Target Walleye/Ice email

Blade bait tricks, Live stream walleye derby, Coronavirus walleyes

Today’s Top 5

Cold-water blade bait tricks.

Rippin’ blade baits is still one of the most overlooked and not-talked-about techniques for cold-water walleye. For sure something I need to get more better-er at:

 

Like anything, it just takes that one confidence-boosting day to get this technique added into your spring rotation. Lot more info in this full bait designer Walt Matan write-up, but a few excerpts below:

> Blades like the BFishN Tackle B3 Blade Baits cast like bullets and get down to the fish zone fast. You’d think this would spook a shallow walleye, but it attracts them.

> …relies on vibration and sound to get the fish to react…resembles a fleeing baitfish …consists of a flat metal spoon with a weighted nose. …will vibrate on the retrieve and on the lift.

 

> Never tie directly to a blade bait — some makes will have several attach points or holes at the top (which give wider or tighter wobbles). It’s best to use a snap or split-ring on top to prevent line cutting.

> [Help] prevent snags in stumps, fallen timber or rock bottoms by cutting off the front barb of the front hook.

> A slow, steady retrieve of a blade is popular, but you should try it with a stop-and-go and high-speed retrieve. I also like to rip-jig the blade up with a fast rip of the rod followed by a slow reel to pull up the slack.

> I prefer a 7′ M rod with 10- to 14-lb mono since it has more stretch. Most hits are fast and furious…often times when you rear back to set the hook with a superline, the blade rips free….

Where to throw ’em

> Dams: Walleye, sauger and white bass will all make a migration to the dam during cold-water periods…cast up to the dam. Most fish will hit on the first few cranks of your reel…. A slow retrieve, just fast enough to keep the blade vibration is key. Mix the retrieve up with a slow pumping motion for violent strikes.

> Creek mouths: Cast blade baits to the mouth of the creek and to the shorelines upriver and downriver of the creek. Depending on the size and scope of the river you’re fishing, you might need to be out in the middle of the river channel and cast towards shore.

> Deep holes: Usually found in the bend in the river channel or around bridges. You’ll want to fish the holes vertically by dropping the blade to bottom and jigging up. Many anglers will rip the blade up too hard…this is not as effective as a quick 12″ lift.

> Bridges: Prime areas because they have deep holes, current and eddies. You can rip vertically or cast towards shore. Try both sides of the river…. …blades are heavy, so they cast far and fall quickly — when casting towards shore, you’ll want to get the blade moving as soon as it hits the water so you don’t snag up.

What do you think this JUMBO weighs?!

Wow!!! Kyle Tokarski, a fishin’ guide for Alexander Sport Fishing, caught and released this 17″ long x 16″ girth JUMBO perch on the bay of Green Bay:

 

Didn’t say a weight but I’m thinking…3.5 lbs??

LIVE-STREAM walleye tourneys a thing!

Came across Head2Head Fishing on Facebook and was instantly glued to the screen the next few days. They put on a 1v1 bracket-format dealio on the Fox River in Depere, WI and live-streamed the whole thing. Been waiting a long time for this to come to the walleye world!

Here’s a screenshot from the Championship Round that wrapped up at nooner:

 

For sure impacted my productivity level this AM (lol) but I wasn’t the only one — check out a few of these other relatable comments under the live stream:

> Tim Meyer: “I just poured coffee creamer in my cereal…this thing is addictive lol.”

> Luke Wildenberg: “Was making coffee [and] forgot to put the pot under the machine when Jeff hooked up [with that 5-lb 11-ozer].”

> William Blackburn: “Burnt my French toast during that 5-11 fish decision.”

> Derik Krueger: : “I’ve had this on my TV for 2 days…it’s driving my 2-year-old nuts without his cartoons.”

Still have some open spots in their 2020 Head2Head Walleye Series schedule — only 8 spots for each event and believe it’s first-come-first-serve.

“Social distancing” done right.

Fish-head Logan Waidelich (@loganwaidelich) has been keeping to himself on Lake of the Woods…catching fish not COVID-19:

 

TW fan Jim Muscat said his buddy Steve is taking all proper safety precautions while chasing MT walleyes…including not letting any other boats within 10′ of him lol:

 

Got this killer shot from Kyle Steinfeldt with Do-It Molds:

> “Social distancing — saving lives and crushing ‘eyes! Largely under the radar, ‘The Hawkeye State’ [aka IA] has some incredible interior-river walleye fishing.”

 

Btw if you’re a hands-on kind of guy (or gal!) you’ll for sure wanna check out Do-It Molds — they’ve got all the goods to pour your own jigheads, soft-plastics and MAKE YOUR OWN BAITS. Awesome way to kill time waiting for ice-out…or, uh…all this coronavirus junk to pass.

Can’t make this stuff up!

> Jake Adams: “Never thought I would get a fish caught in my prop while running. Literally cut my engine off — thought I hit a stump.”

 

WTHeck lol. Must be the unluckiest alligator gar (?) that ever did swim.

News

Slow day in the walleye “News” section. Could be about 47 items if I included every COVID-related closure, etc…but you get the idea….

1. MN: Rainy River public accesses being shut down.

Sad day — one of the most-iconic spring walleye bites in the Midwest won’t happen unless you have a buddy with a private access.

Koochiching County, Lake of the Woods County, and the city of Baudette shut things down “with concerns about large number of anglers coming into the area in light of the COVID-19 pandemic….”

Guess the good news is all those big walleyes will get the chance to spawn in peace. Between the slightly later ice-out and public access closures…I’d expect those walleyes to be crazy catchable come opener.

2. IA DNR killin’ gizzard shad out of Lake Ahquabi.

> “We don’t know where the shad came from but we need to address it because gizzard shad have a negative impact to water quality and our game-fish populations in these smaller lakes….”

3. WV: Organization gets $100K to research possible dam removal…

…to help restore the Cheat River. Folks say it’s “the only barrier between migrating aquatic life (walleye) throughout the entire stretch of 78.3 miles of the main stream….”

4. Reminder: If you’re still running a gas auger…

…don’t forget to put in a couple oz of Sea Foam before she goes night-night:

Then dump the rest of the can in your boat before topping it off with fresh fuel for the season — your rig will thank you.

5. Yamaha temporarily suspends production.

> “The pause will be evaluated weekly and last for as long as deemed necessary.”

Of course it’s not just Yammy. Seems like sooner or later everyone will be….

6. See lots of custom-painted cranks…

…but how about custom-painted spoons? Diggin’ this PK Rattle Spoon dolled-up by DH Custom Baits (greenback not included):

TargetWalleye.com Highlights

Tip of the Day

Here’s the mono “loop trick” for planer boards!

The Fishing 411 TV crew is dialed-in on trolling with Off Shore Tackle Planer Boards. Their “loop trick” makes it easier to trip the line for switching out lures — or fighting a fish — without needing to clear all the other lines. Click the pic to watch the video:

Meme of the Day

Right there with ya, granny!

Today’s ‘Eye Candy

Walleye tourney pro Ryan Buddie cracked his new PB razorback to the tune of 32.5″ [!!!] on Lake Erie. Was his first time trying — and first bite on — a Walleye Nation Creation’s Reaper (“bubbleyum” color) but definitely not his last:

 

Congrats dude!

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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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