Is this the biggest walleye ever caught ice fishing?!
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For sure one of biggest (if not THE biggest?) walleye ever plucked through a hole in the ice. This Bay of Quinte freak o’ nature measured 33” long x 21.5” girth and weighed a stout 18.5 lbs! You know a fish is outrageously-big when you’ve gotta throw in a support arm on the hold:
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The fish was caught Jan 18, 2018. Here’s a few details (in an old forum) from the guy who caught in:
> Fish was caught in Big Bay [Bay of Quinte, Lake Ontario] on a 1/2-oz ACME Kastmaster. I doctor them up by putting red prism tape on one side and silver prism tape on the other...also add a larger treble hook.
> My normal strategy is to run-and-gun [on an ATV]...pop a hole and if I don’t have a solid hit after 30 min or so I move to a new spot. I [ice] fish pretty low tech...no fish finder or camera. I have a GPS so I punch in waypoints when I catch or lose a fish.
> I just keep moving and hope I drop my lure in front of one that’ll bite. This guy hit in the 3rd hole I cut at about 8:30am...was the only bite I had all morning [besides] a jumbo perch. This [was] actually only the 3rd [walleye he had caught so far that] ice-fishing season. Previous two were small eaters.
> Over the years I’ve caught a lot of fish in the 8- to 10-lb category and honestly this guy didn’t fight any harder than those...made a couple of runs against the drag...getting his head in the 8″ hole was the toughest part.
Yeah, I know what kind of diet that 21.5” girth was on!
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> When I laid him on the ice I knew it was probably the biggest walleye of my life. Had no scale or tape measure with me, but I suspected it was over 14 lbs. I normally put these big girls back but since I was pretty certain she was my new PB, I decided to keep her for the wall.
> When I got home and measured/weighed her I was in shock. I thought 17- to 18-lb walleyes were only a myth...never dreamt I’d catch one myself.
Congrats again on the fish of 1,000,000 lifetimes man! WOW!!
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While you’re busy downsizing for midwinter walleye...
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...you should maybe be doing the opposite. 👀
Check out this picture from Ross Grothe of a 16” walleye that apparently had 7 baby bluegill in its belly!
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> Ross Grothe: “Panfish are available almost everywhere that walleyes live, and they’re often very abundant. Match the hatch!”
Some more proof that downsizing isn’t always the answer...even when things get mid-winter tough.
Even the smallest bluegill would likely dwarf most folks’ biggest presentations when ice fishing for walleye. So don’t be afraid to bust out that rattlebait and trick ‘em into eating!
Or atleast play with one until you get turned down by a couple of fish, THEN switch to more finesse-y stuff. 👍
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More perch that haven’t earned their stripes yet….
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This special critter was posted by Max Sadler (Black Creek, WI) in the Ice Junkies Outdoors FB group:
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Then I saw a few pics shared in the comments from others with similar catches....
Justin Clark said he catches a few like that each spring in his Lake St. Clair honey hole:
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Zach Regazzi’s was really showing off that lateral line? 😅
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These aren't the first “stripe-less perch” I’ve seen, but always love me some uniqueness. Here’s a couple of the biggest ones I’ve come across after years of scouring the interwebz....
Lake Gogebic (MI) guide Justin Soffa sees your stripe-less perch and raises you girth:
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What in tarnation?! 🤯 I can’t stop staring at that thing.
And then we have Steve Berry who said this naked jumbotron went just over 14" and clobbered his #3 Rapala Ultra Light Rippin’ Rap (1-1/8", 1/16-oz). Thought it was a smallmouth bass when he first saw it in the hole – can see where THIS would’ve been a little confusing:
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How crazy is that? Amazing fish, man! 👊 Thx much for sending it in.
The only ones reading this right now who aren’t impressed by those fish:
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Okay, okay, I'm done.
Now how about we finish this off with a walleye that’s doing its best perch impression? Some super distinct bars on this one iced with Walleyedan in the Brainerd Lakes Area (MN). #wallerch?
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New “Top 5” vid coming in hot! 🍿
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I just posted episode 82 on our YouTube channel, and a special guest makes an appearance ❤️ – hope you dig it! Thanks SO much for taking the time to watch and comment!
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Big thx to our friends at Sea Foam for making this video series possible!
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1. USA: Ice fishing for gold TOMORROW! 🏅
The 2025 XXI World Ice Fishing Championship kicked off this week on Tamarack Lake (about 50 min north of Grand Rapids) and it’s the first time in over a decade the World Ice Fishing Championship has been back in the USA.
> ...the best anglers from 10 countries, including Estonia, Finland, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mongolia, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the United States.
The 2 days of competition kicks off tomorrow.
2. CAN’s ‘pause’ of remote border crossing permits...
...puts some Minnesotans' lives, and livelihoods, in limbo.
3. MN: Walleye Alliance Spring Banquet is happening Apr 24
At The Woods Event Center – can’t wait! Get your tickets here. 💯 Big thx to all that help put on this fundraising event!
They get an incredible turn out every year and it's always a blast chatting with other walleye-obsessed folks.
Last year I was finally able to meet Gary “Mr. Walleye” Roach himself 🙌 what a night!
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The Drip Minnow (top) has a “drip”-shaped bulbous tail for a nice subtle action when twitching or shaking. And the Drip Swimmer (bottom) has a micro-boot tail that "delivers tight actions for finesse swimbaiting." Some in 3”, 4” and 5”, have flatter sides, and some killer "Ultra High-Definition" colors. FishUSA has ‘em in stock...for now....
7. $300K SCWA Mega Raffle is LIVE 🎟️
A monster, annual raffle to benefit SC youth outdoor education programs and conservation kicked off TODAY and runs thru May 31.
> Your MegaConservation Education Raffle (MCER) ticket purchases will help to educate the next generation of natural resource conservationists by supporting the programs and expansion of the Nation’s largest Wildlife Education Center operated by the South Carolina Waterfowl Association (SCWA).
> Raffle ticket sales are imperative to our mission.... Net proceeds will fund the expansion of facilities and programs at the SCWA Wildlife Education Center. These funds will help us to achieve our goal of annually hosting 2,400 summer Camp Woodie Campers, 15,000 Camp Leopold school year campers, 20 wildlife management apprentices and over 15,000 youth and adults at our Outdoor Heritage events held at the SCWA Wildlife Education Center.
This year, there are $300K in total prizes (84 prizes, 84 winners) including a Chevy Trail Boss Truck, Bentley Pontoon 223 Fish-N-Cruise, Honda Pioneer 1,000 SXS, and waaaay more up for grabs.
Heads up: It looks like:
> Residents of AL, CA, HI, KS, NJ, UT, and WA are not eligible to win a Mega Conservation Education Raffle prize according to their state’s current law.
Other than that ^ you don’t need to be located in SC to buy a raffle ticket and help support a great cause 👊 I just did.
8. FishUSA has Bill Lewis Scope Stiks on sale
Have ‘em buy 1, get 1 free today.
They’re wider and flatter than a typical jerkbait so that it shows up better on live sonar. And sounds like 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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This suspending model dives 4-6’ and comes in two sizes (100 mm = 3-4/5" and 120 mm = 4-3/4") both are dressed in Mustad Triple Grip UltraPoints.
9. $200 rebate on Humminbird MEGA 360
Incredible tool for spotting fish and structure in a complete circle around the boat – if you’ve ever fished with one, you know what I’m talking about. 🔥
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10. ICAST registration now open
11. MN: Hunters Point Perch Party, Feb 22
On Mille Lacs.
12. WI: Wisconsin Fishing Expo, Madison, Feb 21-23
One of the longest-running expos, with 350+ booths and loads of walleye-focused seminars.
13. MN: Northwest Sport Show, Minneapolis, Mar 13-16
Seminars on walleyes, muskies, ice fishing, plus a massive new RV and boat section.
14. SD: Sioux Empire Sportsman’s Show, Mar 13-16
Great for hunting & fishing deals, boat show pricing, and Midwest + Canadian lodges.
15. IA: Eastern Iowa Sport Show, Cedar Falls, Mar 14-16
Huge selection of boats, travel destinations, and hunting/fishing gear at pre-spring prices.
16. DC: Here's the USPS new freshwater lure stamps
They'll be out Mar 13.
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17. IL gov'nor delays $1.2 bil carp project over concerns
Little commentary from Jay Kumar’s BassBlaster:
> Jay: “That's the mega-project that MIGHT stop Asian carp from getting into the Great Lakes through just ONE route. Gov. JB Pritzker says he's concerned President Trump won't fund the federal portion ($226 mil). Pritzker is a Dem, so it's probably at least some politics both ways. He's also a billionaire like the President so it might be chest-puffing too?”
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Pinging minnows: Why tungsten is so much better than lead
Came across a really interesting Q&A in yesterday’s BassBlaster email (Top Item #2) chatting with Jeff “the Fish Engineer” Queen about what makes tungsten jigs SO good for scoping fish. Full write-up is loaded with info [!] but I snagged a quick excerpt below to get you started:
> "When I think of lead, the first thing I think about is that lead vest the dentist makes me wear when I get an x-ray. The lead absorbs the radiation. It's no different with sonar.
> "With FFS, the further away from the boat that you get your bait, the harder a lead head is to read because the lead absorbs the sonar – it doesn't get as much of a bounce-back.
> "You won't see much of a difference between lead and tungsten at 50' or less. But fish are conditioned to the sonar ping and are easier to catch at further distances. The smarter the fish become, our equipment must get better and better.
> "Tungsten is a hard, dense surface and you can see it 80-120' from the boat. It diffuses the [sonar] wave rather than absorbing the wave. And it has a very slick surface. The slicker the surface, the better the return.
Keep reading under ‘Top Item #2’ here.
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Grabbing off the pegs like wop, wop, wop, wop, wop 😅
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It's outlandish how incredible this Sarah Kozlowski shot is! 😳👏👏👏
After a day of chasing Mille Lacs jumbos, they slid in shallow to target some walleyes...and it did not disappoint. Jimmy Sell caught this one on a Northland Buck-Shot Spoon and said, “Don’t let the reports fool you...there’s still aggressive, chunky walleyes in Mille Lacs if you work for them.” 👊 Nicely done!
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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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