LEGENDARY WALLEYE GUIDE GREG BOHN
BY: SCOTT RICHARDSON – OUTDOOR WRITER/PENTEGRAPH NEWSPAPER
Wisconsin’s Legendary Walleye guide, Greg Bohn has evolved into one of North America’s foremost fishing educators and tackle designers. Bohn has been a pioneer in walleye tackle technology and presentation techniques for over 30 years! His Walleye Tackle Inventions include the Original Stinger Hook, Timb’r Rock Jig, Veg-E Jig, No-Snagg Hooks, Thill Pro-Series floats, Float Rigs, Slip Bobber Snells, Mr. Slip Bobber Jig Bugs, Pro-Bead & Pro-Blade Rigging Kits, and Lindy No-Snagg Rigs. His walleye tackle concepts hang on peghooks at major retail outlets across the country. Bohn considered first by many, responsible for developing & pioneering significant Slip Bobber, Weed, & Wood presentations and locations for walleye. Bohn is known by those within the fishing industry as Mr. Slip Bobber.
Greg & wife Audrey who helped him develop the prototypes of the snagless Timb’r Rock Jig, No-Snagg Hook, and Thill Pro-Series floats which are now centerpieces of the Lindy’s nationally marketed tackle line. Bohn’s NO-SNAGG Hook, & Lindner’s NO-SNAGG Sinker designed by National Fishing Hall of Famer Ron Lindner, has been hailed as one of angling’s major new tackle breakthroughs. Infact this Lindner and Bohn team was honored with the “Best Of Show Award” at the National I-Cast Show in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Bohn’s first experiments with the No-Snagg technology began in the early 1970s when he pioneered new tackle concepts to contend with the wood and rocks of the Turtle-Flambeau, Willow and Rainbow flowages in Wisconsin’s Walleye Belt of Wisconsin’s Vilas and Oneida counties. His success using 7-strand wire hook guards and inventing the first-ever designed stinger hooks led to his earlier Stinger Tackle Company in the 1970s.
He eventually opened the Strictly Walleye Headquarters bait, tackle & guide service business in Minocqua, Wis. Currently Bohn guides daily, travels to seminars & promotes his walleye fishing techniques full time. His new book “Master the Art of Slip Bobbering ” along with Mr. Slip Bobber tackle products were newly introduced. Lindy Tackle has just resently introduced the New* Thill Pro-Series Slip Bobber Rigs and replacement Snells for 2007.
His guiding success is evidenced by the many trophies that have been hauled into his boat. In 1994, he guided Gerald Patterson on Little Bay de Noc to a #14 pound, 2 ounce walleye measuring 34″-1/2 inches. The National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame lists the catch as the world record for #17-pound line. It also was the largest walleye caught in Michigan that year.
Just two years later, Bohn guided Tom Bodenheimer on Little Bay de Noc to a #15 pound, 1 ounce walleye that was 34″-1/2 inches long. It was Michigan’s largest recorded walleye in 1996.
Then in 1997, Bohn introduced 12-year-old Marcus Steigerwaldt to a #15 pound, 7 ounce walleye on Lake Tomahawk that was 33″-1/2 inches long. The National Freshwater Hall of Fame recognized it as the world record for #25-pound line. The fish was the largest walleye recorded in Wisconsin that year. The largest inland lake walleye taken, in over a decade!
Bohn himself holds four National Freshwater Hall of Fame “Catch-and-Release” walleye records for #10-, #12-, #15- and #17-pound line.
Bohn collaborated in the late 1980’s with Fishing Hot Spots to write three highly-acclaimed books in the “Secrets of a Northwoods Walleye Guide” series. The first was “Slip-Bobbering…” The second was entitled, “Workin’ the Wood…” The third was “Weeds n’ Walleyes”.
Bohn’s new book titled “Master the Art of Slip Bobbering”…The Deadliest Method For Walleye resently released on Nov/2006. It’s the hottest walleye book to hit newsstands in years. Bob Maciluis-Outdoor Notebook.
Bohn is a highly sought-after nationally recognized seminar speaker. His walleye & slip bobbering seminars have been visited and shared with anglers in nearly every state.
Lest you think Bohn is Strictly Walleye, please note he caught a 56″ – #44 pound, 8 ounce muskie from Plum Lake in Vilas County Wisconsin. The Muskie nicknamed “Stood Up” was boated while Bohn fished alone after his clients that day never showed. It was the longest regestered muskie caught in North America and the second heaviest caught in Wisconsin during 1993. It still stands as the 8th largest overall muskie ever caught in Wisconsin.
He has written over 150 articles on a variety of walleye, float fishing and crappie topics for top national publications as “In-Fisherman,” “Walleye In-Sider,” “Fishing Facts”, “Midwest Outdoors”, “North American Fisherman”, “Outdoor Life” and “Outdoor Notebook”. Bohn also appears regularly as contributor on In-Fisherman, Mike Jackson Outdoors and Outdoor Notebook radio.
Bohn’s corporate sponsors include Heckels Marine, Lamiglas Rods, Lindy Legendary Tackle Co, Hummingbird Electronics, Minn-Kota Motors, Nature Vision, Navionics Hot Maps, Ranger Boats and Yamaha Outboards.