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If you’re getting Target Walleye for the first time, a friend probably signed you up!
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Fishing YouTuber donates ice gear to folks who lost theirs.
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Remember last month when 26 people were rescued off Lake Superior after 25 mph winds broke off a massive 10-mile ice sheet from shore? Luckily everyone was okay, but most of those folks lost their lifetime collection of ice gear as it drifted out to “sea.”
Fishing YouTuber Mavrik “Mav” Joos had been out there that morning filming, but got off the ice early ‘cuz his buddy had to get to class at UMD. When he found out folks got stranded, he went back to see if there was any way he could help. Then afterwards ( full story here):
> …with the help of Marine General, StrikeMaster Auger and his former employer, Thorne Bros, he replaced 5 ice houses and got $5,000 worth of gift cards. And he surprised the anglers at their homes with the gear.
> Mav: “I just know how hard it would be to lose the gear that you’ve been building up for so long. My YouTube Channel has been doing well, and it’s nice to be able to support people within the community. It feels good to give back.”
> He also dropped off gift cards to the Duluth Fire Dept, who did a majority of the rescuing that day. And he made a $500 donation to the Alliance for the Great Lakes.
Mav recorded some of those interactions for a video on his YouTube channel, which you can watch here:
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“Nothing says you’re in a fight like throwing up.” 🥊
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– That’s IDO’s James Holst talking about a HUGE Lake Erie “mamacita” – a 32″ freakazoid and James’ new hardwater PB – that he coerced with a “blue chrome” color #5 Rapala Jigging Rap. The fight was intense! To the point even the fish was throwing up during it lol. Guess it was spewing-up shad all over the water column before PJ Vick slid in with the landing assist. And they did it in style, airboat and all! 👊 Congrats James!
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Hunker down for after-dark crappies.
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Location
> Konnor: “By mid-winter, most crappies have left shallow weeds and are roaming deeper stuff – making ’em tough to find during the day. Instead of plopping down in the middle of a basin…look for differences among stuff that’s mostly the same.
> “[Example] A steep break might run for a long way and be pretty much the same, but then makes an inside turn or jut out into a point – that’s what I’m looking for. Technically I’m still fishing the basin (25-30′) but the spot is close to some variance.
> “…best lakes have good water clarity and a mud bottom that’s conducive to zooplankton…the main forage source. Fish will be tight to the bottom at dusk and rise as the night goes on…following bugs as they rise out of the mud.”
Baits
> “I like using loud/aggressive stuff to call fish in from a distance…#3 Rapala Ultra Light Rippin’ Raps and 1/16-oz VMC Tingler Spoons are heavy in my rotation. I like the ‘pink tiger UV’…amazing the difference the glow makes at night and the white/pink combo really stands out.
> “On the Rippin’ Rap, I’ll run a few spikes on the rear trebles to weigh the back down…and add a little scent – be careful not to overdo it…can screw up the action.
> “It’s critical to run a deadstick for this deal – a lot of times the more-aggressive bait will bring fish into the zone, but they’ll shy away from actually eating.
> “Run a small tungsten jig/crappie minnow combo on a noodle rod instead of a traditional bobber setup…makes adjusting the depth of the set-line way quicker than to adjusting a bobber-stop every time.
> “You’ll get a feel of where in the water column fish are coming through as the night progresses – adjust the deadstick as needed.”
Timing
> “Moon phase can play a big role…the best time is a full moon, but the waxing period approaching the full can be killer too.
> “Not to say that you can’t catch ’em during a new moon, but that big orb in the sky definitely helps fire up fish after dark.”
Take advantage of the after-dark bite while it’s still happening! Warmer temps are coming (here depending where you’re at) and slabs will transition into their shallower late-ice patterns soon.
Full write-up here.
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Here’s some pretty incredible underwater footage….
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Little background info from John:
> “This mega muskie is hunting for dinner on a sunken 1930s Ford ‘ice truck’ on Lake Okoboji, IA. The truck reportedly sank while harvesting ice in the early 1940s before the days of refrigeration. The truck is completely encrusted in zebra mussels…but makes incredible habitat for fish.
> “One thing I have seen many times over the years is how the smaller fish always keep the predator in front of them. Once this muskie checks out the tiny panfish jig and gets out of the way…a big brave bluegill following behind takes a swipe at the jig. Mesmerizing! (Pay no attention to the time stamp…the video was taken thru the ice in Jan 2021.)”
Wild! 😳 Still can’t believe how ballsy those ‘gills were.
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1. MN: 2021 Mille Lacs rumors.
From a Facebook live video posted by Steve Johnson, a Mille Lacs Lake Fisheries Advisory Committee ( MLFAC) member. Here’s the CliffsNotes version:
Steve talks about a new 5-year plan and possible 150,000-lb walleye quota. Rumors are that folks might be allowed to harvest 1 fish between 21-23″ for the first couple weeks of the season. Then catch-and-release for the month of June. A planned closure for the first 2 weeks of July. Have a catch-and-release season from the middle of July thru Nov 31.
None of this is written into law yet, but that’s what he says was discussed at their last MLFAC meeting. Can listen to 15:04 of his “own opinions” in the video.
Update: I just came across this MN DNR news release that links to the 5-yr plan, and asks the public to take a survey/comment with their thoughts.
2. 2021 Lund Ultimate Fish Camp.
Happenin’ Jun 27-30 on Leech Lake, MN. Chance to hit the water with legendary Lund pros like: Ted Takasaki, Perry Good and Tony Roach…but heard they’re gonna let Wired2Fish’s Ryan DeChaine come too (lol kiddin’ man).
I got to help out at one a few years back…was AWESOME getting to fish out of each pro’s rig and see why they chose the model they did:
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Definitely recommend jumping on the opportunity if you can swing it. Fills up every year, but sounds like there may be a few spots left right now. More info here.
3. MN: 10-fish walleye limit approved for Island Lake.
The one just north of Duluth, seeing as there’s 9 lakes named Island in MN:
> …all must be under 15″. All walleyes 15-20″ must be immediately released, and anglers can keep 1 walleye daily over 20″.
4. MI accepting comments on their walleye mgmt plan.
5. Boat inventories are low, and sales are high.
> “…current inventory levels are still tracking 20-60% below normal for the domestic recreational boating industry.”
Which I’m assuming will also mean that used boats are gonna be selling for a premium. #SupplyAndDemand #HotCommodity
From what I saw, the same type of thing was happening in the wheelhouse market this winter. Folks literally couldn’t find a new house to buy, which had used ones (even a few years old) selling for new-house prices. Pretty wild to see “toys” like that actually appreciating in value.
6. MN: New sunfish regz on nearly 100 waters.
> …44 waters will have a new daily limit of 5 sunfish, 31 will have a limit of 10 sunfish, 17 will have a limit of 5 sunfish and 5 crappie, and 2 will have a limit of 10 sunfish and 5 crappies.”
Love to see it!
7. Why don’t I own this Simms shirt yet?
Because 1) it’s simple and cool, and 2) us portly fellers love dark-color shirts lol:
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Here’s your shot to win an Ice Defense Pro from Cold Nation Outdoors. If you’re sick of your ice hole freezing over you should probably keep reading…. 👀
This slick little made-in-the-USA gadget circulates warmer water from below and “creates thermal flow on the surface to defend against slush and ice build up.” Quick video for you visual learners. I’ve been running one for 2 season now and thing’s are LEGIT!
They also come with everything you need to transform it from a flasher-mounted system to an Ice Defense for your tip-ups and set-lines:
> ”Just strap it to an extra flasher battery with the included strap, hook up the power cable and you never have to worry about your set-lines freezing again!”
Takes just 10 seconds to enter below and can share the link you get for bonus entries. 👊 Good luck!
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How zebra mussels have changed fish locations.
When zeebz come in they pretty much change the whole lake. “My grandpa used to catch ’em here” will only work for so long – fish aren’t going to be in the same spots they used to be. 🤔 Why…?
Zeebz filter the water, which increases water clarity and allows vegetation to grow deeper…. Here’s how Ice Team pro Tony Mariotti has changed up his gameplan for lakes infested with ’em:
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“How does a guy use a feeshn technique developed for walleyes so far north in Canada your nose would bleed if you went there – and that’s only if you survived on whale blubber and wild berries – end up winning a tourney on it in TN??”
– That’s Jay Kumar’s BassBlaster talking about Jeff “Gussy” Gustafson getting it done on the big, bassin’ stage = winning the Tennessee River Bassmaster Elite by over a 7-lb margin!
Of course he’s taking some huuuuge bragging rights back home north of the border + a $100K payday (which is like $47-ish in CAN lol).
Caught ’em “moping,” aka a technique where you do your best to just hold the bait still above the fish. He said it was basically just like ice fishing, sitting on top of fish and watching ’em on the graph, and the hardest part is NOT moving your bait.
They call it a “Damiki Rig” down south, but us northerners know it as “moping,” a name that I believe was coined by Ron Lindner. And yup, it works in the walleye world…the Lindners actually did a couple shows on it back in the day.
Here’s a complete breakdown of how Jeff “Gussy” Gustafson caught ’em thx to BassBlaster. Or you can get a quick rundown in this Bassmaster vid:
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👊 Mega props on the blue trophy, man!
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Most lakes with FAT jumbos are stuffed full of freshwater shrimp, but these ones must have a different menu:
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I’m coming to visit you one day, Justin! Not sure when, but know it won’t be soon enough.
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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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Who is Target Walleye
Target Walleye — 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
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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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