Target Walleye/Ice email

Walleye locations now, DIY truck rod holder, Hilarious ice fishing video

Today’s Top 5

What it looks like when a 27.75-incher…     

Can’t get enough of vids showing the graph/flasher and how fish are reacting. Shout-out to @seabass_outdoors for taking the time to get it done.

That ^^ was the before — here’s the after:

Those Freedom Tackle Hammered Minnow Spoons have still (somehow?) been flying under the radar…things are #Money! Sorta like combining a jerkbait + rattlebait + jigging spoon + blade bait = all into one unit.

Don’t know how else to describe its action other than to drop a clip below of its non-hammered brother, the original Freedom Tackle Minnow Spoon:

The original Minnow Spoon has been out for 5-ish years. Comes in some nasty colors [drooling emoji]:

The Hammered version has a quick-change clevis on the rear to swap out hooks or bead colors:

I love fishing both just like a rattlebait, but then still able to slow things way down and flutter those picky ones into biting.

“When you snag a walleye by a Husky Jerk…WITH a Husky Jerk….”   

– That’s NWT pro Dylan Nussbaum trying to explain THIS madness he pulled off with a “gold” Rapala Down Deep Husky Jerk — never seen anything like it:

Here’s what it probably felt like reeling in that mess (lol):

DIY ice-rod holder for a truck? 

Lake Winnipeg, MB guide Matt Cornell (Bruin Outfitting and Guide Service) whipped himself up a DIY ice-rod holder that’ll hold 30 [!] of his Clam 36″ MH Ice Team Professional Series rods and Predator reels along the headliner of his truck. Said he “staggered broom holders on Lexan” and looks like a bungee cord up front:

Good thing they gotta use barbless hooks in Manitoba, otherwise here’s what Matt would look crossing any frazil ice:

Lol kiddin’ man…sorta. Love the idea! I’m gonna have to rig something up for burbot season.

You ever seen a bait THIS chewed up??   

From just a couple days of fishing:

What Ana Leschishin’s “chrome” Rapala Rippin’ Rap looked like after chasing greenbacks on Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Her first fish of the trip was a 29-incher!

What it’s like taking someone ice fishing for the first time.   

Man, I’m ALL for introducing new people to the sport…but I think you’ll get a serious kick out of this hilarious “You Betcha” parody video. Pokes fun at taking someone (especially your in-laws) out ice fishing for their first time. Enjoy!

News

1. WI: Folks wanna extend Minocqua Chain walleye regs a year.

‘Cuz it’s current zero bag limit (been in place 5 years!) has been helping the walleye population make a rebound, but they’re still working to “restore a self-sustaining level of natural reproduction” too.

See…Mille Lacs isn’t the only lake being picked on! 😉

Btw there was a public meeting last Oct to discuss the project and…

> …results of the public input assessment at the meeting and online indicated more than 90% of respondents supported extending the current catch-and-release regulation.

Pretty cool.

2. New Uncut Angling ’39 Hours’ episode tonight.

Can find it here at 7:30pm CST. Who you rooting for?

3. ND: Devils Lake Volunteer Fire Dept tourney happenin’ Sat.

More than $325K [!] in prizes at the 36th annual derby. Gotta get your tickets in advance at a local vendor — looks like they’re sold out at 99% of locations besides maybe 2? #ProcrastinatingProblems

4. MN: Park Rapids ice derby called off.

Had 15″ of ice on Fish Hook Lake, but maybe only 8″ of it was good (clear) ice. Also had about 25″ of snow on top of that = major slush problems when drilling a zillion holes.

They’ll be drawing for prizes instead of fishing for ’em…unless you’d rather return your ticket.

5. MT’s changing their licenses.

Licenses and tags will now be printed on regular paper instead of the expensive weather-resistant stuff. They say the fancy paper “requires printing technology so outdated that it’s almost impossible to replace. The switch to standard paper will provide significant savings and ultimately be easier for customers….”

Unless you’re like me and constantly have printer issues lol. Maybe it’s just me, but think I’d rather pay a couple extra bucks to have a license that didn’t need to be kept in a Ziploc bag while hunting or fishing.

6. MI: Black Lake sturgeon season set for Feb 1.

The total season limit (for everyone) is 7 lake sturgeon. Last couple years the season was closed within 1 hour…so don’t blink!

7. WV: Two new state (length) records caught this month.

Zachary Adkins’ 53.1″ (59-lb) grass carp from Warden Lake, and Justin Conner’s 49.84″ (58.38-lb) blue catfish from the Ohio River. #HeavyHitters

8. Native Americans also concerned about Asian carp…

…getting into the Great Lakes.

9. Ted Takasaki gets JT Outdoor Products.

Congrats to both! JT’s most known for their high-end custom rods.

And a little factoid about Hall of Famer Ted Takasaki: He holds the all-time Professional Walleye Trail record for a 1-day (5 fish) weight of 53.2 lbs. Freakin’ insane!

10. Upper IA River’s water quality = boosting.

> “Landowners and farmers installed grassed waterways, filter strips, cover crops, streambank protection and more practices to slow erosion and filter runoff before it could enter the streams.

> “…there’s now about 6,223 fewer tons of sediment reaching the river each year, enough to fill 415 dump truck loads annually. That’s been a boon to [the good native] mussels and other aquatic life.”

11. VT has new baitfish transportation regz

12. Fox Nation/Fox News streaming adding fish/hunt content.

> This spring, for the first time, Fox Nation will feature a month of shows dedicated to outdoor sports, with Fox talent and other celebrities going hunting and fishing.

> Fox Nation currently has 200,000 to 300,000 subscribers, according to estimates.

NEW Garmin Panoptix Giveaway!

Can you believe we’re giving away ANOTHER Garmin Panoptix Ice Fishing Bundle?! This time it’s the ECHOMAP Plus 73cv touchscreen combo with the PS22-TR transducer!!!

Can watch fish under the ice in real-time!! Drill a single hole and scan for fish/structure up to 100′ away in ANY direction.

Takes 10 seconds to enter and can share the link you get for bonus entries. Good luck!

Case you missed the memo: Mark R. from Madison, WI won the Garmin LiveScope giveaway.

TargetWalleye.com Highlights

Note: The FishUSA links in this email are affiliate links, meaning if you go through them to make a purchase we might earn a commission…at no cost to you. Click here if you want to learn a little more about links in TW.

Tip of the Day

First off: If you’re still not following Tom Boley over on the YouTubez yet, better get on it! Dude kicks out a ton of content and does a great job of breaking down the where/why…not just the what.

In Tom’s newest vid, he talks about where he’s finding walleyes right now on 1) deep, natural lakes with clear water and 2) flowages. Vid shows how he uses Humminbird’s “Depth Highlight” feature to break down that water and help those spots to “jump out” on the map:

Quote of the Day

“If a woman spends $3,000 on ice fishing gear and then gets a catalog and sees only men, she might start to get resentful.”

– That’s Barb Carey talkin’ in this write-up about the Women Ice Angler Project (on Lake Minnetonka, MN this year) and how the group was started to “increase the number of photos of female ice anglers in catalogs and other media, while also teaching those anglers some important skills.”

> Barb Carey: “Because I see how women’s lives are changed…see how all of a sudden they’re backing their boat in, they’re going fishing, they have confidence and pride in doing things they never thought they could do.”

And these ladies get it done in a big way!

Thanks for all you do to help grow the industry, Barb!!

More goods ’bout the the Women Ice Angler Project and Saturday’s (Feb 1) public portion of the event in this release.

Today’s ‘Eye Candy

How ’bout some love for the trout-heads? Paul Hobus stuck this mega brown west of Kalispell, MT. Was using a Hali tipped with maggots while fishing for perch and kokanee salmon:

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Who is Target Walleye
Target Walleye — 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 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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