Change clevis makes changing them a snap. Slight­ly off colored water, where you can just barely see the bottom of your prop, is the best. Bottom bouncers and snap weights should be used to take the spinners down. Lindy's new Shake- E- Blade bottom bouncers provide a unique action/ vibration in addition to attractive flash to your spinners. Vary the weight of snap weights to cover different parts of the water column. Fort Peck As spring turns to summer, shift your trophy search to America's western frontier and visit Fort Peck reservoir in July. Walleye pro John Hook nailed a 12- pound- plus walleye to set a PWT record there. Bottom bouncers and spinner rigs using # 3 and # 4 blades are the favored tactic, but with a twist. Instead of focusing on deep water, walleyes tend to inhabit shallow water from 4 to 12 feet deep. Target big points of main creek arms where wall­eyes will be on the tips or humps just off the tips. Note wind direction and concentrate on the windy side of the lake. This is where a little bit of a mud­line lets walleyes use their lateral lines to attack baitfish. Follow the breaks as precisely as you can. Rather than planer boards, use long rods to keep baits away from the boat as much as possible and troll with your electric bow mount trolling motor at 1 to 1.5 mph. Use a run- and- gun approach. The more points you fish, the more likely you'll intercept the fish you're after. Lake of the Woods When July turns to August, try taking your trophy hunt to Lake of the Woods out of Baudette, Min­nesota. Lake of the Woods probably produces more 10- pound fish than any lake but Erie. Target main- lake humps in Big Traverse Bay us­ing Lindy Rigs dressed with nightcrawlers and leeches. The sinker can be the conventional Lindy sinker, a NO- SNAGG sinker, or a Shake- E- Blade bottom bouncer. Three- eighths of an ounce to one ounce should be heavy enough. Add a bead for color. A lot of the most productive humps don't even appear on any map. Watch your depthfinder as you travel from one spot to another. If you see a hump in the productive 15 to 30 feet of water, look for marks near the bottom with your sonar. Winnipeg River Late fall is trophy time on the Winnipeg. Big fish become vulnerable as they fatten up for winter. This was illustrated very clearly in October of 2005, when Lindy pro staff member Tom Backer caught a 13- pound walleye in Traverse Bay, which is the basin where the Winnipeg River empties into massive Lake Winnipeg. The most productive tactic is to anchor and jig right below the boat. The weight of your Max Gap jig depends on how close you are to the mouth of the river, which pushes current well out into the lake. Sometimes one- quarter ounce is enough. Other times three- eighths of an ounce is needed. Within the river, a one- ounce Fuzzy- E- Grub works best. Dress your jig with a frozen emerald shiner. For short strikers, add a stinger hook to your jig. Two hooks per line are legal there. Add a Diachi Stand Out Hook a foot above the jig and dress it with a frozen shiner. Make sure you pinch the barbs back as it is a barbless province.

Look for turns in the river channel. The presence of rocks makes that spot even more attractive. Productive depths are 10 to 14 feet. Anchor when you see fish on the sonar. Bay of Quinte When asked for suggestions on where to go for trophies through the ice, Lindy pro staffer Dave Genz is quick to answer- the Bay of Quinte in Ontario, Canada. Focus on Big Bay. There's a neckdown that creates fish- attracting current and shoals in the bay itself. Keep fishing until you connect with perch. The walleyes will be there. No perch? No walleye. Stay mobile. Genz uses the new Rattl'n Flyer Spoon. Because it's a trophy you're after, change the stock hook for a larger- sized treble hook. Add a shiner or fathead. Other destinations he recommends have been mentioned earlier - Lake of the Woods and the Winnipeg River. He also sends anglers to Saginaw Bay and the Saginaw River in Michigan for ' Shiver on the River,' an ice- fishing event held in January. As an indication of how many big fish are there, cash awards are paid for the top 25 places. A 10- pound walleye is usually needed to make it into the money. A final word: 10- pound walleyes are rare no mat­ter where you fish. No one will fault someone for taking a trophy of a lifetime. But, don't make it a habit. Consider taking measurements, several photos, and releasing the fish. Graphite reproduc­tions are easier to care for than skin mounts, they look just as good, and you'll win the praise of friends. They will appreciate the fact you let the fish go for someone else to catch and to keep its superior genes in the gene pool. That way you and others can catch the same fish again later- after it's grown even more! Help Us Out. I have a special limited time offer to anyone willing to forward me the email ad- dresses of thirty of their clos- est friends. Friends that are into fishing and would enjoy readingSimplyFishingMagazine. comSubmit your thirty qualified email address to me: and I will present you with the A- Team lure of your choice for half price. Sound good? Email me to- day.... Choose one of the following: Assassin- XAvenger- XAggressor- XAgitator- Xpublisher@ simplyfishingmagazine. compublisher@ simplyfishingmagazine. com