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Apologies for the late send… Pretty sure today is the 3rd Monday in a row this week lol. Hope you have a great rest of your day and thx much for reading!
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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.
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No doubt Manitoba’s Lake Winnipeg can be a brutal place “that will test every piece of equipment you own, and your mental attitude, but can also reward you with a fish of a lifetime.” And that’s exactly what Scott Brewer ( Brewer-Agre Outdoors) got with this 30.5-incher that was somewhere north of 12 lbs. 🙌 Incredible fish! |
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Know you got a good one when it’s got human lips and a personality LOL:
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Congrats on the catch, man! I seriously can’t wait to get back up there….
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Have you ever seen a pike shaped like this before?!
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Bryan Waltz aka Chasen Walter was out perch fishing when he got interrupted by this “subcompact pike.” 🤣 |
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Thing looks like it’s at least 18-20% bluegill hahaha.
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ND state-record jumbo perch details.
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There wasn’t a whole lotta info out there, so shout-out to TW fan Tyler Riedesel for tracking down some nuggets on the ND state-record perch!
Kyle Smith caught the 2-lb 15-oz freak outta Devils Lake back on Mar 28, 1982:
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Here’s a few lines from that ^ original write-up:
> “Kyle landed a supremely fat 2-lb 15-oz yellow perch, breaking the ‘old’ record set just a week ago [a 2-13 also caught on Devils Lake].
> “…was among a half dozen…weighed in Monday morning that tipped the scales over 2 lbs.
> “He caught the beauty using [a jig and minnow] on 20-lb line.
> “Officials at NDG&F…said Kyle’s record will probably stand up at least until next winter’s ice-fishing season.”
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That record has been standing 41-yrs strong!
But there was one caught last year that was finally flirting with it….
Jake Hanson got himself some new wall decor after plucking an absolute unit 🙌 out of a slough north of Jamestown on Mar 13, 2022. Fish went 2 lbs 12 oz and was 17″ long!
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Few details from this Northland Outdoors write-up below:
> Jake Hanson: “It’s really exciting but at the same time it’s almost unbelievable. I never thought that would ever happen in my life.
> “I figured at 25 years of age, and my dad is 60-something, he’s never seen anything like that before. You see pictures and stuff, but you don’t see that in person.”
He thought it was going to be a walleye until its head popped out of the hole:
> “As soon as I saw the head come up, I was just kind of in shock. So I kind of helped its way out of the hole because I didn’t want to pull the hook out of its lip.”
Amazing fish, man!
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Jumbo perch are freakin’ savages.
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Don’t be surprised to see ’em spitting up their kinfolk. #cannibalism
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Btw @thefishingdoctorsadventures posts some wild catches on Instagram. Just a couple hours ago he shared this photo of a “northern pike minnow” he caught outta Vaseux Lake in British Columbia, CAN. Biggest “minnow” I’ve ever seen: |
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Some folks would probably drag that around on a Lindy Rig in October….
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Did you know hub shelters can fly?
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This one can anyway! Shared by northern-MN’er Greg Clusiau. #GoneWithTheWind |
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Ouch! We’ve all been there….
Greg was nice enough to zip over with his truck and snag that hub for ’em. His post said, “All in good shape and funny!” Funny is right, but glad to hear there were no casualties…peeps or shacks!
If you just don’t feel like taking the couple of minutes to stake things down…I completely understand lol…but there’ll likely be someone watching you like their favorite show. 🍿
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1. ID: Walleye caught in Lake Cascade illegally-stocked 2 yrs prior.
> Biologists compared the walleye’s chemical signatures with 3 perch that lived their entire lives in Lake Cascade to characterize the chemical signature of the lake. When they analyzed the walleye’s otolith (ear bone), they found it matched the chemical signature in Lake Cascade, but only for the past 2 yrs.
> …biologists can count the rings in an otolith to determine the age of a fish – just like with rings on a tree trunk. …as the otolith is growing, the chemical signature of the water in which they are growing gets incorporated into the bone.
> Mike Thomas, Regional Fisheries Biologist in McCall, and his team need to know how many other walleye may be out there, and if they’re reproducing, which could change the Lake Cascade’s famous perch fishery and likely end the era of its famed “jumbo” perch that have made the reservoir a national destination for anglers.
2. MN: Ben Lutterman and Colby Kraninger win French Lake UPL.
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Congrats fellas! This duo has been lighting it up. So far in the three UPL events this season they’ve gotten a 2nd, 1st, and 1st. And they also won the Okoboji NAIFC in Jan.
UPL posted a little recap video talking with the top-3 teams and how they caught ’em. Thought it was interesting listening to Lutterman/Kraninger chat about how difficult it was to spot the bluegills during pre-fishing. It was a mostly-featureless lake, and the ‘gills were hugging bottom so tight in 20-25′ that they could barely even see ’em on LiveScope…had to shrink the range way down to just 20′ out and would just see a wiggle on bottom. After realizing that, the fellas went back to re-check a bunch of water they had already searched thru to take a closer look.
3. Can now get ALL LakeMaster maps on your phone.
First off: It was amazing being able to have hi-def LakeMaster maps on my phone with their FishSmart app. But like I had mentioned, it was expensive since you had to buy the maps for individual lakes – they add up! – so I just snagged maps for the half dozen-ish larger lakes I fished most often.
Now enter the new-and-improved Humminbird One-Boat Network phone app which for $2 per month ($24.99 per year) unlocks all LakeMaster maps for the palm of your hand:
> “Formerly known as the Humminbird FishSmart app, the new and improved Humminbird One-Boat Network app brings an all-new and intuitive experience for anglers on and off the water. Combining the full list of LakeMaster maps with the ability to control i-Pilot, i-Pilot Link, both Minn Kota Talon and Raptor applications – anglers now have all their tools in one place, giving them unprecedented command of their boat.”
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> “With this new and updated application, every angler can control their every move and better utilize their One-Boat Network simply from the mobile application on their smartphone or tablet. Packed with thousands of freshwater and saltwater maps for the United States and Canada, anglers have an industry leading source for navigation, as well as a means to best scout their next fishing trip from the comfort of their home.
> “Available in a free and premium version, with premium offering anglers to utilize the latest Humminbird Lakemaster VX technology on the go, and the free version with VX basemap allowing anglers to still connect with their Minn Kota devices – this application is of advantage to all anglers.”
Bunch more info and videos here.
4. ICAST 2023 is set for Jul 11-14.
The world’s largest sportfishing trade show (for industry folks). At the Orange County Convention Center in the always-muggy-and-a-zillion-degrees-in-July Orlando, FL 😜🥵😰hahaha!
Registration is now open. Here’s your reminder to book your hotels and whatnot before everything out of walking distance fills up.
5. WI: DNR published 2022 fish stocking summary.
Thx for the extra 1,588,918 walleye stocked into inland lakes/rivers! 👊
6. Engel has a new XL rechargeable aerator pump.
They released their Lithium-ion Rechargeable Live Bait Aerator Pump last May…now they have an XL version for buckets/boxes larger than 19 quarts:
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12. Yamaha wins customer satisfaction awards.
> “…the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) CSI Award for excellence in customer satisfaction in 5 categories including Outboard Engine, WaveRunner Personal Watercraft, and Jet Boat, as well as Yamaha’s boat companies Skeeter and G3 Boats.
> “Yamaha has received this award for its Outboard Engine category every year since the award’s inception in 2001….”
13. AL: 2023 Crappie Expo is happening Sept 22-24.
In Birmingham. Attracts more than 100 vendors and up to 25,000 fishing enthusiasts to the 3-day show.
> The Crappie Expo is held in conjunction with the Mr. Crappie $300K Invitational Classic. The 2023 Classic is to be held at Lincoln’s Landing on Logan Martin Lake. The Mr. Crappie Invitational Classic is the world richest crappie tournament with anglers from all over the southern United States competing to win $100K for first place.
> The World’s Largest Crappie Fry is held on the Saturday of the Expo each year. This year’s Crappie Fry will be Sept 23, 2023 beginning at 11am and lasting until the crappie is gone! This portion of the event is free to all Crappie Expo attendees.
14. Source Outdoor Group named Agency of Record for Hobie Eyewear.
15. MN: New gar possession limit takes effect Mar 1.
> Spearers, anglers and bowfishers will be allowed to keep up to 10 gar – the toothy, prehistoric fish native to MN waters – starting Mar 1…in effect on all MN inland and border waters.
> The limit applies to longnose and shortnose gar, which previously could be kept in unlimited numbers….
16. WI: Timeline of the largest sturgeon on Lake Winnebago.
> In 2022, the longest fish speared was an 83.6″ female weighing 157.5 lbs. This lake sturgeon was approximately 83 yrs old and had lived through a lot.
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Meme and (Quick) Tip of the Day
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With all the hype about using Rapala Jigging Raps for open-water walleyes, you might’ve forgotten it’s a killer bait for ice fishing – BUT you’ve gotta do things differently….
Basically take everything you know about fishing the J-Rap in open-water and throw it out on ice. Downsize = sure. Minnow head = maybe. But the biggest difference comes with how you work the bait. #Cadence
Don’t wanna do the big rips and snaps…instead it’s smaller, slower lifts and then somewhat controlled drops (instead of letting it crash down on a slack line) so that you get that smoother glide back to center.
Then when a fish comes into the cone, rock it in place – like a slow motion buckin’ bronco – while sloooowly rising to keep it above the fish’s face = CHOMP.
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Today’s, um…’Eye Candy? 😂
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Jacob Perpeluk caught and released this Lake of the Prairies (MB/SK border) super merp on a “red dot glow” color PK Spoon. Looks like a dang frog!
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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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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!
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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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