On a recent guided walleye trip I did on Gull Lake, one of my clients asked me about the various fishing rods offered in the walleye fishing market. He asked a good question like "what action is best for the various walleye fishing techniques used in today's walleye fishing world." "How do I know what sensitivity to buy?" While we waited at the dock for his walleye hunting partner, this was a good time to explain to him how we were gonna fish. His question about "rod sensitivity " was a good example to use when I explained the nervous minnow part of the day's fishing technique.

Hitting the rewind button, I recall back in the '60's we equipped our fishing arsenals with the cheapest rods we could find that could hold up to hundred's of hours of use each year. For years on end. Of course, unlike in today's never ending world of choice, it wasn't too hard to decide. But the one thing I don't recall discussing back then was "rod sensitivity". Yes, rod action was important as we wanted to match the potential bend in the rod to the size sinkers we were gonna use or if we wanted a long rod for casting, trolling and the like. But sensitivity was not part of our thinking back then. We always knew when we had a bite or our lines were in contact with the bottom. It wasn't hard to teach our gangs of non-fishermen to know the same. Even with the cheapest rods we could find. Boron , Graphite, IM7 and the like were not part of anyone's vocabulary back then. And nothing has changed in my boat in that regard!

So when the dock talk at Gull went from me saying "you need to only spend $25 to $40 on a spinning rod for Lindy rigging", and then went to "make sure you tell me when your minnow gets nervous in 40ft. of water", the student became even more confused. I knew what he was thinking. Had he wasted $175 dollars on a rod he was told he needed by that Pro giving the seminar last winter? Or was his guide for the day nuts?

No one is more concerned about their walleye fishing tackle than yours truly. I am obsessed with how my bait looks to the fish from every aspect possible. But I never have had a fish bite while it considered the type of rod the bait was attached to. So I buy my rods on the cheap end of the price spectrum, saving money for better live bait, quality hooks and all the stuff that makes a true difference in the frying pan. I don't own a rod that costs more than $40!

My latest classic example of how money is wasted on big buck fishing rods, to ensure that one knows when a 2 pound fish is biting or a light sinker is hitting bottom, is my favorite wife. When she clicked her mouse in the process of us meeting for the first time 6 years ago, she had never had a fishing rod in hand let alone knowing what a bite felt like. Or what a nervous minnow felt like. And yet, when she lost her walleye fishing virginity on her maiden Mille Lacs voyage, holding a $22 dollar spinning rod, she had no doubts. On a recent trip to Farm Island Lake, still holding her $22 dollar spinning rod and Lindy Rig with a nice 4 inch Redtail Chub on the hook, as easy as it was to click her mouse, she was able to confidently say "oh! my minnow's nervous----and now it got ate"!

So as I finally baited the clients hook the other day, I imagined he was skeptical. Here he was, paying close to $500 to go fishing with me, and had to use cheap tackle. Or better said, "cheap rods". I am sure he was wondering how he was gonna be able to follow my rule and tell me when his minnow gets nervous after hearing at a seminar that he needed to buy a rod that could exceed $200 just to feel the light bite of a 16 inch walleye. So as a nice walleye mark came across my graph screen, I warned him of potential action. Sure enough, seconds later, with a walleye big enough to eat him, staring him down, the 4 inch chub had my client blurting out " my minnows nervous!" And then " I got a bite!" He knew his investment for the days fishing had just saved him hundreds of dollars. He knew if he could feel a 4 inch minnow pull and tug on his line in 40 ft. of water, there wasn't a walleye, dead or alive, that could bite light enough for him not to feel it.

Now, when your making out your Christmas wish list, you can add a few more fishing rods to the arsenal for the cost of one of those high buck ones that mean nothing to the fish nor the fisherman. And you'll have the rest of the winter to rehearse your lines. "Oh! My minnows nervous aaaannnnndddd it got ate!"