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How the MT state-record walleye was caught. |
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And she was an absolute blimp at 18.02 lbs 🤯 boasting a 32.25” x 22” stature: |
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Jigged-up by Trevor Johnson, guide/owner of Kit’s Tackle (on May 10, 2021) while fishing Holter Lake near Helena, MontanYaaaa. The previous record was set in 2007 with a 17.75-lber from Tiber Reservoir.
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> ...incredible see-through transparent properties exactly mimicking juvenile baitfish and other aquatic forage. The unique reflective abilities of our secret material bring bright and subtle light together to create an effect that will call fish from extended distances. While in motion, the material stays tight to the jig creating a fleeing forage effect...then upon pause, the undulating characteristics of the material flares out just like natural fin flare on a frightened baitfish....”
> “This spring has been a beast out there, not because there’s no walleyes, but it’s been cold and the flows have been way below normal. Trout have been great but the walleyes...are in there doing something different this year.
> “I bet I’m close to 120 hours out there this year and I’ve only caught 3 walleyes.... Most people would say, ‘What are you doing, you’re crazy,’ but it’s just knowing that potential is there.”
> Trevor says his dad [Kit] had been taking him to chase pre-spawn walleye before he can even remember. “The fact Dad and I are both guiding now, we’re both busy so we don’t get to fish as much as we used to...so it was pretty special to be able to get out there with him.”
Said he thought it was a burbot at first because he couldn’t raise it off the bottom, but papa Kit knew what was up. 😏
> “We just got a little glimpse and knew it was big. We’ve seen a lot of big fish so we’re thinking maybe it’s 13, 14, 15 lbs. She dove a few more times and then we were able to net her and get her in the boat, that’s when it got really big.
> “It was obviously a really weighty fish, but we just had no idea because we’d never seen a girth like that.”
> When it comes to keeping fish, the Johnsons like to practice selective harvest. That means letting the bigger and older fish go. Even though they knew the walleye could be the biggest ever landed in the state, they attempted a release by moving the fish back and forth in the water for a few minutes to force water through the gills. Unfortunately the fish with its epic weight and after the long battle did not survive.
> “You know there really are a lot of mixed emotions. It’s a potential state record but we’re catch-and-release guys. It’s an amazing fish and it shows people the potential of what you can catch around here. We both still preach selective harvest, but yeah, still some mixed emotions, but it’s a great honor especially here in the state of MT.
> “It doesn’t even sound believable. I almost feel like I’m undeserving, like does anyone deserve something like that. You joke about it but you’re not looking to go out and catch the new state record. I’m just out there looking to explore the unknown and I managed to bump into the fish of a million lifetimes.”
Freakin’ AMAZING and well-deserved, man!
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Can you spot what’s wrong in this pic...? 🧐 |
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Spoiler alert
...🥁...🥁...🥁....
...🥁...🥁...🥁....
...🥁...🥁...🥁....
It’s not a real car, it’s a snow sculpture LOL:
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Did you know there’s an international rod-building competition? |
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> “..to deliver to custom rod builders more opportunity to showcase their ingenuity, creativity, and craftsmanship.”
> This year’s competition was the largest on record with over 100 mystery blanks being sent out all over the world from Europe, South America, and Asia. This year’s 10 finalists used different components, styles, and colors to really showcase the skill that these rod builders have. “The use of so many different components was amazing to see. There was not a single component used twice by anyone.”
Let the drool fly! 😍
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> This year’s World Champion is Gary Allner of the UK. Gary was able to showcase multiple different techniques while keeping the rod extremely functional.
> 2nd place went to Stephanie Aderhold, the first woman to be a part of the top 3, with her amazing marbling technique.
> 3rd place was awarded to Gary Pugh with an amazing, stabilized wood rod.
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Great post on how to find spring walleye locations with your electronics. 🎯 |
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Breaks down bottom transitions:
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How to fine-tune the spot-on-the-spots: |
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And he dives into different techniques to target (and catch!) these spring walleyes:
> Rippin’ Raps (#6 and #7): Focus on throwing near soft to hard bottom transitions as we mention above. Make bottom contact and snap jigging (yo-yo) off the bottom. If fishing rocky areas, throw up on top of the rocks, and if fishing weed lines focus on the outer edge.
> Swimbaits (4-5”): He uses a bullet-style swimbait head in 3/8 oz (shallow water) to 3/4 oz (deeper water) with a 3.8” to 4.8” swimbait. Use the same presentation as the Rippin’ Rap (snap jigging) and making bottom contact is critical.
> VMC hair jigs (3/8- and 1/2-oz): Twitching or dragging the jig along the bottom is an effective retrieve.
> Jig and minnow: A short-shank live bait jig with a minnow. Jighead size will vary based on depth and wind.
> Blade baits (3/8- and 1/2-oz): Snap jigging off the bottom (same as Rippin’ Rap).
Pay attention, read carefully, and take some notes! 🙋♂️ I did:
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Oh, and clearly Doug has been putting those techniques to good use this spring.... He just posted another snap of a BEAST one of his clients caught on a #6 Rapala Rippin' Rap: |
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Are you THIS obsessed with fishing??? 😂 |
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> “Tell us you have a fishing obsession without showing a picture of you fishing.”
Their top selections from the post are full of so much awesomeness – how many can you cross off that photographic list hahaha. 🙋♂️🔥😅
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We could make this into Fish-Head Bingo or tic-tac-toe...I'll get you started with A3: |
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Close as I’ll ever come to getting “hat hair.” 🤷♂️ |
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> Non-profit MN-FISH is hosting an online auction of once-in-a-lifetime fishing experiences with some of the nation’s top anglers. Auction [went] live at 7:00am Apr 18 and runs until 8:00pm CST [tomorrow] Apr 20.
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On Mississippi River Pools 8, 9, 10 out of Genoa, WI. Sounds like they caught ‘em pulling modified Dubuque Rigs in 6-12’ (rocky bottom) fishing “out of the main current and working shoreline seams.”
Think of it like a 3-way rig for pulling cranks, except instead of the lead weight on the bottom, they run a heavier jig to pull the crankbait down to depth. They were using 5/8-oz jigs with paddletails and then #9 Rapala Original Floaters on the longer line (about an arm’s length of leader to keep the Rapalas out of the way of the jig).
Congrats fellas! Looked like a gorgeous day out there. 🥶
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> ...Upper Red Lake...during the 2023 open-water season that starts May 13 will have a 5-walleye possession limit, with only 1 walleye > 17” allowed....
> “This summer we are able to have a more generous bag limit as the 2019 class is super abundant. These fish are around 15” and are now becoming mature. We hope anglers will enjoy this extra opportunity, which will also meet our goal of managing spawning walleye stock at a level that produces future strong year classes.”
> The 2022 open water season had a 4-walleye possession limit, with only 1 walleye > 20” allowed.
> “More spawning stock is not always better on Upper Red Lake. Our management has shown that too many spawners in the lake can result in smaller year classes....
...for Ghost 360 and ActiveTarget Scout mode.
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Brought in by John Gillman, Kal Ustishen and Mitch Lupcke. So over a 6-lb average assuming they brought in a full 5-fish bag each day. Amazing! I couldn’t find any pictures (of a single fish from the tourney) but did find a pic of their big Happy Gilmore 1st-place check for $14K lol. 🤑
Called the Bill Lewis Scope Stik...it’s wider and flatter than a typical jerkbait so that it shows up better on sonar. The lip is designed so when you stop it, it turns to the side = giving your sonar beam a big ol’ target (bigger surface area) to bounce off:
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> Available in two sizes, 100 mm and 120 mm, the Scope Stik will be available in 6 models that allow it to cover a wide range of depths. The Scope Stik 100 has a floating model (0′-3′) in addition to a suspending model (4′-6′). The 120 size offers the same applications, as well as a deeper suspending option (7′-10′) and a sinking model (7′-10′ PLUS). All models will be equipped with Mustad Triple Grip UltraPoints.
Yup, an ice-fishing tournament that’s being held just 1 week before the Minnesota Fishing Opener...in case you’re wondering how winter has been here in Minnie lol.
> In the 2022 listing, Morris ranked 424th with a total estimated net worth of $6 bil. Morris ranked 705th in 2021, and 616th in 2020. This year...ranks the highest he’s ever been on the list, tied at 246th with an estimated net worth of $8.3 bil.
And get this. 😳
> ...the total wealth of the world’s billionaires totaled $12.2 tril.... The U.S. has the most billionaires, 735, with China second with 562, and India third with 169....
I’ve never felt more like a peasant in my life lol.
> ...donating $150K toward expansion of the Janet Huckabee Arkansas River Valley Nature Center, and the fishing pavilion on Wells Lake at the Nature Center was renamed the PRADCO Outdoor Brands Bill Jarboe Family Fishing Pavilion in honor of long-time employee Bill Jarboe....
If they hold a point like their hooks do = 🔥.
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Sounds like the consensus is because they’re considered the best eating.
Tough to argue with that! But for me, I just really like the challenge of finding and catching ’em. There’s something crazy-rewarding about catching even just 1 walleye on a new spot or technique. I sometimes get that same feeling when bass fishing...if I catch 30 or 40 (lol).
Ughhhh the MN “fishing opener” can’t come soon enough. 😑
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Few TargetWalleye.com Highlights
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Al Lindner’s 30-day post-spawn rule.
Gotta bring back this gem from Target Walleye’s Al Lindner on where he starts his search for post-spawn walleyes:
> One of the things we learned about early-season walleye is what we call the 30-day rule. This rule primarily applies to smaller and medium-sized natural lakes and reservoirs. This rule DOES NOT apply to the Great Lakes or other huge bodies of water where massive schools of walleye migrate great distances....
> The 30-day rule in these smaller bodies of water: If you know the precise time that the walleye spawned, you can almost bet that 30 days later, groups of walleye will be on the first lip of the large shallow flats extending out into the main body of water.
> These are fish that have already gone through their post-spawn, are regrouping and feeding heavy. There can be other groups of fish deeper, but many of the good-sized fish will be relating to that first lip.
> The lip could be a 3-5′ drop, either weed-edged or sparsely weeded. In other bodies of water that break might occur at 7-10′, and still others at 12-15′. But in all cases the lip is what is considered the main break for that body of water.
> It helps if there is vegetation – however sparse or thick, the walleyes will likely be relating to it. It’s important to realize that the fish will most likely be up on the flat, rather than down the drop.
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Careful: Those zebra mussels will get ya nicked up! |
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Friends of Target Walleye |
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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!
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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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