That’s @giannibalboa puttin’ in the work on Lake Winnipeg aka “Big Windy.” And this last shot might just be the best inside-the-shack photo I’ve seen yet:

Wowza — keep killin’ it, man!

1. Uncut Angling’s “39 Hours” is back.

If you haven’t heard of “39 Hours” yet (where ya been?!) it’s when you cross competitive fishing, reality TV and a whole bunch of caffeine:

Check out the entire Season ONE playlist here if you’re looking to kill a bunch o’ time, all in the name of big fish.

2. MN: Walleye-limit talk headed to the capital.

State lawmakers will be hearing out a proposal to lower the statewide walleye bag limit from 6 to 4.

Write-up also said that “opening state waters to 2-line fishing…is likely to be part of the agenda” too.

3. MN: Brainerd $150K ice extravaganza gets the greenlight.The world’s largest charity ice-fishing contest — something everyone’s gotta experience at least once or thrice — is set for Jan 25 on Gull Lake. Lot more info on the derby’s website.

Weren’t sure ice conditions would allow it to happen, but Sheriff Scott Goddard issued the good news — and the permit for the contest — yesterday after finding 15.5″ to 17.5″ of ice throughout the contest area. Can expect ’round 10,000+ people to fish for a chance at the $150K in prizes.

4. MI: Walleye limits might eventually be standardized…

…from Lake St. Clair to Lake Erie. Possession limits change Apr 1, but also hoping to get the slot limits in sync over the next couple years to make things consistent across the system and joining rivers. Full scoop here.

5. IN: Ohio River walleye regz changing Jan 19.

Will be a 6-fish daily limit (any combo of walleye, sauger and saugeye) with 12 in possession. Also adding a 14″ minimum.

Was a 10-fish daily limit with 20 in possession, and no minimum size restriction.

6. Walleye pro Eric Olson gets Vexus Boats.

Believe he’s the first multi-species, non-bass guy joining the Vexus team — he’ll be running their DVX series.

7. Off Shore Tackle’s beefing-up their tattle flags.

Will make the already durable-as-snot Off Shore Tackle Planer Boards even more durable, with new heavy-duty flag wires:

8. AR: Game and Fish stocked 338,354 walleye in 2019.

Yup, that’s in a bassin’ state that butts up to OK, TX, LA, MS, TN.

The current AR state-record walleye is a 22 lb 11oz mammoth plucked from Greers Ferry Lake in 1982 by Michael Curtis. It’s of course the 12-lb line-class world record, too. Can’t see that being beat!

9. MN: New Pine River dam comin’ this year.

The current half-century old rock dam has been needing $15-20K worth of patchwork every few years. Now they’ll be putting in a “permanent solution for not only keeping the water in the lake but also allowing fish passage.”

Supposed to open up access to a bunch of good walleye spawning habitat upstream, closer to the Crosslake Dam.

10. Have a look at the new MotorGuide Katana prop.

Vid (click the pic below) says they added a hydrofoil to the blade shape — based on NASA technology:

11. Pelican has new ‘CARGO Cases’ for trucks and SUVs.

12. Now GM’s comin’ out with an electric Hummer?

Move over Tesla…. Rumor has it they’ll be announcing the e-Hum (no idea of the actual name) during the Super Bowl. Will have LeBron James help marketing it, who does a ton of hunting, fishing, and exploring the outdoors…. Lol okay pretty sure he just plays basketball.

I’m completely sold on electric ice augers, but trucks??? Not so much…yet.

Before you get all worked up with that ^ title…he’s talkin’ how he fishes jigging spoons for crappies without live bait. Make more sense now? Lol.

Few snippets from MN fishing guide Nate Berg’s FB post:

> It’s pretty fun to see the lost art of fishing jigging spoons with no bait re-emerge. I’m a pretty big fan of the Clam Pinhead Jigging Mino. They come in some awesome colors and the 1/16-oz is the perfect size for crappies and ‘gills.

> When I was 5, I ‘graduated’ from watching a crappie minnow below a bobber to chasing them with a spoon. Being a 35+ year veteran of this technique there are a few things you can do to increase your catches….

> … use a ‘snap’ to attach your bait to your lure — I personally use No-Knot Fas-Snaps. It’s easier on your fingers changing lures and…allows the spoon to move a little more freely = increases the action…. Allows you to be even tighter with your jigs and get the needed movement out of the hook/flipper without huge movements, so you’re almost finessing a jigging spoon.

> …put a BB-sized split-shot a 12-18″ above your spoon. It will keep you more in direct contact with your lure and keep the spoon from going all over the board…allowing you to finesse the spoon.

> My go-to is 3-lb mono. I’ve used super lines and fluoro, but the fact that they don’t stretch really decreases your hookup rates. With the paper mouths it’s easy to rip the hooks out of their mouths. 3-lb has good stretch and is strong enough to handle bigger fish. 4-lb seems to be a little too stiff for deeper water and with 2-lb I tend to break-off fish on hooksets….

> Don’t get bogged down in one hole. A jigging spoon is a search-and-destroy bait. Catch the active fish and move on. Crappies are spooky by nature so if you pop 2-5 out of a hole, don’t be surprised if your bite slows drastically, despite still having fish under you. Move to a new hole and revisit it in a few minutes. Most of the time the biggest fish are the most active yet the first to spook…so be very mobile and your catches will increase.

> …when you get on a school, start fishing higher in the water column than you ever have. I’ve literally had crappies come up 15′ to hit a bait. The crappie in the photo hit 2′ under the ice and came up out of the school 6′. Crappies are predators — they look up for their food, especially when they’re in basin areas and/or suspended.