Stan's Archives

By Stan Fagerstrom

Brian Gustke was successful in finishing in the money in all three of the FLW Wisconsin Walleye League contests held this year.  Here he watches as his catch is weighed in at one of the tournaments.

“My Mack’s Lure fish attractors were a special key at the Green Bay event,” Brian says.  “I got my fish using a 1.9-inch Smile Blade along with Mack’s tapered beads and a Wedding Ring ahead of my crawler harness.  My best colors in the Smile Blades were those in a silver or gold sparkle.”

Walleye are a common target of Wisconsin anglers.  If you’ve spent time there you’re aware the competition can be pretty darn intense.  It becomes even more so when they bring the state’s best anglers together for competition like you’ll find in the FLW walleye contests.

Whenever I run into someone who has done well in the face of this kind of competition I like to find out how they did it.  I asked Brian to share some of the things he considered essential.  One of those things, of course, was the Mack’s Lure fish attractors he used along with his nightcrawlers.

That didn’t come as a surprise because I’ve talked to walleye anglers from Wisconsin to Washington State who are doing the same thing.  Few products designed to put walleyes in the boat have gained more attention in recent years than Mack’s Lure Smile Blades.

Have opportunity to visit with this likeable Wisconsin walleye expert and it’s soon apparent how much thought and study are involved in his approach to tournament angling.  If there’s anything he’s overlooked, I don’t know what the heck it could be.

I asked how much attention he paid to his boat speed while trolling.  “Boat speed is essential,” he said.  “I often troll at speeds of from 1 mile to 1.2 miles per hour.  My Lowrance electronics are equipped with GPS that shows my boat speed.”

Gustke also depends on his electronics to tell him where the fish are holding.  “You have to learn to believe in your electronics,” he says.  “Sometimes the fish will be suspended.  There were times this year when I caught a lot of fish in water just 10-feet deep.”

“I like to make up my own rigs,” Brian says, “and I use a lot of Mack’s Lure parts to do it.”  I use 6-feet of 15-pound fluorocarbon as a leader.  I think fluorocarbon’s lack of visibility helps me hook fish.”

Brian Gustke will tell you he uses Mack's Lure products to make up the rigs he uses to catch walleyes.  Two of those rigs are pictured here.

As I’ve noted, this winning walleye angler also often uses a Mack’s Lure Wedding Ring when he makes up his trolling rigs.  And why not?  Trout and kokanee anglers all over the world know how effective Wedding Rings are.  I’ve talked to other walleye anglers who are convinced they also do an excellent job of attracting walleyes.

One other thing Brian does is to use his electric motor while trolling.   “It doesn’t disturb things as much,” he says.  “I also troll with the wind whenever it’s possible for me to so.”

Though he’s been an ardent walleye angler for the past decade, this year is Brian’s first as a tournament pro.  He wasn’t a stranger to tournament competition, however.  In past years he has experienced competitive walleye fishing as a co-angler.

Brian, now 31, was born and raised in Wisconsin.  He is married and has a 3-year-old daughter named Kendall and a 1-year-old son named Brody.  Brian is quick to mention his appreciation to his wife, Jodi, for giving him the time to take part in the tournament competition he loves so much.

Wisconsin's FLW Walleye League Angler of the Year is pictured here with one of his biggest fans.  She is Kendall, his 3-year-old daughter.

This first year pro admits to being a tad nervous about the major tournament he’ll be taking part in from Sept. 30 through Oct. 3.  Those are the dates of the prestigious 2009 FLW Walleye Tour Championship.  The event is to be on the Missouri River and will be headquartered at Bismarck, North Dakota.

Brian earned his way into the FLW Tour Championship by winning the Angler of the Year crown in the Wisconsin FLW Walleye League.  My guess is that as a first year pro he didn’t really expect to win that title the first time around. 

But he did.  And it won’t surprise me all that much if he manages to do the same thing when they stage that coming FLW tournament on the Missouri.

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