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Early
Season ‘Eyes
By
Ted Takasaki and Scott Richardson
Bundled up
and ready for early season action, Lindy pro Ted Takasaki
found exactly what he was looking for in South Dakota’s Roy
Lake.
Do you
believe that walleyes don’t fight? Try manhandling a 7-pound
walleye that slams a jig in five feet of water. Now try doing
it in spring.
“In the
spring of the year, they are really quite feisty,” said South
Dakota fishing guide Gary Gangle.
He
remembers his first trophy walleye. He was 8 and fishing with
an ice fishing pole with his dad from a 12-foot boat on South
Dakota’s Roy Lake when the monster fish took his bait. With no
net in the boat – there wasn’t room - Gangle fought the beast
to the surface three times before his father could get a hand
on it. It weighed 11 pounds.
Now 60,
Gangle has two even bigger walleyes, 12 pounds each, to his
credit.
They both
came from Roy Lake, too.
“Roy Lake
used to have some of the biggest trophy walleyes in the state,
and it still does,” said Gangle, a retired computer science
high school teacher who has lived and fished in the area all
his life. “The walleye population has been fabulous the last
five or six years. We see real nice fish of 28 to 32 inches.
We’re looking at 8 to 11 pounds. Those are some nice quality
fish.”
That may
explain why it’s a favorite destination of fishing legend Al
Lindner. The late outdoor communicator Tony Dean also visited
often.
South
Dakota game officials want to keep the walleye population in
good shape. Many lakes have a slot protecting walleyes from
16 to 20 inches. The state allows anglers to take only one
fish over the slot.
If Roy
Lake doesn’t suit you, the region has 48 lakes within 20
minutes near Roy Lake Resort, which serves as Gangle’s
headquarters. The lakes average 500 to 2,500 acres, about the
size of Roy Lake. They are almost all relatively shallow.
Some are no more than 10 feet deep. Others are about 20 feet
at the deepest.
Roy Lake
is fed by three lake chains. Rain and snow melt have pushed
water levels to the max, according to Gangle. High water has
created even more lakes connected to the others, rich in the
nutrients that support a strong forage base of minnows,
young-of-the-year game fish, crawfish, frogs and more. As a
result, walleyes grow huge.
The state
has no closed walleye season, so it’s a favorite of anglers
looking for early-season action. Earliest time to go is around
Tax Day, April 15 or so, as the ice recedes. Action picks up
as the water warms over 50 degrees F.
Gangle
said pitching jigs is the tactic of choice. He likes 7-foot
medium-light action spinning rods, though some people like to
get by with shorter. Line should be 8-pound-test.
Weather
conditions, like wind and depth of water, dictate jig size.
They can range from 1/16- to
¼-ounce.
Changing up is simple with Lindy’s
new X-Change jig, which range from 1/16- to
⅜-ounce
sizes. Simply snap one head off and snap the other on without
ever having to retie.
The line
is actually attached to a 2/0 Max Gap hook.
The
easy-off, easy-on feature also lets anglers experiment with
color. Gangle often uses chartreuse, but he isn’t afraid to
experiment with red, green and yellow. He said black is good
when walleyes are keying on bullheads or leeches. Some people
try jigs with hair, like the Fuzz-E-Grub jig. He also has
luck with Max Gap Techni-Glo Jigs when the water is dingy.
Subtle is best when water is crystal clear, which it is after
spring turnover, he said.
The
favorite dressings he uses on his jigs are fathead minnows,
leeches or plastic trailers. He wants the “crippled minnow”
look when he’s using minnows, so he’ll put the hook through
the mouth, out the eye and push the hook into the side of the
bait.
Finding
the best places to fish on glacial lakes early in the year is
simple. A map will reveal the inlets and shallow bays where
the water will be slightly warmer. The lakes have plenty of
structure, like points, to choose from and some feature weed
lines though others are clean-bottomed.
Gangle has
lived through two periods when water levels dropped in South
Dakota and lake levels fell to low levels. Some even dried up.
Lake levels began rising again in the mid-1990s and are higher
than ever. The recently-flooded lakes have lots of shoreline
cover, like blow-downs, he said. Concentrate on shallow lakes
first. Water will warm in them first.
“I always
start with lakes that average 10 to 12 feet deep and move to
the lakes 20-feet deep later on,” he said.
Once
you’re launched, lick your finger, hold it up into the air and
head toward the wind-blown areas where the breeze blows the
tiny plankton that ignite the food chain. Small fish chase
the plankton, game fish chase the small fish. “Wind is a
factor we use quite often,” Gangle said.
Pitching
jigs toward shore is a great way to connect with active,
aggressive fish.
In spring,
trophy fish tend to be more active in low-light conditions of
early morning and evening. But, action can be non-stop.
“You can
catch walleyes all day long if you have some chop, even on
bright sunny days,” he said. Some people think color is
critical. Others scent. Gangle thinks depth and action are
most important. Be subtle in cold water. Simply drag or subtly
pop the bait. Be more aggressive as water temperature rises.
Contact
Gangle at (605) 448-5751. Visit
www.roylakeresort.com for
more information on Roy Lake Resort & Lodge in Lake City, SD.
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