‘Doc’ Samson’s Prescription for Leech Lake Wins Minnesota Division ‘Warrior Boats Open’? Chubs
Category: npaa
Aug 8th, 2015 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Aug 8th, 2015 at 12:00 AM
Bruce ‘Doc’ Samson is perhaps the only pro angler in the AIM Weekend Walleye Series who often wins the tournaments he does with one of the oldest techniques in the books: bobbers.
But, that wasn’t how he won the Minnesota Division Warrior Boats Open qualifier on the expanse of Leech Lake on Sunday, June 12.
Samson, who’s also known as ‘Doctor Sonar’ for his expertise and teaching about using graphs and partner Tom Weihrauch walked away from the podium $6,500 richer after netting a one-day catch of 35.07 pounds instead, using one of the oldest and simplest method possible: a chub minnow and leeches on a single hook.
Samson, who also won here last year, said his fishing options this year were plentiful. “There were big fish in the main lake and in Walker Bay, and with the AIM format (Catch-Record-Release™) you’ve got to fish for big fish, or you can’t win, so we (he and long-time fishing partner Tom Weihrauch) concluded our best chance was in Walker Bay,” Samson said.
“It could have turned bad for us because there were a lot of others in the tournament on the good spot,” but Samson scored immediately, landing two after going to their first spot where they shared it with another team.
“We each got two nice fish and decided to leave. We went to our next spot that we thought would be open, and proceeded to catch four more, and we were done. I figured the others had to find really good fish to beat us,” he continued. He was right.
“But I really didn’t know how good we were doing for sure, but knew we’d done really well. We caught two fish on leeches and four on chubs using vertical slip-rigging, just a sinker and a hook. We did catch them on slip bobbers during the week and we did try that on some of the really snaggy places, but my sonar was a huge tool,” Samson said.
He uses two sonar units, his Lowrance, with a highly sensitive Airmar TM150M transducer, and a Navionics map chip to locate structure he wanted to fish, and his Humminbird Onix with the Autochart Live mapping feature to zero in on the fish.
“We had good luck on the main lake with bobbers and leeches. Leech Lake has really good fishing right now. The lake is really healthy and there’s so much bait out there. There weren’t too many spots that there weren’t lots of nice 25-inch fish,” Samson related.
“There were some great competitors in the tournament. They all knew how to find and sit on fish. But it just worked out for us, and it just happened to take place twice in a row in an AIM tournament here at Leech Lake.”
The second-place team of Drake Herd and his father, John, both of Alexandria, MN, targeted rock piles in Walker Bay with a lure that most year-round anglers put in their tackle boxes when ice leaves the lakes: 7/8-ounce jigging Rapalas. They used two colors, firetiger and chrome with a black back, to go home with $2,200 for their 32.02 pounds.
“I like ’em (the Rapalas) better in summer than in winter,” Drake said. Aboard their 2090 tiller Warrior, the Herds had pre-fished Walker Bay, which is known for big fish.
“They were on deep humps, but there was so much bait in the bay, the fish were kind of full but every once in a while an ark would be higher in the water column, and that meant they were active fish. We also figured that if we had five bites, we’d have the big fish we’d need.”
They hopped from hump to hump, targeting rock piles in 28 to 36 feet of water in the bay, he said. “Anything that had rock cover on it. We’d drive over them and rock points and if we saw fish we’d slam it in reverse and chuck our jigging Raps at them behind the boat, and if we didn’t have a fish in 30 seconds, we kept moving.”
They ended up netting eight more fish, after getting their initial five, by targeting larger fish on those humps
The top five, their weights, and purses, rounded out this way:
Third Place: Jason Pitts, Des Moines, IA, Pat Brookshaw, Hager City, WI, 30.19, $1,700
Fourth Place: Greg Rudisill, Woodbury, MN, Doug Chapman, Hills, MN, 28.97, $1,300
Fifth Place: Adam Braatz, Beth Maas, South Haven, MN, 26.88, $1,200
Return to this site on Thursday for results of the Navionics BIG FISH THURSDAY.
Contact: Denny Fox, AIM National Tournament Director, 920-505-0122; [email protected]
Anglers Insight Marketing LLC (AIM™) is a unique tournament organization created and owned by many of the most accomplished and recognizable professional walleye anglers, along with others who share the mission of advancing competitive walleye fishing and making it sustainable into the future. AIM is committed to marketing excellence on behalf of its tournament competitors, the tournament host communities, and the brands that partner with it. AIM is also committed to maintaining healthy fisheries across the nation by the development of the exclusive AIM Catch-Record-Release™ format which is integral to its dynamic events and unparalleled consumer engagement. For more information about AIM™, AIM Pro Walleye Series™, AIM Weekend Walleye Series, AIM sponsors and AIM anglers, visit www.aimfishing.com.
AIM Presenting Sponsors: Yamaha Motor Corporation U.S.A. and Warrior Boats.
AIM Supporting Sponsors: Mercury Marine, Nitro Boats, Starcraft Marine, Amsoil, Navionics, Powrtran, Power Pole, Worldwide Marine Insurance, Off Shore Tackle, Team Lodge, National Fleet Graphics, Gemini Sport Marketing, The City of Oconto, Eagle Bay Marina and Eagles Landing Casino, Montevideo MN Chamber of Commerce, Randall’s Milan Beach Resort