NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/823575
MAY 2017 • NEBRASKAland 79 this point, our crankbait collection was pretty impressive. In order to determine depth with a wide variety of cranks, we again turned to technology. More specifically, the Precision Trolling App. Simply enter trolling speed, line type, lure and a payment of $2 per lure – a small price to pay. And without any equations, bad math or guessing the Precision Trolling App tells you how much line to let out to make a certain crankbait run at a desired depth. "Operation Walleye" was a full go. Except it got confusing. Four guys with multiple lines in the water gets chaotic very quickly when someone hooks up. "Operation Walleye" turned into a frenzy immediately. Between keeping the boat on track, frantically reeling in, fighting snags and grabbing the net, we kept forgetting who was using what rod in what position and how much line was out. In addition to some simple boat organization, we solved this problem without technology. No cell phones, iPads, or fancy Lowrance units. We bought a whiteboard. On our not so high tech white board, we labeled each position in the boat and wrote down the rods that were being used at each post. We also included the type of crankbait and how many feet of line was being let out. With our new system in place, we were able to get back to fishing at full strength as quickly as possible. And once somebody catches fire, we use his information to mirror his set up at each post. Multiple cranks running at the same depth over the right structure under the cover of darkness might be the most fun you can have in a fishing boat. I know we're kind of crazy. This probably isn't for everybody and I don't know how long we can keep it up. But if you're feeling shorthanded by daylight hours, try your luck under a night sky. The walleye don't disappear when the sun goes down. We've been pulling cranks at night for a couple of years from the Nebraska Sandhills and potholes of South Dakota to the northern waters of Minnesota, and I haven't had this much fun fishing since I was dreaming about catching my first pike off the dock in Minnesota. There's something satisfying about watching the sun rise, set, and rise again without ever leaving the boat. Here's to long nights, big walleyes, great company, and full livewells. Fish hard, sleep later. ■ Jake Jadlowski is a high school history teacher and freelance writer in Gretna who loves to hunt and fish. Anglers set off at sunset for a night of walleye fishing at Sherman Reservoir in Sherman County. PHOTOS BY JEFF KURRUS