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Pending world-record lake trout caught in CO! |
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Scott Enloe and his son, Hunter Enloe, caught and released what’s probably the most ridiculous fish I’ve ever seen – regardless of species.... 🤯 This paunchy specimen was 47" long with a 37" girth! |
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> The fat female appears to be full of eggs, but...lakers spawn in the fall...the fish’s enormous belly was actually full of kokanee salmon, which are the main food source for lake trout in [Blue Mesa Reservoir, which is the largest man-made lake in CO.]
> Scott was using an Abu Garcia baitcasting reel and a heavy Okuma rod to get a solid hook set, but that combination was paired with 10-lb test Seaguar fluorocarbon line. At the business end was a 6” Basstrix tube jig. The hook that caught the monster trout was made right in Colorado by GSO Fishing.
If you want to dive in a bit deeper, there’s way more info and background on the catch at those few links above.
Absolutely outrageous fish...in a really good way. Big congrats, fellas! And amazing job putting that fish back in the drink. 👊
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Ep 1 of "Tour Level Gold" is out! 🤩 |
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Honestly so dang good I couldn’t NOT slide it up into its own Top Item.
> “Tour Level Gold is here to tell you the stories of professional walleye anglers as they deal with the highs and lows they face each event on the National Walleye Tour.
> “Follow us to Spring Valley, Illinois for the first stop of the National Walleye Tour on the scenic Illinois River. John Hoyer, Duane Hjelm, Max Wilson, and Owen Wilcox take you beyond the weigh-in to show their perspective on what it takes to excel on the national stage of walleye tournament fishing.”
Walleye fishing needed this:
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Cannot wait to see the next episodes 🔥 and luckily it sounds like we will only have to wait until Friday.... |
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Are boat "brakes" the next big thing?! 🤔 |
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> Yep that's what it looks like – trolling motors mounted on "shallow-water anchors." They're made by a MS company called Magnolia Tooling owned by crappie fisherman named Jonathan Johns, who made them for Scoping crappie. But I bet you can see real quick that they'd be great for much more than just that.
> Talked to Jonathan and a MS bass-head named Blake Daugherty (^) who's had 'em for 6 months – said he's never going back. Starting with Blake:
> "Since LiveScope has pretty much taken over and dominated [the crappie scene], there's times on that LiveScope when you're not able to perform with it because your boat's going too fast on these windy days. Guys started mounting trolling motors on the back of their boats, which is just a complete eyesore and a hassle. The reason for that was to be able to stop your boat if you're going with that wind without spooking the fish in front of you.
> "If you're boat is going too fast and you can't get a jig on it, you have to spin your trolling motor around, turn it on high, kick it backwards to stop your boat or slow it down, then spin back around and try to find your fish and hope you haven't spooked him. That just doesn't work – you're gonna spook the fish, you're gonna blow 'em out.
> "Jonathan designed these brackets that go directly to your Power-Pole [or Raptors]. What it is is 2 40-lb thrust Minn Kota trolling motors...you have a stomper button switch on the front [deck] of your boat.
> "...you're going along...[Scoping] for these [suspended] fish...out there in front of you...if you're going with the wind and you need to stop...you can deploy your Power-Poles down or keep 'em deployed, and you can feather that button to slow your boat down, or stop it, or back it up without ever spooking the fish up there in front of you.
> "...especially these pressured fish around here, if that fish 10-15' in front of your boat...you're talking about a 20' boat, these 2 trolling motors are now 35-40' away from these fish which is a safe-enough distance that it doesn't bother them. So we're able to stop our boat without them ever knowing that we're there. And then back up if they're swimming...."
Some more info from Jay:
> Jonathan says he runs a 36v troller using 3 12v batteries, and he just hooks his 2 Brake motors up to one of the 12v batteries – "since you don't use them all day long."
> Blake says the units "do not affect the performance of Power-Poles" and Jonathan backed that up.
> His company does install 'em and it takes about 90 minutes, but he says the self-install isn't hard: "The way we fix 'em up, we have the wire plug 'n play ends on them, it comes with an instruction sheet, it's really not hard at all. Maybe the hardest part is pulling wire from the front to the back of the boat for that footswitch."
> Amazingly, the kits he sells – with both motors – top out at $1,350. Check 'em out at crappiebrakes.com. If you order a pair (like I am!), make sure you tell 'em you want them to say Bass Brakes on 'em, not crappie!
Maybe they can fit the word “walleye” on there instead hahaha.
It looks like they don't need to be mounted on Poles...I’ve seen multiple other pics on their Facebook page with ‘em attached all different ways: |
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It’s always interesting to see how folks keep tweaking things in this wild world of fishing!
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“Not my biggest but arguably my most beautiful!” |
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- That’s @gkzawislak talking about this B-E-A-Utiful catch that went 12” long x 8” girth yet weighed 10.5 lbs! |
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His wife had the piece commissioned by Canadian scrap metal artist Don Schoenfeld ( @workofarc306) who’s based out of Saskatoon, SK.
Absolutely love it! And sure hope @gkzawislak remembers that Mothers Day is this weekend...’cuz he’s for sure going to have to step it up lol!
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Here’s the newest “Top 5” of the week video! 🍿 |
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Episode 44 – big thx to our friends at Sea Foam for making this video series possible! 👊 Hope you dig it: |
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One of the reg changes is that anglers can no longer keep walleye over 55 cm (about 21.65") so basically tourney folks are going to have to adapt to using a catch-photo-release format...like AIM does with their own scoring system (length-to-weight conversion) or using an app like FishDonkey, etc.
I definitely understand that there’s something special about hoisting up a big fish at weigh-in 🙌 you just can’t replace that feeling/moment/rush. But CPR formats have their own type of rush...in my experience it’s hard to get folks to try it for the first time, but once they do it’s game-on. I was hesitant to try it the first time (especially during a solo tournament) but then instantly fell in love with it. And it opens a ton of doors as far as where and when you can have tourneys, being able to “weigh-in” your 5 biggest fish and not worry about slot limits, etc.
All I’m saying is give a CPR format derby a shot – they’re an absolute blast once you get over that initial “fear” of not being tech savvy enough or whatever it is holding you back from entering one. The only time “fear” keeps me from entering one, is when the derby is in a region versus a specific body of water...’cuz I’m not going to catch fish on my home lakes that can come anywhere close to competing with folks that are able to hit up a bigger system with waaaay larger, more, and sometimes dumber (lol) fish. 🤷♂️
...harvesting walleye eggs (at the mouth of the Pine River on the Whitefish Chain) for stocking the Brainerd Lakes Area:
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I’d watch it for the sick thumbnail alone, but also doesn’t hurt that the vid kicks off with the 🐐 Al Lindner dropping some knowledge on spring walleye locations + presentations + how he consistently catches ‘em without using live bait:
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> “They used bottom-bouncers with long leaders and floating jigs to present live bait at the correct speed and depth to trigger the bites they needed.”
It doesn’t say what the correct speed and depth were. 🤐
At the Hampton Inn & Suites in Bemidji.
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> ...driven primarily by price increases and improved supply and component availability which allowed for fulfillment of orders driven by solid customer demand.
> Revenue from the marine segment grew 10% in the first quarter, primarily due to the timing of spring promotions. Gross and operating margins were 54% and 26%, respectively, resulting in $72 mil of operating income.
Merc up 7%, electronics (not just marine) down 11%, boats up 17%.
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These items won’t be available again once they’re gone:
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Here’s your shot to win 3 new open-water sticks from Paul and Gregg Thorne’s Two Brothers Innovations, including an Elliott Performance Handle 70ML-F, a 2B Fishing Genesis 71M-F, and their new 2B Genesis 8’ Sharp Shooter!
Whether you’re pitching jigs, snapping plastics and reaction baits, or sniping fish with a slip-bobber...these 3 rods will have you covered!
Takes less than a minute to enter by clicking here or on the pic below. 👊 |
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Hold up....
The fellas at Two Brother Innovations said they want to sweeten the pot! 😎
If you sign up for Two Brother Innovations’ newsletter ( Triple down!) you’ll receive 3 bonus entries into this giveaway PLUS an entry into their giveaway for an Elliott Performance Handle ESP73ML-F ($280 value!) which is the Swiss Army knife of walleye rods! They’re also getting their Minnesota nice on and throwing you a code for free shipping on your next order at TwoBrothersInnovations.com |
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Few TargetWalleye.com Highlights
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Ever try pulling Lindy Rigs at 1.5-2.0 mph? Not spinners... Lindy Rigs (plain hook with a minnow, ‘crawler or leech) behind a big 1.5- to 3-oz bottom-bouncer.
Something Jon Thelen does to cover water for spring reservoir walleyes when others are crawling along at just 0.5-0.8 mph. Says those fish are river fish at heart and moving with the current, so they’re used to chasing down bait:
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Well, it’s sunny and 80 degrees TODAY here in Brainerd, MN... |
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But it wouldn’t be “fishing opener” weekend without something nasty brewing lol. Just checked and for now Saturday’s early-morning forecast is saying 47°F, rain and 22 mph gusts. 😅 Lovely! But I guess it will keep all those “butter soft” folks off the lakes HA! |
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This is still one of my favorite shots – a throwback from Matt Klug – because it shows what we are willing to put ourselves thru just to catch a dang walleye LOL: |
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Matt’s rockin’ a Blackfish Soft-Shell that “traps heat inside.” There’s a bunch different options that include Thermal Snare Technology and/or StormSkin Technology if you want it waterproof: |
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> StormSkin Technology combines a premium windproof and waterproof soft-shell fabric with a free hanging long nap soft fleece lining that traps heat inside and creates both a waterproof and thermal barrier.
> Thermal Snare Technology uses a combination of premium fleece bonded with a windproof shell, keeping heat inside and creating a thermal barrier against wind and cold.
Remember back in the day when air-trap technology meant passing...um...flatulence in your waders? 😅
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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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