Target Walleye/Ice email

Electric vs gas augers, Deadstick a dropshot, Jumbo perch parade

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Today’s Top 4

“The average person thinks they drill more holes than they do.”

That’s NAIFC champ Tony Boshold speakin’ the truth while chatting gas-vs-electric ice augers. So will electric ever completely replace gas? Short answer: nope…not yet anyway. But the technology is definitely getting better and more better-er.

The gas-vs-electric debate is nothing new:

Lol okay now back to biz. Where I’m at:

> Hole-cutters like the sold-out StrikeMaster Lithium 40v, the drills-though-1,600″-of-ice ION X and power-drill conversions are changing the way we punch holes for the better: They’re rotator-cuff friendly, start on the first “pull” every time, lightweight and don’t carbon-monoxide you out the fish house.

> Of course there’s times you need the extra oomph of gas. Especially true for our fishing brothers to the north in Manitoba where later in the season a 12″ or 20″ extension [!] barely sneaks through the ice. Same can be true in certain areas of Lake of the Woods where I’d be scared to fish with a bit smaller than 10″ [bigguns!].

> I sold all my gas augers and am running a 3-prong approach of 1) an 8″ StrikeMaster Lithium 40v, 2) a K-Drill powered by a Milwaukee M18 Fuel Brushless Drill, and 3) a 6″ Clam Conversion Kit + drill combo.

> I’d say 99.99% of the time those get it done for me with a pile of juice [battery] left. If not I’ll let my buddy drill the rest of the holes while I fish lol. Can’t imagine ever going back to gas now.

The AnglingBuzz crew tracked down a pile of ice pros to get their take on it. Interesting vid — big thanks to those guys for putting it together. Check it out:

Can’t get enough jumbos.

Yes, we’re called Target WALLEYE, but you oughta know by now we cover all species through the ice. We recently ran some big ol’ Devils Lake jumbo perch and got flooded [thanks!] with fan photos of recent catches. Few that caught our eye:

This 14″ jumbo-laya ate Alex Maze’s “gold nugget” ACME Tungsten Jig tipped with a wax worm — fishin’ in 6′ on MI’s Saginaw Bay:

Suzie Kenner got in on the Devils Lake jumbotron action. Love it! Smile says it all:
Fishing guide Jerad Newgard iced this bonus yellar-belly while targeting walligators. You know it’s a good one when it takes down a Rapala Rippin’ Rap. #BeAggressive

Austin Kramer gettin’ his jumbo on with this perky SD 14.75-incher:

Did all those Super Bowl appetizers get you feeling…bloated? [Crying-laughing emoji] Still can’t believe how paunchy these Devils Lake blimps are:

Diggin’ this shot…

From Westin Fishing:

Probably noticed he’s storing his baits the same way a lot of musky guys do? ‘Cuz he’s choosing his next oversized zander weapon — big baits for big fish.

Zander aren’t exactly a walleye, but a close European cousin that grows to stupid-dumb-big sizes. More on that in Friday’s Target Walleye/Ice email, but here’s a little something to hold you off ’til then:

Ever seen a walleye snow angel before?

Now you have:

Whoops…that was a snow “angle,” not a snow “angel.” Stay in school kids!

Here’s the right pic. #Artsy

News

1. MI: Two more ice fisherman lost on Saginaw Bay.

Their ATV broke through in just 4′, dangit. Just never know. RIP fishing brothers.

2. MN: $20K for the biggest fish caught…

…at the Fishing for Ducks tourney on Mille Lacs Feb 17. How much for the biggest duck? Seriously:

3. MI: Thornburg/Melson win $20K Midwest Open.

Joe Thornburg and Marcas Melson didn’t catch a duck (^^^), but they did catch a 10.35-lb bag of pannies — on MI’s Devils Lake — to take home the $20.3K payday. Congrats guys!

4. MN: Investigation into cheating at Extravaganza.

The $150K Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza on Gull Lake. Not taking sides, here’s what the Star Tribune reported:

> Contest officials confirmed this week that they are investigating whether three men from OH legitimately caught the fish they say they did…earning 1st, 3rd and 98th places among the 150 prize winners.

> The truck’s title, as well as the check and the auger certificate are on hold until the 3 men pass lie detector tests [which they took on Monday].

Will keep you posted….

The event has raised more than $3.3 mil for charities since its founding. #Stout

5. OH: Walleye seminar raises $12,400 for charity.

Over 160 fish-heads attended the 7th annual Walleye Wisdom Seminar to learn about Lake Erie’s world-class walleye fishing and soak in a pile of info from pros Ryan Buddie, Gary and Nicholas Zart, Scott Geitgey and Mike Knippenberg. Did we mention they raised a ton of $$$ for St. Jude Children’s Hospital?

> “The sponsors of the event stepped up big time donating a lot of great product to the raffle and enabled the crew to raise the staggering figure of $12,400 for the kids of St. Jude.

> “A big shout out goes to Bob Luellen of World Wide Marine Insurance and Virgil Tent of the Lake Erie ‘Spring Fling’ Derby for shelling out a large undisclosed donation to add to pot for the kids of St. Jude.”

Impressive fellas! Thank YOU.

6. MB: 27 miles upriver from the nearest road?

Okay, you talked me into it [heart-eyes emoji]. Cool 2-min preview of Eagle Nest Lodge on the Winnipeg River. #allinclusive #gorging #hooksets

7. Okuma wins 2018 iF Design Award….

…with its purrrrtty new Epixor XT spinning reel. Check it:

Has “torsion control armor” that helps reduce line twist, and a slower oscillation system that helps to evenly lay the line on the spool (especially lighter braids). Which in English means less this:

Felt like it should cost a bunch more than $64.99. Check ’em out here.

8. WY/UT: Over 1,100 lbs of burbot pulled from…

…Lake Flaming Gorge during the 2018 Burbot Bash. An annual tourney to help rid the fishery of the “invasive species and voracious predator that eats sport fish that would otherwise be available for anglers to catch.”

Meanwhile over here in MN we celebrate the fish [see next news item]…

9. MN: No vehicle restrictions at Eeelpout Festival.

Been vehicle restrictions the last couple years thanks to thinner-than-normal ice. This year just need to park ice-houses and campers at least 15′ from each other.

10. IA: Shacks must be removed by Feb 20.

Seems like the ice season has barely begun!

11. Northland Glo-Shot Spoon freeze test (video).

Love fish-nerdy tests like this. Can say I’ve had ’em glowing for 5+ days in my rod case in the garage after using ’em. If you’ve never seen ’em, they look like this:

12. How to put the K-Drill on a StrikeMaster powerhead (video).

You don’t need any special adapters to throw a K-Drill on your StrikeMaster power head, just need to slide that foam back…. Surprise! Don’t worry, I didn’t know either until I dug into it.

13. Costa goes with Gunpowder agency.

Same marketing magicians working with Humminbird, Minn Kota, Cabela’s, GoPro, Under Armour and others.

14. Merc gets new agreement with union.

15. Mega Rapala giveaway $$$.

Holy prize list, Batman:

> Grand prize-winner will receive a StrikeMaster Honda 35cc LITE 8″ Auger, a MarCum M1 Lithium Shuttle Combo, a Polaris Generator P1000i, a Rapala Lithium ION Cordless Fillet Knife Combo, Rapala apparel and a $500 Rapala VIP Merchandise Credit Card redeemable at Rapala.com.

Takes 10 seconds to enter, which you can do right here. #Dibs

Tip of the Day

He’s talking about deadsticking for perch, but should also work well for walters. Definitely gonna try it out. Check his full write-up here, but a few excerpts below:

> I like to use a dropshot rig on a deadstick for perch. I put a bell sinker on the bottom of the dropshot rig if I’m fishing in sand or mud, or I use a wire sinker for fishing in rocks.

> Put the hook of the dropshot rig anywhere from 6-in to 3-ft above the bottom, depending on where most of the perch are located. Longer-shank hooks get the bait farther from the main line.

> …usually need to use a little heavier line on a dropshot rig (8- to 10-lb test) because the extra knots can weaken the line. I’d rather get a few less bites because of the heavier line than have to constantly repair the entire rig.

> Deadsticks with dropshots can be spread out like tip-ups with anglers watching the rod tips for bites. Put the rigs on top of a bucket or in a rod holder to avoid losing any rods.

> I want a bright-colored rod tip to easily see the bites. Needs to be soft so it bends like a spring bobber, but also must have a good backbone so my hookset takes up the slack in the line and still has enough power to drive home the hook.

Meme of the Day

Absolutely LOVE ice fishing, but sometimes it’s nice to daydream about hopping back in the Lund….

Today’s ‘Eye Candy

Isaac cracked his new PB walter permie-house style — congrats bud! His dad, Joel Nelson, said the fish took a swipe at his Rapala Jigging Rap…missed it…then immediately made one of their Catch Cover Rattlesnake Reels sing:

#SoakingShiners

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Who is Target Walleye/Ice

Target Walleye/Ice — 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/Ice. 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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