Catchin’ deers, Unicorn walleye caught, Find the greenest weeds

When fishing + deer hunting collide…. 🎣🦌

It’s that awkward time of year when fishing and hunting seasons mix, but that’s not stopping Kyle Quine from tackling both at the same time. 😳

Brings a whole new meaning to “catchin’ deers” 😅 bet even Rut Daniels would be impressed:

And in case you’re wondering what Kyle’s fishing spot looked like…has to be something like this Humminbird screenshot LOL:

Speaking of “catchin’ deers” 👀….

Here’s your random thought of the day. 🤔💭

I love deer hunting, but am far from a diehard – I just don’t do it all that often because: FALL FISHING. I definitely miss sitting in the stand and soaking it all in. It sure gives a guy/gal a lot of time to think about everything, nothing, and whatever’s in-between.

The last time I was able to have a sit, it had me thinking that if anything walked by (whether it was a doe, buck, swamp donkey, heck…even freakin’ Bambi herself) I was gonna light it up. Haven’t personally shot a deer in nearly 10 years and it’s tough to beat having venison in the meal plan.

Well…maybe not Bambi. 😅

Got me thinking about how often I preach catch and release, or selective harvest, when it comes to keeping fish…. Realized that maybe some people just don’t have the same opportunities as you and I far as fishing goes…maybe they’ve got that same craving for a fish dinner as us rookie deer hunters do for venison?

All I’m saying is maybe we shouldn’t be so quick to jump on someone for keeping a legal fish…. The comments section on any social media platform can be a downright brutal place, and you don’t know their story just like they don’t know yours.

Okay, okay…I’m done spewing random thoughts all over the keyboard. And remember:

Might as well keep this 🎣 + 🦌 trend going…

“Catching big fish from a private lake is like shooting a high-fenced deer.”

– Controversial quote of the day from [name retracted] venting ’bout how anyone can catch (or shoot) a biggun once they’re in there, it’s the whole getting access thing that’s the tough part. What say you?

The same guy that’s hardly blinking at 10.5” bluegills probably passed up this buck the night before – on the same property lol:

Of course you still gotta find ’em and make ’em bite…but we’re all up for that challenge:

Don’t see that every day! 🦄

Park Rapids, MN guide TJ Erickson and his buddy Peter Franz caught themselves a real-life unicorn!

Love me some unique critters!

“It’s that time of year! Don’t forget to put tire chains on your Crocs and flip ’em into 4×4!”

– Hilarious throwback post from Ben Kron talkin’ about what might just be THE most popular permanent fish-house accessory out there:

Story time…

Couple months back I met up with some life-long friends for our fantasy football draft…saw my bud Ryan Hanson rocking these old-school camo looking Crocs and I instantly knew that I NEEDED them:

But then I got to snooping around on their site, and saw things that had me questioning my life decisions (lol). I swear to you these are all in stock on their site right now:

Including these next ones (seriously) and I cannot get this tune out of my head…

🎵 Blame it all on my roots, I showed up in CROOTS 🎵 hahaha!!! 😂

1. Can-Am donates UTV to Wounded Warriors United of WI.

> The Wounded Warriors United of Wisconsin invites veterans to Country Haven Farm for outdoor activities, but getting out and about can be tough for some.

> President of Wounded Warriors United of Wisconsin Otto Reetz: “Mostly your older veterans that still want to ice fish and stuff like that, but the cold gets to them, so they’ve given it up. They don’t go out anymore. So this is going to give us the opportunity to get a lot of the veterans back into ice fishing.”

🙌

2. WI: There’s an Airbnb for ice-fishing shacks?!

Jamie Besaw created a website (ishackshare.com) that takes the concept of an Airbnb, but applies it to ice shacks.

> It all started when lifelong ice fisher, Jamie Besaw and his father were out on a frozen lake. They were trying to find a website where they could rent a shanty on a smaller body of water. Much to their surprise, they could not find one so Besaw decided to create his own.

> “The larger bodies of water were already set up with rental shacks, but to find anything in between was a task.”

> It is free to sign your ice shack up and iShackShare takes a commission for each rental.

> Another added benefit is by having locals rent out their ice shacks, they can share their know-how with renters. “They know the water. They know the ice and the safety. They know where the fish are. They know what they’re targeting, so if you can lean on that local resource, then it’s a great deal that way.”

3. MN: Sportsman’s new dock system is wild!

That’s Sportsman’s Lodge on the Rainy River/Lake of the Woods. They completed a massive dock project – with 49 renovated dock slips – and put professional electrical outlets at each individual slip!

Mad props because I can’t tell you how hard it is to find plug-ins for charging the boat overnight (no matter where you go).

I literally used to bring a generator with on trips so we didn’t have to pull the rig out of the water to charge batteries up each night. But that was before I upgraded to Amped Outdoors lithium batteries. 😉💯

4. SD: Zeebz found in Big Stone Lake.

5. Northland Tackles Canadian expansion.

> …the MN-based fishing gear manufacturer further fortifies its relationship with Canadian anglers by recruiting the Can-Am Sales Group, a leading full-service sales organization out of Quebec, CAN.

6. Pursuit Channel got new investment/ownership.

> Pursuit Media LLC announces new majority ownership of all its assets by The Bordelon Group. …The Bordelon Group, led by president and CEO Rock Bordelon, has acquired a majority ownership stake….

> Rock knows firsthand the value of Pursuit as he’s also been a content provider to Pursuit for many years now with his very popular program, On The Road Outdoors.

7. Brunswick made another Forbes top employers list…

…for the 4th consecutive year, coming in at #202 overall on Forbes “World’s Best Employers” list.

Brunswick = Lund, Mercury, Crestliner, MotorGuide, Lowrance and way more.

8. Yamaha won a 2023 National Boating Safety Award…

…in the Marine Manufacturer category

9. Crestliner launches redesigned Super Hawk series.

Some details and changes in that ^ press release, but more pics and videos on Crestliner’s site.

10. MN: Winnipeg Ice Fishing Show, Nov 4-5.

At Red River Ex Place.

11. SD: Dakota Angler Ice Institute happening Nov 10-12.

At the Sioux Falls Arena & Convention Center. One of the biggest and baddest ice shows in the nation with over 100 vendors and they always have a killer lineup of free ice-fishing seminars.

I’ve noticed on their FB page they’ve got lots of new vendors being added every day. Also just saw that NWT 🔨 Duane ‘Dewey’ Hjelm will be attending this year’s show and doing a meet and greet in the Daiwa booth. 👊

12. MN: Blaine Hard Water Expo, Nov 17-19.

At the National Sports Center.

13. MN: St. Paul Ice Show, Dec 1-3.

It’s the 30th anniversary of what a lot of folks call “the Super Bowl of ice shows” that takes place each year at the St. Paul RiverCentre. Per usual they have a solid seminar lineup. More deets soon.

14. WI has a NEW ice show.

The Wisconsin Ice Fishing Expo will be happening Dec 8-10, 2023 at the Sunnyview Expo Center in Oshkosh. I’m surprised that Tom Boley is going to stop fishing long enough to do a seminar lol.

15. MN: Arrowhead Ice Fishing & Winter Show, Dec 8-10.

At the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center.

16. DC: Power company will pay $57 mil for polluting Anacostia River.

Potomac tributary.

So waaay back in Mar 2019 I shared this write-up and pic in the Target Walleye email talking how (allegedly) “the owner of the vehicle took their Tesla onto the ice to go fishing, and that at some point during the expedition the car hit a rock. The car started making unusual noises, and shortly after that caught fire” on Lake Champlain’s (VT) Shelburne Bay:

Fast forward to today and I come across the following headline:

Man who tricked Tesla into giving him 5 free cars and set one on fire on a frozen lake gets 4-year prison sentence.

Woof! 😳 Random, yes, but I always try to follow-up with things as best as I can lol.

The last green weeds hold the most fall walleye.

Solid info from Brian “Bro” Brosdahl and Mike Gnatkowski in a throwback Game & Fish write-up, few snippets below:

> “Walleyes can be more difficult to find at this time of year because they’re on the move and transitioning from deeper to shallow water. You can count on the last green weeds to attract baitfish and walleyes.

> “Look for the greenest weeds you can find at the outside edge of bays that face deeper water. Eventually, those weeds die too and baitfish and panfish have to either slip off the first dropoff, or they migrate to the safety of the shallows.

> “Locate the outside and inside edge of the weeds by using your polarized glasses or your electronics. Make note of the depth where the weeds end because that should be the same all around the lake. Avoid any [weeds] that are beginning to brown.

> “Walleyes will position at different locations along the dropoff depending on conditions. They might be right on top, along the slope or at the base of the dropoff waiting to intercept minnow schools. Most times the walleyes will be at a very specific depth, but will move up and down the contour.

> “After a month or more, the migration reverses. The shallows begin to chill and fall wave action mixes and re-oxygenates the water. Walleyes can now go wherever they want. Baitfish move back to the extreme shallows and walleyes will be right on their heels.”

Quote of the Day

“Raise it…. No, hold it there…. Now jig it…. Wait, stop it…. Drop it down more….He’s gonna bite…. Too fast…. Slow it down…. You’re too high up…. Set the hook!”

– Hilarious and relatable caption under this FB post from StrikeMaster Ice Augers. If you think backseat drivers are bad, wait until you hang around with backseat fishermen:

Parting Shot

It’s Friday the 13th 🧟‍♀️ so I’ve got to get a little spooky with it, but someone should probably let Sylvianne Thibault know that’s not how those old chain stringers work:

Have a great + safe weekend!