Bigwater Fishing Podcast with Ross Robertson

Through the years, there have been hundreds, if not thousands, of lure designers and painters. But, few have been there for so many developments in the fishing business over the last fifty years. We sit down with the legendary, Tommy Harris, and talk about the early fishing days on Lake Erie and Devils Lake, how he got into tackle and lure making, and how he has seen the ups and downs across the country many times over in the fishing industry, and so much more! This is one of Captain Ross's favorite podcasts because of all of the history...

As another fall walleye season gets under way, Captain Ross took some time to sit down with Jason Fischer, from the Lake Erie Fall Brawl and the Lake Erie Walleye Trail, to get updates on some rule changes and clarifications that will keep you from losing a boat and money over a broken rule. We also go into detail about how Lake Erie Walleye tournaments are changing, how many are now being won, and some interesting perspective on the future.

Capt. Ross Robertson has made his complete living chasing walleye as a full time...

On this episode of the Bigwater Podcast, Captain Ross sits down with Yvonne and Zach, a husband and wife couple from Canada, who spent more than a year underwater filming the Great Lakes and the impact that invasive mussels are having on fish populations. They take a deep dive in to what is really happening in real time. This fascinating footage helped prove some serious issues we have and a few ways that we need to explore to avoid any disasters. Their time with leading biologist across the great lakes in both the US and Canada provided some amazing...

Captain Ross sits down on location in Ludington, MI with three long time friends and fellow veteran captains to discuss how things are changing and vary from Great Lake to Great Lake. We also discuss what happened during what Captain Chip Cartwright, owner of Silver Streak Spoons, described as his best day of salmon fishing on Lake Michigan in 25 years! And as always with the Bigwater Podcast, you can rest assured there was some shenanigans and bantering along the way.

Capt. Ross Robertson has made his complete living chasing walleye as a full time...

You all love the biology podcasts so we are bringing you another one! After a couple days on the water with Captain Ross, Lake Erie Fisheries Program Administrator Travis Hartman, gives us some science to help back up some of their findings and success on the water over the last twenty years of fishing deep water summer Walleyes.

Capt. Ross Robertson has made his complete living chasing walleye as a full time professional angler for more than 20 years. Through the years he has worn many hats including time as a fishing guide, boat salesman...

You all love the biology podcasts so we are bringing you another one! On this episode of the Bigwater Podcast, we sit down with Dan Isermann, PhD, Unit Leader of the Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Unit. Before his employment with USGS, he was an assistant professor of fisheries at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and worked as a fisheries biologist and research scientist with the Ohio Division of Wildlife and the Minnesota DNR.

Dan's research focuses on the population dynamics and management of exploited fish populations, with special emphasis on the estimation of fish...

On this episode of the Bigwater Podcast, Captain Ross sits down with Sam Anderson. Details matter to Sam Anderson, whether he’s running the multimillion-dollar trucking and logistics company Bay & Bay Transportation, or winning tournaments as a professional fisherman. Anderson became the youngest touring professional angler fishing Pro/Am tournaments when he started in 1992 at age 18. In 1994, he became the youngest angler to ever qualify for the coveted PWT Championship at age 20. He has 19 top-10 Pro/Am finishes and is a four-time PWT Championship Qualifier, two-time NAWA Classic Qualifier and a three-time RCL Championship Qualifier.

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On this episode of the Bigwater Podcast, Captain Ross sits down with two veteran game wardens as they share stories and go over some fishing do's and definitely don'ts!

Capt. Ross Robertson has made his complete living chasing walleye as a full time professional angler for more than 20 years. Through the years he has worn many hats including time as a fishing guide, boat salesman, TV host, outdoor writer, product designer, tournament fisherman, speaker, radio host and podcaster to name a few.

Ross fishes ice-out to ice-up on the...

In this podcast, Captain Ross joins up with long time industry partners from FishUSA and Silver Streak Lures to discuss their recent trip on Lake Ontario for Spring King Salmon. During this round table we go over how similar walleye and salmon fishing really is, the fishing industry, and of course we include just enough wacky sidebars to keep it interesting.

Capt. Ross Robertson has made his complete living chasing walleye as a full time professional angler for more than 20 years. Through the years he has worn many hats including time as a fishing...

In this episode of the Bigwater Podcast, we sit down with Target Walleye's Brett McComas after spending a day walleye fishing Lake Erie with Captain Ross. They discuss everything from losing a giant walleye to landing Brett's personal best walleye, and even why Brett had to learn to sew.

Capt. Ross Robertson has made his complete living chasing walleye as a full time professional angler for more than 20 years. Through the years he has worn many hats including time as a fishing guide, boat salesman, TV host, outdoor writer, product designer, tournament fisherman, speaker...

We've listened and are bringing you yet another Lake Erie Fisheries Biologist. In this episode of the Bigwater Podcast we take a deep dive in to everything Lake Erie, and share some surprising information about the bait fish population and future plans.

Capt. Ross Robertson has made his complete living chasing walleye as a full time professional angler for more than 20 years. Through the years he has worn many hats including time as a fishing guide, boat salesman, TV host, outdoor writer, product designer, tournament fisherman, speaker, radio host and podcaster to name a...

On this episode of the Bigwater Podcast, we sit down with 3rd and 5th generation islanders to discuss how island life in the winter has changed over the years. We go all over the place with everything from forward facing sonar to what islanders had to do to make it through the winter a hundred years ago. This is a unique one I think you will enjoy!

Capt. Ross Robertson has made his complete living chasing walleye as a full time professional angler for more than 20 years. Through the years he has worn many...

On this episode of the Bigwater Podcast, Captain Ross sits down with Ed Hatten and Len Heffron. Ed and Len are longtime fishing and hunting buddies recently won the Fall Brawl and Walleye Slam events on Lake Erie. They won this year with a 12.30-pound, 31.25-inch walleye caught on Sunday, Nov. 24, while trolling off Huron, Ohio. Capt. Ross Robertson has made his complete living chasing walleye as a full time professional angler for more than 20 years. Through the years he has worn many hats including time as a fishing guide, boat salesman, TV host, outdoor writer, product designer, tournament...

What does a degenerate, drunk woman, sheepshead, thrift stores, Atlantic City, and some of the best travel fishing trip stories of all time have in common? They are all somehow in this latest episode of the Bigwater Podcast with frenemy Jersey Joe Cermele! We sit down at Joe's in-laws Jersey Shore beach house to talk, rant, rip each other, and even bring you some great fishing information.

Capt. Ross Robertson has made his complete living chasing walleye as a full time professional angler for more than 20 years. Through the years he has worn many...

On this episode, Captain Ross sits down with all around traveling fisherman, Josh Miller. Josh fishes anything from small ponds and creeks, to the Florida Gulf Coast. Almost all of Josh's fishing is done without a boat. Don't think just because you fish from a boat this episode isn't for you! There are times it can be very rewarding and even more productive to fish form shore. Sit back and enjoy, as Captain Ross and Josh give you tips on how to catch more fish regardless of specie or location.

Capt. Ross Robertson has...

Join in as Captain Ross goes off! This conversation goes every direction talking about boat launch etiquette, Country Steve's run in with the law, where he's been lately, social media, the Lake Erie Fall Brawl, and more! Also find out why there is candy all over Ross's boat floor!

Capt. Ross Robertson has made his complete living chasing walleye as a full time professional angler for more than 20 years. Through the years he has worn many hats including time as a fishing guide, boat salesman, TV host, outdoor writer, product designer, tournament fisherman, speaker...

After a few years of traveling the world and serving in the United States military, Katie Jo decided to move back to Florida's Nature Coast and pursue her lifelong dream of being a Fishing Captain. She sits down after a day on the water with Captain Ross to discuss the challenges of going all in and starting her charter business. Captain Katie Jo shares the ups and downs that go along with it as well as dealing with others in the industry, including stalkers and crazy neighbors! Capt. Ross Robertson has made his complete living chasing walleye as a...

Captain Ross heads to Michigan to do some salmon fishing and then sits down with Captain Chip Cartwright, owner of Silver Streak Lures. The duo talk about the evolution of salmon fishing and Chip's family business over the last 40 years. Loaded with tips, tricks, and insight on salmon fishing as well as some typical Bigwater shenanigans.

Capt. Ross Robertson has made his complete living chasing walleye as a full time professional angler for more than 20 years. Through the years he has worn many hats including time as a fishing guide, boat salesman, TV host...

On this episode of the Bigwater Podcast, Captain Ross sits down with B Team Bob and Travis Hartman who is the Lake Erie Fisheries Program Administrator. They take the time to answer your viewer questions during this round table discussion. They go over fish movements, programs for bigger fish, and tricks and tips to catch more fish. Plus who doesn't like seeing B Team Bob get yelled at? Capt. Ross Robertson has made his complete living chasing walleye as a full time professional angler for more than 20 years. Through the years he has worn many hats including time as...

Captain Ross sits down with the walleye stat man himself, John Balla. They do a recap on ICAST 2024 and then full send the discussion to talk about the bass and walleye fishing tournament scene, the fishing industry as a whole, and professional fishing hobbyists vs professional anglers. Take a listen to see how Ross and John agree and disagree on various aspects of where the industry is going. Capt. Ross Robertson has made his complete living chasing walleye as a full time professional angler for more than 20 years. Through the years he has worn many hats including time as...

Captain Ross sits down with Sam Lungren, the traveling fisherman, to talk about their latest video shoot together and Sam's personal best Lake Erie Walleye. While Sam is a veteran outdoor writer and world traveler, you won't want to miss how a $5 flip flop can almost ruin a trip. They also discuss Sam's fishing travel adventures and give you a few tips to make your bucket list fishing trips a little smoother! Ross Robertson has made his complete living chasing walleye as a full time professional angler for more than 20 years. Through the years he has worn many hats...

Captain Ross sits down with Casey Powell to talk about how he finds the best night fishing locations from shore. We go over his tips and tricks with lures, cadence, gear, and more. There are tremendous shore fishing opportunities across the Midwest and this is a great walleye fishing opportunity that anybody can enjoy without a lot of equipment. Capt. Ross Robertson has made his complete living chasing walleye as a full time professional angler for more than 20 years. Through the years he has worn many hats including time as a fishing guide, boat salesman, TV host, outdoor writer...

We cover it all in one podcast from Captain Ross Pooping in a boat to Fish Tagging, Walleye's in gill nets, Electrofishing, and more! Listen to this month's Bigwater Fishing Podcast as we sit down and chat with two Ohio Department of National Resources Fisheries staff. Capt. Ross Robertson has made his complete living chasing walleye as a full time professional angler for more than 20 years. Through the years he has worn many hats including time as a fishing guide, boat salesman, TV host, outdoor writer, product designer, tournament fisherman, speaker, radio host and podcaster to name a few. ...

The golden rivet club. A boat in a tree. A ferry loses steering. Sunken boats and more! Listen to this month's Bigwater Fishing Podcast as we sit down and chat with two local captains that have operated tow boats and ferry's for years on Lake Erie. Captain Ross Robertson has made his complete living chasing walleye as a full time professional angler for more than 20 years. Through the years he has worn many hats including time as a fishing guide, boat salesman, TV host, outdoor writer, product designer, tournament fisherman, speaker, radio host and podcaster to name a few. ...

Country Steve joins the Podcast for the 3rd time. But this time HE'S asking the questions.Capt. Ross Robertson has made his complete living chasing walleye as a full time professional angler for more than 20 years. Through the years he has worn many hats including time as a fishing guide, boat salesman, TV host, outdoor writer, product designer, tournament fisherman, speaker, radio host and podcaster to name a few.Ross fishes ice-out to ice-up on the Great Lakes. He spends the majority of the year walleye fishing on Lake Erie’s Western and Central basins.Check out more from Bi...

Jeremy has been fishing since he was old enough to hold a rod and reel. From an early age his passion for fishing has never stopped growing. He has an education from Gustavus Adolphus College (Biology/Business) and Bemidji State University (Education). Throughout the summers of his college years, Jeremy was a fishing guide in northern Minnesota, specializing in musky fishing. Upon graduating from college, he dove head first into the sports fishing world, and has been there ever since. Since then Jeremy has worked in almost every element of the business: magazine sales, television sales, magazine writing and...

Jeff Tyson is the Program Manager of Fishery Management for the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. Jeff and I talked about the health of the Great Lakes, fish populations, and the most threatening invasive species. Capt. Ross Robertson has made his complete living chasing walleye as a full time professional angler for more than 20 years. Through the years he has worn many hats including time as a fishing guide, boat salesman, TV host, outdoor writer, product designer, tournament fisherman, speaker, radio host and podcaster to name a few. Ross fishes ice-out to ice-up on the Great Lakes. He spends the...

Joe Cermele has been in fishing media full time since graduating college in 2005. He’s authored three books, and written more articles, blogs, scripts, and voiceovers than he could count. Joe currently hosts the Cut & Retie Podcast. He was the host of the Hook Shots video series and podcast, and most recently the host of B-Side Fishing, Das Boat, and the Bent podcast on the MeatEater Network. Listen to the Cut & Retie Podcast https://open.spotify.com/show/6yahhM4T0pZBq0h3CkQxeg Cermele was born into a fishing family. His grandparents on his dad’s side always had a bo...

With a career spanning over two decades in law enforcement and environmental protection, Jason Albanese has dedicated his expertise to safeguarding Ohio's natural resources. As a seasoned Detective/Investigator with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Watercraft, Jason has consistently demonstrated a commitment to public safety, investigations, and education. Throughout his Time on Ohio waterways, Jason has seen it all ,from tragedy to the lighter side,, he shares his experiences on this episode. Capt. Ross Robertson has made his complete living chasing walleye as a full time professional angler for more than 20 years. Through the years...

Matt Markey is the Outdoors Editor for The Toledo Blade newspaper. He graduated from St. Wendelin High School in Fostoria, OH and received a degree in journalism from Bowling Green State University. He has worked for newspapers in Orlando, Bowling Green and Fostoria, OH. Prior to that, Markey worked in the movie business in California, Montana, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico for about 6 years. Before becoming The Blade's Outdoors Editor, he covered Ohio State football and the athletic teams at Michigan, the University of Toledo and Bowling Green State University.

Capt. Ross Robertson has...

Mark Fincel is a fisheries supervisor for the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks. Ross and Mark discuss the recent record breaking walleye caught on Lake Oahe in the Missouri River and why it will happen again soon. Capt. Ross Robertson has made his complete living chasing walleye as a full time professional angler for more than 20 years. Through the years he has worn many hats including time as a fishing guide, boat salesman, TV host, outdoor writer, product designer, tournament fisherman, speaker, radio host and podcaster to name a few. Ross fishes ice-out to ice-up on the Great...

Doc" Bruce Samson has multiple major wins to his credit and is known as the Devil's Lake Master having won the PWT on the lake twice. He also won the MWC National Walleye Championship in 1986 and the RCL National Walleye Championship in 2002. Doc also has 8 major walleye tournament wins including the MWC twice, the PWT 4 times, the AIM once, and the FLW/RCL once. Doc Samson has a winning formula that has worked for him on both lakes and rivers; this formula includes using today's technology to his advantage on the water. GPS and Sonar technology are common tools...

Terry Brown has been around the professional bass fishing scene for more than 4 decades. Besides being an accomplished tournament angler in his own right, he’s a heck of a tinkerer and mechanic to boot. The resident expert when it comes to fixing boat, truck and trailer issues, Terry is a wealth of knowledge of not only maintaining fishing gear but also the history of the sport of bass fishing. He’s arguably one of the best connectors in the fishing industry in terms of networking and getting the right people together in his role as President of Sales for...

In this podcast, we discuss the recent cheating scandals that have rocked the world of competitive fishing, and what it means for the future of fishing tournaments. We talk pro walleye anglers Joe Okada and Brett King along with Denny Fox from the Aim Pro Walleye Series to get their insights on the problem of cheating and how to prevent it in the future. We also discuss the impact that cheating has on the sport of fishing as a whole. When anglers cheat, it undermines the integrity of the sport and makes it difficult for honest anglers to compete...

Kyle Wood oversees the management of selected Rapala and Storm hardbaits and Williamson lures. Wood is also responsible for growing the company’s relationships with bass anglers based on his 11 years of experience with the FLW and MLF bass fishing tours, for which he developed written, audio and video content.I this episode I talk with Kyle about how lures are designed and developed and some of teh new products that RapalaVMC will be launching.

Capt. Ross Robertson has made his complete living chasing walleye as a full time professional angler for more than 20 years. Through the ye...

We just finished a day of walleye fishing on Lake Erie in the East Central Basin. What better way to unwind then to talk about our day, our favorite tactics, lures, and more with B Team Bob and Flathead. Capt. Ross Robertson has made his complete living chasing walleye as a full time professional angler for more than 20 years. Through the years he has worn many hats including time as a fishing guide, boat salesman, TV host, outdoor writer, product designer, tournament fisherman, speaker, radio host and podcaster to name a few. Ross fishes ice-out to ice-up on the...

Guess who's back, Country's Back. And he's helping me answer questions about Lake Erie Walleye fishing from our viewers. Capt. Ross Robertson has made his complete living chasing walleye as a full time professional angler for more than 20 years. Through the years he has worn many hats including time as a fishing guide, boat salesman, TV host, outdoor writer, product designer, tournament fisherman, speaker, radio host and podcaster to name a few. Ross fishes ice-out to ice-up on the Great Lakes. He spends the majority of the year walleye fishing on Lake Erie’s Western and Central basins. Check ou...

Jonathan Durtka is a Michigan angler who is one of the leading advocates of spear fishing in the Great Lakes. He successfully lobbied the Michigan DNR to change its rules to allow spearfishing in select waters of the Great Lakes. In this episode we talk about the equipment you need, the regulations, and what Jonathan has observed while sitting on the bottom observing fish.

Check out @purelymispearfishing on instagram to see some of his adventures

CHRISTOPHER VANDERGOOT is the director of the Great Lakes Acoustic Telemetry Observation System and associate professor at Michigan State University. Prior to his current position, Chris served as a research fishery biologist at the Lake Erie Biological Station, Great Lakes Science Center, US Geological Survey located in Sandusky, Ohio, supervisor of fish biology at the Sandusky Fisheries Research Station, and a fisheries biologist on Lake Erie with the Ohio Department of Natural Resource, Division of Wildlife. As a fisheries researcher and biologist, he is interested in understanding and quantifying the population dynamics of native Great Lakes fish populations, particularly...

Travis Hartman from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources joins the podcast again to compare notes with me. Travis presents some research findings to me and I talk about the real world application. There are lots of thoughts on techniques locations, and everyone favorite, lure colors. Travis Hartman serves as the Lake Erie Fisheries Administrator, overseeing the management and conservation of one of the most vital freshwater resources in North America. With a passion for aquatic ecosystems and a deep understanding of the intricate balance required to sustain a thriving fishery, Travis has dedicated his career to ensuring the...