|
Reminder: If your email program cuts off the bottom of this email, click “View this email in your browser” up top to see the whole thing. Sorry about that – email programs keep changing stuff.
|
|
|
Big catch…and catch again! ♻️x4
|
|
Was sent this post of Adam Weese and his buddies who have caught the same 13-14 lb walleye 4 separate times now in the same area. 🤯 |
|
From Adam Weese:
> Dec 6, 2020: I caught and released my personal best walleye weighing 14 lbs even.
> Dec 30, 2020: I was out with Wesley Rafter and he caught her again at 13.6 lbs.
> Jan 5 2021: Josh and I…caught her again weighing 13.8 lbs.
Now 2 years later they caught her again:
> “Fast forward to January 2 and I found an old friend. She weighed in at 13.8 lbs and after a few pictures she was returned to the river to maybe be somebody else’s PB.
> “Each time she has been caught in close proximity to the previous time. It amazes me how these large breeding female walleyes will travel great distances and return to the same breeding grounds year after year to spawn and then head back to their summer feeding grounds. Let ’em go, let ’em breed.”
When asked how they could tell it was the same fish:
> Adam: “She has the 2 warts on her side, 2 small bumps on the leading edge of her anal fin and her left pectoral fin is split right down the middle…plus her length is always the same and her weight is always within a few ounces of her last catch. She is always weighed with the same scale and basket.”
Amazing! And more hard proof that catch and release works.
|
|
|
Check out these unique ice rides!
|
|
|
One of the toughest things about ice fishing is just getting you and all your gear to the spot (thx to slush, deep snow, sketchy ice, you name it). Here’s a few off-the-wall mobiles that get it done in style…
|
|
1) Always thought these 3-wheeler mods for early-ice mobiles were awesome hahaha. This one’s from @dwsdave31 on Insta:
|
|
|
2) And then how ballin’ is Andrew Lang’s early-ice rig that he calls the “skwheeler” LOL?! Said it weighs 1/3 of what a wheeler does. He had it out with 5″ of slush + 12″ of snow on top of it = no probs:
|
|
4) I would almost feel bad bolting an auger rack onto this beaut from Rocky Thompson:
|
|
|
5) Think if this was mine, I’d spend more time on the ice than land:
|
|
Few of my favorite comments under the original post:
> “This is how they get Coca-Cola to the polar bears.”
> “…case you get buried and have to stay put until spring thaw.”
> “I’m willing to buy a bigger X-mas tree to fit this thing under it.”
Lol!
6) I’m starting to think there’s more SnoBears in the Dakotas than trucks. The PK Lures crew isn’t gonna let a little slush stop ’em from getting out…and picking up like 147 different TV channels at the same time? Ha!
|
|
|
Pretty slick little portable fish house hack.
|
|
|
Btw I’ve seen some folks do a similar thing on the back wall of the sled if they don’t have a bench seat….
|
|
|
Soooo, this is the first time I have EVER seen…
|
|
Am I tripping? Or do I just not fish shallow enough to cross paths with ’em thru the ice??
I’ve also never seen a baby dogfish…so for now I’m still convinced they’re born 4+ lbs. 😂
|
|
|
I want to get something off my chest… 😤
|
|
I’ve already seen so many reports this season of fish houses being broken into – or even the whole shack being stolen – all over local police blotters, FB posts, in the news, etc.
Soooo lame and makes me absolutely sick. How hard is it to keep grubby paws off other people’s stuff?!
|
|
It’s outrageous that you can’t even leave an ice auger in your locked shack for the 12 hours that you go home before coming back out that same evening.
I’ve talked to numerous folks that say they even leave their wheelhouses unlocked just so that they don’t have to replace the broken door if some jerk wants to come snoop around…’cuz if they want in, they’re getting in either way.
What kind of a world do we live in where you can’t respect others’ stuff? It’s really not that hard to just be a good human. 🤷♂️🤦♂️
|
|
|
Don’t care who you are, we all go thru tough times: whether it’s financially, physically, mentally, emotionally, you name it. But if you want something = work your dang butt off until you get it! Okay, okay…I’ll try to relax now…. 😅
|
|
1. AWESOME short film called “Beyond Borders.” 🍿
Of all the places I’ve ice fished, I’d have to say our trip to Wekusko Falls Lodge tops the list. The fishing (walleye, lake trout, burbot, pike) was OUTSTANDING, gorgeous sights, and flat-out incredible people…everything about it was magical.
This short film is a great story – powerful stuff! – and of course in typical 13 Fishing fashion the visuals are absolutely stunning:
|
|
I cannot wait to get back up there. Sending much love to the Bogdan fam!
2. ND: Hey first-responders, veterans and active military folks! 🚑🪖🎖
This looks like a great opportunity for 6 of you to get to spend a few days ice fishing on Devils Lake, ND with the Team Walleye Slayerz crew. Details in their post.
3. Rec boating industry maintains momentum.
> “Coming off a record year of extraordinary demand in 2021 led to the second highest ranked year in nearly two decades for recreational marine expenditures at $56.7 billion. New powerboat retail unit sales normalized in 2022, down an estimated 15-18 percent, to pre-pandemic growth years (2015-2019) with an estimated 250,000 new units sold, 25 percent above previous averages (2008-2014). Looking ahead to 2023, early indications point to continued healthy demand with new retail unit sales expected to remain on par with 2022.”
4. MN: “Kings of Panfish” tourney, Lake Minnewaska, Mar 12.
Out of Glenwood. Capped at 50 teams with a $300 entry fee. Lots of prizes including $7.5K to 1st. #ChaChing
5. MWC registration is now open.
6. Big Bite Baits kicks off soft bait recycling program.
> Recycled soft plastic baits are not used for new lure production but are sent to an outside vendor who then recycles the plastics into shoe soles.
Please tell me they are Crocs so I can love them that much more lol.
7. WI DNR giving grants for projects to grow angler base.
8. Females in Fisheries Scholarship application deadline Apr 15
> ” The two scholarships will honor female graduate students with a demonstrated commitment to pursuing a career in fishery management and conservation. The women selected will best reflect Noreen’s passion and commitment to the profession and to the sport of fishing.”
9. TX: Wally “Mr. Crappie” Marshall get HOF induction.
10. New smaller Garmin EchoMap displays.
> …new EchoMap UHD2 series chartplotters…with a 6″, 7″ or 9″ bright, sunlight-readable touchscreen display with keyed assist….
And yup, they work with LiveScope.
11. SIMMS launched their new spring collection.
Quick glance below – sorry about all of the drool. 🤤
|
|
Here’s your shot to win a pair of tickets to the 33rd-annual Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza that’s happening January 28, 2023 on Gull Lake near Brainerd, MN. The largest charitable ice-fishing contest in the world!
About 10,000-ish people come from all over to try and catch a fish and maybe win a chunk of the $200K+ in prizes 🤯 including a new truck! Something everyone’s gotta experience – it’s an absolute blast whether you’re fishing hard, people watching, or a healthy combination of the two:
|
|
|
Takes just 10 seconds to enter below (click the pic) and can share the link you get for bonus entries. 👊 Good luck and I’ll see you there!
|
|
How “Bro” gets buggy for plus-sized panfish.
It’s tough to beat a good panfish bite when it comes to catching numbers of fish! But if you want to catch some seriously big panfish “you need to alter your fish-catching system to accommodate for older, finicky fish.”
Few excerpts below of Brian “Bro” Brosdahl’s take on it, or hit the full write-up here.
|
|
> “Panfish feed primarily on insects and zooplankton in the winter. That’s one of the reasons I designed the Northland Bro Bug Spoon…it looks like emerging larvae with its bulging eyes and thin, slender profile. It resembles a long bloodworm or hellgrammite coming out of the mud. Just add 2 spikes or waxies and you have the tail of the hellgrammite.”
> Bro uses the smallest, 1/16-oz size most of the time, but will size up to 1/8-oz if the fish are really biting.
Plus-sized bluegills
> “With big ‘gills, if there’s not a lot of ice, they’ll bite any time. But if there’s a lot of snow and ice and it’s sun-covered, they get a lot more selective…that’s when I’m fishing higher in the water column.
> “In 10′ or less, fish halfway down. It’s so dark down there the bait silhouettes against the ice. I use a subtle swimming motion, just shaking the spikes or waxies on the treble hook. I’ll even shake the bait right below the ice and slowly drop it. But if I’m in 20′ or less, I drop it down to 10′ and then slowly drop it down to 2′ from the bottom….
> “In lakes that have lots and lots of bluegills, the big ‘gills belly into the bottom so the challenge is getting the bait through the smaller ones to the trophies. In lakes with fewer fish, they come through in pods. You want to work the bait minimally and just let it silhouette against the ice. The big ‘gills will find it.”
> Bro looks for steadily-rising barometric pressure over a few days. On a falling barometer, bites are typically short, but if the pressure is really low, fishing can be tough.
Jumbo perch
> “Jumbo perch get excited if something hits bottom and makes puffs in the mud. It’s instinctual when they see that, thinking it’s a mayfly emerging – and the more puffs, the more excited they get. So, you want to drop the Bro Bug Spoon to the bottom, pound the mud, and wait for them to follow it. If you pull the bait up, pull it away super slow. They’ll come up and just crush it….”
> In terms of locations, Bro targets most midwinter jumbo perch over muddy basins, as well as chara grass (skunkweed) flats and weed edges.
So, when do you fish what?
> Bro starts with the Bro Bug Spoon and moves on to a Rigged Tungsten, which is essentially a Mud Bug/Impulse soft-plastic combo you don’t have to assemble with frosty fingers. And when he’s running and gunning, Bro has a Puppet Minnow tied on.
> “And if the bite is really tough – which happens chasing trophy-sized pans – I downsize to a Rigged Tungsten Bloodworm or Mayfly tipped with one maggot or a threaded waxy.”
|
|
> “I also love the 1/16-ounce Forage Minnow Jig for tough bites. When you shimmy it, it’s constantly moving forward and will irritate fish that don’t want to bite….”
> In terms of line, Bro employs 2-lb test fluoro most of the time, but will size up to 3-lb if there are bigger fish around. On clear water basins, Bro steps down to spidery 1-lb mono.
Waaaay more info in the full write-up here.
|
|
“We outdoorsmen and women do not have the common sense to go to bed early before a day outside.”
– That’s a line from this throwback Steve Galea write-up called ‘Sleep and the outdoors enthusiast‘ 👀 which is sort of an oxymoron lol. Can you relate to this? 🙋♂️
> “We intend to, but end up fussing over our gear, checking weather forecasts, planning for the wind, making the next day’s lunch and deciding how we will over- or under-dress for the occasion. This typically keeps us up late enough that it’s hardly worth going to bed.”
No doubt! 😂🥱😵
|
|
> “…if you prefer laying in a soft, warm bed for as long as you can each morning, with your head on a nice plush pillow, dreaming sweet dreams and anticipating a hot coffee and a delicious, leisurely breakfast, you probably wouldn’t understand why someone might prefer getting up at an ungodly hour and laying on the frozen ground in a goose field or watching ice floes while fishing in a frigid river. Don’t worry – neither do they.
> “I once asked an old-timer why he thought that might be and he uttered a wise, folksy saying. If I recall correctly, he said, ‘It takes two good oxen to draw a heavy cart.’ Then he shook his head and started his tractor.”
And yet we always blame it on the other big, dumb ox lol.
|
|
This waldo has that “bewildered” look 🤨🧐🥴 in its eye lol. My bud Nick Cekalla fooled it by adding a little flare to his VMC Bull Spoon with a small, Indiana kicker blade. Love me some jigging spoon arts and crafts! |
|
|
Good luck + be safe this weekend if you’re getting out! 👊 Thx much for reading!!
|
|
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.)
|
|
|
Friends of Target Walleye
|
|
Who is Target Walleye
Target Walleye – walleye during open water and all species during hardwater – is brought to you by Al Lindner, Jim Kalkofen, Jay Kumar, Brett McComas and other diehard fish-heads like you!
|
|
|
|
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
|
|
|
|
