Target Walleye/Ice email

Mega 18″ ice crappie, Shiver Minnow attacks, Comfiest fish-house seat ever

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Today’s Top 5

Massive 18″ ice crappie caught!

Rob Bethke iced this MN slab-osaurus on Lake Nevuhtelja (pronounced: neva-tell-ya!) that measured a ridiculous 18″ x 15.5″ and weighed 3 lbs 6 oz:

Caught her on a Custom Jigs & Spins Demon Jig tipped with a small shiner:

> Rob: I was fishing in 9’…it’s a muck bottom but early-ice there’s still green weeds around the area. It’s a little feeding highway for them bigger fish and man are they aggressive.

> That was the biggest of 3 fish over 17″ [!] caught that night (of course you get the dinks too). Honestly it will never happen again…was like hitting the Powerball…unreal to me on a public lake.

Wow! Congrats dude!!

Trick for solo installing a “runner kit” on your portable shack.

Imo the worst part about putting together a new flip-over (by yourself) is trying to add a runner kit (aka: hyfax, slides, tracking kit, etc) to the bottom of the sled….

Of course worth it since they take the beating instead of your sled, and help it to track straight when towed behind a sled or wheeler…but it’s never fun installing ’em.

Few things you can do to make it easier:

  1. Convince a fishin’ buddy — with pizza and beer — to come help. Works 60% of the time, every time.
  2. Put the runners on first [!!!] so you don’t need to work around other schtuff.
  3. Heat ’em up with a hair dryer or heat gun (maybe the oven if you ask nicely) to make ’em more flexible.
  4. Screw/bolt down the first hole of each runner — at the front of the sled — as an anchor point.

This quick hitter from Anthony Kleinwachter is one of those why-didn’t-I-think-of-that type of deals. He uses a one-size-smaller drill bit than recommended — so the bolts don’t fall out when you flip the sled over:

Anthony was putting that 50″ Tracking Kit on an Eskimo Wide-1 Inferno. Unique thing about that shack is it has an:

> “…Expandable front spreader bar that allows for 32% more fishable area….once the front end is expanded, ice anglers can fish multiple lines and still have room for electronics and a heater.”

Haven’t tried one, but looks like a slick idea:

Heard they came up with the idea while slamming a pile of Mountain Dew…with the wide-mouth can of course….

Okay not really…but another design that makes life more enjoyable lol.

“These Shiver Minnows sure have some bite if you’re not careful!”

That’s Scott Mackner (@330MaNiac) after taking a “glow perch” Moonshine Shiver Minnow to the chin — yikes!

> Scott: I was reeling up my buddy’s deadstick because he was pulling up a nice walleye. As the walleye came out of the hole, the bait popped out of its mouth…shot up over his shoulder and into my neck.

> Good news though: I yanked it out with a pliers and kept on fishin’…ain’t got no time for that when they’re biting!

You’re an animal, dude! Would do the same….

Comfiest fish-house seat ever?

Brian Zaborowski Jr didn’t wanna let his new Lund boat seats gather dust all winter, so he slapped one on his Clam Legend XL Thermal instead:

Add a Buddy Heater and that’s the ultimate recipe for a nap lol. Don’t get too comfy, man…makes it harder to get yourself outside to hole hop!

“Oh it’s a walter!”

What guide Jason Smith’s son, Fischer, said when he realized he had a big-ol’ white tip on the other end of his BigTooth Blue Ice Pike Tip-up. #Priceless

Handled that run better than most of us would. Nice job, dude!!

News

Got super excited when I saw the headline ‘cuz the current MO record is a staggering 21-lb 1-oz freak caught outta Bull Shoals Lake back in 1988….

This new record weighed 6 lbs 14 ozs…? Caught by Jason Reynolds who was using a bluegill under a floating jug line (seriously):

Ends up it’s the new “alternative method” record walleye. Get this:

> MO state-record fish are recognized in 2 categories: pole-and-line and alternative methods. Alternative methods include: throwlines, trotlines, limb lines, bank lines, jug lines, spearfishing, snagging, snaring, gigging, grabbing, archery and atlatl.

Had to Google half those. All I could think of — the ENTIRE time reading that — was the Joe Dirt firework-stand scene:

Lol

Matthew Swanson broke the previous record with this monster 45.25″ freshwater gator plucked outta the Rainy River on a streamer fly:

Case you’re wondering, MN has 2 different kinds of state records:

> One for catching and keeping [aka killing] the biggest fish in each species based on certified weight…the other for the length of a caught-and-released muskellunge, northern pike, lake sturgeon or flathead catfish.

Still don’t understand why there’s no catch-and-release record for walleyes? Or say any/all other species?? Talkin’ to you, DNR guys/gals….

…seminar schedule announced. Lookin’ rather stacked:

Happenin’ Dec 7-9 at Scheels Arena — that’s 45,000 SqFt [!] of ice-fishing goodness. Same great deals with less shoulder bumping and traffic = #jackpot

…reduce the spread of zeebz. According to MAISRC graduate student Adam Doll’s 3-yr study done in partnership with Tonka Bay Marina, the MN DNR and Brunswick Boats.

Talkin’ tiny zebra mussel larvae that gets trapped in standing water — in the engine, livewell, compartments, etc — when boats are pulled out.

…for you ice-heads running the M18 Fuel 1/2″ drill on your Eskimo Pistol Bit, Clam Drill Plate, K-Drill, or what have you:

Just saw Home Depot has ’em on sale for $149 — gonna try to snag one as soon as this email is fired off.

I used to be “that guy” who said spending $$$ on a cooler was ridiculous…now I’ve been using Otter’s 42-quart cooler a couple years and can’t imagine life without one. Really is an investment…especially for outdoorsy people.

Reason I’m bringing this up is ‘cuz Otter has a crazy cooler sale going on right now. And I’m not talkin’ just 5-10% off…more like up to 35% off, and free shipping with promo code: COOL18

Comes in 4 sizes and a pile of colors — click here or on the pic to check ’em out:

Says they’re “grizzly bear certified” though I hope to never find out in person….

Hadn’t heard of this before and thought it was cool. You can get a rear-view backup camera on 8′-wide Yetti Fish House models — love it:

One on the left is Brad Hawthorne’s Traxx Edition aka toy hauler [drooling emoji].

 

Yup, this is real life…we’re giving away another $1,900 Garmin Panoptix Ice Fishing Bundle! Drill a single hole and scan for fish 100′ away in ANY direction!! Are you freakin’ kiddin’ me?! [shocked emoji]Thing is legit. Seen ’em in action and WOW. Only takes 10 seconds to enter here. Share the link you get for more chances to win — good luck!!!

Tip of the Day

Brian Bro Brosdahl takes advantage of early, snowless ice to find fish-holding features (green weeds, holes/depressions, wood) with his eyes. Grandpa would be so proud:

Quote of the Day

Well the doctor did say to ice it….

– Brian Culver’s comment under this post of iceaholic Chad Mohns gettin’ after it with a broken foot [!] in eastern SD. #Dedication

You’re my boy, blue!

Today’s ‘Eye Candy

Jayden Sandbeck whacked his new PB walldawg outta Stump Lake, ND last December on a Lindy Rattl’N Flyer Spoon — hit the magical 30″ mark and was 12-lbs on the dot:

Gonna be a tough one to beat [!] but you’ll get to try to soon…have heard people are already ice fishing on Stump.

Be safe out there!

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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

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