Northern Waters • Good Friends • No Snitches

Year II • The Northwoods Job

Ely, Minnesota • July 30 to Aug 5, 2026

Walleye Mafia

Every summer the family heads north. No suits, no city, just fishing boats, a full cooler, and a lake full of walleye that owe us money. It started in 2025 with a crew that hasn't shut up about it since. The rules are simple: respect the lake, back the family, and whatever happens in the boat stays in the boat. Unless it's funny. Then it goes right here, on the record, forever.

The Family

Made men, every one. No auditions, no snitches, no exceptions.

Booking photos on file. Nicknames pending official review. Bios are 100% unauthorized. Complaints go in the lake.

The Lineup

Chase
WALLEYE MAFIA
ELY, MN
# 001
ChaseThe Don
JT
WALLEYE MAFIA
ELY, MN
# 002
JTUnderboss
Seamus
WALLEYE MAFIA
ELY, MN
# 003
SeamusConsigliere
Nick
WALLEYE MAFIA
ELY, MN
# 004
NickEnforcer
Danny
WALLEYE MAFIA
ELY, MN
# 005
DannyCapo
Neeks
WALLEYE MAFIA
ELY, MN
# 006
NeeksNew Blood
AJ
WALLEYE MAFIA
ELY, MN
# 007
AJThe Closer

The Record

Every job the family has pulled. And the one coming up.

Family lore: they say Al Capone himself used to slip up to Ely and the Northwoods to cool off when Chicago got too hot. Good enough for Big Al, good enough for us.

'25

Year I: The First Job

The one that started the family. Fishing boats, camping, and a lake up north that had no idea what was coming. Somebody caught the first walleye, somebody lost a rod, and everybody agreed on the spot: this happens every year.

'26

Year II: The Northwoods Job

The Boundary Waters caught fire this year and the wilderness is closed, so the family does what the family does: adapts. We move the whole operation to the lakes around Ely and fish everything outside the burn. Same crew, one bigger, and Neeks finally gets made. July 30 to August 5. Attendance is not optional. The walleye that aren't on fire have been warned.

'27

Year III: To Be Continued

Already booked in spirit. The family does not miss a summer. Wherever the walleye run, the family follows. Bring your A game and a bigger cooler.

The Itinerary

Year II • The Northwoods Job • Ely, MN • July 30 to Aug 5

  1. THE DRIVE UP Coolers first. Fishing gear if there's room. Gas-station snacks are family business.
  2. SET UP BASE Bags dropped, boats in the water, code reviewed. No tents this year. The lake gets put on notice.
  3. OPENING JOB: WALLEYE AT DAWN First cast before the coffee. The eyes bite early.
  4. LAKE HOP The Boundary Waters is closed for fires this year, so we run the lakes around Ely instead. The walleye do not care which lake they get caught in.
  5. SHORE LUNCH Catch it, clean it, fry it lakeside. Best meal of the year, no debate.
  6. THE ROOKIE GETS MADE Nico earns his stripes. Ceremony details classified.
  7. THE NIGHT SHIFT Cards, lies, and stories that grow 20% a year.

LAST CASTthen somebody has to drive home. Not it.

The Vault

Honors nobody asked for and nobody can give back. Real winners get named on the trip.

πŸ†

The Big One

Biggest fish of the trip. 2025 champ: Seamus. Officially measured at the boat, unofficially growing every time he tells it. The bar is set.

🎣

The Closer

Most fish landed. 2025 champ: AJ. Last cast of the night somehow always has one on it. Quantity has a quality all its own.

🐟

The Itty Bitty Fishy

Smallest catch of 2025: Chase. Yes, the Don himself. Held up like a trophy, released out of mercy. The family will never let it go.

πŸ”₯

The Send-It Award

Big Nick. Hardest-charging good time on the water, and he still nets your trophy when it counts. Full commitment, every single trip.

🎣

Two Rods, One Livewell

Danny. Runs two rods because one is for suckers. Half the stringer already has his name on it and he will happily remind you.

😴

First to Fold

JT. First man down by the fire, every year, undefeated. The family keeps the receipts. Especially the photos.

πŸͺ

The Rookie's Promise

Neeks. Calls his shot every single year: this is the one where he lands the big one. The family is still waiting, lovingly, cooler in hand.

🍳

The Golden Spatula

Shore lunch excellence under pressure. Up for grabs every year. Michelin has not returned our calls. The family gives no stars, only seconds.

πŸ€₯

Best Fish Story

Not the biggest fish, the biggest lie about one. The most competitive award in the family, and the only one everybody enters.

🐟

Swimming With the Fishes

Reserved for every walleye that meets the family this year. Nothing personal. It's just business, and up here, everybody swims with the fishes eventually. They knew what this was.

Made Man Trivia

Boundary Waters, walleye, and family lore. Prove you belong. No Googling, no snitching.

NO GOOGLING. NO SNITCHING.

The Wire

Leaked from the family group chat. Real quotes, real geniuses. Nobody here is innocent.

πŸŽ£πŸ›ΆπŸŸπŸ”₯πŸŽ–οΈ Walleye Mafia 🀌 7 people

The planning begins, as it always does:

Sun 9:14 PM
The DonBoats booked. Same lake. Bring the cooler.
Danny Two RodsBringing two rods obviously
The NetBringing the net. Somebody has to save your trophies again.
Nicothis is the year i catch the big one. calling it now
The ConsigliereHe says that every year and he's been in the family for one year

Fresh leaks get posted here all season. This is a sample. The real gold goes on the record once the crew starts talking.

The Files

The long versions. Trip legends, close calls, and whatever needs to go on the permanent record. Family only.

Every good story grows 20% a year. This is not a bug. This is the system working.

Opening the files…

The Lake Report

Ten days out from Ely, straight from the sky. Rain, smoke, wind, or shine: the family fishes.

Sniffing the air…

Reading the sky…

Forecast courtesy of the atmosphere. Bite guarantee not included.

The Territory

The family's waters, all around Ely. The Boundary Waters is closed for fires this year, so we're fishing everything else. The best spots are not on the map. Nice try.

The Back Room

Trash talk, corrections to the official record, and trip planning. Family only.

πŸ”’ This room is for the family. What's the password? (security is very important to us)