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Crappie barotrauma drama. š
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Uncut Angling is back after a year-long YouTube hiatus, and it’s a controversial one talking crappie barotrauma and what Aaron calls “bad science.” Iāve got to think that most everyone has already clicked (immediately!) on his new video, but if you havenāt, here she be:
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First off: It is nice to see Aaron back and adding to the conversation. I think he calls out some important aspects that were flawed in the DNRās āpilot project.ā These types of conversations ā reviewing and critiquing otherās studies/findings ā is what helps encourage folks to produce higher-quality research and get closer to the truth.
I think my biggest concern is that some folks might casually watch the new Uncut video and come out thinking that releasing ultra-deep caught fish is always okay so long as they swim off. I donāt think thatās what Aaron was necessarily trying to get across in his video ā heās more so defending FFS technology and how itās not the bad guy in all of this ā but I do think thatās how some folks might take it….
Soooo thereās a couple things I want to bring up that I personally think should be kept in mind before those āsome folksā give the green light to catching and releasing out of deep water….
It’s important to note that we don’t know the delayed mortality of any of those fish…only that they were able to get back down to depth and initially swim away.
Iāve been to community fishing holes over deep water (way before FFS was even a thing) during early-ice when thereās no snow cover, and seen dozens of dead crappies under the ice. These fish were clearly sent back down the hole, but at some point floated back up.
Thereās soooo many variables that can impact a healthy release. Iāve seen some lakes where basin crappies come out of the depths and appear (externally) to be as healthy as a fish caught out of shallow water. But Iāve also fished numerous lakes where basin crappies will come out of the hole and instantly have visible damage.
One quick example of that can be seen from 0:44 – 1:26 in this video I shot 2 years ago. There are no edits/cuts in that clip from hook-set to the hold up. It was a 12ā crappie that I caught suspended about 33ā down over 40ā, as you can see it was hooked in the snout (not gut hooked deep) yet was instantly gushing blood from internal damage of being pulled out of deep water:
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Like I said, I think Aaron brought up some really good points in his video. Stuff that a āfield expertā might have a better understanding of than some PhD who maybe spends more time behind the desk than on the water. But I also worry that some folks might take things the wrong way without really listening to his message…which is why I just wanted to point out a few things that caught my attention and some of my observations over the years. š¤·āāļø
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Vehicles banned on MNās Upper Red Lake?!
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First time Iād ever seen anything like this:
> Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office: āDue to continued incidents of fishermen becoming stranded on and breaking through the ice on Upper Red Lake, effective at sunset on Dec 30, 2023, Upper Red Lake in the area under the jurisdiction of Beltrami County will have restricted access. Per Minnesota Statute 86B.106, vehicles are barred from traversing Upper Red Lake until the Sheriff rescinds this order. Snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles and all motorized vehicles are prohibited from going on the ice. A violation of this order is a misdemeanor under Minnesota Statute. If convicted, fines, penalties and restitution may be sought by Beltrami County.ā
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An ice assessment team (consisting of deputies, first responders, resort owners, and the Red Lake Tribal DNR) was formed to decide when Upper Red Lake will reopen for motorized vehicles.
The vehicle restriction announcement came after another 122 anglers were evacuated on 12/29 when they became stranded on an ice floe that had separated from the shore in the southeastern portion of the lake:
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Glad everyone was okay. I believe thatās the 7th ice rescue on Upper Red Lake during the month of Dec. What a wild, wild year. š³
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What happens after a vehicle breaks thru the ice and sinks….
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I came across an interesting Brad Dokken write-up on one of my favorite Facebook pages to follow called Tri-State Diving. Theyāre always posting interesting photos/descriptions of on-ice recovery missions for sunken trucks, ATVs, sleds, fish houses, you name it. Theyāve been busy this season already:
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Soooo….
How do they get āem out? How much does it cost?? What does insurance cover???
This throwback write-up answers a bunch of interesting questions Iāve always wondered, but knew Iād never be asking until the day came I needed to know lol. And no, I havenāt dropped anything large thru the ice yet, but thought others might find the whole process pretty interesting as well. Keep in mind the write-up is 6-yrs-old now, so Iām sure things are even more expensive.
Too much info to try and plop in here, so click the pic below to read the full dealio:
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Some interesting ice rigs. š¤
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Some of these might need to be in the works for this season, like this one posted by Mike Johnson in the Ice Fishing Minnesota FB group:
> “Introducing the āMother Nature canāt tell me what to do 23/24ā model….”
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These next couple are the real deal….
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Who says the same canāt be done with a snowmobile…. Not Jim Blackie, anyway!
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Where thereās a will, thereās a way! š
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1. MN: Body recovered in LOTW drowning. š
> …law enforcement identified the man killed when a commercial transport vehicle broke through the ice in the Northwest Angle near Flag Island on Lake of the Woods.
> The bomber was en route to a fishing location when it crashed through about 12ā of ice and began to sink in about 10ā of water. The Lake of the Woods County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Friday that the driver, along with a nearby party, began getting passengers out of the vehicle until the cold water prohibited their continued efforts.
Ugh, prayers to the family.
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6. ON: New walleye/saugers regs on Lake of the Woods as of Jan 1.
Thereās new size limits for the combined walleye/sauger limit on the Ontario side of Lake of the Woods. As always, be sure to check (and confirm) the local regs yourself…but Iām going to take a stab at summarizing them below:
Non-Canadian residents:
Daily catch and retain limits:
> Sport Fishing License: 2 fish, none between 43-70 cm and only 1 fish > 70 cm.
> Conservation Fishing License: 2 fish, none > 43 cm.
Possession limits:
> Sport Fishing License: 4 fish, none between 43-70 cm, not more than 1 > 70 cm.
> Conservation Fishing License: 2 fish, none greater than 43 cm.
Ontario and CAN residents:
Catch and possession limits:
> Sport Fishing License: 4 fish, none between 43-70 cm, not more than 1 > 70 cm.
> Conservation Fishing License: 2 fish, none > 43 cm.
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9. UT: Invasive walleye caught outta Strawberry Rez.
They believe someone illegally brought the fish from another location.
> Strawberry Reservoir is stocked with cutthroat trout, rainbow trout and kokanee salmon. The DWR said that based on surveys, these fish are preferred by most people who fish there.
> āWalleye could easily disrupt our ability to manage the current trout and salmon populations at Strawberry Reservoir through competition and direct predation as a predator fish,ā said Alan Ward, a DWR fisheries biologist. āWe are worried that the actions of one selfish angler could damage the years it took to build this fishery into something that the majority of the public want.ā
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Fish the outer-edge of community holes.
Ice Team pro Mike Raetz uses the crowd to his advantage…hits the outer-edge of shanty towns ācuz the pressure/noise can push bigger fish off the spot.
Also keeps his bait higher in the water column to specifically target bigger-than-average slabs:
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Those community holes oughta be a little less busy this year…but also might be more folks fighting for real estate on the spots/areas that have fishable ice.
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Posted by @robbieredneckjr on IG:
> āHeartfelt congratulations to Captain Matt of Guided Lines and his clientele for surpassing the elusive 15-lb milestone today. This fish measured in at an impressive 33ā long x 20ā girth. A true Bay of Quinte giant that couldnāt resist the allure of the Rapala DHJ-12!! What a way to end our 2023 season.ā
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You know itās gnarly out when the beard is blowing sideways lol. Posted by @kingslandoutfitting on IG, and that wasnāt even Mr. Beardsleyās biggest Manitoba greenback of the day:
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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 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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422 Laurel Street
P.O. BOX 541
Brainerd, MN 56401
(218) 824 5026
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