Gotta give props where props are due.... 💪
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Meet 21-yr-old Gage Backman, an NWT rookie who recently survived a horrible car crash...
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...he was airlifted to the hospital where he would spend the next 6 days after surgery with a laundry list of injuries including a broken femur, 3 broken fingers and torn tendons in his hand, and stitches all over.
> Gage: “First thing I told the Sheriff when he asked how I was doing, I was like I'm not going to be fishing in this NWT event.... He was like, ‘Whaaaat?’ I was like it’s a fishing tournament I have next week....”
> “I started recovering a lot quicker than expected, giving me hope that if I continued my exercises and PT it may just be possible. Everything was headed in the right direction to where I felt confident enough to check the weather forecast for game day, with minimal winds I knew this was a sign from God to chase my goal for the season.”
And SOMEHOW just 12 days later he managed to sack-up nearly 72 lbs (on 10 fish) at the Green Bay NWT 🤯 punching his ticket into the Championship and qualifying for the 2027 season!
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Dude is an absolute legend! 🫡 True meaning to anything is possible.
Big shout-out to his teammates and co-anglers for going above and beyond to help Gage do the unthinkable. And massive props to Gage on persevering thru (with a smile on his face) when most others would understandably throw in the towel.
We wish you continued strength as you move forward in your recovery, and best of luck at the NWT Championship happening Aug 27-29 on Lake Sakakawea in Garrison, ND. 🙌
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Biggest urchin-bait walleye yet! 🤯
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Former Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Luke Loewe has a proven track record of coming in clutch:
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Luke is now working as the social/digital/content manager at Rapala, but also still crushing buckets. 😎
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But this might be my favorite shot he’s taken yet:
> Luke: There were two fish suspended within the branches of a standing tree under the water...one was a 5.5-lb largie that I caught first, and the other was this one lol.
While slinging a prototype Rapala CrushCity "The CEO" urchin bait 👀 and said he winched her outta the branches with a 7'3 heavy 13 Fishing ENZO and 17-lb Sufix Advance Fluro. 💪
It's only fitting this walleye looks like it swallowed a basketball!
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Such a cool catch, man!
Btw that new and coming-in-2027 Rapala CrushCity "The CEO" won best of show in the freshwater soft lure category at ICAST last month. Here’s a look at the smaller 15mm size:
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Little more info on what makes it different:
> Built around a proprietary weighted glass powder core [so it sinks at a precise, natural rate right out of the package without needing extra weight], premium Super TPE construction and Smart Injection Technology, The CEO delivers exceptional castability, a precisely controlled fall rate and remarkable durability right out of the package.
And sounds like it was designed alongside a matching VMC RedLine Series Urchin Neko Hook to simplify rigging. Keep you posted as we learn more or hear an ETA on when they’ll be hitting the shelf....
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Why Ross Robertson always has a ThunderStick tied on
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The smaller Jr. size (3.5" and 5/16 oz) to be specific.
We caught up with Mr. Bigwater Fishing just in time for him to be headed eastbound and down:
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> "Most of those eastern-basin [Erie] fish are chasing smelt. That's what the big girls want to eat. The smelt and walleyes both prefer that cooler water, and the fish don't have to burn as many calories as they would in warmer water.
> "We use single-strand wire, segmented Sufix 832 Leadcore and Dipsy Divers. You can catch them on spoons, spinners and cranks, but the deal for me is a Storm Deep Jr. ThunderStick on wire or leadcore. It absolutely mows them.”
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> "A Jr. ThunderStick is almost exactly the same size and profile as a smelt. I've put them next to each other, and they're nearly identical.
> "I don't necessarily think the smaller plugs catch smaller fish. I've run full-size ThunderSticks on one side and Jr. ThunderSticks on the other, and the juniors can outfish them 8- or 10-to-1. I've switched sides to eliminate current or boat direction as the reason, and the smaller bait still catches proportionally more fish.”
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> "The Deep Jr. ThunderStick isn't just something that works right now. I've used some of the exact same baits for nearly 30 years. Some colors aren't made anymore, but the bait continues to work year after year.
> "The action is good, but the profile is a big part of it. It has a thin, deep-diving body that looks exactly like a smelt. It also pulls well in current and behind wire or leadcore. Some baits just work, and that's one of them.
> "The Scatter Raps are another deal that simply hasn't stopped working. I'll also use shallow ThunderSticks, both jointed and straight, on the divers, but those smaller Scatter Rap Minnows are a cheat code."
That all sounds great and all but I'm just waiting on Ross to let us know when the BIG spoon bite turns on! 😅
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Use the thermocline to eliminate water ❌
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With all of Ross's Lake Erie walleye snatchin' he's doing – we asked how he's breaking down all that water to stay consistent. Here's how Ross is staying on 'em:
> "The biggest thing is paying attention to the thermocline. A lot of walleye anglers get intimidated when they see 100' of water because they're used to fishing 30' or less, but the deep water can actually make finding the fish easier.
> "In a shallower lake, the fish could be anywhere from 2' to 35'. In the deep eastern [Erie] basin, you're normally fishing a 10' window around the thermocline. That's where the bait is, so the walleyes are usually just above or below it.
> "You can see the thermocline on traditional 2D sonar. Once I know where that break is, I can determine whether I need 5, 7 or 8 colors of segmented leadcore. Once you dial that in, it becomes almost automatic.
> "[Another major factor is] current – what separates the boats that catch them from the boats that don't.
> "I use a Fish Hawk because speed over ground doesn't tell you what is happening where the lures are running. The Fish Hawk probe gives me the temperature and actual speed 20', 30' or 40' below the boat.”
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> "The Fish Hawk is a probe that I lower on a downrigger or weighted line. GPS speed tells us how fast the boat is moving relative to the satellites. The probe is down where the lures are, so it gives us the true speed in the underwater current.
> "You can be trolling east to west or west to east and see a difference of 0.5-0.8 mph below the surface. I've seen the difference reach 1.5 mph or more.
> "The boat can be doglegging without you realizing it because there aren't any visual reference lines on the water. That can make one side of the boat faster or slower than the other.
> "Without knowing that, you might catch every fish on the port side and think those three lines are doing something special. Once I adjust for the underwater current, I can get all 6 lines working correctly.
> "Current also changes lure action. A willow blade or spoon might barely be moving even though the GPS says the boat is going more than 2 mph. At lure depth, the actual speed might only be 1.5 mph, which may not be enough to make that bait work."
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Are you THIS diehard? 🙋♂️
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Because Stu Mynes is...and it's for sure Hank Hill approved:
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1. New ‘Tour Level Gold’ out now 🍿
> In this episode of Tour Level Gold, we head to Gladstone, Michigan, for the 4th stop of the National Walleye Tour, where the casting bite is on fire – but when everyone is catching fish, separating yourself from the field becomes the real challenge.
> This one gets even more interesting as one of the youngest anglers ever to win an event takes home the victory. From an incredible Bay De Noc bite to the tough decisions and pressure that come with tournament fishing, this event had it all.
Insane production. These things are masterpieces:
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Bunch more info here. Looks like you’re gonna be able to get a complete ice-ready bundle for $1,999.99.
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How Tony Roach catches summertime walleyes without FFS
> In today's modern fishing world, videos often focus on expensive technology and forward-facing sonar. In this segment, we are showing how you can still catch a pile of fish without the need for fancy gear.
> Tony Roach is showing how to use spinner rigs to catch suspended summertime walleyes. This tactic doesn't need FFS and is still deadly effective in lakes across the Midwest for walleyes. Tony shows how to best rig this setup and what part of the lake he fishes with it.
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Ever caught a blue-tinted walleye before? 👀 This one’s coming from the birthday boy, TJ Erickson, who said:
> We caught a few of these on a backcountry trip way up in Canada, and they were some of the most unique walleyes I’ve ever seen.
> We had hiked our way into a remote stretch of river and found walleyes absolutely stacked in the pool at the base of a waterfall. It was one of those places that you’d never find unless you were willing to put in the miles and explore.
> Definitely one of the coolest fishing adventures I’ve ever been on.
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Have a great + safe weekend, TW fam! ✌️ Back atcha in a few....
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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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Target Walleye – walleye during open water and all species during hardwater – is brought to you by Al Lindner, Jay Kumar, Chris Philen, Brett McComas and other diehard fish-heads like you!
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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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