I met a dude named Jadyn Thomas earlier this summer at a walleye tourney on Gull Lake, MN. Super nice guy who always seems to be catching ‘em! Followed him over on Instagram just to keep tabs on all his hook-sets hahaha. We were messaging back and forth yesterday and he hipped me to a monster walleye his cousin caught from the bank the other night – enter Tyler Thomas.

Tyler knew the Oct full moon was going down and didn’t have school the next day, so snagged a few of his buddies and headed for a NoDak shore spot – current area on a small lake – to fish late into the night. He ended up sticking a THICK 29” walleye throwing a 1/4-oz VMC Neon Moon Eye Jig (chartreuse) paired with a 3.5” Berkley PowerBait Ripple Shad (white). Wow!!!

🔥 Big congrats on the new PB, man!

Came across these Humminbird SOLIX screenshots on Sean Wit's Instagram page and the clarity blew my mind. Believe it’s a big northern pike – tucked behind a boulder – about to ambush prey. #Wild

Sean obviously knows how to target (and catch!) big ol’ Netherlands’ esox – these snaps are just from the last month or so:

And there’s a lot more where that came from.

...Berkley + BoatUS were offering big $$$ for line and soft-plastic recycling ideas? Well those winners have been announced and they are SO COOL. Way too much info/pics/video to include in this "supposed to be a quick read" we call Target Walleye, but you can check out the winning concepts here (each one could probably be its own Top Item) or on the teaser pic below. 💯 Congrats to all!

Yup, this is real life. 🤷‍♂️ Check it out:

> Heinold says researchers recently deployed submersible speakers in the river near Keokuk, IA, testing a wide range of frequencies and pitches.

And he said, “Believe it or not, they hate Motley Crue the most.”

> “...the song "Kick Start My Heart"...opens with guitars that almost sound like revving motorcycles...that sound scares Asian carp out of their pants...they turn around and swim the other way as soon as we turn that stuff on.”

Lol unreal. 🎸 Crank it up!

With tiny little tip-ups 🤣. Posted by Alexander Beaver in the Ice Fishing Finatics FB group:

Does anyone remember Tech Decks? Those mini finger skateboards that drove our teachers crazy back in the day?? The older me feels like this mini tip-up is where I'm at in life now haha! #DoWant

17 people lost their lives in boating-related drownings and crashes...the highest number since ‘05. Super sad stuff.

And unfortunately that # is likely to go up still ‘cuz each year “about 30% of boating-related fatalities happen during the cold-water periods of spring and fall.” The DNR classifies cold water as < 70°F.

I plan to bundle up and do some night trolling tonight...reading all this confirms I’ll be strapping on one of my Onyx inflatable life vests. Don’t care what you have for a PFD – just wear it – they won't do any good stuffed in a cubby....

...to OneWater Marine for approx $185 mil. Did a double take when I read the headline because T-H Marine had made 4 acquisitions of their own in 2021 (believe 14 total now) so thought I had misread who was buying who. Reminds me of this:

Mustad also bought Tuf-Line in 2019.

Believe this is GSM Outdoors’ first step into the fishing side of things – they’re a powerhouse on the hunting/shooting side of the outdoor industry. Reminder they bought the hunting stuff from Plano Synergy when Pure Fishing bought Plano in April.

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

> ...foam-lined denier nylon covers highly durable ABS plastic. On the inside, the case's mesh bottom allows enough airflow to dry your lures and to prevent rust from forming. ...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.

I had the chance to check them out at ICAST this summer and they are legit. Shot a video of it to share with you ‘cuz I thought it was so cool, but then had my external hard drive with the footage crash 🤦‍♂️. Still working to get it back, but in the meantime there’s some more info in this Ross Robertson video. And it looks like FishUSA already has a few of ‘em in stock right now.

That’s in Crow Wing county.

Same goes for Mahnomen Lake and East Mahnomen Lake.

Eurasian milfoil and hydrilla...but also want to scale back some native veggies, including: American Lotus, duckweed, watermeal, pondweed and coontail that are becoming “a growing nuisance.”

On sticking this chunk of Lake Vermilion gold with gorgeous blue-tipped fins! 👊

Proud of you buddy!

Lots of great resources/links to check out here.

...talkin' big, fall Lake Erie walleye with Daryl Wood of Hi Tech Custom Painted Baits.

...the crew at 13 Fishing just kicked off their 10th annual pumpkin carving contest. Gotta enter a pic of yours by Oct 31 for a chance to win. Full scoop on the contest here, but up for grabs is:

- A prize pack of 13 Fishing baits including the BAMF Shad and El Diablo!

Oh, and don’t worry...the dude that dominated the competition for multiple years has been booted...sorta LOL. He has his own division now. Lucky for the rest of us!

🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯

J-Mitch hits up Kabetogama in northern MN, but of course there’s plenty of jiggin’ tips that’ll apply no matter where you’re fishing. It’s 19:08 long, so just the right length if you’re “busy” watching the clock on a Friday afternoon. 😏

FishUSA has most colors + sizes of those Northland Deep-Vee Jigs in stock right now.

Too funny not to share 🤣 and also checks the “contact-less pickup” box hahaha!

Nope, Garmin LiveScope isn't cheap, but it's ohhhh soooo worth it. Now after running one...I'd be willing to eat ramen noodle soup for breakfast, lunch and dinner 24/7/365 if that's what it took to get my hands on one again. They're truly eye opening.

I love seeing the bassin’ crowd get pumped about big walleyes. Dave Mercer (Bassmaster emcee and host of Facts of Fishing) said “walleyes also be chomping on the crank lately!” And posted a really cool 3D photo that’s worth clicking on. Either scroll up/down on your phone or slide over the pic with your mouse:

Believe that’s a "spicy mustard" color 2.25" Berkley Frittside. Leave a few (cranks and walleyes) for the rest of us, Dave!

Like I said before, there’s still plenty of great fall fishing left [!!!] but I’m diggin’ this chilly first-ice teaser posted over on Elliott Rod’s Instagram. Gotta love that magical first-ice window where you can drag out gear in a sled and the sled basically drags you:

Gonna be sprinkling more and more hardwater schtuff in these emails going forward as we get closer to ice...but don’t worry, there will still be plenty of goods for those fishing in the boat or from the bank.

National Professional Anglers Assoc.