“When in doubt, break a Husky Jerk out.”
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Still lots of fish to be caught if you’re willing to bundle up, and ther’s no better time to stick a bruiser than the after-dark bite. Couple quick details on one of Mr. Bigwater Fishing’s favorite late-fall placed to catch ‘em with #14 Husky Jerks...river mouths:
> When walleyes move to river mouths in fall, nighttime is the right time to cash in. In this scenario, it’s tough to beat a long, thin stickbait...can be fished close to the surface or down to approximately 8′, and you can cast them or troll them.
> Target the edges of deep holes or eddies where baitfish can rest out of the current. If there’s a pier or breakwall with lights shining in the water close by, that’s often the jackpot because light naturally attracts baitfish.
> I’ll start by casting a stickbait behind the boat on a spinning rod and then slow-troll it with the electric motor. Every once in a while, I’ll cut the motor to let the lure pause, or snap the rod to make it dart forward. This is a great way to locate a concentration of feeding walleyes, and once I do, I’ll stop the boat and fan-cast.
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Some cool ice gear modifications.
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Because no doubt ice-heads like the “tinkering” as much as we like the actual activity of ice fishing hahaha! This In-Fisherman write-up from Ross Robertson has 4 ice gear mods he runs that might work for you, or maybe they’ll just get your brain's wheels turning for something else you can tweak.
One of those being as simple as “getting some stainless-steel hardware so that you can bungee down buckets or other cases. These inexpensive little brackets can be bolted, screwed or riveted in very tight areas and allow you a much better way to secure your gear.”
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> Ross: “I use them with a combination of wire and carabiner to secure large items like my Lakewood Greenback rod and lure storage case. This makes it very easy to use while fishing but also remove it for travel or in the off season.”
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I used some similar hardware (eye-bolts) on the outside of my Clam flip-over’s sled after seeing my buddy Christian Hoffman’s setup. They let me lay gear (hub house, auger, etc) on top of the flip-over and then run a ratchet strap across the top to keep things pinned. So slick!
But that’s not all those eye-bolt dealios can be used for...
If you’ve ever struggled to tow your ice sled by hand, then Jason Mitchell has a great (and simple!) modification for you in this Virtual Angling post:
> J-Mitch: “If you’re pulling your Fish Trap out by hand and putting a lot of miles on it, there’s a simple modification you can use to make things easier. When you buy a Fish Trap, there’s holes in the sled and a simple black rope knotted through them. If you’re not going to tow it far, this works fine.
> “Try this instead – put 2 eye bolts through the holes and attach carabiner clips on the ends of your rope to hook into the eye bolts. Switch out the original rope with one that’s a lot longer – maybe 20’ long. If you have to pull your sled out using your own horsepower, this longer rope with the clip system will make it way easier to tow.”
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I’ve been adding super long ropes to my hand-toted portables for about 13-ish years now (it’s crazy how much easier they pull – helps tremendously!) but it drives me nuts that I never once thought to rig ‘em up like this with the carabiner clips LOL. Would be super convenient to be able to pop them on/off as needed.
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Hook maggots between the eyes?
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Aka euro larvae, spikes, etc.
Yup, there’s a right and wrong way to hook ’em. Look for the flat end ‘cuz there’s a scent sack – between the eyes – you’ll wanna “pop” to get the juices flowing:
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Kathy Roberts has logged enough on-ice hours to be called a maggot expert...a label we all strive for lol! If you didn’t know, Kathy is Dave Genz’s daughter....
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How ’bout that ride in? 😂
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Looks like someone drew the short straw on this hardwater trip....
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Lol! That pic posted by Lonnie Hollett is the definition of this meme:
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New “Top 5” vid coming in hot! 🍿
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I just posted episode 78 on our YouTube channel. Hope you dig it 👊 and thanks SO much for taking the time to watch and comment!
Also a big thx to our friends at Sea Foam for keeping us running smooth and making this fun video series possible!!
Here we go:
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1. onX Fish = now in Wisconsin 🧀
If you’re a fish-head in MN or WI, you’re gonna want to add the onX Fish app to your phone’s home screen – put that puppy on speed dial! It’s literally a cheat code for finding your new favorite honey hole and so much more.
> All the information you need to plan your next day on the water in Wisconsin. Home to the most trusted mapping for the outdoors, onX Fish is a fully-functioning GPS navigation and planning app on your phone. > Right now, onX Fish is live in both Minnesota and Wisconsin (free for a limited time only), giving anglers exclusive access to an app designed to help make the most of every fishing adventure.
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I’ve been using the app all summer/fall and found multiple new lakes in my backyard holding GIANT walleyes that I never knew existed. I’ll have a lot more info coming about it soon.
2. OH: New Lake Erie ‘Walleye Slam’ leader
Michael Stephenson’s 29.5-incher hit the scales at 10.26 lbs. Haven’t seen a pic yet, tho.
3. MN: Arctic Cat suspends snowmobile production…
...and lays off workers at Thief River Falls facility.
4. MN: St. Paul Ice Show, Dec 6-8
Something a lot of folks call “the Super Bowl of ice shows” takes place each year at the St. Paul RiverCentre, where you can “shop more than 190 exhibits with products and services dedicated to the die-hard ice fishing and winter sports enthusiast.”
Multiple floors and sections – this is just one of ‘em!
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Mike Frisch: Last-chance walleyes.
> While big, deep lakes are usually thought of as “classic” walleye waters, small, shallow lakes often harbor good walleye populations that often go on the bite now, too. Plus, the bite in these lakes often stays good into November. Great news for those of us who haven’t winterized our boats yet.
> Typically, I target fall walleyes in shallow, weedy lakes by searching along the lake’s first drop-off, that area where the flat that typically extends out from shore starts to drop to deeper depths. On many of the small, shallow lakes I fish this drop-off occurs in depths from 5-10’ deep.
> Searching along subtle points and turns or finding bottom content changes along these drop-offs is often a good starting point. These areas are often good spots during the spring bite on these lakes and produce again during fall. As fall progresses, I start looking for still living, green weeds which often occur up on the flat and then extend down the drop off as well. In fact, an area of green weeds will often be the “spot on the spot” where numbers of walleyes of all sizes gather.
> Incidentally, the areas where “good weeds” are present one fall are often areas that will harbor weeds and fish in future falls as well. These areas are also often top winter ice fishing spots, particularly during early ice.
> The classic jig and minnow combination slowly trolled or drifted along a lake’s first drop-off is one way to find the subtle differences and/or living weeds that may host fall walleyes in good numbers. Simply drifting with the wind and swimming a light jig and minnow combination on a long line behind the boat is, in fact, my favorite fishing method on these waters because it helps me eliminate unproductive water and find walleye schools.
> Jigs in the 1/16- or 1/8-oz size range get the nod when drifting or pitching to shallow walleyes. The classic round head jig with a sharp hook in a bright color pattern like chartreuse is preferred in off-colored waters. Various minnows will produce fall walleyes, but a scoop of fatheads or a dozen small suckers is often all that is needed. On flat, calm days or in very shallow water, the 1/16-oz size jig gets the nod, though I’ll go to the 1/8-oz size if the wind kicks up.
Keep reading here.
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Yup, that’s gonna get bit. 💥
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Those Rattlesnake Reels are super slick. Did you know that 1 full turn = 1' of line? Here's a nice little overview of what else makes 'em so fishy:
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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 Lindner, Jay Kumar, Chris Philen, 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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