Angling Edge Buzz

Jason Freed of Leisure Outdoor Adventures shares big water walleye lessons learned from years of guiding on Minnesota's largest lakes. From finding fish with side imaging to fishing jigs, slip bobbers, live bait, reefs, weeds, sand, and structure, this conversation is packed with practical tips for catching walleyes on big lakes.

Jarrid Houston joins the Angling Buzz crew to break down one of the most unique fisheries in the Midwest: the St. Louis River Estuary and Lake Superior's South Shore. From shallow-water walleye trolling and jigging tactics to sturgeon, muskies, cohos, current, boat control, and changing walleye regulations, this episode is packed with insight from a guide who knows the system inside and out.

Jeremy Smith sits down with Baylor Short to discuss the Leech Lake Muskie Movement and Survival Study, a research project tracking how muskies move, what habitats they use, and how angling pressure may affect survival. Baylor shares early findings from acoustic-tagged muskies, including long-distance movement, seasonal habitat shifts, open-water behavior, forward-facing sonar concerns, and what anglers can do to help protect the future of Leech Lake muskies.

Paddle tail swimbaits might be one of the most versatile lures in freshwater fishing. In this episode, we sit down with Caleb Wistad of hookedupwi to break down how he fishes swimbaits for walleye, bass, crappie, pike, trout, lake trout, salmon, and just about anything else that eats baitfish.

Caleb shares how he got started in fishing media, how hookedupwi grew from Instagram into a full-time YouTube channel, and why attention to detail makes such a big difference on the water. From there, we dive deep into soft plastic paddle tail swimbaits, including body shape, tail action, jig head selection, hook size, line choice, rod setups, retrieve styles, and color selection.

We cover when to use subtle swimming action versus heavy thump, how water clarity affects swimbait choice, why many anglers fish swimbaits too light, and how heavier jig heads can help keep your bait in the strike zone. Caleb also explains his favorite retrieve for blind-casting swimbaits for walleye, plus how he rigs them for weeds, wood, deep water, trolling, drop shotting, and even line-through setups.

Whether you are chasing walleyes on weed edges, crappies in open water, bass around cover, trout in streams, or lake trout on big water, this conversation is packed with practical swimbait fishing tips you can use right away.

What really goes into creating great fishing in Minnesota? In this episode, we sit down with a Minnesota DNR fisheries biologist, Scott MacKenthun, to break down how fish populations are managed and what anglers often misunderstand about stocking walleyes, pike, and muskies. We dive deep into the science behind hatcheries, including a massive new $24 million facility in Waterville that's set to modernize fish production in the state. From raising stronger fish to improving survival rates, this is the future of fisheries management. You'll also learn why some lakes thrive with natural reproduction while others rely heavily on stocking and why throwing more walleyes into a lake isn't always the answer.

Where does your Minnesota fishing license money actually go? How are fisheries, hatcheries, public accesses, and conservation work funded? And how does all of that connect to the proposed 4-fish walleye limit? In this episode, we sit down with Mark Holsten, former Minnesota legislator, former DNR commissioner, and current executive director of MN-Fish, for a deep dive into how natural resource funding and fisheries management really work in Minnesota. Learn more at: https://mn-fish.com/

In this episode, we sit down with Kobie Koenig to talk about his journey in the fishing industry. From growing up on North Star Lake and learning to fish in a tin boat, to working with Wired2Fish, and now creating photo/video content for Rapala USA and Rapala brands.

In this episode, the Walleye Alliance and the Minnesota DNR break down new creel survey results from the Brainerd Lakes area. Covering angler effort, forward-facing sonar usage, catch vs. harvest trends, and what anglers are saying about Minnesota's proposed 4-fish walleye bag limit. We also discuss why social data matters, how technology and pressure intersect, and why public comments help shape future fisheries management.

Northern Minnesota guide Brian "Bro" Brosdahl joins the studio for a wide-ranging fishing talk that goes way beyond "where to go." We dig into what's really driving bites up north—perch cycles, bug hatches (midges/bloodworms and mayflies), rusty crayfish impact, and why walleye fishing can feel "slow" when forage is booming. Bro also shares a real perspective on technology vs. technique (forward-facing sonar, side imaging, casting precision, and managing a boat full of clients), plus his favorite ways to find and protect big bluegills and jumbo perch without burning up small-lake fisheries. If you fish Lake Winnie, Leech, Cass, Bemidji, or any Northwoods water, this episode is packed with practical insights you can apply right away.

JKolo is back in the studio, and we go from wild fishing stories to the biggest tech conversations in the sport. We cover his "Marathon Man" legacy (including his Guinness World Record 2,143 fish in 24 hours) and how fishing has shaped his mission to give back.

Then we break down modern marine tech: Humminbird XPLORE, LakeMaster, Side Imaging/360, Mega Live (live sonar), and how it all connects with Minn Kota through the One-Boat Network to find fish faster and stay on them. We also tackle the hot-button debate: is live/forward-facing sonar "cheating," and what responsibility anglers (and agencies) have as technology continues to accelerate.