NoDak zander iced, Remove minnow air bladders, Ice behemoths of the week

Think of zander as the muscle-bound European cousin of walleye that grow to stupid dumb big sizes across the pond. Honestly still can’t get enough of ’em because 1) they’re neat to look at, 2) it’s fun to imagine walleye growing THAT big and 3) I want to catch 1 or 7 someday.

Case you didn’t know:

> The ND Game and Fish Dept stocked [a lake] with 180K European zander fry and 1,050 fingerlings in ’89 after failed attempts in ’87 and ’88. The state scrapped the program in ’90 because of concerns from neighboring states MN, SD, MT and the province of MB.

Still a very small population in there, but they are reproducing successfully. Actually saw quite a few caught outta the area the last few springs, but this is the first time I’ve seen ’em come on the hardwater…so here we go!

Dustin Wolf (@dustinnwolf) knocked a special one off his fishing bucket list – a NORTH AMERICAN zander [!!!] he put topside on a ND slough. Was a good one at that going 24″ on the tape. Check it:

Dustin said he caught his on a “glow green guppy” color Frostbite Micro Dinner Bell Spoon tipped with a minnow head. They had searched all day trying to find fish and finally found ’em near a sunken tree in 18′. Way to grind it out dude!

His bud Jon Lehman (@jonlehman02) made some zander magic happen too, breaking his new PB multiple times on the way up to an 18-incher:

Posted a video on his YouTube channel MinnDak Outdoors. 😳 They actually ended up icing a pile of ’em:

Pumped for you fellas [!] but definitely a little jelly lol:

If you’ve seen it, you’ll remember it.

On 8/17/2019 Sam Wenner caught the new ND state-record zander to the tune of 35 5/8″ and 15.91 lbs! Not only was it the new ND state record, it was also the biggest zander ever caught on the entire continent:

Yup, she was weighed on a verified scale…would’ve thought the price per lb would be higher…. 👀

Was caught fishing an “outside weed edge in 10′ for smallies with light fluorocarbon and a small jig”:

> Sam: “I’m a bass fisherman and honestly don’t fish for walleyes. I have fished that lake about 150 times in the last 4 years – probably 250 times in the last 10 years – and have caught 2 zander ever…a total fluke.

> “Bit light like an 8-inch perch…reeled in like a wet grocery bag…pulled 10′ of line out one time while I was grabbing the net.”

Fluke or not, how freakin’ cool is that?

Still can’t get over its massive broomtail and those 🧛🏻‍♂️ chompers:

Going to be a tough one to beat. Congrats again, dude!

Feel I gotta say a couple things:

If you’re lucky enough to catch one of the few remaining zander on this side of the big pond, just strongly urge catch and release…give somebody else a chance at catching that fish of a lifetime!

Also I wanna catch a zander as bad as the next guy/gal – but would never do the “bucket biologist” thing (moving or planting fish), hope no one else would either….

1) Isabella (@ladybassfishing) cracked this double-digit chunk of gold using a “green gold glow” color Freedom Hammered Minnow Spoon in ON:

Apparently she caught one even bigger 🙌 later in the day on the “blue silver” color.

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

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:

2) Can’t say that I’ve ever seen lake trout being put topside in a Yetti Fish House before, but that didn’t stop @gaunefishin from making it happen on MB’s Clearwater Lake. Imagine how hectic this would be…but hectic in a REALLY good way:

🤯 They didn’t just get 1:

3) How ’bout Michael Olson of Fish Addictions TV droppin’ SD slough bombs?!

4) Okay, now Karlee Tower is just showing off (lol kiddin’, sorta). First it was a massive crappie…then a thick bluegill…now she’s after the fishes with teeth:

Only thing those StrikeMaster Allie Bibs don’t come with is fish slime, so glad to see she’s the DIY type. 👊 AWESOME fish, Karlee!

5) Nathan Paradis Otter-boxed this perky 30.5″ Saskatchewanian on a @highcaliberlures jig and minnow. #FinnedOut

– That’s Lake Minnetonka (MN) fisherman Ken Martinson talking about thousands of fish being trapped in Minnehaha Creek next to the Gray’s Bay Dam. Apparently the dam gets “shut down every winter and prevents fish from getting into the lake where oxygen levels are higher.”

Locals have been stepping in:

> Ken: “We’re using nets to pull them out of the creek and then we’ve cut out holes on the other side of the dam on Lake Minnetonka where we are putting the fish into the lake. We have probably pulled out 2,000 fish, including panfish, bass, northerns and even a couple big muskies.”

Annnnnd…

> The MN DNR told KSTP this is a natural process every year and some fish will die as oxygen levels go down with the ice cover. The DNR added that winter fish rescues are not generally done as nature takes its course.

Well…I definitely get that fish kills are a natural thing – and sometimes needed – but how is shutting down a man-made dam a natural thing…?

1. WI: Registration open for the H2H Fishing “Walleye Opener”…

…on the Fox River in De Pere, Mar 15-19.

First off: If you haven’t heard of Head2Head Fishing yet, you’re gonna want to remember the name. Been waiting a long time for LIVE-STREAM walleye events, so couldn’t be more pumped for all of their derbies this season.

Their Pro Walleye Series (PWS) is going to be a monster this season. Awesome bracketed match-up format with 32 pros from across the country battling it out LIVE for some major coin and bragging rights.

Events in MI, WI and MN…but will also be stopping at some exciting, different places like NE’s Lake McConaughy and NY’s Chautauqua Lake. Full 2021 PWS schedule here.

2. Dunno about you…

…but this underwater vid of a PK Wobbler makes me wanna hop back in the boat. WILD action and is “the industry’s only multi-directional floating spinner”:

3. Abu Garcia turned 100 years old!

💯💯💯 Congrats!

4. Great Lakes are still pretty “warm.”

Can’t find a link but Bill Hilts from Niagara tourism emailed Jay Kumar from BassBlaster:

> Lake Erie is still 36 and Lake Ontario 39.

Not looking good for hardwater on Lake Erie this year. 😞

5. FishUSA has a 48-hr ice sale going on.

Quick look at a few of the deals:

6. Sharrow will custom-make you a $5K prop.

Remember this bad boy?

Few snippets from their website:

> Its design, enabled by modern computer modeling and additive manufacturing, has solved the most basic problem of rotary propulsion. Specifically, tip cavitation and vortices have been eliminated or significantly reduced….

> …the Sharrow Propeller is 9-15% more efficient than the industry standard…design. …also exhibits a wider peak efficiency curve for greater utility over a wide scope of operational ranges.

> Additionally…generates more thrust and uses less energy for a given RPM than a standard propeller design, which increases acceleration dramatically.

Supposed to be great but crazy amount of $$$. I would legit cry if I ever dinged up my stock stainless prop, let alone a $5K [!] one.

7. OH: DNR offers $500K grants to improve boating access in ’21.

BUT it’s for “hand-powered watercrafts” aka paddle sports thru The Paddling Enhancement Grant:

> ODNR Division of Parks and Watercraft is offering $500K in grants to improve boating access for hand-powered watercraft at public facilities across the state. Applicants may request up to $75K for a single project during the grant period.

Not a big paddler guy lol, but seems like I could make a pretty insane spot to walk into the water and step on a paddle board with $75K?

8. WI: Winnebago sturgeon spearing opens Feb 13.

That’s how flannel-wears do Valentine’s Day weekend. And I mean that in the nicest way possibly…flannel makes up 93.7% of my entire wardrobe.

9. MD stocking 300K trout this winter.

Rainbow, golden and brown trout.

10. MI/IL funding initial Joliet barrier work for Asian carp.

$10.5 mil out of an $858-mil project.

11. TN: Asian carp advisory commission held its first meeting.

> The TWRA was recently awarded nearly $1.7 mil from the US Fish and Wildlife Service to conduct carp control and monitoring in the coming year.

12. Did you see out MarCum MX-7GPS giveaway?!

Yup, this is real life! 🤯 Here’s your shot to win the all-new MarCum MX-7GPS lithium-powered sonar/GPS unit!! 🔥 GPS mapping + MarCum’s legendary sonar platform = we almost feel bad for the fishes…almost!

> Customizable HD display, industry-leading 1/2” target separation, real-time sonar designed specifically for ice fishing, and comes standard with a MarCum Brute 12V10Ah Lithium LifePO4 battery!

Takes just 10 seconds to enter (click the pic below) and can share the link you get for bonus entries. 👊 Good luck!

Quickie tip from Ice Team pro Chris Granrud on a little something you might overlook when pinching off those minnow heads. He’s talking about the Clam Bomb Spoon, but it’s especially important when using any smaller profile baits/hooks:

– That’s Brad Hawthorne talking in this Wired2Fish video how he uses his Humminbird MEGA 360 on ice to drill less holes and find more fish. Drills 1 hole and waits 3-10 minutes for things to settle down and see what’s coming back through:

For all you open-water ‘Bird watchers out there, here’s what you need to use MEGA 360 Imaging on ice. #SearchAndDestroy

This snap from Berkley’s Instagram might be the best ‘gill glamour shot I’ve seen:

Did you know Berkley makes Fusion19 Tungsten Jigs?! Paired-up with PowerBait Ice plastics and they look like freakin’ panfish candies:

Btw check out this John Hoyer comment:

> “To be honest I never thought about sharp hooks ice fishing until I started using these – I literally don’t remember the last time I lost one on a Fusion19 jig.”

Funny how folks go crazy sharpening hooks and making sure things are dialed on the open-water, but never even check on the ice (I’m frequently guilty).

National Professional Anglers Assoc. 

MN-FISH