If you're getting Target Walleye for the first time, a friend probably signed you up! |
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Ned Rig: The best WALLEYE bait no one's throwing. |
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Some of my biggest walleyes EVER have been caught on a jigworm...which I believe you kids call Ned Rigs nowadays π. Lots were caught on accident while bassin' in the weeds, but more and more on purpose over the last few years....
I did a Target Walleye write-up a few springs ago called "Ned Rig: The best WALLEYE bait no one's throwing," and figured it was (finally) time for some video proof. Being Saturday of Memorial weekend, the lake was absolutely hopping. But the good news is most of the boats were fishing waaaay out in deeper water, so I had a ton of the shallow shoreline breaks and humps to myself.
Btw all the gear I used (sizes, weights, rods, reels, you name it) is linked in the vid's description. ππ Hope you dig it and thx much for watching!!!
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UPDATE: Didn't realize until now that Clayton Schick had just posted a Ned Rig walleye video too. Wasn't trying to ride any coattails π but pretty cool to finally see some other folks deploying the deadly Nedly for walleyes on purpose. Here's his vid: |
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Did you know there's an international rod building competition? |
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> "...to deliver to custom rod builders more opportunity to showcase their ingenuity, creativity, and craftsmanship."
Would be a whole lotta drool flying around if I was able to be there in person β π wow:
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Here's a quick look at the top-3 contestants from this spring's show: |
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Tom Boley's slip-bobber tricks for walleyes (π₯ RAPID FIRE!) |
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Fishing YouTuber Tom Boley packs a pile of info into his vids, so for sure worth watching 'em for yourself over on his channel...but here's a few quickie specifics I pulled from one of his newest slip-bobbering videos that I feel are important to dissect. Dude's a quick talker so did my best to keep up lol:
> Not casting unless he sees fish...Spot-Locks the second they show up on the graph, and fires the bait out right on their face.
> Uses his rod length to help set/change the bobber-stop's depth quickly. Ex: If a 7β² rod...then about 2 rod lengths of line = set at 14β².
> Will sometimes run the bigger sizes in the Thill Pro Series Slip Float (right) in shallower water early in the season, but says his overall favorite float is the big 3/8-oz Thill Wobble Bobber (that 3/8 isn't the weight of the bobber, it's the amount of weight it'll support without sinking). Has a grommet on both ends so the line flies through it, and says it tangles up less on the cast.
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> Use nylon bobber stops β don't want the ones that feel like twine.
> He single-hooks the leech right through its sucker.
> Sometimes runs a plain hook when fishing super shallow, but says they're harder to cast (than a jig) and tend to tangle more often.
> Uses a 1/16-oz jig the most in 8-15β². Has to be a super-wide-gap jig for hooking and holding fish β problem with most other lighter jigs is they have a crappie-sized gap. Will bump up to 1/8-oz jig when deeper in 15-25β².
> Likes running 10-lb Sufix braid for a main line 'cuz you're much more likely to hook a fish even with a little slack in your line. In clear water he runs a 3' leader of 10-lb fluorocarbon...shorter if the water's dirty.
> Swivel at the top of the leader with an 1/8-oz egg sinker so he can cast farther and get his bait down quicker. Will bump up to a 1/4-oz egg sinker (with the 1/8-oz jig) as the summer goes on and he's fishing that 15-25β² stuff.
> Says having a long rod is crucial for slip-bobbering β "this is not a thing you do with a 6β² rod." Needs the extra length for picking up all the loose slack on the hookset.
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> Says a "very soft tip and lot of load. When that fish takes the slip-bobber, you wanna get tight on that fish before you set...otherwise what happens is you end up setting the hook on a slack line...you don't know how far away that fish is from ya...."
> Basically pulls the angle out of the bobber (between you and the fish) before setting the hook...otherwise you're sorta just pulling your bobber down and not getting a good hook in the fish.
Phew, okay...I'm out of breath and I wasn't even the one talking lol.
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Jake Romanack catches walleyes on buzzbaits?! |
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Sorta.... π This press release is the first I had heard of Yakima's new Add-a-Buzz, which is "a buzz bait blade rigged on a wire harness that can be added to a host of trolling presentations." Check it: |
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> "Pick your poison. The Add-a-Buzz can be attached directly to the back of popular walleye trolling divers such as the Tadpole Diver, Jet Diver, Tru Trip Diver, Mini Dipsy and this unique attractor even works on in-line style sinkers like the Bass Pro Shops XPS Keel Sinkers.
> "As these devices are trolled, the Add-a-Buzz spins and puts out tons of fish attracting flash. ...spins even at the slowest trolling speeds and marries-up perfectly to spinner rigs, trolling spoons and even crankbaits. I like to run the Add-a-Buzz about 60-72" in front of my lure."
You Great Lakes guys/gals are wild lol.
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Ummmm...since when do snapping turtles eat hornets? |
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Guess they do when it's a Salmo Hornet.... What's your next move? |
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GREAT guy, and dude can catch 'em too! π Big congrats DQ!!
Straight-up amazing reel for the coin. I LOVE the 30-size for my walleye setups:
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And in case you're curious, like I was...here's a few things that are different on the XT:
> Has a faster gear ratio (6.2:1 vs 5.2:1) so you can pick up about 6" more line per crank.
> Weighs about 10% (or 1-oz) less.
> And more durable 'cuz of its aluminum main shaft and pinion gear.
> Oh, and they look freakin' gorgeous lol! I love the bigger cork handle too.
Slick upgrades for about a $20 difference. Check 'em out right here. I currently own 3 and hope to double that soon-ish.
There was no source given but believe it's US-wide. Hopefully our walleye gals make up that other 56%. ππ
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What the....
Pretty wild story. Dude was caught on security footage despite allegedly (from here) shooting 1 camera and stealing another. Crazy.
> "Because muskellunge are so elusive in our netting and electrofishing sampling efforts, muskellunge management relies heavily on angler reports to understand more about population abundance and angling success."
Sounds like a "motion" was attempted to be pushed thru April's PA Fish & Boat Commission meeting, before a heated discussion and the topic being tabled until next month.
> ...the owner of a "pay lake" business in NC coming up several times each year to the Seneca River in Onondaga County β particularly after the Wild Carp Classic each spring β to catch carp that he uses to stock in his pay lake.
> Currently there are no laws in NY, NC or SC that prohibit the practice of catching common carp in one state and transporting them to another for stocking....
Called the 040 Onset and has CPM S45VN steel = a newer βmartensitic stainless steel designed to offer improved corrosion and wear resistance....β And way more science-y stuff you knife-nuts will dig. |
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> Over the course of 5 weeks this summer, 10 contestants will complete a broad range of challenges and compete for the title of "On the Line Champion." That winner will reel in over $20,000 in cash and prizes, including a new fishing boat and a 12-month influencer contract with Catch Co.
> Starting now, creators with at least 500 subscribers on YouTube can submit an application for one of the 10 competition spots. When the contest kicks off this summer, contestants will film and publish one video each week based on a unique and rotating challenge. Who progresses and who is eliminated will be decided by an online audience vote and ratings from a panel of judges, including...Brian Latimer...Googan Squad member Lojo, and Catch Co founder and CEO Ross Gordon.
Apparently some 56 million-yr-old fossils found in Egypt prove it.
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Few TargetWalleye.com Highlights
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What's π₯ on Target Walleye's YouTube π₯
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> ...used to switch between Berkley FireLine and Berkley Nanofil...but now we all agree: The new[er] Berkley FireLine Ultra-8 Carrier is a mix of the 2 lines with the smoothness of Nanofil due to the 4 extra carriers and the abrasion resistance and strength of the original FireLine braid.
> In most walleye situations we use 10-lb, but moving up to 14-lb is sometimes necessary for heavy cover, zebra mussels or bigger fish.
> Berkley 100% Fluorocarbon leader material in 10-, 12- or 15-lb makes a great connection between the braid and lure. 24β³ of fluorocarbon is generally enough even in clear water and greatly reduces the number of times the leader knot goes through the guides of the rod.
> The combination of braid and fluorocarbon creates an ultra-sensitive connection between the rod and lure so the angler can sense every change in bottom composition as well as every bite.
> The weakness in this system is that the no-stretch line and heavy lure give...no room for error when fighting a big fish. In this case we change out...with a larger #6 Berkley Fusion19 Treble Hook for better hooking....
> If the boat driver finds a mark and wants to cast keep an eye on the orientation of the boat, wind, and fish. Since it is common to be well offshore, it can help to watch bubbles or a specific spot in the wake of the boat while the driver maneuvers.
> After the lure hits the bottom, jig it up and immediately give the lure some slack. Keeping tension on the lure will reduce the side-to-side action that makes Shiver Minnows special...makes a huge difference in the number of bites.
> ...the right motion creates a loop of line near the rod tip and involves a solid snap at the beginning of the stroke. Similarly, if the lake bottom is covered in moss, algae, or mussels timing your jigging stroke to stay above the bottom increases bites over time.
> Vary the height and number of jig strokes before letting the lure crash back down to the bottom. Many times, larger jumps will trigger fish but just as often this will pull the lure out of the strike zone. At the same time, fish occasionally suspend off the bottom and a larger stroke attracts their interest. Work both ends of the spectrum until a trend emerges.
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"Can you guess how many lures, crankbaits or naughty words this stump has caught?"
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Not sure who's spinner boxes these are, but they might have a more serious case of (self-diagnosed π€ͺ) OCD than I do lol. B-E-A-Utiful! |
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Colin Reimer went ALL day...with ZERO bites...until THIS happened = a 31" walleye of 10 lifetimes! Pic from @gibsontilley's Insta. Congrats man! |
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Talk about weekend goals! π― |
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Friends of Target Walleye |
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Who is Target Walleye
Target Walleye β walleye during open water and all species during hardwater β is brought to you by Al Lindner, Jim Kalkofen, Jay Kumar, Brett McComas and other diehard fish-heads like you!
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Brett McComas is the main man for Target Walleye He was discovered in Brainerd, MN after years of wondering how in the heck people break into the fishing biz. He's in it now, but still can't answer that question.... Brett is one of those guys who majored in marketing, only because there was no such thing as a "fishing degree" at the time.... Get him at brett@targetwalleye.com
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P.O. BOX 2782
Baxter, MN 56425
(218) 824 5026
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