Tournament News Powered By Lake Drive Marine
Wednesday, July 16, 2025
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
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By Jay Anglin
Fall Walleye
Walleyes are still on the brain. Sure, the ponds and potholes are filling with ducks and bucks are getting frisky, but it’s tough mothballing the rods when the biggest walleyes of the year are on the move.
With that in mind, to scratch that itch, we reached out to Whitewater Fishing pro staffer Jason Przekurat for some quick pointers on late fall walleyes. The two-time National Walleye Tour Champion and two-time FLW Walleye Tour Angler of the Year shared some time-honored intel on how to maximize your time on the water.
1) Given a wide range of water and cover types available, what do your ideal spots consist of for targeting big fall walleyes?
“Excluding the Great Lakes, the one thing I've learned over the years when looking for big walleyes in the fall is to focus on areas that have steeper breaklines adjacent to deep water access. This would include areas that have either weeds or rock, but if focusing on weeds, make sure they are still green. All of these areas must have one thing in common and that is bait. Without the food they will not come.”
2) Lures and bait…what are your favorite lures for late fall walleyes and what are the best applications?
“Here are the two main presentations I focus on during the fall bite: First, for negative or finicky fish, I focus on live bait primarily some type of chub, be it a creek chub or redtail chub. If the water is too clear and the fish are boat shy, I will cast to them with a jig/minnow combo. If the fish don't mind the presence of your boat, it's time to go vertical use the old standby live bait rig and slowly pull it over them with your bow mount trolling motor. The second option for me is to get aggressive with any type of glide bait. Many times, I've seen fish ignore a big minnow but will react to the glide baits fishing them both vertically or by casting”
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IDNR Report
Indiana anglers are invited to participate in the 2024 Midwest Fall Walleye Classic, a virtual fishing tournament that offers the chance to win prizes and contribute to fisheries management while providing Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) fisheries biologists with valuable data on the state’s walleye, sauger, and saugeye.
The tournament began Sept. 28 and ends Oct. 31. Only catches of walleye, sauger, and saugeye will count in the tournament.
The event continues a research project that’s funded by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. During the spring tournament, anglers provided 140 submissions.
Both a free and a $25 paid option to enter the fall tournament are offered. Biweekly cash prizes are available to paid participants, and free entrants are eligible for noncash prizes. All participants have a chance to win a grand prize at the end of the tournament.
Participants use the free mobile app MyCatch to submit photos of their catch on a measuring device to determine length and species. Once the photo is reviewed, and the catch is confirmed, it will appear on a live leaderboard so anglers can see their current tournament ranking.
For more information, visit on.IN.gov/walleye.
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Seaguar Report
National Walleye Tour pro and owner of The Walleye Guys guide service, Brian Bashore
Fishing electronics have continued to make our lives easier when locating cover, structure, and fish. These underwater eyes are highly effective tools that reduce the time to find productive fishing areas, no matter what species you target. For National Walleye Tour pro and owner of The Walleye Guys guide service, Brian Bashore, his electronics are vital for finding walleyes.
Forward-facing sonar is the hot trend in the fishing world right now, and Bashore utilizes it, but the entire package of side-scan, 2D sonar, 360-imaging, and down-scanning technology all play a role in his fishing. They work together and help reinforce what he finds on the water, each playing a pivotal role in helping him and his clients catch more walleyes.
If He Could Only Pick One
Of all the different sonar technologies available today, Bashore would choose Humminbird Side Imaging if he could only have one on his boat. It's crucial to his efforts, and he generally uses it first before refining his approach with forward-facing sonar and standard 2D sonar.
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Z-Man Report
Z-Man walleye pro Dylan Nussbaum
Do we really need another story about catching fish with forward-facing sonar (FFS), the singular topic that seems to invade every fishing conversation today?
If you ask any young angler today—or many old-timers, to boot—the answer would seem to be a resounding yes. “Almost every question I get these days is related to FFS,” notes Z-Man walleye pro Dylan Nussbaum, a sonar sight fishing prodigy. “Anglers want to know how to set it up, how to trigger ‘sonar fish’ to bite and especially, which lures to use with FFS and how to retrieve them.”
According to super skilled, youthful anglers like Nussbaum, fishing traditions are shifting. Young, energetic fishermen are mastering new skillsets, birddogging bogeys on fish radar and firing heatseeking missiles with military-like precision. Moreover, as Nussbaum and other FFS specialists will suggest, going one-on-one with big fish, flipping a jig and Jerk ShadZ™ on their piscine snouts is an absolute adrenaline rush.
“We watch videos and read so much about fishing with sonar these days, but I think there’s a lack of content really explaining how and why we do what we do when we’re up front, crouched over a screen, flicking baits and setting hooks. Sure, I use FFS to catch big fish and win tournament money, but the truth is, it’s also an awesome learning experience and honestly, one of the most exciting and rewarding ways to catch ‘em.”
Z-Man: Seems like the power of FFS has really been on display at recent walleye tournaments. Most eye raising are the big water tournaments, like on Lake Erie, where trolling methods that cover large swaths of water are gradually being supplanted by casting a single lure to a single fish spotted on sonar. Why are anglers adapting?
Dylan Nussbaum: Beyond the fun factor, of course, it all boils down to the fact FFS helps us pinpoint and cast to individual big fish, one-on-one with a favorite lure, as opposed to towing lures around the general vicinity of a school, hoping one will eventually eat. In tournaments, we’re looking to put five big fish in the boat each day, rather than seeking limits of smaller eater sized fish.