|
If you’re getting Target Walleye for the first time, a friend probably signed you up!
|
|
|
Kickin’ off today’s email with another “parade of pigs” jammed full of shots of BIGS – 💯 here we go!
|
|
1) Fish-head John Hoyer said this Lake Erie blimp ate his “slick alewife” color #11 Berkley Flicker Minnow like it was her J.O.B. 💪 Know you caught a fatty when its scales are all stretched-out like this:
|
|
2) Cap’n Chaz Dobias of First City Guide Service got to sneak a hookset in of his own while on a trip at the Rainy River. Resulted in what he expects to be his heaviest walleye so far: A paunchy 30” long x 19” girth! 🤯 Talk about walleye goals:
|
|
3) You don’t always need a boat to catch walleyes – especially during the spring walleye run. Current, bridges, neckdowns, etc can all help bring the bait and fish to you. Exactly how guide Justin Soffa (@just.fish.justin) whacked his new PB from the bank:
|
|
4) CAREFUL: Spenser Samplawski’s fish pics are NOT work friendly…they’ll make you want to walk straight out the door and head to the nearest lake. Like this one of a THICK spring melon he caught on a “fruit bowl” color #7 Rapala Rippin’ Rap. Doesn’t look like any fun at all lol:
|
|
5) I don’t know the details on this one, but GNARLY looking fish! Caught by guide Bret Alexander of Alexander Sport Fishing near Green Bay, WI. And bonus points for sticking it up in the snags and snarls. #BassFishingForWalleye
|
|
|
How to catch Rainy River sturgeon RIGHT NOW.
|
|
Did you know there’s a place in MN where you could catch a 100-lb fish that’s over 50 years old? 👀🙋♂️
Each spring massive sturgeon migrate from Lake of the Woods into the Rainy River to spawn – same place @upnorthwith.alex wrastled in this 66” [!!!] sturgeon that she posted yesterday. Dinosaurs do exist:
|
|
Hooking up with one can be easier than you’d think – just hope your forearms are up for the fight! Full write-up on TargetWalleye.com, few snippets below:
> Sturgeon often relate to the deepest holes in the river. That depth will vary from 15-30′ depending which section of water you’re on. Trust your Side Imaging….
> Position the boat on the upcurrent side of the hole. This area seems to hold more active fish as they funnel upriver, following the contour lines right to your bait. If you’re not catching anything: move onto the next hole! For me it’s 45-ish minutes of no action and I’m pulling up my hypothetical anchor [thx Spot-Lock!].
|
|
> Btw rolling sand dunes are lesser-known (and fished!) sturgeon spots that can potentially be just as good-er. As current flows over their tops it creates pockets of calmer water between them. I’ve already said too much…. 🤐
> Pay attention to which rod keeps going off and where that bait was positioned. Some days you’ll notice more fish coming from the bottom of the hole, whereas other days they could be up on the edge in shallower water.
> Don’t be surprised if one person in the boat gets the hot rod – sturgeon will sometimes follow “trails” along the river bottom, similar to how deer go through the woods. Hopefully you chose the right side of the boat to sit on! That’s why sturgeon fishing is one of the only times you hear of guys being okay with handing off “their” rod on a bite…or they just don’t want to admit they need to let their arms rest after the last one.
> A stout catfish or musky rod spooled up with 65-lb Sufix 832 Advanced Superline will do the trick. Best leader lengths can vary…usually 10-18” is a good starting point.
> If the current is really ripping – or the fish are hugging tight to bottom – chop your leader down to 6-10” to keep your bait closer to bottom. Play with longer 24-36” leaders if you’re seeing the fish come through high on your electronics.
> No-roll sinkers are a must. They’re shaped like a pancake which helps to keep ’em from rolling in the current and getting you into a snaggy situation. A 3- to 5-oz no-roll sinker (depending on current speed) is usually enough weight to keep your presentation pinned to the bottom.
> A 5/0 VMC 7384 Sport Circle Hook has a large-enough gap to load it up with bait, yet it’s not too large that you’ll sacrifice bites.
> You’re more likely to keep fish pinned with circle hooks, and less likely to gut-hook ’em. Don’t swing for the fences on the hookset…sorry bass guys! Instead, pick up the slack then start steadily reeling while sweeping the rod tip upriver. The circle hook will slide into the corner of the fish’s mouth and whammy – it’s game time.
|
|
> Sturgeon are great at feeding by scent, so make sure to frequently re-bait. I like to put on fresh meat about every 20 minutes to keep that scent trail strong.
> Some folks – *cough* me included *cough* – swear by adding a couple frozen shiners to a glob of 3 or 4 ‘crawlers. It’s tough to tell if it makes a big difference, but catch a couple of bigguns while using ’em and you wouldn’t want to switch either!
> Swift current is good at stripping bait clean off the hook – especially frozen emerald shiners. Using BIG GAME Bait Buttons (a small rubber “button” that slips over the hook barb) helps to keep your bait in place. They pay for themselves after just a few trips out. Don’t worry: your buddies will stop making fun of you once they try ’em.
Keep reading the full write-up here.
|
|
|
Did you know sauger got THIS big?!
|
|
Cap’n Josh Wetzstein of Muddy Waters Guide Service – guides on Pools 2, 3, and 4 of the Mississippi River and Lake Pepin – has been posting some insane sauger pics over on the Facebooks. 😲 Check these things out!
|
|
|
I don’t know the biggest or average, but do know he posted the dimensions of a couple on Facebook…the middle pic on the left went 22” and 4.76 lbs, which is a HUGE sauger!
|
|
|
Fish house removal deadline = passed.
|
|
I really do feel bad for anyone that drops a rig thru the ice, ‘cuz it could easily happen to any of us. So glad to hear everyone was okay when this rig went for a swim in ND on Mar 6. Does make for some pretty cool pics tho! From Tri-State Diving during their Mar 27 recovery mission:
|
|
|
Can’t catch ’em from the couch…
|
|
…but some days that’d be nice lol.
This post from Krysten Potega reminded me of one of those MasterCard commercials…
✔ Wading in 38°F water with thin, non-insulated waders.
✔ Losing close to $75 in lures.
✔ All while it proceeded to snow on us…
✅ But catching gorgeous nighttime ‘eyes = PRICELESS!
|
|
|
> Krysten: “I can now say I officially understand the hype surrounding DePere and I’m already counting down ’till we can go back….”
👊 Way to get it done, Krysten!
|
|
1. Head2Head Fishing has added a pile of sponsors.
They’ve got a new website dropping soon, but saw on their Facebook page they’ve teamed up with Salmo, Blackfish Gear, Lew’s, Yamaha, Skeeter, and Aftco just to name a few.
H2H Fishing are the folks that brought live-stream tourneys to the walleye world! Pumped for their new “Pro Walleye Series” to kick off Apr 9-16 on the Detroit River, MI.
2. New Acme V-Rod blade bait out now.
> The V-Rod features an all steel frame with lead injection molding body to create the ultimate baitfish presentation. Finished off with ABS plastic covering for the ultimate durability + hyper realistic + sharp paint finishes. Cast it, retrieve it, vertical jig it, you name it. The V-Rod will catch you fish, period.
Comes in 2 sizes (1/4- and 3/8-oz) and 12 colors. Clockwise from the top left = dead meat, maverick, big muddy and party boy:
|
|
3. OH: Lake Erie perch limit dropping to 10.
From Huron to Fairport Harbor. Starting May 1.
4. Boat builders struggle to fill back orders.
> From NMMA’s director of business intelligence: “Boat-builders are shipping approximately 20,000 new boats monthly and operating at 13% above normal levels to restock anemic inventories ahead of peak selling season. Continued supply chain disruption and workforce issues, combined with an average order backlog of up to 6 months, will challenge manufacturers to keep up with new orders through at least 2021.”
I’ve heard it could take up to 3 yrs for most boat builders to catch up. Doesn’t mean it will take you 3 years to get a boat if you order one, but they’re playing from behind.
5. T-H Marine buys BHP Marine.
Anchors, anchor + dock lines, fenders, etc.
6. BRP will have an electric everything by 2026.
> …announced that it would spend $300 mil to electrify its entire lineup of vehicles by 2026. The company, which manufacturers watercraft, snowmobiles, ATVs and go-karts, will start rolling out its first products in the next 2 years.
Not sure if that includes Evinrude making a comeback?
7. Gunpowder adds creative director Brian Steinseifer.
From Gunpowder founder Ryan Chuckel:
> “There are plenty of creatives out there with a laundry list of awards and hot work…but we lead creative strategy and ideation for brands that must be authentic in meaningful ways beyond a transaction. Brian understands how to use big ideas and great work to drive commerce while fostering a more valuable relationship between brands and its community.”
#MakingMoves
8. Rapala’s new RAIN gear is out now.
Bunch more info on all the features in this blog post. Quick look-see:
|
|
|
Nothing Simms makes is cheap, but every single thing I own from them is A) insanely comfortable, B) fits like a gem and C) waterproof! I’m sure this jacket is no different.
|
|
|
“You need to fish in his boat – I’ll have NO PROBLEM finding someone to fish with in our boat.”
– My wife’s reaction when I told her that I was going to be fishing a tournament with someone else…. Guess it could’ve been worse, she could have just said “that’s fine” LOL.
|
|
I signed up to fish the Gull Lake Spring Walleye Classic (hosted by the Walleye Alliance on May 22) with Target Walleye newbie Nick Miltimore. Tried to convince my wife it was a team-building event but she wasn’t havin’ it. Soooo…
Now she legit signed up to fish the derby with her own team, which includes local stick Jason Bahr – owner of Tutts Bait And Tackle and the same dude who dominated our EOY Walleye Wackers Championship with 18.99 lbs. Great, just great lol. Don’t get me wrong I would LOVE to see them catch ’em! So long as they weigh 0.0000001 lbs less than us. 😏
|
|
|
I haven’t tried that specific model yet, but did just put an order in for 2 of ’em. Big fan of XF-action rods for rip/snap jigging plastics and seriously cannot wait to try one from Elliott.
|
|
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.)
|
|
|
Friends of Target Walleye
|
|
Who is Target Walleye
Target Walleye – walleye during open water and all species during hardwater – is brought to you by Al Lindner, Jim Kalkofen, Jay Kumar, Brett McComas and other diehard fish-heads like you!
|
|
|
|
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
|
|
|
|
|
