Teener of the week, WTHeck is tightlining, Spooning crappies

Merry Christmas everyone! This will be the only Target Walleye this week – not sure if we’ll get 1 out next week…but I can’t stay away from this stuff for that long so fingers Xd.

Just wanna say THANK YOU to everyone taking time out of their day to read these emails every Wed and Fri. Also a big thank you to all the companies and folks that support TW – literally none of this craziness would be possible without you.

We hope you and yours have a blessed Christmas and start to 2022. And if you don’t celebrate Christmas, Happy Hanukkah or Happy Holidays to you and your fam.

That Columbia River, WA freakazoid was caught on a “lunch lady” color Kit’s Tackle Glass Minnow being vertically jigged in 20′ on the edge of a weedbed.

Just 5 min before catching that fish of 10 lifetimes, he had etched this into the deck:

Amazing. 👊 Meant to be, man!

Btw here’s the scoop on those fish-sexy Glass Minnows:

> “…incredible see-through transparent properties exactly mimicking juvenile baitfish and other aquatic forage. The unique reflective abilities of our secret material bring bright and subtle light together to create an effect that will call fish from extended distances. While in motion, the material stays tight to the jig creating a fleeing forage effect…then upon pause, the undulating characteristics of the material flares out just like natural fin flare on a frightened baitfish….”

Mckeever spiced his up a bit, adding a “chartreuse silver flake/white core” color AuthentX Pulse-R to the back:

If you’re a panfish-er and have never heard of “tightlining,” it’s time to check into this filthy-good technique. It’s no coincidence that most all of the top ice-tourney anglers are doing it. Here’s how avid ice-nut and NAIFC tourney angler Anthony Rodriguez describes it:

> “Tightlining is a style of detecting your bites by watching the coils in your line as you pound the jig – watching as far down the hole as you can see on finicky days.

> “When you think you have a bite, drop the tip of the rod to see if the line floats…if it does, set the hook!!!”

Gotta watch Anthony’s video to really understand what the bite looks like. It’s an older vid, but by far the best I’ve seen showing what actual bites look like with this technique:

He prefers a shorter 18″ to 22″ rod to be able to sit closer to the hole, and chooses one that’s: “Stiff enough to pound the jig – yet soft enough to not lose crappie.”

Having a good 2- to 4-lb high-vis line is key. A couple of fan favorites are hi-vis gold Stren (if you can find it) and neon orange Sufix Ice Magic.

Heard it’s a tough technique to master, can you handle it?

That’s Jake Feldt (👨🏻) and his bud tracking down MONDO roaming crappies and bringing ’em topside with his go-to crappie rod: the Elliott Rods “Evolution Ice Series” 44L-F.

There’s a time and place for everything, but IMO the longer the ice rod = the better. It’s tough to explain, but once you fish with a longer rod (whether it’s open water or ice) it’s hard to go back to shorter sticks. Unless you’re Anthony Rodriguez, that is. 😂🎯

Looks like some type of pike? Glad I don’t have to remove all those Y bones!

First thing that came to mind:

That’s sorta how bison were “managed” back in the 1870s…. #TheWildWest

Second thing that came to mind:

I know a handful of lakes in north-central MN that could probably use a cleaning out like that (lol). #Snakes #HammerHandles #ByeByeFavoriteRapala

1. The walleyes in heaven don’t stand a chance.

Another one gone too soon…walleye tourney hammer Al Standly passed on Dec 18 surrounded by family.

Swear every time I would check tourney results, I’d see Al and his wife Bev finishing in the money – or winning. The first time I had chatted with Al was about 6 yrs ago when he and Bev won the MTT Lake Pepin Open. Found out at that time they had been fishing tourneys together for 17 years, and were still somehow married lol! So awesome.

They won the LPO with a 2-day, 10-fish total of 36.50 lbs. Also weighed-in early both days of the event. While most other boats were running leadcore or handlining, the Standlys were running deep-diving Lindy crankbaits at 4-5 mph with the current – sometimes even faster. Dang near on plane lol. How cool is that?

I knew instantly from that conversation that Al was different, but different in a REALLY good way. Rest easy, fishing brother! 🙏✝️ Our prayers go out to Bev and family.

2. Lake Erie Fall Brawl funny business???

Remember a couple weeks back when I mentioned that some funny business allegedly went down? Well, I just came across this interesting Toledo Blade write-up with a little more insight…. I’m not about to paraphrase or comment on anything (too messy), but you can dive on in if it tickles your fancy. 😳

3. MN: AIM is heading to Lake Miltona..

For the Warrior Boats 2022 National Championship Shootout Jun 3-4. Awesome fishery just north of Alexandria, and believe this is the first bigger tourney I’ve ever heard of going there. Has sunken islands, sand bars, deep holes, weedlines and expansive flats…the type of lake where folks can catch them a bunch of different ways.

Gotta say if this was fantasy football fishing, I would draft Drake Herd with the 1st overall pick next year…. 👀

4. OH: Lake Erie’s western basin had a solid perch hatch.

> “…yellow perch surveys completed during Aug in Lake Erie’s west zone resulted in an index of 380 perch per hectare…. This is the 11th-highest value on record and just below the 34-yr avg of 398/hectare. Catches of 1-yr-old yellow perch ranked 14th on record, with an index of 24/hectare. Lake Erie anglers can look forward to these fish reaching keeper size as early as 2022.”

5. New StrikeMaster Pro Lithium 40v Lite is a BEAST. 💯

It’s the bigger, badder broseph to the StrikeMaster Lithium 24v. If you’re one of the #diehards who wants to drill more the most holes, thru more the most ice, all season long = definitely gonna wanna check out the new Pro Lithium 40v Lite.

Comes standard with the featherweight Lite-Flite Lazer Drill Unit and has a beefy new 6-amp battery. Their 8″ model will drill up to 115 Holes thru 16″ of ice on a single charge. #MorePowerBaby

I got to take one for a rip last season and it’s amazingly smoooooth + powerful. Crazy where lithium technology has come in the fishin’ world!

Closer look at that BEAUT right here:

6. MI plans to clean up Lake Erie.

New mgmt plan addressing the causes driving harmful algal blooms.

7. NY: Proposed reg changes for bigger panfish.

Part of an experimental program (would run from 2022–2025) to grow bigger sunfish and crappies. The proposals include:

• Reducing the sunfish statewide daily harvest limit from 50 to 25.
• Increasing the crappie statewide minimum size limit from 9″ to 10″.
• Implementing an 8″ minimum size limit and a daily harvest limit of 15 for sunfish in [these 11 lakes] chosen for their potential to grow larger sunfish.

They’re accepting comments on these proposed reg changes thru Dec 26.

8. Ross Robertson going live tonight…

…on Clam’s Facebook at 8pm cst.

9. Did you know that CJ&S Slender Spoons…

…come in 76+ different color-combinations between the original, Pro-Glow and Pro Series?!

Wowza. 😍🔥

No matter what color(s) you roll with, they have an awesome fluttery-buttery action that crushes waldos. I use ’em a ton when ice fishing in central MN where we’ve got ultra-clear water and pressured fish.

10. MI DNR hiring conservation officers.

11. PA: New commissioner appointed to PFBC.

John Mahn, who has served on the PFBC’s Boating Advisory Board since Aug 2017 and was the past president of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association.

12. Lunkerhunt has a new “HIVE Series” line of baits coming…

…made with their “Ultra Durable Soft Plastic” (UDSP) that will stand up to catch after catch unlike most other soft plastic baits. It’s not only durable, it also floats, allowing this bait to move naturally and create action that no fish can resist. Watch for more HIVE baits being launched in the future.”

The Micro Typhons look filthy for crappies:

> “…a solid body tube offers the angler a small profile bait with unreal action and durability. This little bait comes in at 1.5″ with tantalizing tentacles that create the action that fish cannot resist.”

And that pic ^ got my brain blowing, and wondering why I’ve never really played around with rigging my plastics “backwards” before? 🤔💡

13. IN is increasing license fees.

First time since 2006.

14. Here’s 9 ice fishing tournaments in UT this winter.

If you’re looking to step up your game.

Also, UT stocked over 9.6 mil fish in 2021.

15. Sale: Lunkerhunt has a 30% off all rod combos.

Nate Berg’s n*ked spooning strategies.

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.

Btw Clam has a newer version called the Jointed Pinhead Mino with the same “sleek slab spoon” design, but is jointed to create extra movement like an injured minnow.

“On the 5th day of Fishmas, my tip-ups gave to me: FIVE GOLDEN LOINS!”

– That’s guide Justin Soffa proving that 1) putting up the Christmas tree can be fun, and 2) Lake Gogebic, MI is more than just zillions of portly jumbo perch:

National Professional Anglers Assoc. 

MN-FISH