If you're getting Target Walleye for the first time, a friend probably signed you up! |
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Ice fishing walleyes with NO live bait (treble-hook tweaks). |
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You don't always need live bait to catch hardwater walleyes.... π Ever try adding a feathered- or glow-resin treble hook to your favorite jigging spoons? Or maybe a tiny willow-leaf blade to rattlebaits??
I've got nothing against live bait (it flat-out catches 'em!) but I think you'll be shocked at how many walleyes you can put topside with these treble-hook tweaks...just gotta step out of your comfort zone and get them on the water: |
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Check out this INSANE "Live" view!!! |
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Nope, that's not Garmin LiveScope, the leaked Humminbird MEGA Live, or Lowrance ActiveTarget....
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> This technology is intended for scientists or professionals to carry out structural exploration missions, maintenance or to ensure security missions with very high quality.
> It should be noted that it is Simrad (same company as Lowrance) which provides the probe, proof that...already has a foothold in this technology.
This stuff just keeps getting better and better.
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How much ice do lakes add in 24 hrs??? |
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Thx to Jason Durham for hipping me to this ice-making chart. Of course there's lots of variables -- and you ALWAYS gotta check for yourself -- but it should give you a good idea of just how much ice your favorite spots should be adding before your next trip out: |
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"Next time you're thinking about downsizing, keep this image in mind." |
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That fish looks 38 weeks pregnant and still reaching for its fourth pint of ice cream. π
Sounds like those fellas have been using a combination of big PK Rattle Spoons and Berkley Snap Jigs (yup through the ice!) to stick some absolute giants -- and they get even more bigger-er.... More on that in Friday's Target Walleye. |
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Hawthorne's ATV walk-around. |
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MN fishing guide Brad Hawthorne always seems to be tweaking and playing with everything he gets his hands on, so I wasn't not going to watch this short video of him doing a walk-around of his ice-fishing wheeler: |
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I've been shopping like crazy for a cheap used wheeler I can deck-out for ice fishing...striking out 'cuz my budget is too small lol. But if/when I find the right deal, the first thing I'm gonna slap on it -- after an auger rack -- has got to be that Otter Rear ATV Box aka the "Monster Box" Brad was bolting all those gadgets on.
If you want a little better look at the inside of the Monster Box, this vid helps too:
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Forget the "ball" drop in Times Square...Port Clinton, OH does a walleye drop with a custom-built 20' fiberglass walldawg.
Will be able to watch Wylie the Walleye make his 23rd annual NYE "Walleye Drop" streamed live here. He's been working out for months in preparation: |
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Women's ice fishing group that's met up on a different lake to fish every winter since 2015. Started as a one-time media event to create positive images of women ice fishing independently.
> Barb Carey: "Because I see how women's lives are changed...see how all of a sudden they're backing their boat in, they're going fishing, they have confidence and pride in doing things they never thought they could do."
I've said it before, but thank YOU Barb for all you do to help grow the industry.
Lake trout, tiger muskies, and everything in-between...including a 1-lb 14-oz (15.75") crappie that broke the "spearfishing" record?!
Burbot, tullibee, rock bass...keep being you lol. #StayWeird
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> ...traditionally spawn in the tailwaters -- the swift water areas immediately downstream from TVA dams -- can actually benefit from high water flows.
> ...often congregate at dams during spawning periods and I think (high water flow) is really good for them. They are non-nest builders. They spawn and then the female releases her eggs to either drift downstream or simply settle in the substrate where highly-oxygenated water can benefit them.
> Walleye and sauger don't actually build nests and water levels are not critical. Their eggs simply settle to the bottom to hatch, preferably on rock or gravel shoals swept clean of sediment by the fast-moving water.
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Looks like a few more are waiting with their mouths open on that Vexilar FLX-28?
Speaking of which...
For lighting up ice jigs/spoons. Plugs straight into the quick-connect charging cable and doubles as a rod holder. They work GREAT:
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... for the first time in a decade:
> The Potomac Conservancy,...said more polluted runoff from urban and suburban areas, and fewer trees to slow and filter rainfall, were among the factors...heavier-than-average rainfall likely played an outsized role in the outcome....
The 2020 licenses expire Jan 10.
Covering 13 western U.S. states effective on Jan 1, 2021.
Based in MN and sounds like an internal hire.
Amazing. Reminder that JO = Humminbird, Minn Kota, Old Town canoes/yaks 'n more:
> Total...revenue grew 6% to $594.2 mil vs fiscal 2019 revenue of $562.4 mil.
> Continued demand for new and legacy technologies in Minn Kota and Humminbird drove a 9% increase in fishing revenue.
> Strong demand across all product categories drove a 25% increase in watercraft recreation sales.
I'm no expert on women's ice-fishing suits...or even men's suits that maybe fit women okay-ish...but can say that my wife Amanda has tried just about every one out there and considers most to be "meh."
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Lots of features I'm not going to try and break down 'cuz I haven't had the chance to wear one yet (lol) but recommend hitting the jacket and bibs here if you wanna learn more. They're already sold-out most places so if you're in the market I'd jump on 'em if/when you see them.
Hopin' to get more new folks fishing.
> "The snickering stops when someone brandishes a Lazer. A hand-auger, yes, but one with ninja skills and blades like Japanese throwing stars. In the right hands, the Lazer cuts to the quick, outpacing off-brand, bottom feeding hand-augers, even cheap gas-augers."
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> "One of the most common mistakes anglers make is letting the lure settle too much between strokes. The longer the lure hangs, the more the lure turns.
> "On the next stroke, the lure comes off a different direction and this direction is unpredictable. One second the lure is 6 inches in front of the fish and then the lure shoots towards the fish disappearing...game over.
> "Remember that walleyes don't back up that well and they need room to turn around, this is why staying in front of the fish is so crucial.
> "Don't let the lure settle at the bottom of the jig stroke. Start your up stroke before the lure settles so that the lure dances and the cadence and direction of the dart or swing becomes locked into one direction and becomes predictable. The target becomes much easier for fish to hit.
> "The moves that pull fish into the cone angle from 20β² away often have to change as a fish gets close. This understanding of how to use tempo and cadence to find fish while reading your electronics to trigger fish will help you catch a lot more walleyes this winter."
You can keep reading Jason's walleye-infested article here. |
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"And on the 12th day of Christmas the Red River gave to me, a nice greenback suspended at 20 feet."
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Only in MN do folks stick their new PB (personal best) largie through the ice: |
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That's Nick Lindner whacking 6+ lbs of LARGEmouth on the new Northland Rattlin' Puppet Minnow, and proving that hot-pink baits aren't just for smallies (but they are just for Lindners lol). π Congrats on the MASSIVE green carp, dude! |
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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.) |
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Friends of Target Walleye |
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Target Walleye -- walleye during open water and all species during hardwater -- is brought to you by Al and Ron Lindner, Jim Kalkofen, Brett McComas and other diehard fish-nuts like you! #fishheads
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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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P.O. BOX 2782
Baxter, MN 56425
(218) 824 5026
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