Today’s Top 5
Paunchy gravel pigs of the week!
Eric Vasko’s little dude is only 5 and fish-wise can hang with most adults! Check this broad-shouldered 28″ pig he hooked/landed on his own at Lake of the Woods:
Josh McFaddin cracked this paunchy Red River MB greenback on a flasher jig tipped with a salted minnow. McFads said they were being a little fussy that day, so the more natural the better. Barely moving his bait in the 12-14′ range got the job done:
Hays Baldwin stuck his new PB, a 31″ Gull Lake fall-eye that just couldn’t say no to a big creek chub:
#GullLakeBlessing
Panfish ice rods: Plastics vs jigging spoons
It’s almost time to bust out the short sticks!! If you’re in the market for a new panfish rod, know that there’s no single perfect rod for ALL applications. Chris Granrud of Rainydaze Guide Service explains some important differences between rods designed for finesse plastics vs jigging spoons:
Great info Chris. Does anyone remember when these were the deal:
How to modify the Northland Swivel-Head Jig.
If you haven’t seen it yet, the Swivel-Head Jig is a free-swinging lead-head jig that gives your bait a ton of action. It comes out of the package with a slow-death-style hook — which is great sometimes, but not always the best hook for every situation. Here’s how to tweak it to work with any type of bait/plastics you’re using:
It’s snowing tiger trout!
She’s a brisk one for the Uncut Angling crew up der in Manitoba, eh. Here’s a pair of his and hers (male and female) tiger trout they nabbed the last couple days:
Tigers are brookie-brownie hybrids. Hey Aaron, where’s yours? Actually your arms are probably still sore from sight-fishing ’em through the ice:
Would you fish this lure?
If it caught giant zombie-like walleyes — of course!
News
1. MN: Mille Lacs winter regs unknown.
They’re hoping to release the regs soon after their Nov 1 meeting — aka a couple weeks before freeze up. Sure won’t give local resorts much time to book reservations for early ice….
2. ON: $70 mil in anglers’ fees vanish.
Whoopsies. They called in the auditor general to figure out where the cash from hunter and angler license fees has gone. That’s a lot of zeros to just be missing:
Speaking of those fees…they just got another $2K from a FL angler that was over their limit on walleye. Wonder where that money will end up?
3. Not all Cabelas’s jobs are safe.
Bass Pro owner Johnny Morris met staff at Cabela’s headquarters and (according to reports) told them that he wouldn’t be making “false promises” that all jobs are safe:
4. MN: Arrowhead ice-fishing show.
In Duluth Dec 9-11. More info here.
5. Decked out Lund 1875 Pro Guide for sale.
Lund pro-staffer Joe Andersen is selling a NICE rig for a crazy good price:
Price dropped to $33K. A 2016 with only 30 hours on it, two Humminbird HELIX 10s, a 12′ Talon, and more. Heck of a deal.
6. Tricking out your hard-house.
Gotta scratch the itch somehow. Some cool accessories you can add to your shack while you’re tinkering in the driveway, waiting on ice:
7. Heavy dose of Sea Foam saves $$$ (video).
Jim S. from MA was having issues keeping his old 25hp Mariner running. His local dealer wanted $100/hr to fix it, so he decided to run a heavy dose of Sea Foam through it first — been humming ever since!
Now comes with CHIRP and AutoChart Live — little guy packs a punch!
Being mobile is one of best ways to get on (and stay on) active fish through the hardwater. Here’s why the new Rapala Jig Boxes are some of Brad Hawthorne’s favorite tools for packing light and staying organized:
You can check ’em out right here.
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Have a shot at winning the new ION X electric ice auger — retails for $629.99!!!! It can cut through 1,600″ of ice on a single charge! Just enter your email addy, then share the link you get for more chances to win. Good luck!
Ice Survey
We’re looking’ to hear from you on what the best ice-fishing lakes are in your area (if you hit up more than just one lake). Let us know by taking a quick survey here and we’ll randomly select one person to win a big box of tackle. Thanks!!
Fishing Reports
Luke Cruze, Eric Vasko and son just got back from a trip up and said it was lights out:
They’ve got the pics to prove it:
> “If the bridges aren’t producing, try submerged main-lake structure at places such as Bird Island, Cactus Point, The Towers or Haley’s Hump. The bite picks up once the sun has had a few hours to shine on the water and warm it up a bit.
> “Leadcore is another excellent option right now. Focus on The Golden Highway, riprap shorelines and the old lake shoreline. Don’t be afraid to try different colors until you find the one the fish are wanting.”
Sign up another fish-head!
Tip of the Day
Catch more harvest moon walleyes.
Bundle up and grab your trolling rods — this weekend’s night-bite should be one of the best of the year. The Technological Angler’s most recent article is packed with tons of great info to help you stick a big glassy-eyed werewolf. Read his full article by clicking here, but a few excerpts below:
> “Rapidly-cooling water temps, dying shallow weeds and annual movements of baitfish/perch bring large numbers of walleyes to the shallows — ready to be tempted by crankbaits.
> “A good starting speed for October full-moon trolling (assuming water temps are in the low- to mid-50s) is 1.6-1.8 mph. If your favorite waters are warmer, bump it up to 2 mph. Likewise, if a midweek cold front has knocked the water temps down a bunch, then drop down to 1.6-1.8 mph.
> “There’s a number of ways to get down into the proper speed range without having to constantly take the main motor into and out of gear. My favorite method is called the ‘bow brake.’
> “Drop your Minn Kota bowmount trolling motor into the water and turn the lower unit perpendicular. This will knock 0.2-0.3 mph off your trolling speed to help you hit the sweet spot. Just don’t forget to stow it before you motor to your next spot!
Quote of the Day
You’re the fish Zamboni?
– What Ice Team pro Jeff “Jiggy” Andersen said as Dave Genz strolled through picking everyone’s jumbo perch off the ice in a recent episode of Across the Ice Belt. They have fish and eggs every morning at Dave’s cabin — we’re waiting on that invite!
Actually “The Zamboni” would make a pretty killer nickname for Dave…would probably look something like this:
A little too shallow to drill there buddy!
Today’s ‘Eye Candy
It’s not usually the walleyes smiling for the grip-n-grin, but we’re not complaining:
Awesome shot by Rapala Army’s Ryan Schned.
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