Nate and Stephanie Zelinsky Nathan and Stephanie Zelinsky are full time professional walleye anglers, fishing on the Masters Walleye Circuit and new this season, the FLW Walleye Tour. Besides tournament fishing, they are all species guides owning Tightline Outfitters here in Colorado.
After a guided fishing trip on Lake Winnibigosh at age 7, Nathan Zelinsky knew fishing was his calling. After graduating high school, Nathan went directly to Colorado Outdoor Adventure Guide School, where he finished and went to the State to get his guide license, #2148, and thus began his dream creating Tightline Outfitters, one of the most successful guiding services in Colorado today. To broaden his knowledge of guiding, Nathan moved to Minnesota for a year and guided two ice fishing seasons and one open water season, where he fished next to some of the most knowledgeable guides in the nation. Coming back to Colorado, he was determined to raise the standards of Tightline Outfitters and to follow another dream of becoming a full time Professional Walleye angler.
During the Fall of 2004, after a long season, Nathan went to Gunnison for some waterfowl hunting. That is where he met his future wife, Stephanie. After spending time in the misery of a cold duck blind with her, Nathan decided to get Stephanie more involved with his plans. Stephanie, always being an outdoors enthusiast, never imagined life would lead her in the direction of fishing for a living. Turns out, she was just as into it as Nathan. After marrying in 2005, Nathan and Stephanie focused on their future as Professional anglers and began the 2006 season fishing on the Masters Walleye Circuit against some of the biggest names in the industry. In between spending 60 days on waters across the nation for tournaments, Nathan and Stephanie guide on Colorado waters year round. They also contribute publications for Colorado Fishing & Hunting News, they update the fishing report at Sportsman’s Warehouse in Littleton, and occasionally contribute to Terry Wickstrom’s radio show on AM 950 as well as Charlie Meyers with the Denver Post. Nathan goes to great lengths to bring locals free seminars at the Littleton Sportsman’s Warehouse. He also does seminars at the Bass Pro Shops Spring Classic and Larimer County Parks Fishing Expo. Nathan and Stephanie also participate in sport shows, such as the Denver Boat Show and the ISE show, and also donate much of their time and many trips to non-profit and local organizations, 1 On 1 Fishing Experience, Joseph’s Journey, Home Builder’s Foundation fundraisers and Duck’s Unlimited. Nathan and Stephanie are sponsored by Lund Boats, Mercury Marine, Marine Sports West, Frabill, Tasmanian Devil Lures, JR’s Tackle, Pro-Cure, Approved Mortgages, Ka-Boom Baits, Interstate All Battery Center of Arvada, Big O Tire & Grease Monkey of Littleton, and are members #162 and 163 of the National Professional Anglers Association.
When it comes to walleye in the spring, there are three stages; pre-spawn, spawn and post-spawn movements. Nate and Stephanie discuss techniques to catch spring walleye in Colorado.
Nate and Stephanie discuss Marcum and Vexilar flashers for ice fishing, comparing the two in real-world application. The conclusion of which is more effective does not necessarily come down to features...
Frustrated with missing light-biting fish through the ice? Nate and Stephanie go into detail about using floats to improve your hook-set success on hard water for a variety of species, and discuss basic slip-bobber choices and application.
With an abundance of food available to these predators in the fall, Nate and Stephanie describe the techniques and rigs they use to fool late season walleye. Crawler harnesses, cranks, spoons, and jigging spoons are all on the menu for mid-August through December.
It is critical to be able to present any bait properly in any situation to catch mature fish. Nate and Stephanie Zelinsky discuss some of the trolling tricks up their sleeve to do so.