Video: A Fishing Legend Explains How to Catch More Walleyes Without Forward-Facing Sonar

If there are two things in this world that Dick Grzywinski (better known as the Griz) loves, one is  catching fish and the other is catching more fish than everyone else. Griz became a local legend in the Upper Midwest fishing scene during the 1990s by guiding anglers, joining fishing shows as a guest, and serving as an expert in countless magazine and newspaper articles. 

For most of his guiding career, until he turned 69, he would fish from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Now even in his eighties he still fishes more days than not. In simple terms of actual hours on the water, it’s likely that the Griz is the most experienced angler in the Upper Midwest today.

In a lot of ways, Griz still uses the same gear and tactics that he did 20 years ago. That means no forward-facing sonar or side imaging. He uses a simple depth-finder to monitor depth and bottom structure. From there he focuses sharply on boat control and bait presentation. 

As you can see in the video above, the Griz says that catching fish is about putting all the little details together — not what kind of electronics you have in your boat. During this one day of filming on the Mississippi River, he put 83 fish in the boat. 

Read a full feature story on the Griz here.