Andy Yu

I met Andy last year through the National Pro Staff  where he is a Pro Staff member.

After placing tenth in the (2013) Mattagami First Nation Fall Walleye Classic, I asked Andy if he would like to be featured in my series on local anglers and he jumped at the opportunity.

We booked a day to go out fishing for the interview not knowing what the weather was going to be like. The night before we learned that a cold front was going to hit and the temperature was going to drop to 9 degrees C, light rain and 25 to 30 kph north winds.

I asked Andy if he would rather fish another day, with better weather, to which he replied, ”What, are you afraid you’ll melt?” Well I got a kick out of that as being a tournament angler myself, I have fished in all kinds of weather conditions.

Over the years I have learned the importance of fishing in all kinds of weather, not only during the pre-fish or during tournaments but even on “pleasure fishing” days. Fishing in different weather conditions not only shows your passion for the sport but more importantly it hones your skills under different types of challenges.

The next morning we grabbed our coffees, fueled up and headed out to Kenogamissi Lake. During the drive I learned that Andy has been fishing for over 30 years.  He fished his first Walleye tournament in 2008 with NOWT angler Mark Jensen as a substitute, as Mark’s teammate could not make the event. That was it, Andy was hooked.

Andy didn’t fish any tournaments in 2009 but purchased his first large boat the summer of that year. Then from 2010 to present, he has fished in almost 20 walleye tournaments. During this time he has earned 1 top 5, 1 top 10, 1 top 15, 1 top 20 to his credit. Each year he and his teammate, Lonny Michel, are seeing improvement.

As a Web Architect/Operations Analyst with the City of Timmins and owner of Yuzhu Web Development his skills and passion for the sport lead him to create his website www.wannabefisherman.com . Andy is also the manager of his family business – Cozy Corner Restaurant in Timmins!

Andy also has an online fishing store www.wannabefisherman.com/shop that offers specialty fishing products. He is also Pro Staff for RIGRAP, Imperium Baits, and MyFishPattern.com. To learn more about him just go to www.wannabefisherman.com to read his blog.  He also acts as webmaster for the NOWT’s website.  Oh.. and he’s married and has 2 kids.  Wow!

Once at the boat launch we put on our layers of clothing, rain suits, and launched his boat – a  Crestliner Raptor 1850 powered with a Mercury 200hp Optimax – and were on our way to the first spot.

Andys’ favourite fishing techniques include jigging, slip bobbers, and Lindy Rigging. With the cold front slamming us the night before our trip, Andy decide to start off pulling a Lindy Rig. Lindy Rigging is simply a hook, line, and slip sinker which is pulled at slow speeds allowing your bait of choice to stay in the fish strike zone longer.

At this slow pace I decided to tie on a ReelBait Flasher Jig. The Flasher Jig is a jig with a small willow leaf blade added to the back of the jig. For those of you that are interested you can check them out on Andys’ on-line store.

I put a minnow on the jig and casted it out. After a couple of light lifts and drops, bam, the first walleye of the day was in the boat. After catching a couple more both Lindy Rigging and jigging Andy decided it was time to hit the next spot.

Once at the next spot, Andy dropped his Lindy-Rig down and I decided to try a three way rig with just a hook and worm. Well it didn’t take me long to go back to the flasher jig after watching Andy nailing walleye after walleye with his Lindy-Rig and worm!

We decided to move again seeing we weren’t marking any big fish in the area. Once at the second spot Andy started casting a jig with an Imperium bait so I thought I would try a Lindy-Rig. It occurred to me that I didn’t have any slip sinkers with me. Then I remembered I had my Wing-It, Quick Swap adjustable sinker kit with me that would allow me to use the technique.

When I reached in to pull out the kit, I noticed Andy looking back to see what I was doing. I showed him the kit and explained how easy it was to use as a snap weight or as a slip sinker. Andy seemed intrigued with how simple it attached to your line and how easy it was to change different weight sizes. Maybe he’ll bring it in for his store.

Dave and Andy and our 5th place finish at the 2014 Gogama Walleye Tournament.

While Andy was jigging he told me that during the summer a ReelBait Red Tail Flasher Jig with a Imperium Baits Ace was a very productive combo – he managed to land 2 large walleyes over 25″ on two outings in early June – a first for him. As a matter of fact, his store sold out of the Flasher Jigs as they became very popular the past few years.  Luckily he managed to get stock in before Mattagami First Nation Fall Walleye Classic. Well I think tenth place says it all.

After switching back and forth all day with the techniques I mentioned above, it really helped us put a nice limit of walleye into the live well for a cold, wet, rainy and windy day.

I like to say thanks to Andy for a great day on the water. Andy definitely has the passion for the sport and now that he has his first top ten finish. All I can say is don’t be surprise to see more of him in the top ten!