Target Walleye/Ice email

Troy Lindner gets merped, Flat Jig vs Jigging Rap, Melons of the week

Today’s Top 4

What makes the Rapala Flat Jig so special…

At first the Rapala Flat Jig looks pretty darn similar to the OG Rapala Jigging Rap…’til you get one in your hand and realize it’s waaaay wider, and actually weighs about 80% more than a similar length J-Rap. Check this shot from NWT pro Dylan Nussbaum matchin’ the perch profile:

 

That ^ #6 Rapala Flat Jig is 2.5″ yet weighs 1-3/16 oz! The #4 Flat Jig runs 1.5″ and 9/16 oz. For comparison:

  • #9 Jigging Rap = 3.50″ and 7/8 oz
  • #7 Jigging Rap = 2.75″ and 5/8 oz
  • #5 Jigging Rap = 2.00″ and 5/16 oz

Believe the Flat Jig was originally designed for heavy current or ultra-deep water — works great for both! — but don’t overlook using it in your favorite Jigging Rap spots….

Gives fish a little different look in shallow water too ‘cuz it’s way less “darty” than the original Jigging Rap…can get it to glide 4-8’ out to the sides [!] with a slightly harder rip and longer pause.

Same bait Dylan used to win the artificial-only Champions Tour on Mille Lacs last fall…the first ever MLF format (catch, record, release) walleye derby where every fish over 1 lb counted towards their total. Dylan won it with 67-15 on 26 fish (that’s a 2-10 avg). Note: He’s from PA and had never fished Mille Lacs before…!

Dylan caught ’em fishing skinny water with the #6 “flake parrot” Rapala Flat Jig:

 

Was fishing ’em on small 7-10′ gravel humps — with scattered weeds on top — where walleyes were feeding on perch. Said running big, heavy baits up shallow is something they do a ton back home in PA.

I watched him fish the bait and noticed he paused a bit longer between snaps than what would be considered “normal.” Me being a fish-nerd, timed his rips and he had up to a 2-second pause between most of his snaps. The longer pause lets the bait shoot out farther to the sides, so Dylan said he could basically cover the entire top of a hump from one spot.

Gotta warn ya: If you think slinging a Jigging Rap makes your arms sore, you better start training now for the Flat Jig (catches that much more water). Jigging arm will feel like you’ve been doing this all day:

#WorthIt

Paunchy rock melons of the week!

Alex Poliquin (@poliquin10) caught 29″ of THICK, trolling bottom-bouncers with Northland Tackle Butterfly Blades and big creek chubs at 0.8 mph in 30-35′:

 

Tiana Chapman (@tianachapman) cracked this night hawg chucking an Original Jointed Rapala on the rocks:

 

MN’s Lake of the Woods kicked out another 30″ bruiser — one of many! — for the folks fishin’ in guide Nick Dunn’s rig outta Ballard’s Resort:

I’ll never be able to read the name “Ballard’s Resort” without my mouth uncontrollably watering…. Not sure if they still do it, but we always used to bring in our cleaned walleye fillets from the day, and they’d cook ’em up on a huge platter with fries for us. Need to make a fishin’ road-trip there again soon!

Troy Lindner would catch a ‘merp’ carp LOL.

Troy Lindner (Al’s son) is one heck of a multi-species stick — which I think is a prerequisite to carrying that last name — but this catch was maybe even a little “out there” for him:

 

Plucked outta the Missississippi River with a #6 VMC TechSet Live Bait Hook and some bread. Anyone else find it weird there’s a fish species out there we specifically target using things from our pantry??? Think about that for a second:

 

Troy said it bit like granpappy tryin’ to eat corn on the cob without his dentures in…. Okay, he didn’t actually say that…but I’d imagine it was something along those lines.

You ever notice that walleyes have brown eyes?

Well, this one did anyways….

Awesome shot of a 24″ brown-eyed girl that Rese McGaughey (@redbeardangling) snatched from a small PA creek/river. #ShaLaLa

 

Said he caught it chucking a jig + plastic combo on light Yo-Zuri TopKnot MainLine Fluoro in the clear water.

News

1. Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame class of 2020.

Big congrats to all! Bunch of walleye guys in that class…strong year class (lol).

2. MN: Lady made PVC recycling bins…

…for used mono fishing line, and had them set up around White Bear Lake. They collect and ship the line to IA-based Berkley for recycling. #Stout

Wish we had ’em all over, but know it’d be a full-time job keeping up with people throwing garbage, braided line, and junk in ’em.

3. Beaver Dam has new lighted tip-ups.

Called the Northern Light Tip-Up. Looks like a slick 1-piece rig:

4. MN: 11 lakes getting stocked with walleye fingerlings.

Pumping 4,100 lbs of 4-8″ fingerlings into these lakes. Post says they’ll grow about 3″ per year and will be about 14″ once they’re 4 yrs old.

5. Awesome used tinner for sale.

Sharin’ this post ‘cuz you don’t have to have a $70K boat to catch walleyes….

Came across this sweet 1993 Lund 1700 Pro Angler a dude is selling in central MN. Definitely won’t last long at $5.5K obo — click here or on the pic below for the full deets:

6. Sportsman’s Warehouse buying 8 F&S stores from Dick’s.

Actually had no idea Dick’s owned Field & Stream….

7. Is Joel Nelson starting his own bait shop?

Look at how many spools of Sufix ice line Joel just ordered lol. Bonus points for the cool way of storing ’em though:

8. DC: $25 mil earmarked to help fight Asian carp.

#ChaChing

9. There’s a GoPro Hero8 Black comin’ out.

> The $399 GoPro Hero8 Black’s most significant change is that it gains a new body design that incorporates GoPro’s signature mounting system right into the case….

10. BC: Dude caught a piranha out of Westwood Lake.

Good one too!

And it wasn’t the first one…’nother came earlier that summer. Most likely just a pet that outgrew its welcome, which could land you up to a $100K fine [!] if caught playing bucket biologist and illegally moving invasive species….

Tip of the Day

How river levels reposition fall walleyes.

Quick-hitter from Tom Kemos on how rising or falling water levels reposition late-fall walleyes in river systems:

 

Side note: My brain can’t handle jigging two rods at the same time (like Kemos was in that vid). Have tried it ice fishing, but always seemed to hurt me more than it helped. Of course in MN we can only fish with 1 rod during the open-water season, so maybe I’d be willing to practice up if/when that ever changes.

Rumor has it sometime soon-ish MN fishers could get the option of purchasing a $5 add-on license to fish with a second line…though similar 2-line proposals have been floating around for nearly 10 years and are yet to pass…..

Quote/Meme of the Day

“I’ve always run older boats because I like boats that are paid for.”

– That’s Wired2Fish’s Walker Smith talkin’ about running his 21-yr-old outboard, and how “maintenance is a lot cheaper than repairs.” Touché man!

 

Walker said he switched to non-ethanol fuel and regularly using fuel treatments like Sea Foam Marine Pro, and now his outboard is running stronger [flexing emoji] than ever:

> …noticed improvements in hole shot and top speed…also much less smoke than before.

> It cleans injectors, removes old carbon deposits from cylinder heads, cleans and lubricates critical upper engine areas and even stabilizes tank fuel for up to 2 years.

Don’t need to be a mechanic to use that stuff, but they do too:

Today’s ‘Eye Candy

Diggin’ this shot from fish-head @parkerfish10 where he’s rubbin’ the belly of a fat 26.5-incher and makin’ a wish.

 

> Parker: “I was snap-jigging off some pencil reeds with a Rapala Jigging Rap in 17′. Cranked in my bait and he swam up from the bottom…watched him eat it 5′ from the boat!”

Guess I’m gonna have to start figure-8ing for walleyes….

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