Target Walleye/Ice email

Go shallower on opener, Double hook shiners, Fish of the week

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Today’s Top 4

Egg-wagons of the week!

Will Taege slammed this mongo 14-lbs 2-oz (31.5″) wally-potamus on the Fox River. Said throwing a #6 Rapala Rippin’ Rap with a straight retrieve was the deal — needed the bait to tick the rocks or it wasn’t getting bit. Sheesh:

Check the girth on this paunchy NE gravel lizard that lunchboxed a #11 Rapala Original Floater. JD Reinhardt Herdrich said it was just 25″ but still tipped the scales at 8.77 lbs! Facial expression says it all [mind-blown emoji]:

Eric Haataja and Jason Mitchell leaned into the BIGS throwing 1/4- or 3/16-oz “gold” Drop TG tungsten jigs with 4″ Keitechs. #HeavyMetal

Hunter Howieson with a hefty Mississippi River egg-wagon caught pulling a Dubuque rig at 0.4 mph in 13′. Snapped a few quick pics and released her to keep those big-fish genetics in the system. #Stout

Erik Lennartz whacked this butterball pitching the shallows with a Kalin’s Rattlin’ Google Eye Jigs tipped with a 5″ Sizmic Jerk Minnow (white/chart):

Btw – if you aren’t following Erik ^^^ on the Instagrammy, you should — guy hits it hard! Here he’s helping the Okuma Cold Water Line Counters live up to their name #FrostHammers

Where to find post-spawn walleyes on “fishing opener.”

If you’re having a tough time finding ’em, you’re fishing too deep. One big key is knowing where they spawned, and where they’re headed next. A few excerpts below, but you’ll for sure want to read the full AnglingBuzz write-up here.

> Walleyes typically spawn once water temps reach the mid-40s. The exact number will vary from lake-to-lake, but it’s generally somewhere between 44-48F.

> Walleyes tend to go back to their old spawning grounds year after year, so once you figure out where they’re dumping their eggs, you’ll have some valuable info you can rely on for years to come.

> Depending where you’re fishing, walleyes will either spawn on main-lake shorelines, or in feeder rivers and creeks. This tends to be on some form of shallow rock or gravel in 3-6′.

> Look for shallow-water structure between those spawning grounds and some of your favorite main-lake summertime spots.

They didn’t forget about you river rats either:

Keep reading here to find out the best spring walleye baits and presentations.

“There’s some walleye-fisherman fuel: beef sticks and Mountain Dew.”

What James Holst said when picking up Eric Rehberg from the dock on the Mississippi River, MN — chasing pre-spawn ‘eyes with blades and rattle baits.

Vid’s from a few years back, but right on point. Plus, you get to look back at the one time James considered growing out his facial hair:

S’more walleye arts and crafts.

‘Cuz this whole fishin’ thing is more than just a hobby…it’s a lifestyle:

Ryan Rickaby nailed it with his Rapala Rippin’ Rap painting. Would love to have that bugger on the wall…or in my livewell:

Insta user @ggeorge1025 gettin’ his #FishInkFriday on:

Welcome to the Romanack’s (Fishing 411 TV) walleye factory:

Insta user @hagenandoats bringin’ a whole new meaning to fishin’ the wood:

MN artist Jeff Troldahl might have to start doing-up Off Shore Tackle Planer Boards:

When heading “up north,” Stacy Lepak get’s her hands on a walleye one way or another. #CabinLife

Tip of the Day

Here’s Brian “Bro” Brosdahl on how to get more bites and less snags:

> Most people hook minnows through the lips, but there’s a big problem — every time a weed or rock bumps the jig, you lose your minnow. Same when a short-biting walleye hits.

> When tipping with live bait minnows, I like to use a long-shank jig like the Northland Tackle RZ Jig and double hook my minnows.

> Go in the mouth of the minnow with the point of the hook coming out through the gill. Bring the collar of the jig right up to the minnow’s lips and then turn and hook it from the bottom through the back. This will make sure your jig is weedless and snagless — for the most part, anyway.

> You’ll get those hooksets on the walleyes just trying to nibble on a half-minnow this way. It’s easy to do and keeps minnows on a lot longer. In fact, I’ve caught multiple fish on the same minnows and they actually wiggle more when double-hooked this way.

For you visual learners:

Meme of the Day

Usually keep these pretty light, but this one from Mike Olson of Fish Addictions TV is spot on:

Hit up a new lake, try a technique you never have, chase a species you’ve never caught…. Get to gettin’ — you won’t regret it.

Today’s ‘Eye Candy

Diggin’ this shot from Juliana Damert of a purtty Manitoba greenback:

#GreenGold #SourAppleSucka

Sign up another fish-head!

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Who is Target Walleye/Ice
Target Walleye/Ice — 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
Brett McComas is the main man for Target Walleye/Ice. 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

To send us walleye pics, ice shots or whatever, just respond to this email or click here to email us. Or post it on the Target Walleye Facebook page.

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