Heads up: This will be the only Target Walleye this week. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! Hope your day is filled with family, food and fishing...or at least fishing stories.... Heck, you might even be servin' up walleye instead of turkey? We are πŸ™‹β€β™‚οΈ and know this guy probably is:
And If you are sneakin' out on the hard stuff...be safe out there!! Just because you see someone else out on the ice, does NOT mean it's safe everywhere:
Those ice-safety charts are great and all but they do ZERO good unless you actually know how thick the ice is = checking every step with a spud bar (aka ice chisel). Just because a spot had walkable ice yesterday, doesn't mean it will have safe ice the next day, or later in the day when the wind picks up. When in doubt, give it a few extra days to thicken up.

> If you're getting Target Walleye for the first time, a friend probably signed you up! <
Today's Top 4
Early ice: How to use a "spud bar" to check thickness.
Annual post 'cuz it's that important!

Stop using your "spud bar" (aka chisel) as a walking stick and start learning what each swing means for you in actual inches of ice.

Three hard swings might mean 2" of ice for some...might mean 5" for others. Completely depends on which specific chisel you're using, how hard you're swinging it, and the quality (hard or soft) of the ice:
Take your time and check the whole way out – and back – not just at the ramp. Ice picks around your neck are a must and probably the cheapest insurance you can get. Wear a life jacket and/or consider treating yourself to a "flotation-assisting" suit like in the vid above. Flat out: If you break through the ice, it'll help get you back out...not weigh you down. What more does a guy need to say?

Btw I'm not sure if Clam makes ice chisels anymore? If you're looking for another mean spudster, check out the Rapala Two-Piece Chisel – absolutely shreds ice.

Now, I also like to slap a cut-down 36β€³ Transparent Boat Ruler from Quik Measure Pro onto my chisel so I can quickly check ice thickness – while "spudding" my way out – by hooking the lip of the chisel on the bottom of the ice. Why? 'Cuz the less things I have to carry from hole to hole, the better:
'Eye candies of the year?! 😍
Gotta get something off my chest. πŸ‘€ I used to be a fan of Jake Billings...but now I'm an air conditioner (lol). Dude always seems to be posting A+ content on his Instagram, and these next snaps are no different. A little something he called, "Walleye portraits and their exposure negatives." Check it out:
How dang cool is that?!?! πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘
Lol sorry I had to. πŸ€·β€β™‚οΈ

Okay, next up from Jake:
Now time for a little dorsal fin love, and also what happens when you keep 'em out of the water too long for pictures in the winter (lol). #IceIceBaby #TooCold #TooCold
Keep doing your thing(s), man!
GM buys 25% stake in electric outboard company for $150 mil.
Wow! This πŸ’£ came out of nowhere! That electric outboard company = Pure Watercraft who we've mentioned in TW a number of times.

> The deal is worth $150 mil, though that's split between cash and payment-in-kind contributions from GM. The two companies didn't tell CNBC what that split will look like, but GM "will become a supplier of components to Pure Watercraft, a co-developer of new products, and will provide engineering, design and manufacturing expertise to help [Pure Watercraft] establish new factories," according to the report.

My first impressions?

It's tough to imagine an electric outboard ever pushing a big rig as fast or long as I'd like it to. But – BUT...then I saw this quote from Troy Lindner that turned my brain into an actual mind-blown emoji:

> Troy: "Electric augers are now the norm, that didn't take long...."

🀯 Ummmm WHOA. Carry on, Troy:

> We all, to some extent, fear change. But it didn't take long for gas augers to be replaced by electric. Electric augers years ago: "Too expensive." "Not enough power." "Can't drill enough holes." "Can't drill through thick ice."

Facts. Now look how hard it is to sell a used gas auger....
Free boat-wraps up north!
Mika Vornanen wasn't going to let Mother Nature stop him from enjoying a little quality time with his Lund 1900 Tyee. #diehard
πŸ₯ΆπŸ₯ΆπŸ₯Ά
News
Amazing fella who was incredibly dedicated towards introducing kids to this sport that we all love so much. He was one of the founders of the Student Angler Tournament Trail and a coach for the Grand Rapids Thunderhawks high school fishing team. But it wasn't just the youngsters he wanted to get into fishing...it was anyone and everyone.

I think the first time I had actually met Stephen in person was at an event where we had volunteered as guide boats to get Veterans out on the water for the day. Knew within exchanging the first 5 words with him, that he was a 100% genuine dude who flat-out loved to bring a smile to folk's faces and share his passion for fishing, of course, but also his passion for life.

Love this quick excerpt from a Grand Rapids Herald-Review post:

> "You always knew when you saw the Lund coming across the lake with a guy in a black cowboy hat that it was Stephen and he would say there was an open seat in the boat, come on along it's got the makings of a dandy day. One of his favorite sayings was that he was tougher than woodpecker lips and he truly was until the very end. He would be happy if everyone helped pass on his legacy by getting just one person introduced into the outdoors so that his love of life and the outdoors can continue to shine forever."

The walleye world won't be the same without him. Rest in peace, fishing brother. πŸ™βœοΈ *Tips hat


Huge props to Tucker Smith and Logan Parks for each winning $500K (before taxes of course, but still WOW!) at the Bass Pro Shops US Open National Bass Fishing Championship on MO's Table Rock Lake. Can you even imagine?! They caught 'em fishing a Daimiki rig for bass suspended 20' down over 100' on their live sonar.


The 27,400 sq ft expansion of its Eufaula plant is creating about 77 new jobs. The expansion will also increase production and assembly areas by more than 25%.


Worth a read if 'skies are your thing. They had implanted radio transmitters into numerous muskies and tracked the fish throughout the summer months to evaluate the effects that warm water catch-and-release fishing may have had on the population. Sounds like roughly 1/3 of the fish that were caught died post-release, even when carefully handled and released.


They also have lithium powersport batteries (ATV, snowmobile, etc) designed to help you accelerate faster, recharge quicker and last longer. My rigs always seem to sit quite awhile between use, so I love that those X2s maintain their charge so much longer.

Carl Jocumsen made the swap:
Obviously lithium is a little more expensive, but I'm willing to pony up for performance. And I think you'd be surprised at how much the cost of lithium has actually come down. I found the right one for my rig using the "Battery Finder" on the Batteries+ website and the cost was $159.99 and then got 10% off thru the site.


Obviously can't compare to 2020 πŸš€ because it was a freak situation, but still:

> In the first half of 2021 license sales were 8% higher than 2019. ...women participating at numbers 16% higher than in 2019. Regarding new recruits, defined as people not observed buying a license in the past 10 years, their numbers for Jan through June were 16% greater than 2019.


8. MN: Voyager Industries expanding into Staples.

Voyager Industries (Yetti Fish Houses, Black Line Conversions, Bear Track Trailers, and more) is getting another 34,000 sq ft = so much room for activities! They're headquartered in Brandon, but also operate facilities in Evansville and Pine River. If you didn't know, all Yetti Fish Houses are 100% completed in-house. πŸ‘Š


...the new Buck-Shot Coffin Spoon from Northland Tackle. πŸ’― Ton of specifics that only B-Rad can deliver:
Tip of the Day

Joe is a wealth of walleye knowledge πŸ™Œ so when he finds something fascinating = you can bet I do too. And of course the live-strike footage will never get old, but especially true when it's an absolute tank:
Looking forward to seeing more videos on your YouTube channel, dude!
Meme of the Day
There's nothing better than spending time with loved ones, but....
Chill, mom...it's just a joke. 🀣😘❀️ See you tomorrow lol.
Today's 'Eye Candy
Can't stop gawkin' at Nick Speckman's sunset snap from a couple years back. Caught jerkin' a Rapala Slab Rap on MN's Upper Red Lake:
Parting Shot
If you're heading to the lake: Take your time and be safe out there! Early-ice can be unpredictable (lol this one has been around for a few):
Thx much for reading! Have a great + safe weekend.
Sign up another fish-head!

If you're forwarding Target Walleye to a friend who loves to walleye-fish or want your fishing buddies to get these emails, just send us their email addresses and we'll take care of it! (We won't sell the addresses, use them for spam, etc.)
Check this stuff out!
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.
 P.O. BOX 2782
Baxter, MN 56425
 (218) 824 5026