Reminder: If your email program cuts off the bottom of this email, click "View this email in your browser" up top to see the whole thing. Sorry about that β email programs keep changing stuff.
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Have you a look at a $300K walleye! π€―π€
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> The two largest walleye fishing tournaments on Lake Erie, the Walleye Fall Brawl and the Walleye Slam, concluded on Sun, Nov 27, and results were officially announced following the completion of polygraph tests. This year, to ensure consistency, the tournament directors of both derbies collaborated on the post-tournament testing. The winner of both tournamentsβ¦
Was James Holton who caught a 31.5" Lake Erie behemoth that weighed 13.62 lbs [!!!] while running blue/chrome Bandits in 43-47'. And get this: It was their very first fish of the day after launching out of Lorain Harbor...came just 5 min after they had their rods set:
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Can you even imagine?! π³
They had actually planned to fish the river, but it was iced-up and so they weren't able to launch their boat. Full story here.
And the runner-up...
Tammy Stanton and captain Tee of Stiff Worm Charter landed a 32.25-incher that weighed 13.44 lbs on Nov 14. Believe that fish accounted for roughly $170,000 in winnings between the 2 derbies. π₯ BIG congrats, Tammy!
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(1/2-oz, 4.25"...aka 11cm), which for sure lived up to its name lol:
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"Alexa, add to cart." π
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Here's what an $88,598 aquarium decoration looks like....
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NWT pro Dustin Kjelden is getting ready for the 2023 tour season and would like some more structure for his walleye:
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Dustin won that 'decor' at the Missouri River NWT out of Chamberlain, SD last season with a 2-day total (10 fish) of 31.76 lbs:
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Did his damage trolling leadcore with Berkley Flicker Shads. Said white was his best color when it was sunny on day 1, and bright neon when it was cloudier on day 2:
> "I was trolling them slower than normal, around 1.8-2.0 mph, working the edge of the main river channel in 14-20β². I was running leadcore with 12β² and 6β² Denali Rods. There's not a lot of structure, which is why leadcore is so efficient here."
> For the better part of a decade, Dustin Kjelden was near the summit of the professional walleye world β trading blows and holding his own with the likes of Jason Przekurat, Tom Keenan, and Dean Arnoldussen. In 2009, he called it quits when work and family obligations proved to be too much. Last year, he restarted his professional career on the NWT.... His return season was solid as he finished 17th in the points race and qualified for the no-entry-fee championship.
> "Once tournament fishing is in your blood, it's always there. I've been wanting to get back in for a while...2020 taught me that life can be crazy, and that life is too short, so I jumped back in the following year.
> "I had questions if I could jump back in and keep up with these guys. Youth is a huge asset in this sport. Back when I was winning, I had youth on my side. It's awesome to know I can still compete. Chalk one up for the old guys."
Seriously impressive stuff, Dustin! πππ
β’ Mar 21-22: Illinois River β Spring Valley, IL
β’ May 17-18: Lake Winnebago β Oshkosh, WI
β’ Jun 22-23: Lake Francis Case β Pickstown, SD
β’ Jul 27-28 β St. Mary's River β Sault Ste. Marie, MI
β’ Sept 6-8: Championship β Devils Lake, ND
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There's a "Jason Voorhees" statue chained to the bottom of Crosby, MN mine pit...?
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> "A man-made lake in Crosby, formerly a mine pit, has been home to a slasher villain for a decade. Jason Voorhees, popularized by the 'Friday the 13th' film franchise, was placed 112' below the surface at Louise Mine Lake in 2013. Today you can still find him, creepy as ever."
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> "10 yrs ago, Doug Klein, a big fan of the movies, decided to create 'Jason' out of scraps he got from construction sites while working his day job as an electrician. Klein, who also scuba dives, borrowed a fake head from his diving buddy, Curtis Lahr and spent around $30 on some thrift store clothes.
> "...Jason's depth of 112' means only an advanced open-water diver would be able to access him, and if you're down that low already, you're sure to see plenty of other amusing objects placed down there: flamingos, pirates, and a mermaid."
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Fun to look at, but I'm honestly a little confused on how it could be legal in MN? I mean I'd loooove to be able to place a bunch of random things in about 14-18' on the weededge right in that cabbage/coontail mix...would probably win every local derby no matter the species lol. π€·ββοΈ
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Well, until other folks found it with their Side Imaging or forward-facing sonar....
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I've never seen a perch like THIS!
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That's one special critter! π
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The newest "Top 5" of the week! π₯
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We're back! Sorry about the mini hiatus β took a little time off during Christmas/New Years, but we're back in the swing of things. Here's episode 31 in case you missed it on YouTube. πΏ Hope you enjoy!
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Big shout to Sea Foam for making this video series possible!
I picked up a new-to-me 1996 Polaris Indy 500 Classic Touring last season Yup, she's 27 years old! It was always a "fickle" starter.... I never knew if it was going to take 10 or 40 pulls when I was ready to get on or off the ice. π³π€¦ββοΈ So frustrating!
To start the season, I added an ENTIRE can of Sea Foam Motor Treatment to a low tank of fuel, ran it a few miles, then let it sit for a couple of days in my garage. Topped it off with 5 gallons of fresh, non-oxygenated fuel and now she's been firing right up β instantly β ever since! I seriously can't believe the difference that magical red and white can has made, it has brought my ice-fishing rig back to life. Thank you, Sea Foam!
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> Mark Pietig: "The fish house was being moved. Before the house was put back down, the smoke detectors started going off. Upon going inside the house, there were flames coming from under the couch that housed the batteries and hydraulic pump.
> "Being an electrical fire, water didn't suppress it and quickly got out of control.
> "The fire blazed very hot and the south wind pushed the fire to the next house. There was nothing the owner could have done to prevent this situation. It was a mechanical malfunction that could have happened to anyone.
> "The owners of the houses and others fishing in the area did a great job cleaning up the site."
> "...crews brought the rescue buggy, a tracked all-terrain vehicle, to reach the fish houses. Responders drilled a hole and sucked water out of the lake with the buggy to extinguish the fires. A bucket line was also created to control the blaze. Bystanders helped pull two other fish houses away before the fire was able to spread further...."
> "The fire is believed to have started inside the battery box of one of the fish houses."
Multispecies derby (northern pike, walleye, sunfish, yellow perch, crappie and lake trout) that costs just $10 to enter and can be fished by any ice angler thru the FishDonkey app. Thousands of $$$ in Clam goodies up for grabs and a pile of different ways to win. Full scoop here.
This is the 24th year Perch America has stocked Wolf Lake with "advanced growth walleye fingerlings" which are more expensive, but the 5-7" fish have a much better survival rate. They've now added an estimated 124K advanced growth walleye to the lake.
Presented by the Brainerd Jaycees β who also host the world's largest in-person ice fishing derby. This 3rd-annual virtual event will be open to anyone in the U.S. who has fishable ice and will be hosted thru the FishDonkey app from 8am to 3pm on Sat, Feb 4.
> "Eligible species for the tournament are walleye, northern pike, crappie, perch and sunfish. Participants will still need to use a commercially available bump board or measuring board to submit official fish measurements.
> "With a total prize list over $20,000, contestants are eligible to win one of 50 prizes scattered throughout the top 350 places, including $2,500 cash, based on point-awarded fish values."
> Women now account for 37% of anglers in the US, the highest level on record according to the Special Report on Fishing announced at ICAST 2022 by the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF) in collaboration with the Outdoor Foundation.
> 19.4 mil women went fishing in 2021, an 8% increase in fishing outings since 2019. 1.6 mil female participants were first timers. The total number of fishing outings for females in 2021 was 288 mil.
> "Research shows eating 1 freshwater fish a year is similar to drinking PFOS-contaminated water for a month." π
I've been testing the new Striker Ice Apex Bibs and Jacket for the last couple weeks and have been seriously impressed. It's got to be the first "float suit" I have ever worn β in any brand β that didn't feel restricting and bulky. It's crazy comfortable and light weight...which is just not normal with "float suits." Not sure how they did it, but I'm glad they did!
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At the Minneapolis Convention Center. That's 400,000 sq ft of boats, docks and lifts, and marine accessories.
Man, if you put this thing down during the burbot spawn they'd probably but bumping and grinding all over it:
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Few TargetWalleye.com Highlights
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In this AnglingBuzz write-up and video, Joel Nelson talks about how he picks out a spot to set up shop in the mud...he first looks for small irregularities on the contour map...
> "In the image above you can see two subtle points that stick out along the edge of the flat. Those two spots are more likely to harbor more walleyes than a random stretch along the flat, because there is a structure to hold them."
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...and then drops an underwater camera to see what's actually going on β lot of times there's more "uniqueness" down there on those contour blips than you might think:
> "A lot of anglers don't know these mudflats can have rocks, sand, small cracks, and other obscure structure on them that attract and hold fish."
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"I thought it was the muskies and pike that were supposedly eating all the walleyes?!"
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> Eric: "This scaly lady tried to rip the rod from my hand while I was checking the football score on my phone, what a rush! I may have only caught one fish during the flash bite last night but she was a good one β the PK Flutter Fish strikes again!"
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Sign up another fish-head!
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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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422 Laurel Street
P.O. BOX 541
Brainerd, MN 56401
(218) 824 5026
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