"When I show this pattern to my customers, they are amazed at how aggressively these walleyes hit the crankbait. These wing dams will hold walleyes as shallow as 2 feet or as deep as 7 feet. Just make sure to bang the crankbait down the upcurrent side. Use an anchor or bow-mounted motor to keep the boat in position. The water is usually stained in the summer, so I use lures with rattles, and I love chartreuse, though dark black and purple also work."

Additional information about Steve can be found on his Web site at www.stevedezurik.com.

RICH BOGGS
A member of the famed Nisswa Professional Guides League, Rich is a Top 200 World Walleye Pro with 17 top 10 tournament finishes. His tip is something he said our grandfathers used exclusively but has been lost on more "modern" anglers.

"When the summer heat warms the water to its peak temperatures, usually in the high 70s, baitfish move from their preferred weedy locations into the cooler waters of the lake, making them easier to target," Rich said. "One of my favorite techniques is to troll the outside of these weeds, which around the Brainerd Lakes Area is usually 15 to 20 feet deep. This system is as easy as tying on a No. 7 Shad Rap, letting out 100 feet of line, and cruising back and forth on this outside edge. Varying your speed will help you connect.

"Another system is to use a No. 4 or No. 5 Shad Rap with three colors of lead-core fishing line out to get the crankbait to where the fish are holding," continued Rich. "For the leader, I use 14-pound-test Berkley FireLine. Speed control is critical and will be the key to consistent hookups. There is not a magic number, but once you catch one, you know how fast to go."

Additional information about Rich Boggs can be found online at www.nisswaguides.com.

MARK CHRISTIANSON
Mark has almost 30 years of guiding experience in northern Minnesota, and is an accomplished tournament trail pro. His world walleye ranking is No. 32, and he will be trying to improve on that number this year by fishing in the PWT Super Pro series.

"A lot of the lakes in northern Minnesota like Bemidji, Cass, Leech and many smaller lakes contain depths of 50 to 100 feet or more, making for a lot of water to cover," Mark said. "Beginning in late May and lasting through the summer, walleyes in these deep lakes are very comfortable living at depths from 20 to 40 feet, and they are still very catchable.

"A quality graph is critical for finding these fish and the structures they relate to. I'll position myself on a portion of the lake that contains a sandbar, rockpile or flat with access to deep water, and then use my Lowrance to pinpoint their location along the dropoff.