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Today's Top 5
Slush melons of the week!
1. Shout-out to Ashley Casperson who said she and Danny Bacon had to break ice going out πŸ₯Ά but then also broke her new PB walleye with this 12.74-lber that was just over the magical 30" mark. She said it ate a 1/2-oz Meegs Jig on Lake Huron. πŸ”₯ Congrats!
2. The Vosburgh group got it done outta Border View Lodge on Lake of the Woods! I mean a 29.5" walleye is a truly special fish...but it was probably overshadowed by the 60-INCHES of sturgeon they were able to pluck thru an 8" hole afterwards. 🀯 Broke their rod, but not their hearts...this time lol:
Yup, Border View Lodge already has their ice houses out and ready, and the fish are chewing. They bite all-year-round and all-day-long on Lake of the Woods, but early-ice is seriously special. πŸ’―

3. And how about WY showing out? πŸ‘€ Yup, that's Wyoming! @derelict_fishing said:

> "Never in a million years did I think I'd crack a walleye of this caliber in Wyoming, let alone from the mud puddle I found her in. She absolutely obliterated my Livetarget Golden Shiner Rattlebait, 5' under my hole."
Amazing! Anything is possible when you're hatch-matchin'. 😏🎯
Wait...I was wrong. Apparently that ^ was the color he used while harassing trout just a few days prior. He actually caught that big, surprise walleye on the "gold/black" color, which looks like this:
"State record jumbo perch right out of the [MN] Metro."
- That's Levi Waldhauser goofing in the caption of this pic posted in the Ice Fishing Minnesota FB group:
Can you imagine?! 😳

For sure another one to file under this category:

> "Don't think you can return that back to Petco after that picture."

> "That's a dandy sewer salmon."

And all this time I thought "sewer salmon" were brown, not gold.... πŸ˜…
Ever try oversized panfish jigs for walleyes?
Maybe accidentally....

Like Dylan Foui who was busy whacking crappies when this golden bruiser (they're not all greenbacks in Manitoba πŸ˜‰) inhaled his panfish jig. Was able to wrassle'er in on 4-lb test with his Elliott Rods Inhaler:
But how about on purpose?

If you're fishing on pressured waters or stuck in a brutal negative bite...try tying on an oversized panfish jig with a minnow head or finesse plastic. Sounds goofy, but it's a little trick a handful of #dialed guides have been using the last few years on crowded lakes or in clear water.

The biggest 1/16-oz Clam Drop Jig XL (left) has just enough hook gap on that little #8 to fish with the pinched-off head from a fathead minnow. If you wanna bump things up to a full minnow – yet still have a super compact presentation – try the 1/8-oz Clam Drop Jig XXL (middle) which comes with a #4 hook, or the 1/8-oz JB Lures Doub'l D Jig (right) with a slightly larger #2 hook:
Bonus points: Also helps keep the "dinky" panfish away. Nothing wrong with stumbling across a 14" crappie or 10" bluegill while chasing walleyes!
How's THIS for a first day on the ice of the season?!
Fishing YouTuber Alex Timm had himself a day πŸ’₯ kicking-off his 22/23 hardwater season:

> "The day was filled with big crappie, big bluegills and yes, that's a 42" muskie that took 1 hr and 25 min to reel in using 4-lb test on a Tuned Up Custom Rods Bullwhip and ACME Mick-E Tungsten Jig!"
Nicely done! It's all downhill from here, man! πŸ˜‚πŸ₯Ά Lol kidding...sorta....

Btw if you've been on the search, it looks like TUCR just got a few more Bullwhips in stock...but they go SO FAST. Of course you can always order a fully-customized one with a bit of a wait, but if you wanna snag one that's ready right meow = here's where to do it.
The newest "Top 5" of the week!
In case you missed it on YouTube, here's episode 29. 🍿 Hope you enjoy!
Big shout to Sea Foam for making this video series possible!
News

Walleye Willies Bait and Tackle in Stillwater. πŸ™Œ


> In a draft proposal...the DNR acknowledges that the dozen MN fish records established before 1980...might not be legitimate. Before that date the DNR didn't require record-fish submissions to be weighed on certified scales.

> ...until 1950, the agency didn't keep formal records of big fish.... It instead largely accepted as fact anglers' monster-fish claims – though at times their only validation was by Field & Stream magazine or other publications....

> There's no proof these or the other pre-1980 records are legitimate. But there's no proof they aren't. "Our supporting files for some of these older records are simply empty. There's nothing there.'' Thus the decision to label the pre-1980 records "historical.''

> "Going forward – and we hope to have the new record-keeping system in place by Mar 1, 2024 – we will open up the 12 species with records from before 1980 to new certified weight records."

> The DNR also proposes to add 18 species to its catch-and-release record book category, a program that now applies only to muskie, northern pike, lake sturgeon and flathead catfish. Because adding so many fish at once to this grouping might create workload problems for the DNR, 6 species a year over 3 years...."

Which would have walleye rolling out with the last group in 2026. Lot more info here.


Everyone is welcome – Twin Cities Walleyes Unlimited meetings are open to the public. Not sure what Hoyer's charging for autographs nowadays tho. πŸ˜‰


Marc Bacigalupi (sort of pronounced like Botch-uh-guh-lou-pee) who's extremely knowledgeable, passionate and a straight-up GREAT guy! Mark began his career with the DNR in 2001 and had been the Brainerd area fisheries supervisor since 2010.

Congrats man, well-deserved! Tho I'm selfish and would rather have you around the Brainerd area lol.


Interesting read – the general consensus is no way in, well.... πŸ’πŸ’


I've heard these Marble Eye Jig Heads from Walleye Nation Creations are legit. πŸ’―

> "...bright, contrasting colors, big eyes for a target, and a stubby nose that creates strike-inducing action. Jig or cast the Marble Eye lure into moving water with your soft plastics, which the strong baitholder will keep fast to the XX-strong hook. Let the swimming motion in the current do the fishing for you."


> ...taxpayers bankrolled more than 50 uranium mills in the lead-up to the Cold War, but despite promises the government has failed to address the widespread water pollution from the mills, according to a ProPublica investigation.


At the Orange County Convention Center in the always-muggy-and-a-zillion-degrees-in-July Orlando, FL. 😜πŸ₯΅πŸ˜°


Johnson owns Humminbird and Minn Kota among other brands:

> In Fishing [division], despite continued strong demand revenue declined by 5% driven primarily by ongoing supply-chain disruptions that slowed our ability to complete and ship finished goods....


Time to buy stock in pontoon companies lol.
Big thanks to Scott Mackenthun for the love! πŸ‘Š Now we'll need to hit the ice next time....
Few TargetWalleye.com Highlights




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Tip of the Day

The best ice anglers I know constantly run-and-gun, and hole-hop their way into a solid bag of fish...sometimes. πŸ€” Other times – especially early ice – you're better off letting the fish come to you. Oh, and deadsticks aren't just a walleye thing:
Meme of the Day
Crikey! βœ‚οΈπŸ‘‹
Not to be insensitive, RIP Steve Irwin! And super cool to see the fam living out his legacy.
Today's 'Eye Candy
Killer pic posted on the @northlandtackle Instagram of a big Glass Buck-Shot Spoon eater coming topside. 😍
That's a brand new bait that's out now. Here's what makes it different:

> "...constructed of a lead frame, features a high-pitched glass rattle and is entirely encased in a clear hard resin. The resin's contact with the rattle transfers sonic vibrations to the exterior of the spoon triggering fish to strike. The exterior resin also looks like a natural, semi translucent baitfish while protecting the paint against scratches and chips."
Parting Shot
Dorsals up! Awesome @btollefsonfishing shot:
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Friends of Target Walleye
Who is Target Walleye

Target Walleye – walleye during open water and all species during hardwater – is brought to you by Al Lindner, Jim Kalkofen, Jay Kumar, Brett McComas and other diehard fish-heads like you!
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

ο»ΏTo send us walleye pics, ice shots or whatever, just respond to this email or click here to email us. Or post it on the Target Walleye Facebook page.
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