Reel wrong handed rant, Bass vs walleye debate, Find fish backwards

By (mostly Brett)

Posted on August 20, 2021

You have got to see this hilarious contraption that Fat Cat Newton and Cashion Rods released at ICAST – it’s called “The Game Changer.”
> “Everybody claims that their new product is a game changer…but who can argue with the fact that this new rod from Cashion is going to absolutely CHANGE THE GAME of fishing.> “No more choosing between a bait caster and a spinning reel. This new combo meets all of your special technique needs.”And yes, it has guides on the top and bottom:

No matter which hand you reel with, someone will always call you out for using the “wrong” hand, reeling backwards, being a southpaw, whatever you wanna call it. So I wondered: Is there a “right” way?

Did a quick poll over on Facebook to see what people thought:

• (37%) Switch hands depending if it’s a spinning reel or baitcaster
• (34%) Reel left-handed
• (29%) Reel right-handed

That’s dang near an even split. Does that mean everyone’s wrong? And if anyone isn’t right, wouldn’t it be the people that switch hands and do both??

That’d be like writing left-handed with pencils, but right-handed with markers ‘cuz they’re beefier? Or shooting lefty with a .22, but switching to righty when you use a shotgun?? Never did understand the switching thing – most people that do it can’t explain how they got started with it lol.

What it all comes down to is just doing what feels comfortable to you…unless it’s this:

1. NY: DEC proposes new daily walleye limit on Oneida Lake.

The walleye population is at a record high, so they want to increase from 3 fish per day to the statewide daily possession limit of 5 per day.

2. MN: Mille Lacs creel data in for July.

> “The state fishery is now at just under 51,000 lbs of walleye kill, which is 58% of the state fishery share of the harvest-able surplus, and at this point, the likelihood of having an unplanned closure is very small.”

3. Clam dropped their new ice stuff for ’21-’22.

Just snagged a few screenshots for below – click the pic to see all the new goods:

6. LakeMaster discontinued the Lake of the Woods/Rainy chip.

But that’s actually good news….

Used to have to buy a separate LakeMaster card to get contours for Lake of the Woods, Rainy River and Rainy Lake in the past, but they’ve now added that data to the new MN and ON chips.

> Along with recent upgrades/additions to new Minnesota and Ontario chips…Lake of the Woods, Rainy Lake and Rainy River data is now included in the following cards: Minnesota v9, Minnesota PLUS v4, Minnesota SmartStrike v5 and Ontario v2. And Lake of the Woods is also now included on Manitoba v1.

7. ID’s still collecting walleye heads outta Lake Pend Oreille.

8. If you’re sick of missin’ fish…

…when pulling big creek chubs or redtails, might wanna check out the Eagle Claw TK2VR Pro-V Octopus Hook in the #2 or #1 size. Heard a lot of folks are reeeeally diggin’ ’em. Surgically sharpened and requires half the pressure on the hookset. Also:

> …the bend increases holding power after hookset by funneling the fish to the deepest point on the hook throat and keeping it there. …creates a pocket in the hook throat that holds live bait in place.

Is walleye fishing as difficult as bass fishing?

Not us asking the Q! That’s an actual headline from an older ESPN write-up – too hilarious (and serious?) to not bring back to life. Here’s our CliffsNotes version of the full post:

> I don’t own a boat but the last couple of years I’ve stepped outside the air conditioning and jumped on my friend’s boat and did some fishing.

> Walleye fishing on his boat consists of the ‘bottom bouncer’ rig. Dropping a line in the water and trolling around waiting for the bite.

> I’ve done my fair share of bass fishing and it always felt to me at least that bass fishing took a little more skill.

> The skill of having to reel and cast a lot more, accompanied with the fact you feel like you aren’t just snagging ’em near the bottom makes it feel more competitive….

> Plus a bass will give you a much more fun time reeling it in than a walleye.

> Now don’t get me wrong, walleye fishing is a blast. More my cup of tea as I don’t have to do as much work to catch as many fish.

Lol! Don’t know where to start. Asked a few guys ’round the office what they thought:

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