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Had to have a little “working” lunch hour the other day to talk some open-water strategy. Couldn’t believe the place let a GOAT in there! 😅👊
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When Al Lindner throws plastic vs hair.
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Really nice little breakdown from the 🐐 on when he throws splittails vs swimbaits vs hair jigs for walleye. 📝 Three setups (Big Bite Baits Slim Minnow, Suicide Shad and the VMC Moontail Jig) he always has tied on no matter where he’s fishing:
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Btw – I LOVE that hair is back. Business in the front, party in the back:
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Okay, that ^ type of hair was more popular in the late ’80s to early ’90s – though it’s also probably just as trendy nowadays lol.
I’m actually talking about the type of walleye fishing “hair” that gained popularity in the late ’60s to early ’70s = bucktail jigs. Yup, they still catch fish – really they always have – but people seemed to forget about ’em with the rise of soft plastics. Now diehards are digging ’em back out, creating new designs, and learning new ways to fish ’em.
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Guess how many eggs a female walleye lays?
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Short answer: A bunch.
Longer answer:
> “Female walleye will lay 50K to 60K eggs for every 2.2 lbs of their body weight. This means that a 5-lb fish could lay up to 300K eggs. A 10-lber will produce over 500K!
> “Walleye are broadcast spawners, which means that the females drop their eggs out on the bottom and the males come along later…. The parents abandon their offspring and provide no protection for the little ones.
> “Only about 5-20% of the eggs actually hatch, and approximately 1 of every 10K survive to adulthood…why it’s important to release pre-spawn female walleye.”
Matt Foley approves of this message:
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I will forever and always love that ^ meme and use it any chance I get.
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Best “joiner” knots for fluorocarbon leaders.
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There’s a PILE of options out there for what I like to call “joiner” knots = connecting your mainline to a fluorocarbon leader. Where to start?!
I’ve heard good things about the Alberto, but haven’t tried it yet:
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Gotta admit I’ve always been a big Double-Uni Knot guy because it’s the fastest for me to tie on the water + hasn’t let me down yet.
Only issue I have with it is the tag ends can catch in the spool if you’re doing leaders longer than about 7′ or 8′, so I typically won’t run them any longer than that. But I’m stubborn and have a tough time switching to anything else with how quickly I can crank out a Double Uni – literally can tie it with my eyes closed:
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All that said, there are definitely times when running a longer fluoro leader is a must. I’ve seen 20-25′ leaders being the deal on ultra-clear lakes. If you’re wanting to run ’em longer than that, I’d just spool up the whole rig with fluoro….
From everything I’ve heard the best “joiner” knot for longer leaders is called the FG Knot, because of its slim, streamlined profile. It’s also one of the strongest ones out there. BUT the first time you take a crack at one you’ll feel like you need to be a rocket scientist to pull it off lol:
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Sounds like most folks will tie-up all their FG knots the night before since they’re much more time consuming, but of course fish incredibly well. Practice makes perfect pretty okay. 😅
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My ice-fishing snowmobile setup.
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Last fall, I picked up my new sled thru Mies Outland in Watkins, MN and could not be more impressed! Awesome folks, jaw-dropping showroom, and an all-around great experience. The Polaris ProStar S4 Titan Adventure 155 (four-stroke widetrack) is an absolute ice-fishing machine!
Here’s a walk-through showing how I set it up to be super “fishy!”
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Trolling motor batteries: Lead acid vs AGM vs lithium.
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Whoooole bunch of really interesting info and breakdowns on how trolling motors draw power when running standard lead acid vs AGM vs lithium batteries:
> LiFePO4 batteries have many advantages over traditional lead acid batteries. Longer operating times, weight savings and many more years of operation are just to name a few. All Amped Outdoors LiFePO4 batteries listed below have a built in BMS (Battery Management System) which will protect your battery from overcharging, discharging too low, high temp cutoff, short circuit, and has built in cell balancing technology.
> Sealed lead acid “flooded” batteries can be up to 50% efficient and AGM can be up to 80%. This means you can expect to get 50-80% of the rated capacity. Our LiFePO4 batteries will give you 100%+ the rated capacity when new out of box.
> Today we are finding new motors with brushless technology drawing less power. Garmin and Lowrance will typically draw less than traditional brushed motors.
Here’s a helpful comparison for choosing the right battery for your setup:
> 50-60Ah LiFePO4 – Similar Capacity to a group size 27 AGM and group size 31 Flooded.
> 80Ah LiFePO4 – Similar capacity to a group size 31 AGM or 50% more capacity than group size 31 flooded.
> 100Ah LiFePO4 – 20-30% more capacity than a group size 31 AGM and double the capacity of group size 31 flooded.
> 24V Systems: Light users 24v 50AH. Moderate users 24v 80AH. Heavy users 24V 100AH (2 24v 50AH in parallel).
> 36V Systems: Light users 36v 50AH. Moderate users 36v 60Ah-80AH. Heavy users 36V 100AH (2 36v 50Ah in parallel)
Btw there’s 2 different ways to connect batteries. Running them parallel increases capacity but keeps the same voltage. Connecting them in series increases voltage (from 12v to 24v or 36v) but keeps the same capacity.
> The following graphs [from this Amped Outdoors’ blog post] were completed by Steve Becker from WalleyeTech Guide Service. The results show how much power each speed on a 36v system on a [Ranger 612FS w/ a 36V 112# Ultrex using 36v 100Ah capacity] on an average calm day on the water. Weight, wind, current will all play a role in how much power your setup will draw, use this in consideration when choosing the correct battery.
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I know it can be overwhelming to take in all of that info when it’s dropped in front of you at the same time – this 10:26 video from Matt with Amped Outdoors does a great job of explaining things when it comes to choosing the right battery for your boat’s trolling motor:
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Our thoughts and prayers are with the family.
2. MN: Red Lake Nation moves to reclaim lake shore.
I mentioned this back in August, but there’s more in motion now according to this new StarTribune write-up:
> Newly introduced legislation in the Minnesota House and Senate proposes giving all state-owned land within 1 mile of Upper Red Lake to the Red Lake Band of Chippewa.
> State Sen. Mary Kunesh, DFL-New Brighton, said she’s keeping her fingers crossed that the so-called “lands back” bill she introduced Monday gets a hearing in coming weeks in order to advance this year. She said lots of discussion needs to happen before it can become law. Seemingly, the land would include the southern unit of Big Bog State Recreation Area and the only two public facilities used to launch boats onto Upper Red Lake.
> In the House, Rep. Sydney Jordan, DFL-Minneapolis, said she introduced the same bill to help remedy an injustice that occurred more than 100 years ago in the mapping process of a treaty agreement. Tribal leaders of Red Lake Nation have said they were promised all of Upper Red Lake and a 1-mile buffer all around it.
Keep reading here.
3. WI: New walleye tag reward study in Green Bay and tribs.
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> “We’ve combined the high action and vibration of traditional blade baits with the attraction of a crankbait rattle system. The RIP~N~RATTLE has a strong vibration on the up stroke and resembles a dying baitfish on the fall. A very versatile bait that can be casted and retrieved or vertically snapped and is a great reactionary bait.”
8. This new Kalin’s slip-bobber looks nice.
> “New easy-thread tube design that allows you to slide your line through the bobber without getting stuck. The slip bobber is weighted for superior performance and allows you to cast longer distances. Top is painted with a high-vis yellow color to make it easy to see from great distances.”
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They also have a 21-piece slip-bobber kit that looks pretty slick, but it’s “sold out” for now, so will have to check back:
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Some spring-time boat maintenance tips.
Spring is almost here to stay in walleye country. As tempting as it is to just jump in the boat and hit the closest open water, running through your rig beforehand can save you money and headaches.
This oldie-but-goodie Wired2Fish write-up has a pile of helpful info if you’re wondering where to start. Few excerpts below:
Batteries
> It is very important to make sure that properly charged batteries have terminals covered and corrosion free – a drop or two of 3-in-1 oil can keep most deposits from forming. A small wire brush can be used to clean terminals and connections.
> …keep batteries filled but not overfilled…you can use battery acid that you can get at most automotive stores or as a second option distilled water. NEVER use tap water in your batteries. It can shorten the battery life and may not provide a quality charge.
Trolling motor
> Remove the prop now and again to check for line on the shaft of the motor.
> We also lubricate and protect the foot, spring and head of the trolling motor after each trip. We use Cover-All Protectant for the non-moving parts and WD-40 for those that move and are outside the unit.
Livewells and sump
> Spring is a great time to wipe and vacuum out livewells and the sump area of the boat. Get all the loose particles from screens and from under bilge/livewell pumps.
> Rinse sump area with a light soap and flush. Never use soap in the livewell for obvious reasons – several companies have tank cleaners that don’t harm fish but will remove grime and residue.
Outboard
> It’s always good to start with a ‘fresh’ tank of gas each year but using Stabil or Sea Foam in old gas will make sure moisture is eliminated.
> …inspect your prop for dings or dents – most of the time these can be fixed by local prop repair guys for a fraction of the price of a new prop.
Full write-up here.
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He’s definitely never been fishing…. 😂
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Seeing green(back)! This Manitoba ‘Master Angler’ walleye slid in and rocked a CPT prototype bait 👀 and the rest was history. Iced while fishing with Bruin Outfitting and Guide, who is an absolute hammer:
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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 – walleye during open water and all species during hardwater – 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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