Target Walleye/Ice email

Lake Oahe teener, Underwater strikes vid, Gators gone wild

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Today’s Top 4
Another reason to be thankful we live in walleye country.
Don’t have to worry about these things going for our baits:
Yikes! From Tyler Woolcott:

> “Crazy dude ate a 13 Fishing Trash Panda [topwater frog] like a bass. A quick dehooking and a picture, and he’s back to his reptilian business.”

And I thought loons were bad!

Although maybe we do need to keep an eye out for ’em considering alligators can survive being frozen in the ice — and I’m not talking about March tip-up fishing on Lake of the Woods lol:

That’s ^ from Shallotte River Swamp Park in NC — said:

> …the alligators are entering brumation, a process similar to hibernation where the animals’ metabolism slows down and they enter a lethargic state. Brumation kicks in when the water is too cold for them to remain active….

> During brumation, the gators will pop their nostrils up out of the water to catch a breath while the rest of their body stays in the water.

> …alligators that froze in place last year thawed out after a few days with no injuries….

Now you know.

And since I’ll never have a better segue into a random alligator post in the Target Walleye email than this…seems like the perfect time to share this story how a dude shot an alligator during “deer opener” in MINNESOTA — can’t make this stuff up:

> Cory Klocek: “…this morning I harvested a beautiful 10 point buck, this was my first-ever deer with a shotgun…. As I’m walking around a pond, tracking my deer, I look down to see a 3′ alligator 10′ in front of me. After contacting the game warden, I was informed I could shoot it.

> “No clue how it got there, or why. I’m guessing someone had it as a pet and released it when it got too big. I’m still at a loss of words lol. Legit speechless.

> “I will be able to keep the gator after speaking with state and federal fish and game wardens. No meat will go to waste, it will be eaten. The plan is to mount them together in a fun taxidermy piece.”

Only in 2020…. 🤷‍♂️

Lake Oahe teener caught!
Man, Lake Oahe has been kicking out some freaks — this time another one flirting with the SD state record. Tanner Nash said he recently moved to Mobridge and has been putting in work to catch a fish of this caliber, and catch it he did…. All 15 lbs 11.36 ozs (31.75″) of it!
No, it’s not Photoshopped…he just forgot his windshield scraper at home lol. So fortunately/unfortunately you’ll have to find his spot the old-fashioned way = fishing!

Btw my favorite comment under Tanner’s original post was from his better-er half:

> “Second best catch of your life.”

Nailed it lol. Congrats on the fish of 10 lifetimes, man!

Freakin’ SWEEEEET underwater strike vid.
Was posted by Burlaga Fishing Team on YouTube last Nov, so not sure how I’m just finally seeing it now…but not complaining! Pretty wild to see how some of ’em stalk the bait before biting, while others come out of nowhere and CRUSH it. The video has nearly 1.4 mil [!] views and I account for 5 of those today:
Said they were using a Water Wolf HD v1.1 camera with a 3′ fluorocarbon leader to that Rapala Tail Dancer.
The next time you poke fun at someone…
…for rocking a backwards snapback, just remember Al Lindner did it first lol:
Pic’s from back in the day when “selective harvest” meant selecting the biggest fish to harvest.
News
Jordan Tontarski caught the 1-09 pumpkinseed [!] last winter on the Black River near Watertown — potentially tied a record set 25 years ago if it was in fact a true pumpkinseed:

> “[Jordan] brought the fish to DEC’s Region 6 Office for biologists to examine, but the verdict remained inconclusive. Seeking a final answer, he drove his fish to Albany for identification by ichthyologists at the NY State Museum.

> “The recently completed DNA test concluded the fish was a pure pumpkinseed, officially tying the state record set in 1994 by R. Kennard Mosher in Indian Lake, Hamilton County….”

Congrats dude!

2. LakeMaster releases hi-def Manitoba maps.

> “…most detailed and accurate chart coverage of over 160 lakes and rivers, including over 100+ bodies of water with HD mapping in the CAN province. Popular fisheries like Falcon Lake, Lake of the Prairies, Lake Winnipeg (southern basin) and the Winnipeg River are included, as well as Lake of the Woods, Rainy Lake and Rainy River.”

3. Uh oh….

Not gonna share anything specific here, but if you’re on Facebook you’ve probably seen some leaked images floating around that have to do with fishin’ electronics. Sounds like a company that rhymes with “Scrummin-stirred” is coming out with something that rhymes with “Chive-Scrimmaging” — I’ll leave it at that…for now….

4. 2020 NWT recap (Wildside Podcast).

Chip Leer had the statmaster John Balla on the show to break down the #s. Pretty interesting to hear how it’s better to just be “average” than to “go big or go home.”

5. NY: Greater Niagara Fishing expo cancelled.

6. Looks like Bro’s not having turkey for Thanksgiving…

…he’s having thunder-chickens:

And guessin’ there’ll be some jumbo perch to replace the stuffing.

7. WY: Boysen Rez walleye/sauger #s up.

Recovering from “the early 2000s crash that was caused by extended drought” and highest #s observed since 2014.

8. Suzuki is restructuring.

> “This new direction will reorganize the Suzuki Motorcycle/ATV and Marine Divisions into 2 separate companies set to begin operations on Apr 1, 2021. This new organization is designed to give both new companies the best opportunity to optimize their success in their respective industries.”

9. Frabill has 4 new “Ice Hunter” flip-over shacks.

Can hit the press release here or you visual learners can check this video from Steve Pennaz. Side entry makes the ice-fishing world go ’round [!] and I can definitely appreciate those glove-friendly zipper pulls:

…LIVE on Frabill’s Facebook page this Sun, Nov 22 @ 7pm CST w/ special guest Kevin VanDam! Still really hoping Steve Pennaz and Brian Brosdahl are able to talk KVD into ice fishing this winter, ‘cuz dude could probably vertical jig a jerkbait and catch 120 walleyes lol. Can check the full “College of Ice” schedule here.

11. IN: Wolf Lake gets 20K walleye fingerlings.

Thx to Perch America’s private stocking for the 22 time in 23 years. Love seeing those bigger (but more expensive) 5-7″ walleyes going in = better chance of survival.

12. Matt Johnson walks through the new Mr. Heater Buddy FLEX system.

Got my hands on one for this season — looking forward to giving that cooker a workout.

Buck Knives lowest prices of the year on select products. Hit it here.

Win an Okuma ice-fishing package!
Here we go! 💯 Two lucky winners are each going to score an Okuma ice-fishing package worth over $200! Including:

Okuma (C-10) Ceymar Spinning Reel: I absolutely fell in love with these egg beaters 4 seasons ago and haven’t looked back! That C-10 size matches up nicely with most all ice rods and looks reeeeally goooood while doing it. I honestly think you’ll be shocked they don’t cost more….

Okuma Trio Ice Rod Kit: A 3-in-1 ice rod that lets you swap out for a 24″ light, 26″ medium light, or 28” medium blank depending on the type of fishing you plan on doing.

Plus they’re throwing in an Okuma Tackle Bag, hoodie, and 8-lb Soft Steel Transcend Braid so you’ll be ready to rip.

Takes just 10 seconds to enter by clicking the pic below — can share the link you get for bonus entries. Good luck!

TargetWalleye.com Highlights
Tip of the Day

Being efficient on the ice = catching more fish. Here’s a few budget-friendly tweaks Jeremy Smith does to his flasher bag so he can be super mobile yet have all the tools he needs to hop from hole to hole:

Quote of the Day
“Anything you would expect to see above water in ND, I can show you underwater in Devils Lake.”

Johnnie Candle talkin’ on the Bigwater Podcast how Devils Lake, ND swallowed up the town as it grew from 40K acres in the late 90s and to 210K acres at its peak. Great place to learn your Side Imaging and catch the snot out of walleyes at the same time:

Today’s ‘Eye Candy
Soooo-weeee! Pigs are getting their trough on!! Like this plump 12-11 (32″ long x 18″ girth) that Aiden Sisson wrassled up on Lake Erie:
> Aiden: “We were fishing for smallmouth with Ned rigs, and then we were passing through an area that was around 33′ deep — off a hard rocky and gravel bottom– and saw a big fish on the graph…dropped down and I caught him.”

Congrats on the fish of a lifetime, man! I still think Ned rigs are the best walleye bait no one’s throwing….

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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 and Ron Lindner, Jim Kalkofen, Brett McComas and other diehard fish-nuts like you! #fishheads

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

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.


 P.O. BOX 2782
Baxter, MN 56425
 (218) 824 5026

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