FISHING 411 with Mark Romanack BLOG EPISODE NO. 1 A TASTE OF FISHING 411 MARK ROMANACK                

The opening day of Michigan’s walleye fishing season isn’t a matter of life or death; it’s much more important than that for many. The last Saturday in April is forever scribed on the calendar as not only the famed “walleye opener”, but also the kick off for other species like northern pike and stream trout. Collectively it creates a carnival like atmosphere among Michigan’s men, boys, girls and their fishing toys all with one goal in mind.... On opening day everyone wants to catch their first fish of the season and make winter a dwindling memory.            
   Tradition dictates that on opening day walleye are going to bite jigs tipped with minnows or soft plastic baits best. The 2012 opener was anything but typical. As early as mid March Michigan started experiencing weather that can only be described as weird. Record high temperatures exceeding 80 degrees made headlines all across the state. This unpredictable phenomena didn’t just last a day or two, but strung together nearly two weeks of excessively warm weather.            
   Every living plant and animal from the daffodils to walleye got impacted by this unexpected heat wave in March. Needless to say, the walleye spawn was early in 2012 and the walleye opener was anything but a traditional jig bite. CRANKBAITS RULE            
   Warmer than usual water temperatures on opening day turned what would normally be a jig-fest into a crank-a-thon. The best bite manifested along rip rap shorelines and channel edges strewn with snags and bottom debris.            
   To keep snagging to a minimum, the Yakima Timber Tiger crankbait proved to be invaluable. This unique crankbait has molded in wings on the side of the bait that allow the lure to walk over snags and rebound off debris without snagging.            
   With the boat trolling only feet off the bank, flat line or structure trolling methods prevailed. Matt LaFond drove the boat using the E-Tec as a trolling motor, while my youngest son Jake and I keep tabs on four rods placed strategically to help keep as much lure separation as possible.            
   The reels were loaded with 30# Vicious braid to make it easier to detect the bottom and any debris that might foul the lures.             
   What was looking like it might be a disappointing opening day, ended up being a pretty good adventure with several nice walleye, a pike and master angler sized white bass coming to net.
 SUMMING IT UP            
   If this story has a moral it’s not to pre-determine fishing presentations. While jigging is usually the best way to catch early season river walleye, once the water temperatures warm into the high 40’s, it’s not the jig, but rather the crankbait that rules the roost. The calendar only tells us it’s opening day, not what presentations the walleye will be biting best.