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Spoiler alert: Z-Man's "tooth proof" ElaZtech isn't just for bassin'....

I think you're going to be hearing a lot more about Z-Man in the walleye world this season. Their stuff had already been crossing over bigtime from the bass world – ElaZtech softbaits have been catching walleyes for years – and now they've been adding quite a bit of stuff that looks killer for walleye:

Another "bassy" technique that had been catching a bunch of incidental walleyes = throwing ChatterBait bladed jigs. But now you've got folks saying enough is enough, why am I not throwing them for walleye on purpose?! Lol. Sorta like how Ned rigs became a thing for walleyes....

One of those ChatterBait slingers is NWT pro Dylan Nussbaum. Few interesting snippets from him:

> "Slowly dragging the ChatterBait WillowVibe with a Slim SwimZ or MinnowZ along bottom – pumping the rod to activate the blade and detecting its vibrations – is becoming a cool new way to trigger walleye strikes.

Looking goooood:

> In natural lake and reservoir settings, Nussbaum has also been aggressively retrieving standard bladed jigs, like the Eye Strike ChatterBait, dressed with a 4" or 5" Scented PaddlerZ.

I'm digging it. Seems like every time I throw a chatterbait for bass, I pick up a walleye or 3...even on lakes that just don't have many in 'em. Have also noticed that they're usually better fish when you do catch one on it – either fat 19" unders or else bigger 23-27" fish. 👀 Time to start playing around with 'em more....

What's scary (in a really good way) is Z-Man says they "feel like we're just getting warmed up and have a lot of great stuff in the works for our anglers." Ohhhh baby!

Can't imagine one bigger than this…tho I can't even imagine this one in the first place. Peter Hampe went to Holland in search of mega perch, and megas he caught, including this absolute freakazoid that went 54 cm and 3.4 kilos (21.25" and 7.5 lbs). 🤯 Brace yourself:

Yup, she was released (video) to get even more bigger-er. ♻️

Fish was caught on a 6cm Westin-Fishing BuzzBite in the "bling perch" color. #Cannibals

Congrats man! Don't know what else to say besides, "WOW!"

...but doesn't mean folks can't get their jumbo on! Here's a few recent piggies we've seen pop up on the social mediaz:

1. Patrick McCorkell caught a near-record perch (GA) on Mar 20 fishing below the Thurmond Dam in the Clarks Hill Lake tailrace on the Savannah River. He was drifting a live blueback herring on a bottom rig in 15' at first light – looking for striped bass, but wound up with a 16" long x 11" girth jumbo:

His scale wasn't working and let the fish go after taking those length + girth measurements, which calculated out to a guesstimated 2 lbs 6.72 oz. The current GA state record perch is a 16.5-incher that weighed 2 lbs 9 oz.

2. Brody Vance got himself an "egg wagon" on MI's Lake Gogebic. A place where the perch grow so fat that locals often call them "teeter pigs," because you can set them on their stomach and they don't teeter over lol. Fish came on a deadsticked 4mm tungsten jig tipped with a live wiggler:

3. And how about Bryce Wendorf (@wendorf98) lunch-boxing some real WI cheddar?! 🧀

After 4 years on the Detroit River, tourney pro Isaac Lakich finally got his downtown donkey pic he's been chasing. Incredible fish and pic, man!

...wearing these polarized, full-face UV sunglasses created by a Japanese company:

Gotta do what you've gotta do! 🤣 Funny thing is they'll still make fun of us for running a windshield rig hahahah.

Nate, owner of Della Bay custom rods, is in need of a kidney transplant and looking for a donor. It takes a ton of courage to ask for help – 🙏✝️ stay strong, man! More info in Nate's video:

...from 1,813 female walleye at Lake Pueblo State Park and Cherry Creek State Park from Mar 14-30.

...the last few years because of "a lack of food in the lake. Fish just bite better when they're hungry." Apparently "due to a drop in the lake's perch population, the primary food source for walleyes." According to this write-up chatting with a DNR fisheries manager.

I'll be curious to see how things shake out this season, 'cuz I have NEVER seen as many perch in the system as I did this fall and winter....

Met last year's goal of 200 mil eggs. They track the walleye spawn based on two factors:

I haven't seen any #s posted anywhere, but "thriving" is usually pretty good!

For Jigging Raps, Shiver Minnows, Tikka Minos, or even jigging spoons for ice fishing...you name it. Called the Lakewood Lure Vault and comes in 3 different sizes:

> ...removable/adjustable dividers can accommodate lures without tangle due to proprietary Lure Saver hook slots. ...sized to fit neatly in boat compartments with an outside dimension of 14" x 9.13" x 4" and can act as a compartment with some of Lakewood's other fishing case storage systems. The Lakewood tackle case comes with its own lifetime warranty.

Btw you can use the code: WALLEYE at checkout for 10% off all Lakewood goodies.

Dan Spengler is Berkley's "senior project manager for bait development, specializing in hard bait and terminal tackle design and development." In fishin' talk that means he designs hard baits and some other stuff haha.

Check out "Top Item #2" in Jay Kumar's last BassBlaster email for his chat with Dan.

Btw I also recommend following Dan on Instagram because he's always posting more sneak peaks and first looks than he's probably supposed to be. 😜🤫

Now comes in 4 sizes (1/4, 3/8, 1/2, and 3/4 oz) and I believe 13 colors. Clockwise from the top left = dead meat, maverick, big muddy and party boy:

Meaning not killing the carp, it's just trying to keep them away from the Great Lakes.

> Measures in the area of the Brandon Road Lock, a pinch point in the waterway upstream of Lake Michigan, will be installed, including acoustic deterrents, bubble curtains, an additional electric barrier, and locks that don't fully exchange the water so the fish can't swim freely upstream.

The total project is estimated to cost $858 mil. 🤑😳

...for milfoil. ProcellaCOR treatments supposedly only target milfoil, last for 3 years, and has zero effects on fish and other aquatic veggies.

Same herbicide treatment might be used on MA's Cocasset Lake.

In typical Tom Boley fashion, he does a great job of breaking down how and where he targets these early-spring fish when the water is super cold.

Tom was slinging a Kalin's Tickle Tail Swimbait on his 2B Fishing 6'10" ML XF. Of course way more details in his vid.

This one'll hit a few of you right in the feels:

Whole bunch of "Steves" out there lol.

Almost looks like someone cheeked-and-released this big gal years back.... 👀 Which btw don't get any funny ideas, 'cuz that'd be disgusting. Sick shot tho! From @elliottfishingrods Insta:

Good luck if you're getting out this weekend!

National Professional Anglers Assoc.