Reminder: If your email program cuts off the bottom of this email, click “View this email in your browser” up top to see the whole thing. Sorry about that – email programs keep changing stuff.
|
|
|
This dude’s Down Imaging settings are DIALED. 🤯
|
|
|
Came across these Humminbird screenshots on Sean Wit’s Instagram and the clarity blew my mind. Believe it’s a big northern pike – tucked behind a boulder – about to ambush prey. #Wild
|
|
|
Sean obviously knows how to target (and catch!) big ol’ Netherlands’ esox – these snaps are just from the last month or so:
|
|
|
As seen at Lindner Media. 👀
|
|
|
You might not know this, but I actually have an office space at Lindner Media. Been quite a while now but I still catch myself snooping around here – like it’s my first time – every single time I step foot in the door.
For sure a bunch of cool projects always going on, people I’ve looked up to my whole life constantly walking the halls, and some memorabilia you won’t see anywhere else….
Exhibit A: This signed letter from George W. Bush after he fell in love with Al and Ron’s book called First Light on the Water:
|
|
|
Exhibit B: Proof that Al and Ron Lindner didn’t just invent game-changing ideas and products in their garage…they also practiced karate:
|
|
|
Lol. Love those throwbacks.
Exhibit C: I’m really not even sure where to start ‘cuz I’d bet every one of these gems has an incredible story to it:
|
|
|
I actually moved over into Ron’s old office. It’s overwhelming because I feel soooo unworthy of sitting behind his desk. At the same time it’s also incredible being reminded of Ron’s work, passion, and love for the sport every single day.
One of those crazy “reminders” is just off to my right. It’s Ron’s collection of every In-Fisherman magazine and Walleye Insider (among other things) they produced. Every. Single. One. 🤯
|
|
|
I haven’t found the courage to go digging thru them yet. Maybe one day, but not yet.
Ron literally told me to “dive in” multiple times. Not asked…told. If you knew Ron you know what I mean lol. He’d say that there’s lots of things there that newer generations had maybe never seen or heard of before…stuff that I “should pull from” to share with Target Walleye readers ‘cuz they’d “get a kick out of it.” So I guess maybe this is me saying I’ll finally start doing that. For you and for Ron. Stay tuned….
|
|
|
In honor of the upcoming ice-fishing season…
|
|
|
…here’s a look at one of the fattest walleyes I’ve ever seen schmashed thru an ice hole. Matthew Gelley caught the 14-lb greenback on Manitoba’s Lake Winnipeg a few seasons back – just ridiculous girth!
|
|
|
Matthew stuck that portly feller on a “pink tiger glow” color 2.5” Acme Hyper Glide. Released to get even more bigger-er.
Btw I’ve been seeing Acme drop first-looks at some of their new ice goodies for the season over on their Facebook and Instagram pages. One of those that caught my eye is called the Acme Ice Winder:
|
|
|
> “..can be jigged with quick short lifts of the rod, creating an upwards darting action followed by a fall with a fluttering action to imitate an injured or scared baitfish. Slower jigging strokes allow the spoon a unique rocking motion that triggers stubborn fish.”
|
|
|
So this is how you catch redtails/creek chubs in the winter….
|
|
|
Does anyone remember Tech Decks? Those mini finger skateboards that drove our teachers crazy back in the day?? The older me feels like this mini tip-up is where I’m at in life now haha! #DoWant
|
|
|
“If you’re a very bad person in this life, your punishment will be casting to muskies for the rest of eternity.”
|
|
|
– Lol! That’s Al Lindner ranting about the fish of 1.7 billion casts in this awesome throwback Steve Hoffman write-up talkin’ fall muskies.
And here we complain about walleye fishing being slow….
|
|
|
> Tom: “During most of practice, we concentrated our efforts further downriver. After day 1, when we fell short on weight, we ventured upriver, near the dam, in search of bigger fish. Although we hadn’t practiced much in that area, the changing weather conditions called for a change in tactics.
> “We employed leadcore trolling with big stick baits in depths of up to 30’, keeping our baits within 5’ of the bottom. We caught a lot of fish on day 2, but day 3 brought a completely different challenge, we only caught about 7 fish all day. Thankfully, they were the right fish!”
Way to make on-the-water adjustments, fellas!
2. NE: The Walleye Nation Creations fellas can catch ‘em!
You already know that Walleye Nation Creations makes some killer walleye baits, but did you know that the fellas behind the company are diehard fish-heads?
Bill McGannon (owner) and Brian Hunke (vp) just won the Nebraska Walleye Association State Championship on Merritt Reservoir with a 2-day bag of 35.76 lbs. 💪
|
|
|
They said their key bait was the “gold digger” color WNC Rip~N~Rattle. A coming-soon blade bait that has a crankbait rattle chamber and an “awesome swirling swim on the way down.” I believe it’s being released this Feb, but they look incredible in person 🤫here’s a little sneaky peeky:
|
|
|
Big congrats, fellas!!!
3. MN: Father/son duo “old school” dominate Gull Lake derby.
Local hammers Nate and Butch Blasing won the Fishing to End Hunger charity derby (full results) on Gull Lake with a 5-fish bag for 20.19 lbs (only 1 fish > 20″ allowed) which also included ‘big fish’ of the derby with a 9.62-lb GIANT. 🙌
Clear water + pressured fish + insanely stiff competition…and these fellas came out on top for a $16K+ payday [!!!], some serious bragging rights, and will get their names stamped on the coolest dang traveling trophy for the third time.
|
|
|
The Blasings (great people!) are local Brainerd Lakes Area guides and the best dang live-bait rigging fellas I’ve ever met – no forward-facing sonar needed. #OldSchool
They were probably using cane poles, too…. 😜 But not no mo’ after also winning a couple of new Elliott live-bait rigging rods. Great, now we’ll reeeeally never beat ’em!
Was a little too chilly for my partner and I to hit the water, but we did hang at the weigh-in to see what was all going on. Has to be the first time I’ve ever been paparazzi’d 😅 swear I’m awake lol.
|
|
|
Korey Sprengel’s go-to line for cold-water trolling.
Sprengel is one of those dudes who doesn’t just do or use things “because” – there’s a specific reason behind every little detail. So when he talks fishing, I strongly recommend you/we listen. Here’s a quick-hitter on why he (I believe almost exclusively) runs 14-lb Berkley Trilene XL on his trolling setups, especially in cold water:
|
|
|
Couple of the best ‘eye candy-sque snaps I’ve seen in some time! 😍 Shot by Cameron Aakre, whose bud Ezra Olson caught his new PB walleye on a jig he hand-poured + hand painted + hand-tied = AMAZING!
|
|
|
Like I said before, there’s still plenty of great fall fishing left [!!!] but I’m diggin’ this chilly first-ice teaser on Elliott Rod’s Instagram. Gotta love that magical first-ice window where you can drag out gear in a sled and the sled basically drags you:
|
|
|
Gonna be sprinkling more and more hardwater schtuff in these emails going forward as we get closer to ice…but don’t worry, there will still be plenty of goods for those fishing in the boat or from the bank.
|
|
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
|
|
422 Laurel Street
P.O. BOX 541
Brainerd, MN 56401
(218) 824 5026
|
|
|
|
|
|
