Biggest mistake for walleyes, Hawthorne hunts early ice, Jigging cadence tips

Early ice is one of the best times of year to chase walleyes — and no doubt jigging ’em up through the hard deck is always a treat! Here’s how ice junkie Brad Hawthorne finds fast walleye action after the first freeze and go-to baits/setups he won’t hit the ice without.

Full, FRESH write-up on TargetWalleye.com, few excerpts below:

Finding fish

When lakes lock up, Brad starts looking for walleyes on structure near the first break, targeting 18-34′ (the deeper, the better). But as soon as safe ice builds further out, he’s off to the mud flats:

> Hawthorne: “The mega schools are out in the mud. That’s where we head as soon as it’s safe. Before then, we’ll fish first break rockpiles.”

Believe it or not, he says structure often takes a backseat — new technology has changed what he’s looking for. Using his Humminbird Mega 360 Ice Adapter kit, he wants to see walleyes under the ice before he sets up shop.

> “If you fish where the fish are, you’ll catch them. I always use my electronics to mark fish before I start fishing. I’ll drill a hole in the middle of nowhere and throw the Humminbird 360 down. If there are fish around, we start fishing. Otherwise, we keep hunting.

> “360 has changed what I thought about walleyes…. They’re not just sitting on the bottom. Walleyes never stop moving. You can see the walleyes establishing a trail — the line they’re working…how they’re moving through the area and how they’re using the structure. After so many repetitive times of seeing a walleye come through within 10′ of an area…tells you where to set up.

> “Literally only have to drill one hole with this system to establish that…watch the screen, then drill your holes accordingly. Not spending any time turning the unit around looking for fish…it’s automatic…constantly scanning.”

Man, that’s wild. Almost like he’s picking a location for a deer stand….

If you missed it, Brad posted a reeeeally in-depth video on exactly how he sets up his Humminbird MEGA 360 for ice:

Gearing up

Brad fishes exclusively with the Tuned Up Custom Rods Commander 36- to 40-inchers for open air, or the 30″ to 32″ Power Precision when he’s “stuck” inside the shack. He runs 6-lb Sufix Advanced Ice Mono — ‘cuz it has very little stretch and low memory — tipped with a couple feet of a 5- or 6-lb fluorocarbon leader since it’s basically invisible.

At the business end, he usually ties on a “yellow perch” VMC Tumbler Spoon (1/8-oz) or a “UV electric perch” Northland Forage Minnow Spoon (typically 1/4- or 1/8-oz):

Slightly up-sizes his treble hook to a #8 VMC (9650) Round Bend Treble Hook. Tips his spoons with pieces of a fathead minnow, and also fishes set-lines with a live fathead or shiner for bonus bites.

> “Swapping out the treble hook is the key for spoon fishing. It creates a better flutter and you’ll never lose fish on it. Anytime I swing and miss, someone will ask ‘did you change the treble out?’ And the answer is always no.”

He legit calls it the “best ice-fishing treble hook ever made,” so I’ll be adding ’em to my cart lol. He said the #8 size is the best “across the board,” and that the #6 makes a pretty big jump up in size but one you might need for some Rapala Rippin’ Raps and big-profile spoons.

Keep reading here.

Anyhow, Jay talked to him and here’s what he said, but first a couple things Justin said Jay thought were real important:

> You have to look at these different brands as different operating systems, like with different computers/phones.

> Before you jump on a new operating system/brand or new unit/tech, ask yourself honestly: What’s your patience and ability to learn tech fast? Do you have the time — meaning would you be stoked to use some of your precious fishing time to mess around learning new electronics?

Okay, with that said:

Humminbird Mega Live

> “Since I haven’t seen any screenshots or video yet it’s hard to comment on directly.

> “…a Live Imaging transducer moves a ton of data, so much you need an independent processor to support it. …might be in a board or in the Mega Live transducer. I don’t foresee you could have super-sharp crystal imaging without its own processor, but Humminbird does a lot of stuff differently….

> “I know Humminbird has 100% dominated the side-imaging realm for a decade, so I’m willing to bet when they bring Live Imaging to the market it will be really good. And they know what the standard is — LiveScope set it 2 years ago….

> “…happy to see them going back a generation on the Helix units [meaning Mega Live won’t require new units]. It frustrates customers when…have to buy the new units.”

Lowrance ActiveTarget Live

> “I’ve seen it and I think it’s every bit as good if not just a hair better than [Garmin’s current LiveScope] imaging….

> “It’s got an 18-degree cone vs LiveScope’s 20-degree cone. It’s narrower so it shows a little less of what’s out there — so if you’re trying to aim the unit and make a cast…you’ll be closer to the structure and the fish [narrower cone = less margin for error]. But [the narrower cone] will make a it a little more challenging to see your lure and make that cast….

> “Humminbird has hinted about their cone angle but we haven’t seen it [definitive] yet…said it’ll be wider than what’s on the market. [Lowrance[] LiveSight was a 40-degree cone…not necessarily a good thing…prefer it to be more precise….

> “It’s a shining moment for Lowrance. Obviously people weren’t that happy about LiveSight…[Lowrance] really came out super-strong with dialing [ActiveTarget] in, and it’s 100% their build.

> “I’m glad to see it will work with older units, like the Carbon units. They’re not forcing everyone to have to jump up into [new units].”

2021

> “We’re going to see the Ford – Chevy – Dodge comparison come back within the electronics. Now [2021] you’ll have the ability to have full networking, full boat integration [including trolling motors] with all brands. That will limit mixing brands…will make it a lot easier to have full-boat setups. You won’t have to learn 2 operating systems.”

> “The real key is what’s Garmin going to bring to the market after this.”

Couple more things from Jay:

> Last week Lowrance intro’d the new Elite Fishing System “mid-range fishfinder/chartplotter displays” with ActiveTarget Live Sonar, Active Imaging, SideScan and DownScan.

> Peeps at Russell Marine are crazy enough to spend time answering your (and my) Qs: “We ship all across the country every day, and love to talk to anyone and everyone with questions. We will get your questions answered.” Hit ’em up at their website and check their YouTube channel — helped me with my LiveScope black box ‘n tranny install.

This quick tip can help pull fish in from much farther away — especially in clear-water lakes — and literally bring walleyes to you:

> Me (lol): “Imagine looking at the horizon…you see the skyline and the shoreline. What are you going to see below that shoreline — nothing. But if there’s a plane in the sky, just above that horizon, you’re going to spot that without even looking for it.”

Same goes for your bait…. Oh, and as you’ll see in the vid, it doesn’t always mean they’re gonna eat the bait you’re expecting ’em to [chin-scratch emoji]:

TW fan Derick Berhow said it looked like the skin on its cheek had grown over its eye.

That must’ve been a pretty eventful day for Derick on Lake Winnipeg, ‘cuz he also tagged the @TargetWalleye Instagram in this story:

Guess they don’t even need to put a hook on the “glow chartreuse pink” Clam Leech Flutter Spoon…but since they did, I’m glad it’s a feathered treble.

Sweet catches, dude!

1. OH: Dougherty wins Lake Erie Fall Brawl.

Steven “Mitch” Dougherty took home the top spot in this year’s Fall Brawl with a 12.855-lb (30.75″) giant that T-boned a Smithwick Perfect 10 Rogue. Big congrats man!

Looks cold, but for sure worth it! Can check out the final standings here — pretty crazy that the top 5 fish were all over 12 lbs!

2. MN: Brainerd Jaycee’s Ice Extravaganza going virtual.

It’s the largest charity ice fishing tourney in the world. Typically has 10,000+ people fishing [!] and held on Gull Lake. But this year you can fish any public waters in MN….

Will be a random draw for over $150K in prizes — just have to catch 1 fish (of 6 species) and enter through the FishDonkey App, and you’ll be eligible to win 1 of the 150 prizes.

3. Berkley’s out there trolling lol.

> “…a new monolith has emerged, and it sure looks familiar. We asked our scientists if it was them, haven’t heard back yet…stay tuned for updates.”

Pretty sure a bass would have that thing gone quicker than any local “adventure athletes” could….

4. MN: Folks are ice fishing on LOW.

LOW = Lake of the Woods. And the ladies at Women on Ice can for sure catch ’em:

Can keep hitting the current fishing report here or follow Lake of the Woods Tourism Bureau on FB.

5. MN: Tutt’s has new owners.

That’s Tutt’s Bait & Tackle right across from Mille Lacs Lake in Garrison. If you’re from central MN you know the name, they’ve been slinging minners since 1923. Jason Bahr is the new owner — he helped start the Brainerd Warriors High School Fishing Team, among other programs, focused on getting kids on the water. Congrats on the new adventure!

6. AquaVu now has a quad cam.

Has 4 HD cameras packed into one unit so you can see in all directions without rotating the camera:

Same technology moms have, with eyes on the back of their heads. 🤣

7. It’s time to renew your NPAA membership.

They expire Dec 31. And if you renew before Dec 15, you have a chance to win 1 of 5 NPAA swag packs:

8. PK Lures has a new rattlebait coming.

Not much info out yet, but just saw them post a little teaser video on IG that said:

> “Weight-forward design keeps bait on the bottom. Troll it — cast it — rip it.”

Keep you posted.

9. I still think sauger have the coolest camo.

Exhibit 1A:

Shot from the F.IN Outdoors Media crew who’s been leaning into ’em with a “lemon tiger UV” color Salmo Slick Shad on Pool 4 of the Mississippi River.

They took some flack on the socialz for running that setup on a snap, instead of tying direct. Said it’s a special clip that allows jigs to roll side-to-side, and will be posting a video tip about it next Thurs. Or mayyyybe they just didn’t want to re-tie in the cold LOL.

10. Get caught up on “College of Ice.”

Tons of info in each vid. Love that they do ’em live so you can chime in and ask the pros Qs. If you’ve missed any of the episodes, there’s a breakdown and link to each right here.

Tom Boley talks jigging cadence.

Anytime there’s a “flasher cam” included = I’m down to watch:

Tom was using the MarCum M5L which now comes with lithium right out the box.

If you can get by with the “standard” lead batteries that most-all flashers have used up until now, you can ’em at a bigtime discount (with lead) while they’re still in stock.

“Some call it crazy, we call it commitment.”

– That’s NPAA’s caption under this snap from guide Matt Quick. #diehard

After coming across that photo, I got to snooping through Matt’s FB page and saw that he’s taking a step back from guiding for the 2021 season:

> “During this time I will be focusing on taking care of and raising my now 2.5-yr-old daughter Eloise on my off time from my main job at the nuclear power plant and being the best daddy I can be.”

Said he plans to be back up and running spring of 2022. Not an easy decision, but props man. Family first. #priorities

Not the kind of “fire belly” ya get after eating all those jalapeno poppers…. 🥴

Can now get that proven spoon-catching shape with 8 hours of red, green or chartreuse glow. They were able to keep it compact = helps cut through the water column and also seal the deal when its face-to-face with the fishes: