Target Walleye/Ice email

Genz drills crooked holes, Crappies you can’t graph, Buttery spoon tip

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Today’s Top 5

How to catch late-ice crappies you can’t graph.

May not seem like it, but it’ll be “late ice” before you know it. When the water starts to run back into the holes, panfish make a break for skinny water. Here’s how Jason Mitchell catches crappies you probably don’t even know are there:

> Often those fish will be suspended just under the ice where they won’t even show up on your electronics. Too often anglers get in the habit of dropping their bait right down to the bottom and right past these fish.

> Crappies may come in so high that they actually need to roll sideways to hit the bait to avoid bumping into the ice above. This is one of the best opportunities you’re going to get for aggressively-feeding crappies each winter.

> Target these high-riders by fishing them from the top down — using a long rod to dip the bait just 1-2′ under the ice before you move on, never needing to touch the reel in-between holes.

> I like to fish horizontal jigs and longer-profile soft plastics this time of year so that they glide and swim like a small minnow vs quivering like an insect or invertebrate.

> Slide the Palomar knot towards the jig — which goes against everything you’ve read. But causes the jig to really dart and slide out more on the stroke.

One of Jason’s favorites is the Clam Drop-Kick Jig. No matter which tungsten jig you’re using, it’s important to make sure they’re tuned, just like you would a crankbait in the open water. Thanks for the info, Jason!

Genz drills crooked holes on purpose.

Have a few buddies that do it, but not on purpose. Dave angles the hole towards him so the transducer hangs in the center — instead of on the edge — to get a clearer read on his bait with less cable out. #Science

Makes sense, but we all know the real reason (lol):

“That was a mouse chasing a mouse.”

What Brian “Bro” Brosdahl said after woofing (missing) a dink on the hookset.

Bro plays a slow game of “cat and mouse” with cold-front panfish…leaves the bait nearly still til the fish come up underneath it…then sloooowly pulls the bait away:

Had that Northland Mitee Mouse Jig tipped with an Impulse Skeleton Minnow. Bait has quite a bit of movement without moving (if that makes sense lol) thanks to its segmented tail:

When billboards hit ya in the feels.

Was out burbot fishing last night and (of course) missed 2 fish while I was busy on the phone…know I’m not the only one that happens to…. First thing that came to mind was this Rapala billboard:

There’s a pile of ’em out there — send us a pic of your favorite. Oh and #Don’tTextAndFish

Ever hear of Glory Boats?

Would you take a boat ride to the big pond in the sky?

News

1. MN: Shelter removal dates comin’ in hot.

Had to put this in here because I thought it was last weekend and was wrong (see…men do admit it…sometimes). See if you can translate this:

> Dates of removal are determined by an east-west line formed by U.S. Hwy 10, east along Hwy 34 to MN Hwy 200, east along Hwy 200 to U.S. Hwy 2, and east along Hwy 2 to the MN-WI border.

  • South of line – Mar 5
  • North of line – Mar 19

If you’re lucky enough to be fishin’ Lake of the Woods, you have until Mar 31 to get your shack off, and can fish for walleyes and saugers until Apr 14!

Fish are starting to get more aggressive up there — go up and maybe gitcha one of these. #roadtrip

2. SD: Is a little more simple…

All permie shacks need to be off by midnight Feb 28 (tonight). #ChopChop

3. MB: A fly-in lodge you can drive to.

Called Q Lake Lodge, where guys catch 28″ walleyes from the dock. #Ridiculous

4. Yamaha adds new walleye pros.

Zach Axtman and Scott Rhodes. Both fish the NWT, MWC and AIM tourneys. Also added multi-species pro Troy Creasy. Congrats all!

5. Lund Ultimate Fishing Camp.

Happenin’ Jun 24-28 on Leech Lake, MN. Chance to hit the water with legendary Lund pros like: Ted Takasaki, Perry Good and Tony Roach…but heard they’re gonna let Jeremy Smith come too (lol). Few spots left — more deets here.

Or how ’bout a video preview for you visual learners:

6. New Savage Gear 3D Minnow.

Gonna have 7 colors including a “clear body” and “foil body” for those that like to custom paint baits. Here’s “golden albino” (left) and “minnow” (right):

> “The back of these baits feature a deep curve creating wobbling movement that drive walleye crazy.”

Created ’em using 3D scans of a “common minnow.” Will come in 3″ (1/4-oz, runs 4-8′) and 3.75″ (5/8-oz, runs 5-10′) versions. First shipments coming end of next week-ish.

7. AIM gets Warrior Boats…

…as presenting sponsor for the 2018 season. Same goes for Yamaha.

8. ION owners: You seen the quick-detach system?

Converts your auger into an ice-anchor installing machine. Could also be nice for breaking the auger down on back-country trips:

9. Sea Foam was invented for outboards.

May be the #1 automotive additive in the U.S., but it was actually invented for outboard motors. Still works great in ’em (video) to dissolve fuel residues AND for fuel stabilization.

We’ve been using it for years and of course put a zillion miles on everything we use. Big thanks to Sea Foam for keeping us running smooth! They’ve got a rebate going on, check it out right here.

10. OH: Whole pile ‘o rainbows being stocked.

Over 100K of ’em being released into 64 public lakes and ponds this spring. Maybe Ross Robertson can catch one now.

11. Cool gadget I (somehow) just learned about.

Called the Firststrike Bite Indicator. Attaches to your deadstick and the flag trips when you get bit. Takes up about as much room as a Sharpie in the tackle box:

Had the chance to try one while chasing Devils Lake waldos and will definitely be picking a couple up. #Works

12. All Cabela’s HQ employees offered buyouts?

13. Industry wants Outdoor Rec offices in state govts.

Interesting idea but how would they be funded?

14. DC: $74 mil grants announced…

…to help “retain and recruit recreational anglers and boaters of all ages.” #ChaChing #FreeMoney?

Tip of the Day

Jon Thelen: Drop-rates for walleyes.

Jon talks about paying attention to the 1′ drop-rate of the bait. He always starts with more-aggressive baits then backs off to a fluttery-buttery spoon if fish are meandering around the area but not biting:

He likes using baits like the Lindy Quiver Spoon because it’s made out of tin [!] and has a slow-fluttery drop that looks natural to ’em, like a minnow.

Meme of the Day

Hang in there…the hard stuff will be gone before we know it:

Today’s ‘Eye Candy

“Muskie but sometimes walleye” Matt Hare cracked this witching-hour walter outta the St. Lawrence River using a “yellow perch” flavored Rapala Rippin’ Rap:

Sign up another ice-head!

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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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