Zach Jackson rippin’ open a shallow feeding flat somewheres near Waubay, SD:
Casey Mitchell StrikeMaster’ing himself a new jiggin’ window. #RiseAndShine
Great pics guys!
How Roger Stearns tracks down Lake Winnipeg greenbacks.
Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba is famous for its portly “greenback” walleyes that loooooooove to eat rattlebaits. The lake is 258 miles across with little structure, so finding walleyes requires a different approach. Read Doug Stange’s full write-up here, but here’s a few excerpts on how Roger Stearns gets it done:
> When we’re starting from scratch, our initial moves are about a mile. Drill some holes and monitor your electronics as you fish. If we don’t catch or mark a fish in 15 minutes we move another mile.
> Once we find fish, we need to read their attitude. Say we’re marking and catching some fish, but they’re tight to the bottom or only 1/3 of them bite…a small move is in order, say 40 yards or so.
> We’re dealing with neutral to negative fish that are just milling along. They may have just fed or they’re waiting to feed when they find baitfish. It often takes these fish 3 hours to move 200 yards.
> To follow fish like these we usually leave one guy behind as we move. If we get into them again and they’re biting better, the stay-behind guy moves to our location. Occasionally, the school reappears under the angler that was left behind.
> Say two of us put 15 fish on the ice in about an hour. If we’re not marking many baitfish, we probably hit the tail end of a baitfish collision. Suspended fish are hunting fish — and while they may stay in an area for a time, they’re likely to be moving.
> When we move in this instance it’s at least 75 yards, sometimes 150. Again, the activity or lack thereof below is all unfolding on our electronics and we’re always trying to get a sense which direction the fish are drifting.
> The beauty of fishing on Lake Winnipeg is that you never know when an even bigger school of fish is going to move in from a different direction.
Been duplicating this on basin areas in local lakes and it works! $$$
Remember that Garmin Panoptix Ice Bundle we gave away?
First-ever happened earlier this fall. Lots were asking if there’d be another one, and now Al “The Man Himself” Lindner says it’s a go:
> Al: “I guarantee you, it will be bigger and better than ever. We’re working on everything right now and details will be following. Just wanted to let you know the date so you can put it on your calendar. Hope to see you there!”
That’s Zippel Bay Resort’s Igloo Bar that they set up ON THE ICE each year. Big screen TV, full bar, food menu…and the answer is “yes,” they catch some g-g-g-GIANTS out of it.
> “Cabela’s has been operating under the weight of an extremely heavy corporate payroll that is over 2 times greater than that of Bass Pro Shops to conduct relatively the same volume of business.”
Cody’s an industry vet and owner of Fin-Hunters Guide Service . Will be the new pro-staff manager and also help with brand management, sales and marketing. Congrats dude!
Northern MN guide Matt Breuer breaks down how he keeps maggots, waxies and minnows alive all season long in the full OutdoorHub write-up here — few excerpts below specifically talkin’ maggots…AKA euro larvae…AKA spikes:
> The average refrigerator temperature rides between 35-40 degrees. Maggots are best kept at 32-33 degrees. The coldest spot in your regular fridge will keep maggots semi-dormant and ready for use throughout the winter.
> I store mine in a plastic bag, in a loose foam container. Genz uses large plastic containers. We both have designated bait fridges, so we’re able to keep the temp down without having to worry about food freezing, pop cans exploding, etc. If you don’t have a bait fridge, remember to keep maggots in the coldest spot in your home fridge.
> When you’re ready to hit the ice, drop what you’re going to use for the day into a Clam Bait Puck and put it in a pocket close to your body. Once your body heat hits them, they’ll come to life and start wiggling like crazy, as if you had just picked them up at the bait shop.
> Maggots have two black dots on their “head” end. Slightly pinch the maggot, and you’ll see a scent sac bulge out near the two black dots. The hook goes through that bulge.
> Too large of a hook will rip the maggot, so #8 or smaller is ideal. Be sure you puncture the scent sac with your hook.
> When you’re done fishing, simply return the maggots to the large container. Just be sure they are dry, and don’t put dead ones into the container.
> Check your bulk maggots weekly, sifting them through a strainer and picking out dead ones. Once a few maggots die, more will follow. Removing the dead ones will ensure a clean and healthy clan.
> Mr. Genz likes to use a system that allows the wiggling ones to make their way through holes, allowing him to pick out dead ones and keep the bedding clean.
You feel like you’re an explorer on the final frontier every time you come around a bend…like you’re the only person that’s ever drilled a hole.
– Jason Mitchell talking ’bout his trip to Wekusko Falls Lodge. Gonna warn you: Don’t watch this 2-min vid unless you have a few vacation days saved up….
Today’s ‘Eye Candy
Lovin’ this shot from Jay Kaltenberger of a Manitoba green(est)back:
Sour apple sucka!
Sign up another ice-head!
If you’re forwarding Target Walleye/Ice 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.)
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
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