A Few Questions for Pete Harsh – 2008 FLW Walleye Angler of the Year
Those who follow tournament walleye fishing have certainly heard the name Pete Harsh. He has been at it since 1983 and since that time has amassed several tournament wins and the prestigious 2008 FLW Walleye Angler of the Year. He recently joined Team Evinrude and I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to present Pete with some questions. What follows are Pete’s responses to a set of questions I sent to him for consideration:
Pete, from everything I have seen and read about you I can say that you really seem like the kind of guy every walleye fisherman would love to fish with. At least I know that I would. Your comments convey a humble, down to earth attitude that I think more of us should emulate. We have a couple of things in common; We love to fish with our six year old chocolate lab “Magnum” (she perches on the prow), and I much prefer a tiller over any other design. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to ask you a few questions.
I read on Walleye Central that you were going to do some guiding. Where do you reside, and where do you do your guiding?
Sauk Centre, Minnesota is my home, and I’m available to guide on many of the lakes and rivers of the great State of Minnesota.
Your affinity for the tiller design is well documented. What is it that you feel makes the tiller your best fishing option?
Boat control, boat control and boat control. Fishability, room and ride.
Do you use any electric trolling motors when you fish, or do you rely on a smaller kicker?
Evinrude E-TEC 15-hp kicker and bow and aft trolling motors. I am very impressed with the new Evinrude kicker trollability and the way it handles my boat compared to a 9.9-hp kicker. If you want to take a look at the E-TEC options, visit www.evinrude.com.
During any tournament, you are going up against very good anglers. What do you think it takes to be the one that comes out on top?
Depth, experience, dedication, the ability to concentrate on the job at hand and not get side tracked. You also have to eliminate mistakes. Last but certainly not least, develop a strong work ethic.
As you are well aware, live bait is a staple up here in Northern Minnesota early and mid-season. Jigs and shiners, lindy rigs with crawlers or leeches, and here on Bemidji and over on Cass Lake big red tails on lindy rigs are very popular. Do you have any tips that you would be willing to divulge here for the average live bait fisherman that might help them catch a few more fish, or find bigger fish?
For big fish use bigger baits once the water warms past 50 degrees. Stay off community spots and find your own overlooked fish.
I fish a great deal with my son. We will be fishing in the Cabela’s NTC tournament on the Bays de Noc out of Escanaba, MI in August. I’ve read a little bit about your approach to fishing a new lake, but for selfish reasons I’m wondering if you could offer some advice for a neophyte on how you might approach fishing Little Bay de Noc.
Research well the area before you go. Research previous tournaments held there. Study the charts for the area and have an up-to-date chip that covers where you will be fishing. Select key areas you want to fish and develop a game plan.
There have been a few attempts in Minnesota to introduce legislation to allow anglers two lines during the summer. Personally, I’m ambivalent about the subject. I’m not sure I can think of too many situations where I would take advantage of it. Do you have a strong opinion one way or the other?
The outdated “One Rod Minnesota” argument? Given a choice, my preference is live bait, and one rod is usually more than effective for that presentation. The live bait purists, the “Cast and blast” bass fishermen, and the Muskie fishermen who prefer casting have certainly demonized and vilified the two rod proposal here in Minnesota. It isn’t even an issue anywhere else. Nor does it seem a determent to other states’ fisheries.
Over regulation of the resource in my opinion is beyond reason here in Minnesota. Two rods per angler might allow the opportunity for more experimentation while angling. Personally I do not see it as much of an advantage. I think too many Minnesota anglers are worried that someone else might catch (their?) fish. Compared to other states that have healthy fisheries, Minnesota has too many regulations on the books. Allowing two rods in the summer in my opinion would have minimal impact on the fishery.
8. I played the word association game with Paul Meleen a few months ago. For each of the following gear categories, list your favorite:
Boat – A Ranger 620T! My summer office.
Motor – 200-hp Evinrude E-TEC with a tiller. Best all-around motor there is by a long shot. Superb trolling ability, very quiet, super strong hold shot, strong mid-range power and very economical to operate. It’ll go 3 years or 300 hours without maintenance, which is important for me during the season. All of these features and even more make my choice to run the Evinrude E-TEC a no brainer.
Rod – The best are none too good.
Electronics – All are good. That is, if you take the time and learn how to use them!
Jigs – Northland Tackle’s line of jigs is all you need to catch fish.
What are your top give favorite Minnesota lakes?
Top 5 Minnesota lakes? That is hard to narrow down to only 5 when we actually have over 14,000 lakes to enjoy here in Minnesota.
A. Mille Lacs Lake.
B. Lake Of The Woods
C. Leech Lake
D. Cass Lake
E. Osakis Lake
A few more bites…
The never ending search for angling knowledge will enhance our fishing abilities. Becoming a more proficient angler is a certainly a noble goal. As we hone our skills, remember to respect the resource first and foremost AND the other anglers who share the same public water that you do. Use angling skills and abilities to help others especially the next generation see the positive recreational opportunities fishing offers them. The “Greatest Show On Earth” can be found on our nations water ways…if you so choose!
Pete Harsh / MR.TILLER
2008 FLW Walleye Tour “Angler of the Year”
nice interview!