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If you’re getting Target Walleye for the first time, a friend probably signed you up!
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“Community hole” crappies (wacky rigs for panfish?).
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No one (I think?) likes fishing around crowds…
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…but sometimes that’s just where the majority of fish are, or it may be the only area you can access. Here’s a few things to try ( filmed less than 24 hours ago) that can help you ice more panfish in all the ruckus:
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“The only thing they should leave is an imprint in the snow or ice….”
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– That’s the MN DNR talkin’ about people who have zero respect for our waters and leave their trash on the ice.
Can’t believe I have to say this but…if you bring it out, bring it back with you! One lazy person makes all of us look bad. Like whoever these thirsty idiots were:
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BIG shout-out to those that not only pick up after themselves but also others.
Speaking of which, I wanted to give another props to these dudes, Jacob Stephani and Travis Tank, who posted this during late-ice last year:
> “Check out these hogs [we] caught out on Gull Lake…. After only 2 hours of fishing we managed to fill 4 bags and pounded the big ones off the ice.”
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> Jacob: “All jokes aside it’s pretty disgusting having to pick up other people’s garbage and bags of human 💩 off the ice. It’s honestly sad how much garbage there is on our MN lakes and how people that call themselves anglers can disrespect our greatest natural resource.
> “It’s not hard to pick up after ourselves, but apparently there’s a mentality that someone else will do it. I’m not going to drag this post on because I could go on and on…so our message to everyone is to be stewards of the land.”
Thx much, fellas!
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Fish ‘saddles’ for mid-winter walleyes.
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Mid-winter can be a tough time to chase down walleyes…a combination of fishing pressure and cold temps often lead to lethargic fish and a finicky bite. We got ahold of ice nut Forrest Leitch to see how he finds productive water during the mid-winter lull. Full tip on TargetWalleye.com, few excerpts below.
Yes, we ran this before, but it’s time to learn up again…and maybe gitcha a blimp like this (no offense Forrest):
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> Forrest: Seems like a lot of guys come mid-winter set up their hard houses in community holes close to access points – obvious points, humps, etc.
> My strategy is looking for high-percentage spots and using angler pressure to my advantage. Mostly applies to lakes I fish in northern MN with deeper structure, but can be used a lot of different places.
Structure
> My favorite spot for this time of year is a mid-lake saddle…an area that has a flat or point on either end, and inside bends coming up out of deeper water on either side.
> The saddle itself serves has hub where all these components come together…and usually holds the most aggressive gravel lizards.
> I try to find saddles out as far away from groups of houses as possible…community holes can kick out ‘eyes early in the season, but by mid-winter the fish have been pretty worked over.
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Strategy
> It’s usually pretty cold this time of year and the ice is thick [we’re getting there] so you want to plan accordingly…last thing you wanna do is wear yourself out drilling giant areas. #SpotOnTheSpot
> My strategy works best with a couple of anglers…gives you the ability to spread out set-lines and dial in the juice.
> I stick my portable right in the middle of the saddle and spread out set-lines [aka deadsticks] onto the different structure components. Love using the JT Hot Boxes for set-lines because they keep holes wide open in frigid temps.
> If one set-line is getting more bites than others – say closer to shallow water – I’ll move my shack accordingly.
Baits
> Usually start off with a Rapala Slab Rap — it’s a little more finesse than most “ripping” baits (no rattles) but still overall has an aggressive action.
> If fish are shying away from the Slab Rap, I’ll switch to a 1/8-oz VMC Tingler Spoon. Can fish ’em high in the water column – with a lot of action – to draw fish in from a distance…still able to slow down and fish subtly.
> On my set-lines I run a VMC Glow Resin Treble for larger minnows (shiners and rainbows). For smaller minnows I’ll scale down to a 1/16-oz VMC Tear Drop Jig.
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Double the fish you can catch in a wheelhouse.
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Sure is easy to get too comfy in a wheelhouse…. Nothing wrong [!] with soaking rattle-reels or deadsticks, but working some jigging into your program can help call fish in from a distance, and even double how many you end up catching:
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Watching that fish eat on Joel Nelson’s MarCum LX-7LI for sure got the blood pumping!
Btw – seems like most folks either plop their “shack” down wherever they land, or maybe only pay attention to the wind direction thinking ’bout opening and closing the door….
But you really should be setting up 1) parallel, 2) perpendicular or 3) how about even “parrendicular” to the break depending on what time of day you plan on fishing and the type of structure you’re on.
Here’s how Joel uses the contours to his advantage to catch more fish from his Yetti Fish House. #Dialed
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Got this message from TW reader Daryl Bauer, the fisheries outreach program manager with NE Game & Parks Commission, who knows a whoooole lot more ’bout the topic than I ever will:
> Daryl: “That would be a fungal infection. Those are common secondary infections. Looks like that bluegill had an injury and then it became infected with the fungus.
> “Fungal infections on fish are most common in cold water. Likely, as the fish heals, it will just go away. But it does look disgusting!”
Lol no doubt. Thanks much, Daryl!
2. MN: Bunch of info on the…
…virtual Brainerd Jaycee’s $150K Ice Fishing Extravaganza.
3. ON: OPP cracking down on COVID-19 ice-fishing regs.
> Over 10 people at an ice hut, and including people from different residences is illegal. The ice hut owner can be charged with, “Fail to comply with continued section 7.0.2 order, contrary to section 10(1)(a) of the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to Covid-19) Act, 2020.” The charge is a ticket with a fine of $750 plus surcharge totalling $880.”
> Those staying in an ice hut, whether rented or not, must be from the same residence (exception is that a person who lives alone and who has a different address can join the group).
Hopefully these folks in Northwestern ON don’t get a ticket for sharing their shack with “Sneaky Pete,” a mink that I guess visits frequently (lol):
> “He comes in and hangs out. We don’t let him get too, too close. Half the shack is his, he likes to hang out by the fire stove. If he tries to get too close to us we just move our feet and he scurries away.”
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Here’s what makes the design more special-er:
> …increased weight-to-size ratio. Due to its head design, Northland was able to achieve a fall rate 20% faster than traditional tungsten. Faster fall rate means quick-to-the-fish, intense action when paired with plastics or live bait, and a new way to fish smaller jigs deeper. A premium wide-gap hook ensures you don’t just get to the fish fast, but you hook them just as quickly.
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Not trying to sound like your mother, but that stuff’s nastier than UV rays:
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This bull’gill isn’t husky…it’s just big-boned lol. Awesome Jake Clinton ( @lakesandstreamslife) shot getting down with the sickness thickness:
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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 — 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
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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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