By Steve Weisman
For members of the Iowa Great Lakes Fishing Club that attended last Wednesday evening’s annual spring banquet at the Hap Ketelsen Community Center in Everly, it was an evening of great food, telling the normal fishing stories, participating in a general raffle topped off by a top-notch fishing seminar by Joe Henry, executive director of Lake of the Woods Tourism.
After a meal of pulled pork sandwiches and chips, IGLFC president Terry Thomsen shared a summary of club activities. The early January Wild Game Feed raised $4,200 that goes directly to the annual Jim McDonnell Memorial Scholarship. Thomsen stressed, “We encourage seniors to apply this spring for consideration for this year’s scholarship. Since 2012, over $20,000 has been awarded.”
Thomsen also shared the club ‘s goal of getting youngsters involved in the outdoors and fishing. “Last year, through a variety of programs, we worked with over 600 youngsters. This year it looks like we will be reaching over 700 youngsters through a wide range of programs. One of our big ice fishing events is the Camp Autumn’s 4th Annual Ice Fishing Tournament, where our volunteers will be helping people get down to the lake, setting up shelters and helping measure fish. Plus, the first 60 youngsters get a rigged ice fishing rod and reel.”
More kids’ activities are set for open water season. Wednesday, May 3 will be the annual Kids’ Fishing Clinic at Stolley Park in Spencer with a second Kids’ Fishing Clinic held at the Iowa Great Lakes on Wednesday, May 17 at a site to be determined Thomsen continued, “This summer club volunteers will be working with Hannah Dibble and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach in Dickinson County with a series of five youth fishing workshops (June 6, July 11, July 31, August 1 and August 7). Of course, we are always looking for club volunteers to help with these programs.”
The main event
There is no doubt that Joe Henry can spin a yarn, and for over an hour, through his PowerPoint presentation and action videos, he transported the crowd to the Lake of the Woods (LOW) known as the Walleye Capital of the World. As executive director for the past 11 years, Henry has the enviable job of helping people understand the LOW and its surrounding area, along with working with 60 LOW resorts.
LOW is truly a go-to destination, and as Henry noted its immensity is incredible. “There are 317,000 acres just in Minnesota. Including the Canadian side, the entire lake is over one million acres with 14,552 islands and 65,000 miles of shoreline. It is really three fisheries in one: the Rainy River, Big Traverse Bay and the Northwest Angle.”
The Rainy River offers quality walleye fishing with pre-spawners migrating from LOW into the Rainy River for the annual spawn. As spring approaches, anglers will watch the weather for open water that will signal ice free boat ramps. However, Henry says there are those who will push the envelope and slide smaller aluminum boats over the ice along the shoreline and then out into the open water. This can be as early as the third week of March. Henry notes that the Lake of the Woods Tourism Bureau gives daily updates on the ice/open water situation. Before fishing these areas, make sure to know the limits, slot sizes and when it’s catch and release. When it comes to early spring walleye fishing, Henry’s go-to presentation is “a good jigging rod and a box of bright colored, glow and gold jigs. The faster the current, the heavier the jig needs to be.” The water is stained, so you don’t need to be worried about weight as much. You might start with a ½-inch and move heavier. The emerald shiner is a staple of the LOW chain with a huge run occurring in the fall. Bait shops will catch these, freeze them and sell them throughout the year. According to Henry, “Work slowly upstream into the current, pull the jig forward and thump the bottom. Another option is using a 3-way rig and slowly pulling crankbaits upstream.”
Fishing for sturgeon is becoming more and more popular, and anglers target the deepest holes in the river, which makes good electronics a must. With the chance to hook into a monster fish of 30, 40, 50, 60 pounds and maybe even one topping 100 pounds, there’s a reason for its popularity. There are open and closed seasons, so make sure to know the regulations.
Henry suggests going with heavy equipment for sturgeon with up to a 3-5-ounce “no-roll” sinker, a heavy fluorocarbon leader and a 4/0 circle hook tipped with a glob of two to three juicy nightcrawlers. Henry’s tip on the circle hook? “No huge hookset. Just reel up the slack and sweep the rod tip. It’s cool. The circle hook will slide up and into the corner of the fish’s mouth.”
(photo by Steve Weisman) A crowd of more than 100 people attended the recent IGLFC fishing seminar.
(photo by Steve Weisman) Joe Henry shares valuable information about fishing the Lake of the Woods.
(photo by Steve Weisman) Terry Thomsen, president of the IGLFC, talks to the crowd about upcoming youth events
