Ask the Walleye Pro: Jeff Ryan

Q: How did you discover that huge pod of walleyes in the Vermillion River? Did you know you were sitting on a gold mine during practice? What was the key to your first FLW Walleye Tour victory? Also, I read that you switched from leeches and night crawlers to willow cats during the middle of the tournament. What prompted the switch?

-Curious George, Hastings, Minn.

A: I had only pre-fished the Vermillion for two hours on Monday before the tournament. Previous tournaments at Red Wing proved the Vermillion could hold tournament-winning fish, but I really had no idea it held that class of fish. During prefishing I used three-way rigs and bottom bouncers with 4- to 5-foot leaders. I used black and orange and chartreuse Northland Floaters or a No. 2 red hook with a single bead. Leeches and night crawlers seemed to do the trick, however I had willow cats with me in the boat. On Monday, I had had reasonable success in the Vermillion so that’s where I started on day one.

At the time, I believed I could catch and weigh five fish from there everyday. I was hoping to average 12 to 15 pounds a day and have a respectable tournament – maybe even make the cutoff. After only three bites and three fish in over three hours I began to worry about the quantity in the area. I had worked a wing dam earlier in the week that had produced fish and it was only 15 minutes away. In hindsight, this was a waste of time. The river had risen more than I had speculated. The debris and water clarity had changed so drastically it was futile to pursue this location any further. I went back to the Vermillion and with some work, re-tying, and a ton of patience two more bites and two more fish came my way. All in all I had five nice fish in the boat and it was 2:30 p.m., so I called it a day.

I hadn’t caught any walleyes of that size anywhere on that system during prefishing. The key to those walleyes was patience, patience, and as my wife calls it sheer stubbornness. After day one I believed those fish were there and that they were able to be caught. All I had to do was avoid all the snags and get them to bite. I weighed 16 fish during the tournament with only 22 bites. I need to give a huge thank you to my co-anglers for their patience and skills.

Throughout the tournament, I had to change bait tactics to accommodate the fish. On day one I used three-way rigs and bottom bouncers with a night crawler or a leech. On day two the bite was even more difficult. I knew willow cats were a favorite on this part of the Mississippi and I changed my rigs. I left my co-angler’s rigs alone, that combination had at least produced walleyes. After re-rigging, the last two fish came on willow cats and they came rather fast. On day three I switched completely to willow cats on a bottom bouncer with a No. 2 red hook and a chartreuse or pink bead. Day three was my best day and also my quickest day.

Q: Could you supply me with information on how to tie knots for bass and walleye. P.S. I just love the show, wish that it came on everyday.

-Johnny Sanders, Canton, Mich.

A: The type of knot I use depends on the line and presentation I’m using. I tend to use Berkley Fireline for most of my presentations. The No. 1 knot I have found for Fireline is the Palomar knot. For all my monofilament crawler harnesses, leaders and spinner harnesses I use Snell knots. Another popular knot for monofilament is the Trilene knot.

These knots are difficult to explain without the use of pictures. Berkley is kind enough to include a written diagram on most of their packages.

Q: What will it take to win the Red Wing event this spring? Will anyone come near your total from last year of over 87 pounds?

-Chuck, Amery, Wis.

A: Weather conditions and water levels will play a huge part in what it will take to win in 2007. As in any tournament or even any fishing outing, anything and everything can change year to year or even day to day. In past tournaments at Red Wing 50 to 60 pounds have been winning four-day weights. I think the averages will prove to be suitable to make the cutoff this year, but you never know what it will take to win a tournament. Remember, Scott Allar finished second last year with a record weight of his own.

I would like to say no one will ever break that weight, but records are made to be broken. It’s a proven fact that the walleyes are there to weigh over 100 pounds in a four-day tournament. I hope the record holds for awhile and I definitely would like to be the one to break it.

Q: Why did you decide to switch from G3 to Ranger and likewise from Yamaha to Evinrude?

-Ethan, Minneapolis, Minn.

A: Before choosing G3 and Yamaha I had planned on going to Ranger. However the timing didn’t allow that to happen in time for the 2006 season. I’m really excited to be working with all of the great people at Ranger and Evinrude this upcoming season and beyond. I made the cut at the 2005 FLW Walleye Tour Championship and used a Ranger during the last two days of the competition. I also had the opportunity to run the Ranger/Evinrude combination at this year’s championship and I really enjoyed the products and performance.

I do want to thank everyone at G3 and Yamaha for giving me the opportunity to work with them during the 2006 season.

Q: If I tried to join the FLW Walleye Tour as a co-angler how would I go about that? What would I have to go through to be able to fish the tour money wise? Please include things like transportation, lodging, etc. Thanks and good luck this year.

-Matt Lafreniere, Tawas, Mich.

A: To fish as a co-angler is really easy. You could either contact FLW Outdoors by phone at 270-252-1000 or you could visit the Web site and register online. All the details including schedule, payouts, entry fees and rules are on the Web site. Or if you’re not very internet savvy, call them and have them send you the brochure in the mail. The whole process is quite simple.

Entry fees for a co-angler are $400 per tournament. You must also be a member of FLW Outdoors. The standard membership for one year is $25. This includes a subscription to FLW Outdoors Magazine. The total cost of a tournament can vary greatly due to many factors. The most economical way is to travel and stay with someone to share expenses. I have stayed at motels ranging in price from $38.50 to $90.00 a night. I have also stayed with friends in the area for basically no cost. Another factor would be the amount of time you spend prefishing. Five days lodging, food, and gas is much less than 10 days. As a co-angler you wouldn’t need to bring or buy any equipment. You would need to have good quality clothing (rain gear, insulated outerwear, etc.). I have paid $3.25 and up for a gallon of gas and as little as $1.90 this year. For your situation, I’d recommend staying close by and fishing the Detroit River or Escanaba event. That way your travel costs stay at a minimum.

Some groups of anglers will rent houses and share expenses and cooking. Do some research and you can find a lot of bargains out there. I hope to see you competing this year.

Hailing from Lake View, Iowa, Jeff Ryan is one of the young guns of professional walleye fishing. In 2006, he won the FLW Walleye Tour qualifying event on the Mississippi River in Red Wing, Minn. – and he did so in dominating fashion, shattering four-day weight records on the Mighty Miss. His first-place purse was $100,000. Proving his consistency, Ryan has cashed checks at seven of the 10 FLW Walleye Tour events in which he has competed. He has three top-10 finishes in his young career and has qualified for the FLW Walleye Tour Championship each of his two years on tour. Ryan’s sponsors include Ranger Boats, Evinrude, Minn Kota and Lowrance electronics.