Target Walleye/Ice email

Catch walleyes all day, Wheelhouse trip-saver, Fish the biggest boulders

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Today’s Top 4

Paunchy razorbacks of the week!

@fishawkoutdoors caught and released this metro MN giant pushing the 31″ mark! Scarfed a Lindy Little Nipper…yup, those tiny 1/16-oz (or smaller) feather jigs most commonly used for springtime crappies. Was no fluke — Adam tips ’em with a shiner for heavily-pressured metro tanks:

We’ve shared pics of Parker and Cole Butler on here before — now we have hard proof they learned everything they know from their dad, Barry! He’s always stickin’ giants! Like this mud melon that chowed a VMC Tingler Spoon tipped w/ a minnow head:

The Bay of Quinte’s been kicking out some seriously impressive ‘eyes — though it usually does — this one from Jordan VanTorre (@jvt_91) fits the bill. Caught runnin’ and gunnin’ with a “clown” color Northland Buck-Shot Rattle Spoon:

Chris Chorney (@chris_chorney) is back, and they keep gettin’ more bigger-er! Iced his new PB slaunchback using his go-to Williams Ice Jig:

If you’ve never seen the Williams Ice Jig before…looks like a fishy version of a mousetrap. No wonder they’re so popular in Manitoba where hooks gotta be pinched barbless, just wouldn’t wanna be the one to have to pinch ’em all:

Still trying to wrap my head around that Williams Ice Jig [chin-scratch emoji]. Why is it called a jig when it’s really a spoon? Guess you do jig spoons…anybody ever try spooning jigs?? Don’t worry, I’m done now….

How Clayton Schick catches walleyes all day long.

Of course walleyes are usually most active during low-light periods (sunrise or sunset), but you can still catch ’em during the middle of the day if you’re willing to change up the “how” and “where” you fish ’em….

Clayton Schick is one of those ice-nuts who stays on ’em all day long. He catches some of the biggest ‘eyes across the ice belt — one look at his YouTube channel and you’ll see what we’re talkin’ about!

We tracked him down to find out what he does differently to stay on fish of THIS caliber all day. Full write-up on TargetWalleye.com, few excerpts below:

> Clayton: “I basically break down fish into two different categories: 1) active, and 2) passive fish…and tailor my strategy based on the time of day.”

1. Active Fish

Structure:

> “First and last light are generally when walleyes go into feeding mode and will be the most aggressive.

> “I’m looking at areas that set-up as feeding zones…gradual transitions (18-25′) with a sand or mud bottom that have access to deep water.

> “One of the biggest keys to my success is getting away from other anglers…rather fish a less desirable area than compete for the same pod of fish.

> “I don’t drill a ton of holes, usually 9-12 that are about 5′ apart…in a grid. During prime feeding times, you want your bait in the water as much as possible.”

Baits:

> “Always start with an aggressive bait during prime time…my go-to is either a flutter spoon or rattlebait.

> “For spoons: I like the 1/4-oz Northland Buck-Shot Flutter Spoon. It has a wide wobble that covers water, and a rattle which a lot of other flutter spoons don’t have. I rarely tip my flutter spoons with anything…it changes the action of the bait.

> “An aggressive jigging cadence is key to attract fish into the strike-zone…I make 1-3′ strokes and let the bait fall to the bottom, causing some sediment disturbance.

> “One of the biggest mistakes anglers make is changing their cadence when they start to mark a fish. If a fish came into an aggressive cadence, I keep it exactly the same unless the fish starts to shy away.”

2. Passive Fish

Structure:

> “After the first-light window is done, I’ll pack up and make a move. For the mid-day bite, I look for areas that serve as travel lanes for fish.

> “Areas with steeper breaks and rock-to-sand transitions — close to feeding zones — are my favorite. Since fish are traveling along these areas, you have to jump around a bit more and hole-hop.

> “I’ll drill down the breakline and fish each hole for 10-15 minutes before moving onto the next if I don’t mark anything.”

Baits:

> “I move away from aggressive stuff to a Northland Buck-Shot Spoon or something similar, still in the 1/4-oz size.

> “I do tip these with a minnow head…sometimes that extra scent is needed to get lethargic fish to eat.

> “I only downsize spoons if I really have to…just feel more confident in larger profile baits for the fish that I’m after.”

“Clearly they eat all of their vegetables.”

That’s Josh McFaddin (@joshmcfads) talking ’bout this pair of Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba greenbacks:

McFad’s has quite the…ugh, “special” relationship with the fish he catches…. Believe he met this walldette on PlentyOfFish?

Wheelhouse tips: How to get max BTUs during the deep freeze.

Love that a bunch of you are reading this email from a wheelhouse right now!

Did you know that your propane output can drop by 60-70% once temps dip below that -10 to -20°F range? Youch!

This vid’s loaded with tricks that hardwater guide Brad Hawthorne uses to keep the heater in his Yetti Fish House running at max BTUs. Few bonus tips to keep other important things from freezing up during the #brrrr too:

News

1. MN: Gonna be some serious slabbage going on…

…in this Sunday’s episode of In-Depth Outdoors. Talkin’ 15.5″ of salt ‘n pepper smucked by Konnor Kleist!

Guess slabs THAT big call for extra shoulder room, ‘cuz check how James and Konnor set their Otter X-Over shacks up side by side…couple of clamps to keep ’em pinned = awesome idea:

2. WI: Group says lowering water levels in Lake Winnebago…

…would help reduce blue-green algae blooms. Don’t worry Sprengel…the Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance says they’d only need to drop the lake by 1.2″ to:

> “…Help restore aquatic plants and water quality by allowing sunlight to reach the bottom in more of the lake during critical plant growth periods…aquatic plants produce oxygen, stabilize sediment and compete with algae for nutrients.”

Hard to imagine a 1.2″ drop making that big of a difference, but these guys would be the ones to know….

3. ND: Geremy Olson new AIM tourney director…

…for the NoDak series.

4. MI plans to improve Lake Erie water quality.

5. ND: Devils Lake update (video).

Vid on the current ice conditions and fishing report leading into the 35th Annual Devils Lake Volunteer Fire Dept tourney happenin’ this weekend.

6. You see the Lunkerhunt Fillet yet?

It’s a 3″ rattlebait you can get in a heavy 1-oz size, or 3/8-oz if you’d rather. Awesome colors in usual Lunkerhunt fashion:

7. Yo-Zuri’s giving away 1 mile of fluorocarbon…

…on their Facebook page. That’s two 1,000-yard bulk spools of their TopKnot 100% Fluorocarbon. Tried it, liked it. Didn’t know they had mega bulk spools….

8. Johnnie Candle gets PowerTran for 2019.

PowerTran’s been making marine accessories (jack plates, trim tabs, etc) for 30+ years.

9. SD: GFP hiring bunch of positions.

10. New marketing person at Shimano.

Congrats, Sarah Burke!

11. MN: 6th annual Wheeler’s Point ice derby…

…happenin’ Feb 7 on Lake of the Woods. Love that you could get paid for catchin’ a burbot.

12. More people buying BIG outboards.

Link says 2018 outboard sales were up 5.9% overall, but engines rated 200-hp and above were up 20.8%. #GetUpAndGo

13. KY: 201,000+ lbs of Asian carp gone so far.

And that’s since Jan 1! Commercial fishermen are doing some serious damage on ’em. Now what…cat food, fertilizer, or cheap alternative to a walleye dinner? Lol.

14. Johnny Morris/Bass Pro Shops entering ATV biz.

Believe Arctic Cat is making ’em, then branded Tracker.

Tip of the Day

Fish boulder edges for big mid-winter walleyes.

Jason Mitchell says he finds the very top of the biggest rocks, then fishes the sharp edges of ’em. Vid was shot on Devils Lake, ND but same thing should work anywhere you have big rockpiles + walleyes:

Meme of the Day

Ever wonder why we choose to live in places where the air hurts our faces, and enjoy it lol?! Absolutely LOVE ice fishing, but sometimes it’s nice to daydream about hopping back in the Lund:

Today’s ‘Eye Candy

Still trying to figure out how tackle-junkie Kyle Steinfeldt has enough time to make his own baits and catch all these big fish (lol). Filthy shot of another biggun that got its eyes crossed by homemade baits poured outta Do-It Molds:

Like my buddy Erik Osberg of The Outdoor Report says:

> “It’s not about having time…it’s about making time!”

Love it and so true.

Random

OK: Game warden catches poacher via dating app.

Lol! Not fishing related, but too funny not to share. Click the pic for the full post:

Sign up another fish-head!

If you’re forwarding Target Walleye/Ice 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.)

Check this stuff out!

Who is Target Walleye/Ice
Target Walleye/Ice — 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
Brett McComas is the main man for Target Walleye/Ice. 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

To send us walleye pics, ice shots or whatever, just respond to this email or click here to email us. Or post it on the Target Walleye Facebook page.

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