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Hope everyone has a great/safe 4th of July! Thx so much for taking time out of your day to read Target Walleye!
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Topper/Anderson win GRAHA 🏆 again, and again, and again.
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They were extremely vague on how they caught ’em – most walleye folks are lol. Looked and sounded like they were running a similar program to the last time they won...LiveScoping with slip-bobbers and reaction baits. 🤷♂️ That’s all you get hahaha.
I believe this derby uses the same length-to-weight conversion chart that AIM uses in their catch-photo-release tournaments. Which would mean their 5 for 51.21 would be just over a 29" average. 😳
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I wish every CPR walleye tourney would post their conversion chart and winning scorecards so the rest of us common folk could get our bearings as to what kind of bags it actually takes in these things. So big thx to the Hang Loose Outdoors crew for sharing that with us 👊 and massive props on putting together the bag of a lifetime on game day!
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Tell me this doesn’t get you pumped...
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...to rip a glide bait for summertime waldos. #DoublePump
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Should you cut the line or remove the hook? 🤔
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On deeply-hooked (aka gut-hooked) fish.
I’ve heard lots of arguments for both sides, so tried to do a little digging. Not a lot of hard info out there, but did come across some....
Little disclaimer: This is an older fisheries research study from 2009 – and they specifically used bluegills in the study – but it has some pretty interesting info that I thought others might be curious to hear. Few excerpts below:
> “Research on a wide range of fish species has revealed that deep hooking is perhaps the single most important determinant of injury and post-release mortality in recreational fisheries. However, there is little information on the best option for dealing with deeply hooked fish that are to be released: should the line be cut or should the hook be removed?
> “...the highest mortality levels in fish for which the hook was removed (33% after 48 h and 44% after 10 days).
> “...for the line-cut treatment (8% after 48 h and 12.5% after 10 days).
> “After 48 h, 45.5% of the fish from the line-cut treatment group were able to expel the hook originally embedded in their esophagus, and at the end of the 10 day study, 71.4% had expelled the hook.
> “Even with the hook left in the esophagus, fish were able to feed although at lower rates than controls during the first 48 h of holding. By 10 days post-capture, there were no differences in feeding rates as evidenced by growth patterns among the treatment groups, nor were there differences in the hepatosomatic index.
> “Collectively, the findings from this study demonstrate that cutting the line is a more effective release method than removing the hook when fish are deeply hooked.
> “As such, angler education efforts should focus on disseminating this message to anglers as well as encouraging the use of gear and techniques that minimize incidences of deep hooking...."
Interesting stuff – full scoop here. As with anything, I’m sure there are other studies out there, somewhere, that could say the opposite of the one above.
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How Korey Sprengel knots-up his dropshot rig.
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The 🐐 Korey Sprengel breaks down his go-to knot for dropshotting – aka the Palomar – and how adding one extra step of running your line back thru the eyelet will make your hook stand out the right way:
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Same exact way I rig mine, including tying those expensive tungsten weights on instead of just clipping them. 🤑
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Wild stuff! 😅 Now let’s see if they can catch ‘em on Barbie dolls or licorice next hahaha!
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3. Okuma/FishLab is looking for a marketing mgr.
4. New Z-Man Drop KickerZ coming in Aug.
> Finesse is an ongoing experiment. At Z-Man, it’s a perpetual push through the boundaries of what’s possible with soft plastic shapes and the devices that drive bait propulsion and action. Simultaneously, it’s a continuous exploration of the outer limits of ElaZtech itself, that ethereal softbait formula that performs impossible feats of underwater motion, while bouncing back with the resiliency of a rottweiler chew toy.
> Checking all these boxes and drawing beyond the bounds of tradition, the new Z-Man Drop KickerZ endows creative anglers with a sneaky little finesse trick – an extra supple baitfish-profile exhibiting equal talents as a soft jerkbait, swimbait or forward-facing sonar minnow.
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> Lined with prominent body ribbing, the Drop KickerZ’ belly section produces subtle bubble trails and underwater pulsations, enabling fish to better detect and locate the bait. Topside, concave dorsal grooves support the bait’s crisp action on the lift, while its ribs produce a slightly different motion when it descends. “This is a cool, overlooked advantage over other finesse baits in that bass see a delicately different look throughout the retrieve, which gives fish the impression of random motion....”
> To enable quick, dead-on rigging with a jighead or EWG-style hook, the Drop KickerZ offers dorsal and ventral hook slots. The bait is also impregnated with 20%salt (by weight) for a natural horizontal posture on dropshot or hover-strolling rigs.
> ...the Z-Man Drop KickerZ features two sizes – a diminutive 2.75” and a slightly upsized 3.5” profile – to cover a broad spectrum of applications, from hover strolling and FFS patterns to Ned and dropshot rigging and beyond. Injected in 10 hand-picked color patterns by Z-Man pros, the Drop KickerZ covers diverse fisheries and an array of conditions.
Speaking of Z-Man...
5. How’s this for matching the hatch?! 🎯
If you’re curious why the “Drew’s Craw” color Z-Man Finesse TRD is the way that it is:
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9. MN: Fishing to End Hunger charity derby is Oct 5.
There’s already 77 teams registered for this Gull Lake (Nisswa) derby that’ll be trying to fish their way into a top-6 finish for their slice of the $20K pie.
This fishing tournament is about two things: Walleyes of course, and raising donations to support The Outreach Program of Brainerd Lakes:
> “Outreach BLA provides meals to soup kitchens, food shelves, community meal programs, shelters, churches and wherever there is a need for food. No child – regardless of age –should be worried about where their next meal is coming from. ...80-90% of the meals they package will be distributed in MN. The remaining 10-20% will be used for disaster relief and/or international distribution.”
Local Brainerd Lakes Area guides Nate and Butch Blasing won ‘er all last year with a 5-fish bag for 20.19 lbs (only 1 fish > 20” allowed) which also included ‘big fish’ of the derby with a 9.62-lb GIANT. 🙌 These fellas are the best dang live-bait rigging fellas I’ve ever met – no forward-facing sonar needed. #OldSchool
Clear water + pressured fish + insanely stiff competition...and these fellas came out on top for a $16K+ payday [!!!], some serious bragging rights, and got their names stamped on the coolest dang traveling trophy for the third time.
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50+ Jigging Rap tips you NEED to know!
The OG of hard-bodied jigging baits! Doesn’t matter if it’s the “dog days” of summer, sunny, or glass calm...Rapala Jigging Raps catch ’em all year round.
I posted this video a couple summers back and got a bunch of positive feedback (thank you!) but I keep getting sent in a bunch of questions that are all covered in this one vid...so bringing it back to life!
Whether you’re a beginner or pro, here’s 58 [!!!] tips and tricks to help step up your Jigging Rap game. Stuff I wish someone would have told me YEARS ago.
The whole video is 17:52 long, but it’s rapid fire and comes at you fast. 👊 Hope you dig/dug it:
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Btw we mentioned it after last year’s ICAST, but the new Rapala Jigging Rap Magnum is also out now and ready to rip. If you liked the now-discontinued Flat Jig...this thing is like a Flat Jig on steroids. 💯
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Few quick details and some observations:
It’s 2.75” long (same as a #7 original) but weighs 1-1/8 oz. 💣
Falls fast and true if you’re targeting specific fish on forward-facing sonar so you know it’s hitting them right in the face. Same proven Jigging Rap swimming action on the rip.
Has a solid ONE-PIECE body and fin design...the tails are not separate.
There’s a plastic type of finish on the outside similar to what the newer Jigging Shadow Raps feel like imo...seems like it would protect the internal metallic finishes and avoid chipping.
Has a built-in heavy duty swivel on the #5 belly hook to help prevent fish from getting the leverage to throw the bait:
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I was able to get my hands on a Jigging Rap Magnum a little early (late last summer) and shot a YT video breaking down what makes it different from the rest of the lineup, and my first impressions after finally getting to set the hook with it:
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Water temps finally creeping into the 70s has fish beginning to congregate on deeper, mid-summer structure – I’m looking forward to tying one back on and putting it thru the ringer.
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“When they spit up what looks to be a big perch and you were wondering if downsizing is really necessary.”
- That’s captain Ross Robertson stealing some poor Lake Erie walleye’s lunch (again):
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Josh Westerink straight-up vibing his way into summer! 😅🔥
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Be safe out there this weekend! No doubt there will be a whole bunch of crazies out on the water....
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Sign up another fish-head!
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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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