Lake Hubert, near Nisswa, is one of pro angler Andy Johnson's "go-to" lakes when he's looking for a place to hide from the cameras. When he's not getting the walleyes to cooperate on the deeper structure, Johnson, who lives in Brainerd, heads into the bulrush and cabbage and gets out the jigs. Photo by Tim Lesmeister.

Professional fishermen spend the bulk of their lives on the water trying to catch big fish. What amazes me is many of the pros -- including those who make their homes in Minnesota -- actually go fishing in their spare time just because they want to!

Born and raised on the shores of Mission Lake in northern Minnesota and now living in Brainerd, hall-of-fame pro-angler Gary Roach says, "It's what I love to do. When I'm competing in a tournament, well, that's work," he adds, "but when I'm on a lake close to home with no pressure to perform, well, that's just fun."

Mark Courts of Harris is a top competitor among pro walleye anglers, with a championship and many tournament wins to his credit. He echoes Roach's sentiments.

"I'm fortunate to be able to fish for a living, yet I look at fishing as something that gives me great pleasure when I'm just out casually fishing a lake or a river for the pure enjoyment of it," Courts says. "After all, fishing is a form of competition even when you don't have a big purse on the line. It's a competition between you and the walleyes. I always love the challenge of finding the fish and figuring out how to get them to bite."

Adam Johnson is a tournament angler, as well as a television and radio host with a syndicated column that reaches the entire United States. His home base is Brainerd for good reason.

"The area where I live has some of the best multi-species angling for freshwater fish in the world," says Johnson, who is also an aquatic biologist. "It's where walleye fishing techniques were fine-tuned by the Nisswa guides -- the Lindner brothers -- and most walleye anglers have benefited from what was learned in my back yard."

All three anglers admit they have their favorite lakes to compete on and where they tend to perform better. They also admit they have their favorite lakes to launch their boats when they just want to go out for some casual sport and recreation.

GARY ROACH:
Winnie Walleyes
"I would have to say Lake Winnibigoshish (Winnie) is one of my favorite lakes for walleyes in Minnesota," Roach reveals. "I can call my old buddy, Capt. Ron (Hunter), and the two of us will spend a day on the humps and reefs catching walleyes and telling stories."

Roach describes Winnie as a classic walleye lake with ample midlake structural elements that support his favorite presentation: the live-bait rig. He even designed a live-bait rig for Northland Tackle with an adjustable snell, known as the Roach Rig. He says it's the perfect presentation for those Winnie walleyes.

"When the walleyes are holding tight to the bottom on those reefs and sunken islands, I will adjust the distance between the weight and the bait to 4 or 5 feet and sit right over the top of them," he says. "A tough bite requires some extra distance between the sinker and hook, and you have to dangle that leech or night crawler in front of their nose. But they will bite if you have some patience."

When Roach's fish finder shows walleyes slightly suspended off the bottom, he anticipates a better bite and covers ground a little faster. He also shortens the distance between the weight and the bait.