Target Walleye/Ice email

What walleyes look like on Side Imaging, High speed line-counters, Back of the boat tricks

Posted on

Back from ICAST (the fishing biz trade show in Orlando) where we got a look at all the new fishing gear for 2020. Still a bass-heavy event, but we’re seeing more walleye and ice-fishing stuff every year. Lot more pics and vids coming from that soon-ish — thx all for putting up with me in the meantime. 😉

Today’s Top 4

What walleyes actually look like on Side Imaging.

It’s easy to spot BIG fish on Side Imaging units, but the reality is you’re not typically gonna be targeting walleye the size of ahi tuna (lol)…unless maybe you’re Layne “only catches bigguns” Maier (@laynemaier) who graphed AND caught this 31-incher on SK’s Last Mountain Lake:

Most lakes around here, it’s those 15-19″ eater-sized fish you’re after, and they’re not gonna drop a shadow the size of your great aunt Eleanor…. Full-time guide Brad Hawthorne has logged a pile o’ hours behind his ‘Birds — here’s what he’s looking for and how he dials ’em in:

Oh, and in case you’re wondering why/how we were around so many dang fish in the vid? We were out on Lake of the Woods in northern MN…’nuff said!

There’s a lot of negativity out there, man!

Seems never ending…between the news, social media bullies, you name it…. So how ’bout a few recent shots/stories to get your feel-good on?!

1. When “one last cast” turned into the fish of a lifetime for Outdoor News Junior Pro Team member Samuel Burns. Just 10 years old and already joining the 30″ club — congrats bud!

2. Clinton Richardson (@clinton_richardson_music) caught himself a fiancé last weekend:

And Clinton can sing, which might help explain why she puts up with all his hours logged on the water. Lol kiddin’ man…sorta…. Congrats!

3. This right here is what it’s all about! The moment David Lowrie — a Desert Storm veteran and youth fishing mentor — was surprised with a complete boat overhaul at ICAST 2019 thanks to Minn Kota, Humminbird, and the One-Boat Network:

High speed line-counters are a thing!

Wish I would’ve known earlier, so givin’ you a heads up too in case!

If you’ve ever run leadcore, you know cranking in 200’+ of it to reset your bait is a time consuming thing = missed opportunities to cross paths with fish.

Been doing some research and found that most line-counter reels big enough to hold a full spool of lead have lower gear ratios of about 4.2:1…means you pull in roughly 24″ of line for every crank.

Okuma has what’s called a Cold Water High-Speed Wire Line Reel (CW-303DS) that has a 6.2:1 gear ratio…means you’re crankin’ in over 36″ of line with each turn of the handle, and look good doin’ it [smirk emoji]:

If my algebrateria (lol) is right, that’d be 33 LESS times you gotta crank to pull in 200′ of line. Do you always have that much line out? Nope. But for sure adds up over the course of a day [!] and think about how much more time your bait will be in the water….

FishUSA says they have 10 of those Okuma’s in stock right now. Was 12, but you know…. 😉

When a “bass guy” goes walleye fishing…

…AND catches ’em! Hilarious pic and caption from 5-time B.A.S.S. Champion Kevin “K-Pink” Short:

> “The look of a bass guy after 3 days and over 100 walleyes. Hydrogen peroxide is my friend.”

Few A+ comments under the original post:

> Aren’t supposed to lip those ones!
> You got room for another Band-Aid. Catch more!
> Yeah you hear about that tiny tiny tiny violin? I just ran over it. TWICE.
> Even his coffee has a Band-Aid.
> Don’t take him muskie fishing….
> Way too much cream in that coffee.

Lol no mercy, man!

All in good fun….

News

1. Eagle Claw represents fishing industry at the White House.

That’s vice chairman of the board of directors Drew McGill (left) and prez Mike Jackson (right).

> Eagle Claw Fishing Tackle Co. represented CO and the fishing industry in Monday’s Made in America Product Showcase at the White House — businesses from each of the 50 states were invited to display products produced in the United States. As proud manufacturers of the only American-made fish hooks, Eagle Claw was proud to represent their legacy and commitment to the American workforce.

#Stout!

2. Some fresh NWT stats from John Balla…

…coming off the Green Bay qualifier. Always been a number-crunchin’ fact lover myself. If you are too, you’ll wanna check out these snippets from walleye-nut John Balla. Click the pic to make it bigger:

3. Rapala buys 49% stake in 13 Fishing.

> DQC International, Corp., manufacturer of the…13 Fishing brand of rods and reels, has brought on fishing tackle behemoth Rapala VMC as minority investor to reach a growing global market.

> Founded in 2012, 13 Fishing has evolved into a respected brand generating over $25 million in annual sales.

> New minority-investor Rapala, one of the largest fishing tackle companies in the world, will distribute 13 Fishing’s existing and new products outside the U.S., while 13 Fishing will continue to operate independently within the U.S.

4. MT: Poole/Morehouse win Governor’s Walleye Cup.

Need a spotting scope to read the final results, but can tell you that Matt Poole and Adam Morehouse won her with a 2-day total of 70.04 lbs — seriously impressive!

MT kicks out some of the biggest fish and tourney bags every season, but can never seem to find and pics or details on ’em? Starting to think they don’t wanna share their fish with the rest of the walleye world. If you’re from MT and feel I’m just looking in all the wrong spots, let me know!

5. MN: Chance to voice your opinion on Mille Lacs.

Speak up where it counts, not just in some Facebook fishin’ group (lol).

Link to the DNR’s online questionnaire here — they’ll be using your thoughts/ideas/info to “determine values and goals that will be part of a new Mille Lacs Lake fisheries management plan.”

Have until Aug 1 to fill it out — says it takes 10-15 minutes but probably took me about 2-3….

6. Ever thought about a career in the fishing industry?

Like I’ve said before: Breaking into the fishing biz isn’t something that happens overnight, but it is something that can happen! Still pinch myself every day.

No better place to learn about the steps you can take — and different paths you can follow — to make that dream a real possibility than the one-of-a-kind Fishing Careers Workshop. Don’t just take my work for it, hear it from Al “needs no introduction” Lindner:

Awesome 1-day event happenin’ Oct 26 near Elk River, MN. More details here.

7. NY: 139-lb sturgeon caught in Oneida Lake.

Largest since stocking began in 1995. Believe the fish was just 20 years old and already that big, so the lake has some serious top-end potential.

8. ND: Most lakes stocked with Lake Sakakawea walleyes.

9. Iowans fished 10.5 million days in 2018.

No wonder ya’ll don’t have any “sick days” left lol.

10. Erie: Stay outta the scum.

Guess it’s a toxic algae:

> “People don’t want to be fishing in scummy water. If you have scum concentrations, the toxin can cause skin irritations, rashes and other problems.”

Also, DNR awards over $400K for Lake Erie projects.

And, experts still puzzled by boom in Lake Erie walleye population.

11. ON: Round goby found in Rideau Canal.

Believe that connects to the Ottawa River?

12. Euro company testing a diesel outboard.

It’s a 6-cyl, 2-turbo BMW motor pushing 300 ponies:

> …should consume about 40% less [fuel?] than a comparable 300-hp gas outboard. The company also claims that carbon dioxide will be reduced by more than 35% and carbon monoxide will be cut by 99% while nitrous oxide will be decreased by 70%.

Would love to hear that puppy braaaap.

Tip of the Day

Catch more walleyes out the back of the boat.

We’ve all seen the “sharpshooting” videos of peeps dropping Rapala Jigging Raps right on a fish’s face — works great! But what if you’re stuck in the back of someone else’s rig and they wanna fish ’em a different way? Or maybe for a different species?? Here’s why Joel Nelson says the J-Rap is waaaay more versatile than you’d think:

Meme of the Day

From NPAA’s (National Professional Anglers Association) Instagram page. Every. Single. Time:

Today’s ‘Eye Candy

Monsters do exist! Like this massive 32-incher Holli Lee caught and released outta Stump Lake (connected to Devils Lake, ND) last weekend. Fish has a serious set of shoulders:

Shot of the Day

David Lutze went on a multi-species rampage during his first-ever trip to Manitoba. If you didn’t know, MB is more than just big walleyes…check the jowls on this mega kitty [!] that won David the 12 Months of Master Angler photo contest for June and a $1,000 gift card for Cabela’s:

Reminds me I need to start planning a weekend trip up to chase a few dozen of those BIGS…. It’s only about a 6-hr drive for me to the ramp in Selkirk, MB and those big cats are usually in a super bitey mood!

Sign up another fish-head!

If you’re forwarding Target Walleye to a friend who loves to walleye-fish or want your fishing buddies to get these emails, just send us their email addresses and we’ll take care of it! (We won’t sell the addresses, use them for spam, etc.)

Check this stuff out!

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
To send us walleye pics, ice shots or whatever, just respond to this email or click here to email us. Or post it on the Target Walleye Facebook page.

Related Items:, , , , , , , , , , ,

Recommended for you

To Top