Grady’s Bunk House

05/22/2026

05/13/2026

Breaks On The Break (1972)

If you were a structure fisherman back in the day, you no doubt knew about a ‘break on a breakline,’ later known as a ‘spot on a spot.’ Carl Malz offered up this illustration and important points in a 1972 article, “For Real Success - Fish The Breaks.’

📚 Each month we have a page in Fishing Facts called "Fishing Talk - Our Language of Structure Fishing".

➡️ A breakline is defined as "A line on structure where there is a definite increase in depth, either sudden or gradual; weedline, brushline; edge of a channel or holes; where two bodies of water meet etc."

➡️ A break is defined as "Where structure is no longer uniform due to dips, or a quick drop in depth; rocks, stumps, etc."

📚What is it that helps make these great fishermen so great? One of the major reasons is their ABILITY TO INTERPRET THE "BREAKS ON THE BREAK."

✅ First let's start with some examples of typical underwater objects that could be called breaks. A rock pile, a brush pile, a sunken tree, a sunken boat, a hard spot surrounded by mud, sunken cribs, an under water hump or depression, an old hot water heater, a six pack of beer or pop, a pair of old rubber boots, a pile of broken glass or (as you have probably already surmised) anything else that can be seen by the fish and used to guide them when they move, or any object that could be used to pause or hold the school.

✅ To further illustrate the point, let's take that old hot water tank and drag it away from the rock pile toward deeper water and closer to the "home" area. The large rock pile would be fairly easy to locate. Anyone with a depth finder could accomplish this. But now we have moved the hot water heater closer to the home area and created a deeper break away from the rock pile.

💯 The man who only fishes the rock pile would believe he had found the hot spot. The more knowledgeable fisherman would not quit at that point. He would continue to search for the breaks that the school would use to arrive at the rock pile.

✅ So when we find a structure which produces fish, we must always be thinking in terms of, "How did the fish get there? What breaks did they use to arrive at that point? Where did they come from? Are there deeper breaks than the one I am fishing that might hold the school? If so, can I reach it or is it too deep to present my lures? Have I really taken the time to look for that small detail on the structure or breakline that could be termed a break on the breakline' or 'a break on a break'?"

Carl Malz, Fishing Facts, 1972

05/12/2026

Jaw tagging studies are taking place across South Dakota, including Lake Francis Case, Lake Sharpe, Angostura Reservoir, Waubay Lake, Bitter Lake and more! If you’re fortunate to catch a tagged fish, please report that tag number at tags.sd.gov. Certain tags are eligible for a $100 reward, and these tags say REWARD directly on them. Please include a picture of the reward tag with your submission. These tagging studies provide valuable information about angler harvest and percent population exploitation, which is important information for fisheries managers!

Good luck on the water and thank you for participating in fisheries management!

05/11/2026

Al Lindner On Creek Channels (1973)

In order to clarity OUR definition of what constitutes an "inside" and "outside" bend we prepared this drawing.

➡️ Obviously an outside bend is an area of a river or a creek bed which is "washed hardest" by the flow of the water,

✅ If confronted with the particular fishing situation that is depicted in this drawing and the brush was more or less equally distributed, the first place I would work would be point (A) which is a "semi-saddle" and is comprised of an island sided by both an "inside" and "outside" bend.

✅ My second choice would be point (B) And my third choice is point (C) Both B and C are outside bends, and in the path of the force of rushing water, constituting a wall or step, and it's in this brush that I would look for the bass under these conditions.

Fishing Facts, May 1973

05/07/2026

Cold Front Snell Length (1977)

Segment 2; Study Report 2 from In-Fisherman (1977) was all about cold fronts. This diagram, which had no illustrator credit, gives the basic rule of thumb at the time for coordinating snell length to walleye location and aggressiveness, post front.

✅ The sketch shows the necessity of using a short snell during post-frontal conditions, a time when walleyes will be hugging the bottom. Keep in mind that some live baits are more buoyant than others.

👉 During a moderate backtroll, a 18- to 24-inch plain snell with leech ( #1) rides lowest - about six inches off bottom.

👉 The minnow ( #2) rides a little higher, and an inflated nightcrawler ( #3) rides highest.

👉 Note that a six-foot-long floater rig ( #4) will ride three to six feet off bottom - much too high.

👉 Remember too, that flicker spinners give "lift" to all baits. Sometimes it is beneficial but not in post-frontal conditions.

Source: In-Fisherman, 1977

04/21/2026

FISHING SPEED VS. FISH LOCATING SPEED

👉 What is the definition of slow? Slow for walleyes is often to the point of standing still, In fact, at times holding the boat stationary while carefully working an area may be the only "speed" that will produce. The only problem with this snail-like pace of fishing is that is could take you all day to fish a single spot. That is why anglers must become at least versatile enough to use a couple of different trolling speeds in any given day.

FISH LOCATING SPEED

✅ Your goal is to find one overly aggressive walleye in a school to tip you off to the location of the remainder of the school. This speed is often best described as a walking pace.

✅ Once a fish or two has been taken from an area, we can now slow our speed down to a crawl and work the bait very slowly to appeal to even the most finicky walleye.

✅ When searching for a walleye school, you should constantly be changing depths as you move in a gradual "S" pattern along a drop-off. At this time, your flasher depth finder is worth its weight in gold.

✅ Once the preferred depth has been found, you should stay as close to that depth as possible until you are sure no more fish can be caught there.

✅ This is the time where shoreline markings or marker buoys can be a very effective aid in keeping you "on" those walleyes.

Source: Walkeye Fishing Today, Tom Zenanko, 1982
Artwork by Buzz Buczynski

01/04/2026

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WALLEYE Spawning Facts....

The other spawning diagram I mentioned by then In-Fisherman illustrator Edwin Lee Huff. This one also appeared on the back cover of one of the issues in 1978, the next issue following the bass spawning one. The biology has changed very little since these were first published.

✅ Walleyes are spring spawners, beginning as early as mid February in some far southern reservoirs or as late as the end of June in northern Canada. The actual timing depends on water temperature. Walleye spawning activity generally begins at about 42°F and is largely completed by the time the water reaches 50 °F.

✅ Where available, a gravel or rubble bottom is the prime choice. Each female may be accompanied by one or more males as they expel eggs and milt across the bottom. The eggs are widely broadcast and adhere to the irregular bottom surface.

✅ No parental care is exercised by walleyes. Sufficient wave action or current is required to keep the eggs clean until they hatch.

✅ Male and female walleyes look much alike, except that the female is usually much larger. Females are also deeper and much more rounded in shape, due to the bulk of the eggs they carry, The white tail spot that is so characteristic of walleyes is also generally much less distinctive on these larger female fish.

✅ Males are the first fish to approach the spawning areas. Females tend to hang back in deeper water until the water temperature approaches 40 °F.

✅ Walleyes often move many miles upstream to spawn. The white glow of their eyes will reflect a flashlight beam in shallow water at night.

✅ Walleye eggs generally hatch in 12-18 days, although they may hatch sooner with a rapid rise in water temperature. Larvae are usually 1/4 to 1/3 of an inch long when they hatch.

✅ Summer finds most young walleyes to have grown to the 2-4 inch range (6-8 inches in southern reservoirs) and to be feeding on small fish.

✅ The yolk is absorbed in 4-5 days, and fry are at the mercy of wind and current to carry them into areas where food is available.

12/19/2025

Perch are bite’n out near Bristol SD.
Text,call or message for rental info !!

10/02/2025

Fish are biting near Bristol !!
Text or call for reservations !!

08/02/2025

Fish are biting near Bristol SD !!!
Book a stay at Grady’s bunkhouse!!
612-919-9710
60.00 a night for the bunkhouse.
Sleeps 4.
120.00 for the house sleeps 6