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Pro Fisherman Richie Boggs shows the
secret to his summer success
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Live bait definitely has it’s time and place when it
comes to walleye fishing, and so it goes for specific
types of bait. A good rule of thumb includes using minnows
early in the season and again in the fall, during periods
of colder water. Leeches come on strong as things warm
up a bit, followed by night crawlers which are a good
choice for nailing walleyes all summer long. As with
most rules of thumb there are exceptions and the live
bait rule has a big one; minnows can produce all summer
long. Not just any minnow though, and not just any situation.
Under the right conditions minnows can be the hottest
thing going, even when they’re not supposed to be. According
to Team Crestliner member and full time guide Richie
Boggs of Nisswa, Minnesota: “I’ll use minnows all summer
long, and do it with total confidence. When just about
everyone else has given up on minnows I‘ll keep using
them and keep catching fish.” The fact is walleyes never
quit eating minnows and baitfish even during the heat
of summer, as they make up the lion’s share of a walleye’s
natural diet. Anglers that have gone their own way and
stuck it out with minnows have found they can catch
fish, including some of the largest a system has to
offer. Larger fish are typically more difficult to fool,
and the natural attraction of a lively minnow may be
too much to resist. As previously mentioned there are
preferred minnow types for using all season long which
includes the chub family like rainbows, leatherbacks,
redtails and creek chubs.
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They make up the most sought after and most effective of
the species. Richie Boggs will use redtails anytime he can
get them, and feels they’re worth the extra money. “My bait
bill runs close to $2,000 for an entire season, but it’s money
well spent. In the Brainerd area most of my walleyes are caught
along the weed line, and our lakes are loaded with bluegills
which will constantly pick on leeches and tear up crawlers.
Put down a redtail and the panfish will leave it alone. Walleyes
on the other hand can‘t seem to help themselves. Pike and
big largemouth will also take a red tail which helps to keep
the clients happy.” Richie runs red tails on live bait rigs
like the Northland Roach Rig, and will use a quarter ounce
sinker and a two or three foot leader and a #2 hook. “The
shorter snell helps to keep the bait from getting tangled
up with weeds and makes it easier to work a minnow through
the green stuff. I also like to tail hook a minnow if I have
the fish cornered and will move super slow or hover right
over the top of them. By hooking them through the tail they’ll
swim and thrash and turn fish on.” Team Crestliner member
and professional fisherman Rick Olson of Mina, South Dakota
will use creek chubs to nail deep running reservoir walleyes
during the heat of the summer. “When fish set up on deeper
points or humps a creek chub on a live bait rig can be deadly.
They can be a real pain to find and are tough to keep alive
but can be worth their weight in gold, especially if there’s
big money on the line.” Rick doesn’t use the standard live
bait rig though, and is more likely to employ a lighter bottom
bouncer combined with a plain hook on a long snell which can
run up to six feet or more; “The longer snell gives the chub
more room to roam and lets it act more naturally. It also
helps to give fish more time to completely take a minnow before
they feel the weight of a bouncer and spit the bait.” As previously
mentioned keeping minnows alive during the heat of the summer
can be a tough job and requires some special care and equipment.
For starters you have to keep your bait well oxygenated, especially
when dealing with the warmer water temps of summer. Crestliner’s
Tournament Series boats have a special Aqua Innovations oxygenator
built in that helps to keep a live well full of fish alive,
as well as bunch of expensive minnows. The Aqua Innovations
oxygenator actually separates the water molecule which releases
oxygen into the system, and hydrogen that dissipates on the
surface. And it does it without heating the water which is
a killing factor when it comes to trying to keep fish and
bait alive. If you’re going to try and keep minnows alive
for any length of time you’re going to have to keep them cool,
but not cold. A mistake that first timers often make is icing
down oxygenated air bags filled with minnows, which almost
always kills them. The key is keeping them cool, and not any
colder than the water they’ve been held in. That means coolers
and a little ice added at specific intervals. You can cool
minnows down further but you have to take your time and let
them adjust to the changes. Anything less and you’ll send
them into shock and all you’ll have left is a bunch of expensive
but very dead minnows. Even with the extra effort it takes
to keep minnows alive obviously Richie and Rick believe they’re
worth it. If creek chubs or red tails can mean extra fish
at the end of the day how far would you go? See you on the
water.
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