lakes can affect decisions about future walleye research and stocking efforts and give valuable insight into the status of the younger walleye in the system," said Emily Martin, DNR Fisheries Division biologist.
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Mercury Report
Danny Plautz and daughter Maggie
Like a lot of young ladies, 12-year-old Maggie Plautz has a lot on her plate.
For much of the year the rising eighth-grader from Lake Mills, Wisconsin, has dance classes up to six days a week, and, in season, also has a full slate of basketball practices and games. Not to mention keeping up with her schoolwork, an area in which she also excels. And like many kids from the Upper Midwest, she enjoys deer hunting and loves to go fishing with her father whenever she can.
But that’s where the similarities end between Maggie and the average tween. Sure, it’s fun when she goes fishing with her father, professional walleye angler and Mercury Pro Team member Danny Plautz, but they’re playing on a whole different level than the average father-daughter outing. Danny and Maggie have been fishing area walleye tournaments for about two years now, and the pairing is certainly not just a novelty. In fact, they’ve more than held their own in one of the most competitive walleye fishing regions in the country. However, it’s just another extracurricular activity for the youngster, with the added bonus of getting to spend time with her father.
“It’s really just for fun,” she said. “I don’t think of it as anything but fishing with my dad. I love doing it, and it’s just an activity. And I like the experience of standing next to him in front of an audience on the stage.