Target Walleye/Ice email

Basin drilling pattern, Otter taken ransom, Melons of the week

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Heads up: Might only be one Target Walleye/Ice email next week while I’m in Devils Lake, ND chasin’ jumbos and scratchin’ up more content for you fish-heads! Hope YOU get the chance to set the hook this weekend!!
If you’re getting this Target Walleye/Ice email for the first time, a friend probably signed you up!

Today’s Top 4

Slush melons of the week!

Scott Mathson cracked his new PB walter with this stout 31.5″ x 19″ ND razorback. Caught her using a Lindy Rattl’N Flyer (perfect perch) on 4-lb test. Couple different length-to-weight formulas say she could’ve been 14-15 lbs! She looks STACKED the whole way through…or else eating helium straight out the jar:

Ice Force pro Andy Fiolka stickin’ over 4-lbs of perch [!] on two swings with Rapala Slab Raps outta a secret Idaho lake that rhymes with Bask-Maid. #Madness

Check THIS mammoth 42″ burbot Caitlin iced (and released) in northern Manitoba:

That seals the deal…I HAVE to make a trip up there to specifically target those goliath silt-suckers. Anyone else have any interest in a quest for a 40″ (+) burb? #RoadTrip

Holst’s drilling pattern for basin crappies.

In the last episode of In-Depth Outdoors, James Holst and Justin Soffa chased basin-roaming crappies in northern WI. Their “Spot on the Spot I.D.” segment broke down how they quickly eliminate water and the drilling pattern they used to get #dialedin.

> They start in the middle (deepest part) of the basin and drill a line of holes towards shallower water.

> Once they find the depth range the fish are running at, they’ll drill holes along that contour around the edge of the hole.

Check it in action:

James had ’em flying up on the graph to intercept his 1/32-oz VMC Flash Champ Spoon (glow green fire UV) packed with red spikes. Think they were on ’em?

#LitUp #RealLifeVideoGames #UnnecessaryHashtagsAreMyFavorite

Otter test shack stolen.

This from the crew over at Otter Outdoors:

> “While we don’t advise you leave your hubs on the lake, we licensed one and left it up a month. After -30 temps and winds up to 40 mph, the only test our hub couldn’t withstand was theft. While we understand the appeal, we’d like our test subject back!”

Though an XTH Pro Thermal Hub is ’bout as tempting as it gets, I’ll never understand why people can’t keep their grubby paws off things that don’t belong to ’em?!
Coming 2019: New Otter exploding dye packs:

As seen in Florida….

Buckle up boys and girls…she’s about to get…frosty?

Meanwhile we’re up here in the ice-belt like:

That frosty, memed-out pic of Bob Warren was snapped by photo-magician Josh McFaddin. Guy’s a wizard behind the lens — check these 24 canvas-worthy shots from a simple “guys weekend.”

News

1. MN: “Daytona 500 of ice fishing.”

Happenin’ Jan 27 on Gull Lake (Nisswa). Can expect 10,000+ people to fish for a chance at the $150K in prizes. Heck of the time if you’re into this kind of thing:

One guy you won’t see there:

And if you don’t win the Brainerd tourney….

Check the Poles ‘N Holes ice derby in Detroit Lakes Feb 10. They expect ’round 1,500-ish anglers and have a heck of a prize-to-participant ratio (which is a real made-up thing).

2. MB: Does Aikens Lake have big everything (video)?

Would you rather catch a:

A) 33.5″ walleye,
B) 49″ northern pike, or
C) 44.25″ lake trout

Those are the actual “lake records” at Aikens Lake, Manitoba. Think I’m gonna have to go with D) All the above lol.

3. MI: $3.6 mil in state grants to fight invasives.

And you thought those dandelions in your yard were a big problem.

4. MN: Fish Addictions TV hits LOTW (video).

Had a permie set-up as a base camp, then hopped around with portables chasing active fish. #DualAttack

5. MN: Lake Calhoun renamed…

…to Bde Maka Ska — pronounced beh-DAY mah-KAH skah.

6. How stinkin’ handy is this.

I’ve had a few different underwater cameras over the last 15-ish years, but finally got my hands on an Aqua-Vu Micro Revolution 5.0 Pro a couple weeks back.

Found myself using it WAY more often than other units — probably 10x as much — because it has a reel system for cranking up the cord = no wet hands. Slick:

Promise to finally start playing ’round with the built-in DVR so I can share some fishin’ clips with ya….

7. Confirmed: Joel Nelson is a nerd.

Known for awhile now, but felt I had to announce it publicly seeing as it was stated in this Star Tribune article about 17 times.

If you read these TWI emails — or basically any sort of walleye- or ice-fishing media — then you’ve likely seen/heard of Joel. Learn a little more about who he is and how he got there in this write-up. Still can’t believe you said you were only 38, dude! (Lol)

8. Johnny Morris wants Cabela’s execs to pony up…

…some of their payout $$$ for Cabela’s employees who will lose their jobs. Says he will match their contributions up to $10 mil.

9. Distributor Big Rock will only have 1 show next year.

10. MN: Brainerd Lakes Chapter of Muskies Inc…

…are having their annual sportsman’s (and sportswoman’s) banquet Feb 17. Believe it or not: I gave an “ice fishing for burbot” presentation at their meeting last month and they didn’t kick me out.

Tip of the Day

Super quick (35 sec) ice-organization hack from Lake Erie guide Ross Robertson. For sure another why-didn’t-I-think-of-that type of deals. Can find ’em for as cheap as a couple bucks if you don’t have any in your junk drawer:

Meme of the Day

Today’s ‘Eye Candy

Nic sent us this killer shot where you can actually see the LED light from an 1/8-oz Tundra Tackle FireFly Spoon shining through a walter’s jaw. Freakin’ amazing:

Sign up another ice-head!

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Check this stuff out!

Who is Target Walleye/Ice
Target Walleye/Ice — 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
Brett McComas is the main man for Target Walleye/Ice. 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

To send us walleye pics, ice shots or whatever, just respond to this email or click here to email us. Or post it on the Target Walleye Facebook page.

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