Today’s Top 5
Check out the cheeks on this double-digit gravel lizard! Ernest Borrego caught this 14-lb, 31″ walter out of Abuquiu Lake, NM on a Rapala Husky Jerk:
Nice one! Current state record is 16 lb 9 oz.
Folks are sharing the snot out of this giant walleye pic as a possible new record:
Well…she was actually caught 2 years ago, but was recently resurrected as an interwebz sensation. Amazing fish but…#oldnews:
John Grubenhoff pulled her out of Lake Wallula, WA on Feb. 28, 2014. She weighed 20.32 lbs (35.5″ x 23″) and was verified as the WA record. John was trolling a silver/black back Jointed Rapala 6 feet behind a 2-oz bottom-walking sinker in 22 feet — trolled upstream along a break at 0.8 mph.
Rapala gave us a killer new lure last year with the Shadow Rap jerkbait (stickbait), and just announced its cousin, the Shadow Rap Shad:
We can’t get enough of the new “frosted” colors. Scrumptious!
Lot more info and good videos here. Worth your time to check it out. #stoked
Imagine being clothes-lined by a front like this — maybe just ride that sled to shore?
If those guys were out there any longer they would have wound up ‘ice trolling’ like this guy:
#scary #nogracias
Ice Fishing
3. MN: Fish house removal dates approaching.
And don’t forget to pick up your trash!
4. WI: Buick breaks through river.
5. WI: 2 fall through on Eagle Lake, both okay.
7. ON: Warden with MS starts perch tourney.
6th annual gathering on Lake Simcoe — has raised over $60k funds for Toronto clinic. Very cool.
8. NH: ME angler wins Winnie derby.
Joshua Philbrick won the $15,000 grand prize at the Great Meredith Rotary Fishing Derby with a 21″ 4.26-lb rainbow caught in Alton Bay.
He was actually out there fishing for Brrr ‘bots…
10. Whitefish on Green Bay (video).
Ice Force pro JJ Malvitz hosts Tony, Joel Nelson and the kids.
11. Confidence key in lure selection.
…from the who’s who of ice fishing.
13. Electric augers future trend?
Plus they look cool:
News
1. Ron Lindner and Dick Sternberg talk walleye hooking mortality.
Part 5 of 7. Check out part 4 here.
4. WI: New licensing system by end of month.
5. WI: USDA and Tribe partnership.
> The Lac du Flambeau Tribe wants to provide a sustainable supply of walleye for tribal and non-tribal fishing in reservation waters. The new aquaculture ponds will help the Tribe to restock more than 200,000 fish per year in area lakes and other waterways.
6. NY: New PCB consumption warnings.
7. Some people despise muskies…
…for allegedly eating their walleyes.
‘Eye Candy
Unbelievable 15-lb razorback caught by Instagram user @sh_eng_. His buddy hooked it first and lost it at the hole (!!) — on his flasher he saw the fish coming back around and:
Tip of the Day
Plastics for late ice panfish.
> With warmer temps, and less ice overall than in most years, late-ice may be here sooner than you think. To me, late ice is fast fishing for big panfish, and I usually opt for plastics over bait during this period for a few reasons.
> First, with big schools and hot action, you can typically catch more fish with less fuss on plastics, and not have to worry about constantly re-baiting. As daily influxes of water move hatching invertebrates and even some terrestrials below sheets of ice, panfish aren’t afraid of a beefier snack.
> VMC Tungsten Tubby Jigs, tipped with Trigger X Nymphs match the hatch, and are an aggressive offering that weeds out smaller fish. The more finesse Tungsten Wax-Tail Jig is another, more-subtle take on the same riff. Both are proven late-ice panfish baits in my box.
Shot of the Day 1
Shot of the Day 2
Super cool Bill Lindner shot. Hope he made out out of there okay!
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