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Sorry for the off-schedule TW sends this week! Sick kiddos are no fun. All good tho, and still trying to kick things out in-between bathroom runs lol. Anywho, here we go!
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5.85-lb walleye wins a new truck! š¤Æ
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The 35th-annual Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza was last weekend on Gull Lake just north of Brainerd, MN. Believe around 12,000 folks hit the ice and it was Siera Romine who came out on top with a 5.85-lb walleye! For weighing the single heaviest fish, she gets her choice of a brand new Ford or GMC truck from Mills Automotive Group.
For some reason I canāt find a single picture of the winning fish ANYWHERE š¤·āāļø but at least she looked pumped!
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Few lines from this Theresa Bourke write-up:
> Siera: āI feel wonderful ā kind of partly in shock, honestly,ā
> She wasnāt sure yet which truck sheād choose, saying she likes both Fords and GMCs.
> Romine caught her prize-winning walleye on a Buck-Shot Rattle Spoon in 15ā of water. But the real secret to her success?
> āHave a good husband that baits your hook and helps bring it out of the hole,ā she said with a laugh. ā...and make sure itās the most miserable day, and you'll get it.ā
> Temps sat in the 20s for much of the tournament...gusts of wind up to 39 mph at times, making the air feel about 10 degrees. A light snow fell throughout the afternoon.
Congrats on catching the fish of a lifetime!
I mentioned before that sometimes the littlest fish win the biggest prizes, and this year was no different (full results). Couple examples:
100th place: Ghulam Ashia's 0.26-lb perch won a new Ice Castle!
150th place: Damon Ewald's 0.18-lb walleye [!!!] landed a new Polaris Sportsman ATV. Love it, wild!
I fished the derby and actually graphed quite a few fish...mostly dinks, but one looked like a 25-26ā walleye that postured up on my bait before moseying off ā woof! Had another time that a tullibee came over and nipped at the euro larvae on my dropper rig but didnāt get the hook ā double woof!
SO, hereās my āCatch of the Dayā and it was so worth it hahaha! #JalapenoCheeseCurds
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See ya next year! The date is set for Jan 31, 2026 šļø
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See fishing pressure from a birdās eye view š
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Mid-season means thinking outside the box to stay on fresh fish. By now, theyāve seen a ton of pressure, so the key is scouting untouched water and sleeper lakes ā and the onX Fish app makes it easy to find the ice less traveled for those of you in MN and WI (more states and provinces are coming)....
Use recent satellite imagery to spot ice roads (high-traffic zones = pressured fish), angler clusters, and undisturbed areas where fish are more willing to bite.
> To use Recent Imagery, navigate to the layers panel on the right hand side of the screen. Once you have the layers panel pulled up you will be able to select āRecent Satelliteā which will change your basemap to the most recent image possible.
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> Once you have selected āRecent Satelliteā you can swipe the panel down and you will see a box in the lower left hand corner that will allow you to change the date range for the imagery shown so you can watch ice, roads, etc form over time.
Of course if itās a lake that youāve never fished before, those popular spots also give you a starting point. Doesnāt mean you have to plop right on them, you can also see the type of structure/depth/spots where ācommunity holesā have popped up, and then duplicate that type of setup in other less congested areas on the lake.
Same feature I use early in the season to see how ice making has progressed on lakes ā find out which areas/lakes iced over first, or maybe still had open water so I know I can avoid them until after the next cold spell.
This time of year itās also nice to check for major pressure ridges/ice heaves on lakes when deciding what access Iām using and planning the route to my starting spot. As you can see in this recent Recent Imagery from onX Fish, Gull Lake in town here is split in half by a massive crack, which let me know right off the bat that I was going to want to use a different access than I had originally planned, instead of bajaāing across the lake:
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And now that we have a little snowfall on the ice, itās easy to see plowed roads and truck trails coming out of more discrete access locations folks are using on lakes (even itty bitty ones) that may be closer to fishing spots than other public accesses.
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WARNING: If youāre anything like me, donāt start looking at the Recent Imagery unless youāve got some time to kill, because itās absolutely addicting snooping around and checking out local lakes!
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Just while writing this, I found a sneaky way to access a local lake that I never knew existed. The lake has a public access, but the best areas are on the opposite side of the lake thru sketchy narrows (moving water in between) that never quite get āsafeā ice. Canāt believe I never knew there was a strip of public land over yonder where you can access it. I'm not sharing a screenshot of that one 'cuz I don't need any keyboard detectives figuring out which lake I'm talking about LOL.
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Ice fishing for JUMBO PERCH on Mille Lacs (with Hunter Nitti)
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What an incredible day of ice fishing for jumbo perch on MN's Mille Lacs Lake! We hit the ice with Hunter Nitti (2024 'Angler of the Year' on the National Walleye Tour) and he gives us the rundown of what's been working on The Big Pond. We set up shop and intercepted roaming schools of nomadic perch, which were gorging in buggy, soft-bottom areas.
Btw - We kept HALF of our legal daily limit and the family fish fry was outstanding. Hope you enjoy the madness! šæ
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Interesting factoids: Yellow perch populations are cyclical (up years and down years). They have a short life span, lasting about 7 years...females reach maturity and begin reproducing between 2 to 3 years old and males usually mature 1 year earlier.
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Ice fishing Jigging Rap cadence 101 š
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The Rapala Jigging Rap is a straight-up winter walleye slayer, but fishing it right makes all the difference.
A #5 is the go-to size in the winter, with UV colors (green tiger UV, pink tiger UV) shining in low light and metallic chromes (chrome blue, gold) crushing on sunny days.
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Tipping the treble with a minnow head adds extra juice, but going bare keeps the action crisp.
Cadence is everything ā start with aggressive rips to call fish in, then slow it down with a lift-and-drop or subtle tail wag to trigger bites.
If theyāre being stubborn, try the rocking horse quiver (barely moving your rod tip) to seal the deal. 6-8 lb fluoro + a swivel keeps things running clean. Dial it in, and the Jigging Rap will be your best bud on hardwater!
Oh, and I think all ice fishing videos that are talking jigging cadences should be required to have an underwater camera synced up with the jigging strokes:
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The latest āTop 5ā of the week! šæ
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In case you missed it on YouTube, hereās episode 81. Little table of contents if you wanna jump to a specific part:
0:18 - Insane ice rescue story
3:05 - Furry, ice-shack fish thieves
4:27 - Truck cab fish house
5:27 - Ice Fishing Extravaganza
7:37 - Billboard smack-talk
Big thx to our friends at Sea Foam for making this fun video series possible! š Hope you enjoy it!
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Donāt forget to add Sea Foam to your boatās fuel tank while sheās hibernating over the winter. Their Marine PRO product is designed just for marine engines and stabilizes tank fuel up to 2 years!! Also helps prevent corrosion caused by ethanol and water, and cleans/lubricates your motor
If you canāt find Marine PRO near you, original Sea Foam still works great in āem to dissolve fuel residues AND for fuel stabilization. May be the #1 automotive additive in the US, but it was originally invented for outboard motors.
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1. MI: Black Lake sturgeon season over in 17 minutes
**presses the āthat was easyā button**
> There were 797 people registered for the special sturgeon fishing season on MIās Black Lake this past Sat. It only took 17 min for anglers to reach the cap of 7 sturgeon landed [either with a spear or a hook-and-line], which is a new record....
> The DNR then takes samples from the harvested fish and uses this data to help track sturgeon recovery and conservation efforts. The previous record was 36 minutes, set in 2022.
Austin Dreifuerst speared the biggest dino at 78.3 lbs:
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8. MythBusters: Does higher voltage = better FFS image quality?
The short answer to this question is ānoā...IF youāre at or above 12.5V. Interesting read!
9. Open source sonar coming?
Maybe, but judging from the video it's got a long ways to go.
10. Discount code for Tom Huynh University šØ
You already know walleye-tournament phenom Tom Huynh šØ but did you know that heās offering a forward-facing sonar master class if you want to seriously step up your game?!
This course is packed with tips, tricks, and know-how you need. Go at your own pace with videos, guides, and testing models for a simple, easy learning environment.
And check this out:
āØ> Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and we know that nothing warms your heart quite like a day out on the water, feeling the tug of a walleye on the line. This year, why not give the angler in your life (or yourself!) a gift they'll truly cherish? ššāØ
> For a limited time, Tom Huynh University has partnered with Target Walleye to offer $40 off the Master Forward Facing Sonar course ā an angling game-changer that will help you locate and land more fish than ever before.
āØ> Visit www.fishthu.com and Use Promo Code: LOVE2FISH for $40 off Master Forward Facing Sonar. Offer ends February 14th, 2025.
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11. Brunswick had significant declines last year
> Brunswick's propulsion, engine parts and accessories, Navico [Lowrance] and boat units all reported declines for the year and the [4th] quarter. The most significant net sales declines for the year were in the propulsion and boat categories, which were down 25% and 21.9% respectively.
12. Yamaha's Harmo electric outboards now available
13. IL: State fighting expansion of toxic waste dump
Along Lake Michiganās shoreline.
14. DC: Boat-builder assn a little worried about new tariffs
15. SD: Pierre WFW derby is Feb 7
Thatās the 16th-annual Pierre Winter Fishing Weekend Tournament. Fish thru the ice, from your boat or from shore ā your choice. Fish Lake Oahe, Lake Sharpe or publicly accessible waters. Over $175K in cash and prizes given away!
16. ND: Bismarck Sport Show, Feb 14-16āØ
Huge lineup of boats, RVs, tackle, and top walleye pros like Jason Mitchell & Ted Takasaki
17. WI: Wisconsin Fishing Expo, Madison, Feb 21-23āØ
One of the longest-running expos, with 350+ booths and loads of walleye-focused seminars.
18. MN: Northwest Sport Show, Minneapolis, Mar 13-16
Seminars on walleyes, muskies, ice fishing, plus a massive new RV and boat section.
19. SD: Sioux Empire Sportsmanās Show, Mar 13-16
Great for hunting & fishing deals, boat show pricing, and Midwest + Canadian lodges.
20. IA: Eastern Iowa Sport Show, Cedar Falls, Mar 14-16
Huge selection of boats, travel destinations, and hunting/fishing gear at pre-spring prices.
21. The very first issue of āTarget Crappieā is out now!
They kick it off (with a bang) doing a Q&A with Wally āMr Crappieā Marshall himself. š
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Old-school wisdom still helps get it done!āØ
This YouTube vid from Jason Mitchell might be 11 years old ā which is literally ancient in YT terms š“š» ā but thereās still some time-tested hardwater info in it.
If youāre not sure where to start on a new lake, pop a hole and check the water clarity.... The visibility (or lack thereof) is a quick clue to get you dialed in faster. Stained water? Focus on the basin. Clear water? Find the weeds.
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"Get up and GOOOOOOO!!!"
- That's the caption under this Tom Dobbins shot of tourney take-off during an Ultimate Panfish League ice derby. The feelings that come along with those horn-blasting moments never get old:
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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.)
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FRIENDS OF TARGET WALLEYE
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Target Walleye ā walleye during open water and all species during hardwater ā is brought to you by Al Lindner, Jay Kumar, Chris Philen, Brett McComas and other diehard fish-heads like you!
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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
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