Jon Thelen's Destination Fish

The mayfly hatch is in full swing, and Jon shows how to keep catching smallmouths when the surface explodes with natural food. He breaks down timing, bait matching, and location for the best results. Wrapping up, he chases early-fall walleyes on calm, clear days - refining tactics for one of the year's most subtle bites.

Jon tackles spring's toughest challenge: catching walleyes under bright skies and high pressure. He details how small tweaks in cadence, line, and lure color can turn the tide. Then, as autumn settles in, Jon enjoys calm fall conditions - proving that even glassy water can produce limits when you slow down and fish smart.

With spring crowds piling up, Jon demonstrates how to outsmart pressured crappies using lighter gear and smarter positioning. Later, he ventures back to the Northwest Angle chasing walleyes through maze-like island chains -combining precision electronics and proven jigging tactics to put quality fish topside.

Jon explores hidden river backwaters where spring walleyes stack up in surprising numbers. He reveals how to pick apart subtle current and cover transitions for steady action. After the storm rolls in, he shows how to capitalize on the rebound - when post-storm walleyes feed hard and pattern shifts create prime windows.

Topwater time! Jon spends two days testing and teaching the art of choosing the perfect topwater lure for changing conditions -covering everything from walking baits to prop baits. Then he cools off with a mid-summer walleye mission, finding consistent bites in the "dog days" heat with smart depth and timing adjustments.

When the walleyes get stubborn, Jon proves that persistence and presentation finesse pay off. He dissects what to do when conditions change fast and the bite goes neutral. Then he transitions to a fall river system for crappies - highlighting depth, current breaks, and color choices that keep the rods bending late in the year.

Jon targets prespawn largemouths in high-water conditions, explaining how flooded cover changes positioning and lure choices. Later, he hits the open basins of Lake of the Woods for midseason walleyes - showing how to locate schools suspended over featureless flats and trigger bites when others can't find fish.

Fall has arrived, and Jon heads to North Dakota's Devils Lake, where cool water temps and bait migrations trigger a powerful walleye bite. Then it's off to Minnesota's Lake Vermilion, where he wraps up the trip with a lesson in precision, working deep rock structures and clean jigging patterns for quality fish.

Jon tracks post-spawn smallmouths as they recover and regroup, focusing on mid depth structure and bait-driven patterns that bring consistent bites. Then, he ventures off the grid to find walleyes in overlooked "middle of nowhere" lakes, proving that sometimes, the best fishing happens far from any crowd.

Across two full segments, Jon pursues earlysummer monsters - trophy-class fish that test tackle and tactics alike. From dialing in weather patterns to adapting presentations as the day evolves, Jon breaks down the mindset and mechanics behind consistently finding and landing giants on northern waters.

It's prespawn time on the Missouri River, and Jon shows how current seams, water temperature,and precision boat control lead to big walleyes. Then, as the seasons turn, he targets aggressive fall smallmouth bass, focusing on the rocks, breaks, and bait transitions that trigger lateseason strikes.

Jon drops into Missouri's Harry S. Truman Lake, targeting crappies stacked in flooded timber. He details how sonar and pinpoint jig placement turn a maze of branches into a crappie goldmine. Later, Jon heads north for early-summer jigging action - when light tackle, current edges, and subtle movement make all the difference.

Jon kicks things off flipping wacky rigs to hungry spring largemouths holding tight to shoreline cover. He shares simple adjustments that make finesse plastics irresistible in shallow water. Then he switches gears to summer walleyes, showing how trolling and jigging techniques come together when the bite moves up on structure in midseason heat.

Jon and the team hit Devils Lake for a classic early-ice mixed bag walleyes, perch, and pike all in one action-packed outing. He shares insights into reading ice conditions safely and finding the first productive weedbeds of winter. Then it is on to Zippel Bay, where they wrap up the season chasing trophy walleyes beneath the frozen expanse of Lake of the Woods, a perfect finish to the early-ice a

Jon explores how shallow structure holds surprising numbers of mid-winter walleyes and reveals how stealth and light tackle can outfish the crowds. Then he transitions to Lake of the Woods, where the early-ice walleye bite is heating up. With sonar dialed in and jigging spoons flashing below, Jon shows why the Woods is one of the most productive ice-fishing destinations in North America.

This week, Jon dives into the art of lure selection and seasonal strategy for winter walleyes when to switch presentations, adjust hole locations, and key in on the bite window. Later, he heads back to the Northwest Angle to target slab crappies from the comfort of a hard house. It is big-panfish action under the ice with expert tips for subtle jig moves and staying mobile even when fishing statio

Jon kicks off the winter season by dialing in early-ice perch tactics that consistently put fish topside. From fine-tuning jigging cadences to choosing the right plastics, he breaks down how to turn light biters into heavy buckets. Then it is north to the legendary Northwest Angle, where Jon joins local pros to chase aggressive walleyes on frozen Lake of the Woods proving that timing, de kwfishing