Awesome “hybrid bait” when walleyes don’t want rattles.

Ready or not, the iceman cometh! So we're gonna start sprinkling more and more ice nuggets in here going forward.

I’m going to let Troy Lindner formally ease us into that transition ‘cuz he’s just too good at this meme stuff. Even had "Raider's March” by John Williams playing in his post:

Now on to the frosty goods.... 🥶🧊🕳️

There’s almost no better feeling than when a walleye comes flying in and absolutely crushes a rattlebait:

Those are the days we live for!

Unfortunately you also have days where rattlebaits will actually spook the fish off, and send them fleeing in the opposite direction faster than they were coming in:

If walleye’s aren’t reacting positively to all that thunder down under 🛎️🪇📣 that’s when I like to bust-out the “silent but deadly” Rapala Slab Rap:

> “With quick rod snaps the Slab Rap searches in wide, erratic directions, circling back to center after pause. Lift-drop motion creates subtle vibration on rise, followed by evasive side-to-side motion on the fall. Weight forward design enables a rocking action for triggering negative fish.”

Here’s a full video breakdown of when/where/why/how I fish ‘em, complete with multiple fish catches and some tasty LiveScope footage. Hope you dig it!

Btw all of the gear I use (specific sizes, weights, you name it) is always linked in the video’s description on YouTube.

Every once in a while I come across something that completely blows my mind.

This time, it was the fact that this is NOT a real walleye...it’s a replica. 🤯

I’ve been following this guy named James Friesen on Instagram for a long time now. Never met him, but he’s got a big beard 😅 and an eye for unique critters and outdoors shots – so obviously I hit follow.

Saw that he recently started a new venture called FREEZN REPLICAZ based out of the Winnipeg, MB area and dude is unbelievably dialed in “the art of immortalizing your trophy fish.”

I mean, they look real! Or somehow even better than real:

My 2 cents when it comes to skin mounts vs replicas...

Ultimately that’s the angler’s choice to make as long as it’s within the law, so please respect whichever decision they make.

That being said, I’m a big replica guy. I prefer to snap a few quality pics, take accurate measurements and return those bigguns back to the water to 1) breed and keep those genetics in the system, 2) get more bigger-er, and 3) give someone else the opportunity at boating the memories and fish of a lifetime.

Bonus points that replicas last forever...’cuz we’ve all seen what happens to those old skin mounts after years of hanging in gas stations, bait shops and hotel lobbies lol. 🫠

AND you can decide to get a replica whenever you want. That special fish/memory you caught yeeeeaaaarrrrssss ago and regret not putting ‘er on the wall – it’s not too late.

My biggest problem with replicas...

So many replicas out there (IMO) look like carbon copies of everyone else’s. Zero uniqueness and don’t look anything like the actual fish that was caught. 🤷‍♂️

Obviously, as you can tell by the pics above, that’s not the case for all artists. And clearly FREEZN REPLICAZ is doing things differently...differently in a really good way.

Speaking of uniqueness 👀 I’m not sure there’s anything out there that better falls under that category than those mythical “greenback” walleyes from Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba. The hues, colors, shapes...greenbacks are like a box of chocolates hahaha!

Apparently FREEZN REPLICAZ can absolutely nail those too. 🥵

This isn’t some kind of paid endorsement, or favor, or anything like that. This is just me coming across someone who’s incredibly talented and clearly passionate about what they do – and he should be because he does it super well.

I don’t believe he has a website yet, but If you’re interested in having a memory done-up, you can send him a direct message on the FREEZN REPLICAZ Instagram page.

Hopefully one day I can catch a “greenback” that’s worthy of his expertise! Which reminds me I should get something planned and in the calendar asap because otherwise it never happens....

“If you want to continue catching big fish, keep only the small ones.”

– Quote is from this article about keeping those big-fish genetics in the lake. Gord Pyzer and Jeff Matity (in charge of SK’s hatchery program) teamed up to tackle this always-controversial topic a few years ago, but imo it’s too important to not bring it back to life...so dropping a few excerpts below:

> Protecting large, mature fish is now seen as so vital to maintaining healthy fish populations that fisheries scientists are referring to the concept as the big, old, fat, female fish – or BOFFF – hypothesis.

> Fish are cold-blooded animals that reproduce their entire lives...a 10-lb female walleye will typically produce eggs equivalent to 1/3 of her body weight. They get better and better as they age and never reach their peak.

> Last spring Matity recovered 5-lbs of roe – approximately 300K eggs – from one 11-lb walleye...practically all of those eggs would have been viable. With a 2- to 3-lb walleye only 20-30% of the eggs would hatch.

> Big fish have the biggest, juiciest eggs with the best yolk sacs, so each one is a bigger target for a sperm to find. Big spawners are the critical part of the reproductive pyramid.

> ...big bass are critical in controlling the spread of invasive rusty crayfish, which predate heavily on walleye eggs. Who would’ve thought that big bass might hold the key to better walleye populations?

No doubt we’re learning more every day about things we can do to help protect the resource. And Gord dropped another 💣 in 2021 where he found a study that scientifically proved releasing big fish, and keeping only small ones, improves a fishery. Check this out:

> ...subjected captive populations of Atlantic silversides to 3 different size-selective harvesting regimes...showed that within only 4 life spans of the largest fish being harvested, the remaining silversides were smaller, less fertile and converted food less efficiently than before. ...they discovered the exact opposite results when the harvest was concentrated on the smallest members.

There ya have it. Obviously that study’s not specifically talking about walleyes, but interesting stuff nonetheless.

History is bound to repeat itself….

Both in good ways and bad.... 👀

Remember the “crappie boom” on MN’s Upper Red Lake? Some info from this super detailed Brad Dokken write-up:

> Crappie populations in Red Lake exploded in the late ’90s and early-2000s in the wake of a collapse in walleye populations driven by overfishing in state and tribal waters. With few predators in the system, crappies moved in to fill the void, and anglers by the thousands flocked to Upper Red to enjoy the bounty.

> Practically overnight, the town of Waskish on the east shore of Upper Red went from ghost town to boom town. Slab crappies in the 14″ range – and occasionally larger – were common, and the boom lasted several years.

Folks were literally filling 5-gallon buckets with ’em...basically until they were gone.

Now I am not saying that’s the ONLY reason they vanished. Most of the crappie boom in the early 2000s was driven by an off-the-charts hatch in 1995. And the last strong crappie year-class (until recent years) was in 1997.

But you can’t tell me that folks keeping hundreds and hundreds of thousands of crappies outta there over the years didn’t impact reproduction. 🤔🤷‍♂️

> The DNR didn’t start conducting annual creel surveys on Upper Red until May 2006, when walleye fishing reopened. That was right at the end of the crappie boom...and anglers kept about 37,000 crappies during the winter of 2006-07.

> Tony Kennedy, large lake specialist for the DNR in Bemidji: “We see crappie reproduction every year. We catch the little ones in the seine hauls, but they never recruit to the fishery – they never survive. In 2010, we saw a few – in ’10, ’11, ’12, ’13, that range in there – but that wasn’t even really enough to be noticed by anglers....

Well, some noticed 🤓 I can tell you that I snuck up there about 8 yrs ago now (Mar 2016) to target crappies on purpose and we were able to put a couple dozen fish topside – never measuring a crappie under 12". Btw we released every one we caught.

And so what about now?

> Based on DNR creel surveys, anglers landed an estimated 15,000 crappies [last] winter on Upper Red...compared with about 900 crappies, on average, over the previous 10 winters or more.

> The current uptick in crappies, he says, is driven by a strong year-class in 2018 and a series of weaker year-classes beginning in 2010. A year-class refers to the number of fish recruited to the population from a particular year’s hatch.

Some resorts chose to keep their rentals going (after the walleye season closed) to run crappie trips. I don’t blame them one bit! They have tons of bills to pay and extremely short seasons to try and do it.

Some operations chose a different approach:

> Outdoor Authority: “We have been asked over and over to stay open for crappies. We feel that the 3 good year-classes of crappies in Upper Red would benefit everyone more. If they would be able to make it and spawn...giving us a better age structure and higher numbers of crappies in the years to come. Not saying that you can’t keep any or not to fish them. Go ahead and fish them. It’s just the approach we are taking to help the crappie population in Upper Red Lake.”

This next chunk is just my 2 cents. Take it for what it’s worth, which isn’t much haha.

Personally, I don’t understand folks wanting to keep and kill every single HUGE crappie they catch outta there. Yeah maybe that’s easy for me to say since I might get out fishing more often than others, or have more opportunities to keep a few smaller fish for a meal out of a different lake....

But to me, those URL crappies are just a special kind of critter. They grow insanely tall, have stretched-out scales, big foreheads, and eat basically anything that you put in front of their face. Plus how are you ever going to catch a 15- or 16-incher if you keep all of the 12-14s?

I would love to see some kind of a length/slot limit, or a reduced bag limit, or a combination of both?? In the meantime the best I can do is try to inform people about the importance of selective harvest and only keeping what you need for a meal.

I know that if folks are keeping #s and size of fish that are within their legal limit, well then I should probably just mind my own business. “Watch your own bobber” is what I always say lol! But it’s just something I wanted to get off my chest. This could be the start of a very special population of fish, and I guess it’s just hard to sit back quietly and watch every one that gets caught hit the pavement.

I just don’t want history to repeat itself – we already know how that story ends....

Speaking of Upper Red ake crappies....

The Crappie Chronicles crew hit it up late-Feb last year and and absolutely hammered ‘em. They just dropped nearly an hour-long episode from their trip, but it has some cool history, visuals and a good message about protecting the fishery:

New “Top 5” vid coming in hot! 🥵

Just dropped episode 62 on our YT channel, which has a bunch more bait info from the new SD state-record walleye(s) that I hadn't shared in here yet. 🍿 Hope you dig it!

Thanks so much for taking time out of your day to watch and leave a comment!!!

1. MN: It’s now illegal to place any garbage or waste on lake ice.

Not just when someone purposely leaves it there when they take off like a littering loser...but illegal to even place it on the ice at all.

I mentioned this was in the works, but it has actually passed.

> “Garbage, rubbish, cigarette filters, debris from fireworks, offal, the body of a dead animal, litter, sewage and any other waste needs to be stored inside your shelter, motor vehicle or any other conveyance – or inside a container that is secured to your shelter, motor vehicle or conveyance.”

Can’t just tie a garbage bag to something, because those love to freeze into the ice. Needs to be in a garbage can or container that’s attached so it can’t blow away.

Sounds like the penalty is $100, which feels to me like it should be higher. 🤷‍♂️ I believe the fine for littering on highways or streets in MN ranges from $400-$1,000?

2. Clam Outdoors partners with Folds of Honor.

> Clam Outdoors has developed an Ice Ops branded product line for the upcoming 2023-2024 ice fishing season and has partnered with Folds of Honor. Ice-Ops is an militaristic-themed lineup of ice fishing products designed by the Clam Research and Development team. The team at Clam decided to partner with Folds of Honor to provide benefits to others. Folds of Honor is a nonprofit organization that provides educational scholarships to the families of military men and women, and first responders, who have fallen or been disabled while on active duty.


> A portion of all Ice-Ops product sales will go directly to Folds of Honor for continued educational scholarship support for family members of the military and first responders. Folds of Honor has been responsible for awarding over 44K educational scholarships to military or first responder families since the foundation’s formation in 2007.

Love to see it!

3. MN: Mille Lacs fall netting results (part 2).

Lots of interesting info. I agree with some of it, but also some just doesn’t line up with what I’m seeing while on the water.

Btw big props to guide Tony Roach for taking time out of his busy schedule to be a MLFAC (Mille Lacs Fisheries Advisory Committee) member and make known at these meetings what he’s seeing on Mille Lacs 👍 as he spends nearly every single day on the water chasing around fish.

4. ND: Fargo Scheels Ice Fest is this weekend.

5. MN: Blaine Hard Water Expo is this weekend.

At the National Sports Center.

6. MN: St. Paul Ice Show, Dec 1-3.

It’s the 30th anniversary of what a lot of folks call “the Super Bowl of ice shows” that takes place each year at the St. Paul RiverCentre, where you can “shop more than 190 exhibits with products and services dedicated to the die-hard ice fishing and winter sports enthusiast.”

Multiple floors and sections – this is just one of ‘em!

7. Midwest: Most comprehensive list of ice shows/events I’ve seen.

Just came across this list from our friends at Catch Cover.

8. IL: World Walleye Association is hiring HS students.

> ...looking for self motivated high-school aged students who are interested in A/V production and social media to help produce our weigh-ins throughout the 2024 season.

Based out of Haling’s Marina Antioch, IL.

9. What’s Fish Hawk Electronics got up their sleeves now?

They posted on their FB:

> “After years of development and testing, the time is now. We're excited to introduce the latest generation of Fish Hawk Electronics Systems. Join us on Wednesday, November 29th, for the Fish Hawk Electronics Online Product Launch Show. The show starts at 7 pm Central, 8 pm Eastern. We'll unveil three new Fish Hawk products that we're incredibly excited about and believe you will be too.

> “The show features special guests who have tested the product for us this season, videos from on the water, and an opportunity for you to win a new 2024 Fish Hawk Electronics Ultra System. This will be our flagship product for 2024 and you could be one of the first to own one!

> “The LIVE launch show will be available on our Facebook and YouTube pages. At some point during the show, we'll ask viewers to comment with a specific word. This will be your entry into the drawing for a new Fish Hawk Electronics Ultra. The winner will be chosen at random during the show!”

Also, I saw Fishing 411 TV share that FB post and their caption said, "Smaller probe, less blow back and a rechargeable lithium battery. All great additions to a great product." 👀🕵️‍♂️😮

10. ID: Why walleye are considered a problem in ID.

11. UT inspected over 268K boats for quagga mussels this year.

> ...DWR conservation officers issued 455 citations and warning citations for violations of Utah laws established to prevent the spread of invasive mussels....

They performed 6,625 decontaminations...1,000 of those were using UT’s 3 “dip tanks” (located at the Stateline Ramp at Lake Powell, at Utah Lake and at Sand Hollow Reservoir) where folks would back their boat into a “dip tank” to rid it of invasive quagga mussels – instead of having DWR folks spraying it down:

Interesting, yes. 🧐 But after watching folks struggle to back their rigs into a 50’ double-wide boat ramp, I’m trying to imagine ‘em hitting that hole lol.

12. SD: Smallmouths aren’t eating many stocked walleye in Oahe.

Be tough for anything to take down a 16- or 17-lber lol.

13. NY wants to get rid of some floating docks.

> ...to limit the use of polystyrene foam in floating docks or platforms if it isn't covered or extrudes into the water.

> ...a 2014 study of Lake Champlain beaches showed foam was the most abundant pollution in the sand, followed by hard plastic and thin plastic film.

Apparently 5 other states have already banned polystyrene foam in floating docks – had no idea.

14. IA: Guttenberg south ramps closed Nov 27-Dec 1.

> ...for repairs due to extreme low water levels on the Mississippi River. Extensions will be added to all 3 ramps to assist with safe launch of boats.

15. OH: Sandusky River getting a grass carp barrier by '28?

> The fish is one of the species known as Asian carp or Copi that officials are trying to keep out of the Great Lakes.

16. NY: New law allows town boards to address aquatic invasives.

> ...the law gives communities more flexibility to address invasive species (such as zebra mussels and Asian clams, instead of just aquatic invasive plants).

17. Gotta give props to Premier Marine! 🙌

> “Part of our promise to Go Beyond starts with providing opportunities for Premier employees to donate their time and talents to charitable organizations. Last week we proudly teamed up with our friends at Lube-Tech to support HERO BOX and pack 1,650 Hero Boxes for veterans and active service members.”

18. Mercury earns 13th consecutive Green Masters designation...

...from the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council.

> The company’s sustainability accomplishments in 2023 include the introduction of 3 Avator electric outboards. Each electric outboard is crafted with many components that are recyclable or reusable. 2 more electric outboard products will be unveiled in the coming weeks as Mercury advances on its commitment to be the leader in electric propulsion.

19. MI is leading the charge for "marine electrification"?

Sounds ⚡️ sketchy! But they’re talking about electric boats.

20. ePropulsion has 3 new electric outboards.

> Hong Kong-based electric boat motor specialist ePropulsion has launched an all-new range of X Series outboard motors providing a choice of 12kW (16hp), 20kW (27hp) and 40kW (56hp)....

21. London says Bitcoin is shaping the evolution of digital fishing tourney.

Yeah right lol.

Jason Mitchell's favorite knot for horizontal panfish jigs.

> Jason: "If you ice fish with light line and have to use some of the smallest horizontal jigs for panfish, you need to know how to tie this knot. The snell knot is a very useful and functional knot for the smaller panfish jigs that have extremely small eyelets. Keeps small jigs fairly horizontal without having to adjust the knot."

Meme of the Day

IYKYK. 😅

@hookedbymatt and @robbieredneckjr found the MEGA-load on Bay of Quinte:

Insane fish! But equally crazy is all of its friends waiting down there. 😳

I saw this random post from a dude on a material run at Lowe's and it instantly reminded me of ice fishing lol:

That’s ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ accommodations on the ice! Only way to bump up to 5 stars is if you’ve got one of those fancy dry-flush toilets in a wheelhouse! Sign, seal and deliver hahaha.