Target Walleye/Ice email

Flippin’ sticks for Jigging Raps, Lunch break walleyes, Spinner rig the flats

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Today’s Top 5

Have you ever busted out the BASS gear…

…to “power fish” with #9 Rapala Jigging Raps? Seriously.

Before we jump too deep into things, here’s one great reason to throw the sized-up #9 Jigging Rap (3.5″, 7/8-oz) instead of a #7 (2.75″, 5/8 oz) when targeting BIGGER than average fish…#MatchThatHatch

 

Far as the bassin’ gear goes…

Few years back a couple guys in our local walleye league were using “bass rods” with their #9 Jigging Raps so they could keep steady pressure on the fish and get ’em straight up and into the net = less time for the fish to shake off. If I remember right, they won ‘team of the year’ that season.

I’ve thrown the heavvvvy’er #6 Rapala Flat Jigs (2.5″, 1 3/16-oz) on a baitcaster setup and it fished like a dream but definitely got a few funny looks doin’ it lol. Haven’t really heard it talked about much (or at all?) until I came across this suh-weet Wired2Fish video that’s for sure worth a watch…

In the vid, Wire-head Kyle Peterson’s slinging the biggest #9 Jigging Rap on a 7′ heavy whoopin’ stick and high-speed 7:1 baitcasting reel spooled with 12-lb fluoro. Sorta gets me wondering why we don’t bust out the bassin’ gear more often if the situation is right for it:

 

If Kyle’s gonna keep busting out the beefy bassin’ gear, he’s gonna have to leave that net at home and work on his boat-flipping game (lol):

How to catch walleyes that aren’t hungry.

Some lakes are so chock-full o’ bait that walleyes have no reason to eat yours…they can eat as much as they want, whenever they want:

 

There’s other way to catch ’em besides a hard-bodied jigging bait aka glide bait. Try something a little different — with a bigger profile — to help grab their attention:

 

This is when Jon Thelen likes running Lindy Lil Guys ‘cuz they have a crankbait-like wobbling action to get reaction bites, yet float and can be fished as slow as you want. Can sometimes be the deal when fish have so many food options they don’t need to chase:

Lure speed is different than boat speed?

Did you know baits could be trolling at a different speed than your boat’s running?

 

That’s why some guys measure lure speed at trolling depth, instead of watching the boat speed. Makes my brain hurt too (lol) so gonna bust out a quick example:

Ever noticed when you’re pulling a tuber/skier/wakeboarder/etc behind the boat, how when you make a turn you can whip ’em super fast outside the wake? Or how they’ll slow waaaay down when you turn the other way and they stay inside the wake??

Same thing happens to your baits underwater. Can also happen from currents, thermoclines, wind, etc.

Company called Fish Hawk actually makes speed and temp probes just for that. Check out this Gerry Bourgoin shot of his Fish Hawk X4 where the boat’s going 3.8 mph, but the lure’s running 2.5 mph at depth:

> Gerry Bourgoin: Without knowing ‘down speed’ I’d assume my ‘surface speed’ would be the same as my lure at depth…so I’d go 2.5 mph at the surface which would barely be moving my spoons at 1.3 mph…and not fluttering properly.

Now you know….

Walleyes loooove them some Wonder Bread.

Shout out to “wonder bread” color baits! The overlooked color catches the snot out of ’em and is (finally) sloooowly catching on….

Someday Isle Tackle already has it in their Water Puppet, but added it to their new for 2019 Bladed Puppet lineup:

 

See the connection?

Yup, crankbaits too! Like the “ghost Wonder Bread UV” color Storm ThunderStick MadFlash Deep:

And here you thought “Wonder Bread” was only good for carp….

How they spend lunch breaks in Manitoba.

They do things a little differently in Manitoba — Travis Gudbjartson spends his lunchtime running down to Cross Lake to hit up the au naturel vending machine:

 

Rest of us have to catch our rock melons the old-fashioned way….

Lol been there!

News

1. FCW early-bird deadline is approaching.

One random winner will get to attend the Fishing Careers Workshop for FREE, and the odds of getting your name pulled at this point are pretty dang good. Gotta sign up for the event by Aug 26 to be entered.

If you still haven’t heard about the Fishing Careers Workshop (where ya been?!) it’s a super awesome event that has no doubt changed a bunch o’ lives and people’s outlook on different ways to break into the fishing biz.

It’s happenin’ Oct 26 in Elk River, MN. Costs $250 to attend and if you’re 18 yo and under you can bring one adult family member for free.

2. ND: Speaking of working in the fishing industry…

The Devils Lake Chamber is hiring a “visitor services & outdoor media specialist” position. Perfect opportunity for someone that loves to fish, and loves marketing.

3. MN: 5-yr-old crushed ’em on Lake of the Woods!

Maxson Hangsleben stuck 4 fish of a lifetime pulling spinners in 34′ mud flats on Lake of the Woods’ Big Traverse Bay, including this mondo 31-incher!

BIG congrats dude!

4. When’s there gonna be regs on wake sizes?

More specifically, when’s there gonna be regs on what the DNR calls “wake boats?” Ones that “sit low in the water and produce big waves that someone being towed can surf.”

Guess the MN/WI DNR is asking boaters to chill out on the big wakes. Key word is asking…not making ’em:

> “We hope boaters understand the impacts of boat wakes and voluntarily comply with existing rules and basic principles of on-the-water courtesy.”

Lol yeah right…. I’m all for having fun on the water, but there’s too many people who are absolutely clueless about that whole “on-the-water courtesy” thing. Seems like hard guidelines or regs need to be laid out — then again the people causing the most ruckus on the water probably aren’t the type to read a reg book….

5. LOVE this Korey Sprengel vid…

…from the Berkley crew called Down the Line. Dude’s passion/dedication is exploding outta his pores:

6. ND Youth Outdoor Fest, Aug 29, Minot.

7. ND: Bighead carp caught in James River.

If you’ve never seen one before, it’s a real treat:
8. MI: Bighead carp can eat mussel…poo.Makes ’em even more gross:

> …bighead carp…could fare a lot better than expected in Lake Michigan because scientists have underestimated the flexibility of their diet. In addition to plankton, the opportunistic eaters can sustain themselves by feeding on the feces and mucous-coated regurgitation of invasive mussels.

> By factoring in the luxuriant layer of mussel excrement that has accumulated on the floor of Lake Michigan, the new computer models show the entire lake would provide suitable habitat for bighead carp at certain times of the year.

9. People more likely to make their boat payment…

…than their auto loan? Sounds like it from this write-up. Means their fishing buddy must have a truck too then lol.

10. Did you enter our Eagle Claw giveaway yet?

We’re giving away a $300+ spread of fish-catchers from Eagle Claw! Proud manufacturers of the only American-made fish hook! Takes 10 seconds to enter and can share the link you get for bonus entries — good luck!

Tip of the Day

Brian “Bro” Brosdahl’s late-summer walleye tips.

The Bromeister loves pulling spinner rigs for late-summer walleyes ‘cuz A) they’re a great way to cover water, B) there’s lots of ways to fish ’em and C) he can switch up components to dial in the bite.

> There’s a time during Aug in many lakes where fish are on top of structures on both the outside edge and inside edge of the cabbage weeds.

> Fish like flats in the summer and will concentrate near the patches of chara, gravel and rocks on the flats. These areas will hold a mixture of forage — including minnows and crayfish, which are a large part of their summer diets.

> Spinners give the bait some lift…helps keep the baits off the bottom and out of the weeds. Also send out vibrations fish can feel along their lateral lines and help them target the baits in lakes with limited visibility.

> Pick up the speed on the flats to cover more water and put baits in front of more fish…gives fish [less time] to decide whether to strike at the bait or let it pass by.

> Larger leeches can be hard to find late in the season…[try using] 2 small- to medium-size leeches on spinner rigs instead….

> I often use Northland’s 1.5- to 2-oz bottom-bouncer with either a 2-hook spinner rig with a nightcrawler, or a single Slow Death hook for either nightcrawlers or leeches.

> Stained-water lakes give anglers a better chance to catch walleyes during the day…even when faced with less than favorable conditions.

Meme of the Day

Any of your fishing buddies fit the description?

Today’s ‘Eye Candy

Ba Da Ba Ba Bah…Jordan Beuckens (@jbeucks) is lovin’ it?

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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 and Ron Lindner, Jim Kalkofen, Brett McComas and other diehard fish-nuts like you! #fishheads
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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