Target Walleye/Ice email

Massive 14 lber caught, What burbot actually eat, Biggest blue perch ever

Today’s Top 4

Massive 14-lber caught in central MN!     

Hunter Baxley and his twin bro Tanner wrastled in a central MN freakazoid (caught north of MIlle Lacs, but not on it) that went 31″ long x 21.25″ girth and weighed 14+ lbs on a certified scale!

 

Caught soaking a “gold” Custom Jigs & Spins Demon and medium-sized sucker under a tip-up…set on a sand flat loaded with little perch.

This post from 65 Bait and Tackle (where the fish was weighed) said:

> they slept in a pop-up shelter a mile or more in by snowmobile.

> …tried to release her but she wouldn’t kick off. …destined for the wall….

Here’s a couple other angles from 65 Bait and Tackle’s post:

Big, big, BIG congrats fellas!

Guess what this dude found inside a burbot’s belly…?!   

Outdoor writer Don Allphin hit up the Burbot Bash last weekend on UT’s Flaming Gorge Reservoir — a derby that’s held each season to help wipe the “illegally introduced” species out the fishery.

Area fisheries biologists want burbot gone ‘cuz they’re a…

> “…voracious predator that eats sport fish that would otherwise be available for anglers to catch.”

Soooo, I find it pretty dang interesting that ALL of the burbot Don caught last weekend were chock full of crayfish…. Like this 19-incher that had 17 [!!] in its belly:

And that wasn’t the only burb enjoying a crawfish boil — check this quote from Don’s full-write up:

> “During practice, I caught, cleaned and filleted around 20 burbot. I checked their stomachs and found the identical contents in each. The burbot in Flaming Gorge (at least the ones I caught) eat nothing but crayfish — an enormous number of crayfish in all sizes from tiny (1/4″ length) youngsters to 5″ adults. One 25″ fish had 24 crayfish in its stomach!”

Still trying to find where in the regz UT has craws listed as a sportfish….

Can’t get enough jumbos! 

Yup, we’re called Target WALLEYE, but you oughta know by now we cover all species through the ice. Time for some jumbo perch lovin’!

1)  This is what happens when you pour a teaspoon of blue food coloring in yer jumbo-laya…little side-by-side comparison so you can get your color bearings on what might be the biggest “blue perch” ever?!

Eric Boson caught those slaunches fishin’ with Justin Soffa of Just Fish Guide Service on MI’s Lake Gogebic.

2)  Being a NoDak boy, Mike Olsen is no stranger to big yellar-bellies…but this fish takes it to a whole ‘nother level! Thwacked his new PB to the tune of 15.75″ [!!!] dangling a “UV pink” Northland Eye-Ball Spoon tipped with a minnow head:

3)  No such thing as an off-season for NWT pro Korey Sprengel. When he’s not prepping his gear, he’s harassing the Devils Lake, ND jumbotrons:

Oh, and keep that beard rolling dude!

 
 

4)  Roxane Dupuis (@roxdupuis) gettin’ her jumbo on with this paunchy 15-incher. Wonder what that sucka would weigh?!

Are you THIS diehard?   

Talk about some serious dedication:

 

Still one of my all-time favorite shots of Lund pro Roy Vivian. Maybe Lund oughta consider adding windshield wipers to their Boat Builder tool? Lol.

For sure gotta slap a set of these thingamajigs on there too then:

News

1. We lost Forrest L. Wood.

Prayers to Nina and the Wood family.

Jay Kumar put together an incredible tribute to Forrest in the last BassBlaster email — definitely worth a read.

2. MN: Mille Lacs quota set…

…and folks are fired up.

Those “safe harvest” #s are gonna be the same as last year = total of 150,000 lbs can be “taken” from the lake. That # is split between state-licensed anglers and Tribal fishing…of course a chunk of that also goes towards the guesstimated hooking mortality (fish that are caught and released, but presumed to still die).

Far as the actual fishing regs will go:

> “Open-water walleye regulations will need to consider this winter’s harvest and the expected conditions during spring and summer. That work will occur during the next 6 weeks as winter walleye fishing comes to an end…. The DNR will announce open-water regs for Mille Lacs Lake in late March.”

My guess is best-case scenario ya might be able to keep one (from a tight slot window) in the spring…then maybe (hopefully) catch and release the rest of the year…or likely close down to walleye fishing (again) before the fall bite.

Honestly not too sure what to say on this anymore. I’m 100% for protecting our resources for future generations…but we’ve got a lake here that’s so jammed full of walleyes RIGHT NOW you can’t not catch ’em — of all sizes….

3. MN: Detroit Lakes area derby is a go!

The Poles ‘N Holes ice derby happenin’ Feb 8 on the north side of Little Detroit Lake. Believe they expect ’round 1,500-ish anglers and have one a heck of a prize-to-participant ratio (which is still a real made-up thing) with over $35K in prizes.

Also have the Ice Palace completed just down the street (free admission) that looks pretty dang cool for the fam:

4. PA folks no longer need to wear…

…fishing licenses on the outside of their clothes. Will now be able to keep it in your pocket like the rest of the world lol.

5. Northern MN resorts are hurtin’…

…’cuz of the nasty ice conditions from all the snow and slush. Some are even closing down. Sad stuff. Thx a ton, Mother Nature.

6. How crazy is this “Gill-O-Tine” contraption?!

Company called Rut-Fin has brought some technology over to the fishing world I’ve never seen before. They make a unit called the Gill-O-Tine that automatically jigs your bait — can be programed with an infinite number of cadences — some I don’t think you could possibly duplicate with your hands:

7. MN: Yo Alexandria-area folks!

The Fishing For the Cure ice tourney FUN-raiser (hosted by the employees of Alexandria Industries) is happenin’ Feb 15 on Smith Lake. All proceeds are donated to the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life to help find a cure for cancer. They raised $60K in donations last year alone = #amazing!

Super kid-friendly event, too. Last year they had 208 youngins registered, and every kiddo 12-and-under gets a gift for participating. Getting that next generation involved in this sport we love so much is what it’s ALL about.

8. St. Croix promotes Ryan Teach to product manager.

Created the position for him to “seek and coordinate critical feedback from St. Croix anglers, dealers and retailers to help direct future product development.”

Also sounds like Ryan is a diehard fisherman — muy bueno!

9. OH: DNR provided $250K in boating safety edu. grants

10. MN: 7th Annual Wheeler’s Point Derby, Feb 6.

11. WV: Record grass carp caught from a kayak.

That’d be a wild ride:

Headline of the Day

Why would someone want to go ice fishing?

> “Why do normally stable people go out in extremely cold weather to venture onto a frozen snow and windswept body of water to freeze their tails off and stare down through a hole in the ice to catch a fish?”

It might not make sense logically, but it makes sense to us!

TargetWalleye.com Highlights

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Tip of the Day

J-Mitch talks — and shows — how he calls ’em in, then switches up his jigging cadence to get ’em to commit. Love the underwater stuff:

Quote of the Day

“I didn’t want some big pike to swim by and be like, ‘That’s a shiny minnow, I’m going to try that….'”

– That’s Jackson Baumgart protecting the goods…an engagement ring! Talkin’ about his surprise on-ice engagement at WI’s Fox Lake.

> Using a Beaver Dam Original Tip-Up, Baumgart lowered a bottle of champagne into a hole before [his now-fiance] Lee arrived. He said the tip-up holds special meaning as it belonged to Doug Lee, Rachel’s dad who died in 2016 as the result of a traffic accident.

> Lee heard the call “tip-up” and went to check for a fish on the line. Then Baumgart removed his outerwear to reveal a suit and bowtie, and quietly followed behind [her].

> She pulled up the bottle of perfectly chilled champagne and read the words [he] had written on it, “Let’s make this o’fish’ial. Be my best catch ever.”

And THAT is how you catch a fiance! Congrats to the fishin’ couple!!

Today’s ‘Eye Candy

Justen Engelking snatched this 9.8-lber (28″ x 17″) outta the The Fox Chain O’ Lakes, IL using a Northland Buck-Shot Spoon in 17′. Awesome:

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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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